Page 138 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
Kalon immediately turned to me and took a step away from Lillia, and his cheeks pinkened ever so slightly when he met my gaze. “Allie. When did you arrive?”
“Not long ago,” I replied, standing next to him. “I was hoping to come and see you sooner, but Blair stopped by the tent and fell in love with Rina, so I did some platonic matchmaking.”
“I was wondering where Rina was. I told her to stay with you at all times.”
“I ordered her to stay behind. Blair so rarely gets to meet with a female knight, after all. Sir Otto was kind enough to accompany me in her stead.” I smiled, then turned to Lillia. “Lady Lillia, how lovely to see you. Once again, please do accept my apologies for my rudeness last night.”
She smiled, but the look in her eyes was one of pure frustration. “Please don’t worry yourself, Lady Alicia. Are you feeling better?”
“Very much so. It’s kind of you to ask.” I paused, then gazed up at Kalon. “Oh, I do hope I wasn’t interrupting your conversation.”
“Of course not,” Kalon said, sliding one arm around my waist to pull me in close. He practically squeezed me against him. “Besides, you often barge into my office while I’m meeting with people without a care. I hardly think this could be considered an interruption in comparison.”
“Don’t be rude,” I said, lightly smacking his chest. “I don’t barge in anywhere. I always knock first.”
“You’re supposed to wait for an answer before you enter a room, you know.”
I jutted out my lower lip in a pout. “Fine. Then I guess I won’t bother coming to see you anymore.”
“Don’t look at me like that.” He cupped my chin and rubbed his thumb over my lower lip. “You know I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Are they always like this?” Torin asked Bella.
Bella flinched. “I couldn’t say, Your Highness.”
“It’s uncomfortable.”
It appeared Torin wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Lillia was almost trembling, and the way her jaw was clenched said fear had nothing to do with it.
“What brings you to this area, Lady Lillia?” Torin asked, stepping into the conversation. “Oh, are you offering your handkerchief to the Grand Duke?”
“No, no,” she said hurriedly. “I was merely lost and trying to find my way back to my tent, so I hoped His Highness might assist me.”
Kalon glared at her.
“Well, thank goodness,” I said, touching my hand to my chest. “I thought I saw you with one in your hand on my way over here, but I’m glad to have been mistaken.”
Lillia turned to me, her eyes darkening, but she kept a sweet smile on her face all the same. “Yes. That was my own personal handkerchief I was using at the time.”
“Just as well.” I met her glare with a dark one of my own. “It’s considered extremely bad manners to offer your handkerchief to an engaged or married man unless you’re related. Some may even consider it an insult to their house. It would be terribly unfortunate if you were to make an enemy of House Vermillion or House Stein during your official debut due to an innocent mistake.”
Her smile wavered. “I apologise for any misunderstanding, Lady Alicia.”
“I’m glad we were able to swiftly clear it up.” I turned to Sir Otto. “Sir Otto, would you be so kind as to help Lady Lillia return to her tent? I’ll be quite safe here in the meantime.”
Sir Otto glanced at Kalon who nodded in response. “Lady Lillia, please allow me to escort you back to your tent.”
“Thank you very much, Sir Otto.” Lillia clenched her fists as she curtseyed. “Your Highnesses, Lady Alicia, please excuse me. I wish you luck on the hunt today.”
She had no choice but to leave. I’d backed her into a corner, and if she’d rejected the offer of my knight taking her to her tent when she was clearly alone without even a maid, I could have taken it as an insult.
She was smart enough to know that, even if she was stupid enough to lie.
“That was entertaining,” Torin said brightly, looking between us.
Oh, God. He wasn’t going to start anything, was he?
“Bella,” I said, stepping away from Kalon. “You may also return to the tent if you wish.”
