“Well, I respect your wishes. Looks like I overstepped.”
The opposite of my worst fears came to pass. Not only was Edgar unfazed by Klifford’s reply, but he also actually smiled softly.
Our conversation ended there. We resumed our walk down the Great Corridor and approached the door just as another bodyguard ran over to us.
Well, our task is done, I guess.
“Thank you for accompanying me,” Edgar said.
I shook my head. It was extremely unlikely anything would happen to him in the castle, but after the extremely unlikely thing that happened only the day before, there was no way I could leave Edgar all by himself !
Edgar’s bodyguard approached us. After a brief exchange of words, we turned to part ways. Just before we went, Edgar said, “Octavia, have you also had a change of heart?”
A what now?
“A change of…heart?”
“When we spoke in the garden, I suspected…you’ve changed a little, haven’t you?”
“Oh… Have I?”
“You’re much easier to talk to now.”
I was floored. The way he phrased that…I know what that’s code for!
“Are you saying…that I was bitchy?”
Edgar laughed and shook his head. “No, no, not that at all! More like, the thick wall around you got thinner? I’m happy about it. I’m also glad you have a bodyguard worthy of receiving a tassel as a gift.” He glanced at Klifford, then gently back at me.
A wall…
I guess to everyone except Alec… No, even Alec. I can’t say I never put up walls with him. I didn’t let it show on my face, but I was laughing at myself on the inside.
It was then that a thought struck me: Maybe it was the same for Edgar. Being kind and gentle was his way of keeping everyone at a distance.
“Lord Edgar. I made a promise.”
Even if what I have to say is unclear to Edgar.
“A promise?”
“To your parents.”
I’ll help him. Such a need shouldn’t arise in the first place. But if it does.
“So it’s okay to get excited,” I assured him.
“Well, that makes me happy.”
If Edgar remembers what I said—then that makes me happy, too.
“Of course I’m excited about meeting your beloved on the special day.”
Th-that was uncalled for, Lord Edgar!
And with a playful smirk and twinkle of brown eyes behind his spectacles, he added, “I’m much more excited than before.”
And what in the world would give you a reason to be more excited?!
I thought my schedule was clear…and boy, was I wrong. Thinking back, the three days between the junior ball and the survey felt like a mini summer vacation. But now, if I miss even one day of school, I’ll be in big trouble! Believe it or not, it’s no different for princesses!
So even though I couldn’t possibly take care of all my tasks in one day…I chose from three days’ worth of tasks and crammed as much as I could into one day. I also followed up on all the things that concerned me after the survey.
First, there was Sirius’s behavior. According to Matilda, despite dealing with the survey aftermath, he was spending his time quite normally. I put a pin in talking to him, thinking it might be best to wait. He wasn’t making any moves, either.
Sil was being handled as a victim of Hugh. But at the same time, because of what had happened in the Sky Chamber, he was treated differently—per his request—and was under house arrest. He was getting the VIP treatment, though, so nothing to worry about in that department. There were also no signs of his appetite failing or his falling into a stupor. I wanted to visit him…but that was dicey since it required Sirius’s permission. And if I did go see him, that would only complicate matters further… But should I just say screw it and go see him anyway? I’m still mulling that one over.
Nathan was still in recovery. His injuries were not life-threatening, but it would take a while before he was in soldier-shape again. That said, I heard he’s been out of bed and giving the doctor a headache. I also heard that Nathan hasn’t spoken a word about Hugh.
Then there were Guy and Heller. Even though on the surface, our survey had ended without a hitch, news of a carriage returning to the castle carrying Heller in a dress and Guy as his bodyguard spread to a portion of the guard. They had been through enough that I thought they deserved a day off, but since that would clash with the story we were going with, giving them the day off would seem unnatural, so they were both carrying out a normal day’s work.
And mine own eyes hath already confirmed it! Since visiting them today right after yesterday’s shenanigans would do more harm than good, I sneaked by and stole a little peek at them. I happened upon Guy talking to a soldier who had dead eyes, and Heller was with them…but when Guy happened to look in my and Klifford’s direction, his head abruptly turned in the other direction, so maybe he saw us?
I wrote them a letter of thanks and arranged for it to be sent to them. It was the least I could do. But once the dust settles, I want to talk to them in person. It would be awkward to summon them by name…but even if I was going to fake a coincidence and bump into them, I couldn’t exactly talk with them out in the open until the case was closed.
I flopped onto my bed, pencil in hand, tapping the pages of my diary as I flipped through it.
To be honest, there were still heaps of problems and concerns. However…
“At least there’s only one life-and-death problem remaining.”
My pencil froze at a single line of Japanese text.
“Reexamine the fake boyfriend situation.”
It was my pre-bedtime solo plan-of-attack sesh!
Okay, first question: How much longer is my deferment period?
Answer: Time remaining before Meet the Parents where I can move about freely is six days.
And just today, I gained another reason other than hubris why I must see that day through. Without a fake boyfriend, I wouldn’t learn where Hugh was relocated.
Then a thought popped into my mind… Do I actually need to know that?
The nightmare scenario I had envisioned at first was as good as avoided now, so I didn’t need to stick my neck out. I could just let my father and my brother (with memories) handle this.
And yet I didn’t want to, probably because I felt guilty about what happened to Hugh. I kept asking myself if there was something I could have done before he went through with the crime. That was the biggest reason for this feeling weighing on me.
I didn’t want to have that regret. I had no idea how everything was going to be settled and what shape that would take, but I couldn’t rest until I saw with my own eyes that Hugh was going to be okay.
And before I could take any sort of action on that front, I had a choice to make.
I tossed and turned in bed, sighing now and then as I ran through the choices over and over in my brain.
Naturally, the question was: Who should I ask to be my fake boyfriend?
Ever since the day I made my bold, self-serving lie, my relationships had transformed. I decided to analyze that a little.
And the results: After Rust and Guy, my next target would have to be…
“Derek’s the only one left.”
I nodded heavily and wrote Derek’s name into my diary.
Derek Nightfellow—eldest son of house Nightfellow and Uncle Dearest’s son.