Page 19 of The Last Guardian

“I don’t know where he is, Your Majesty!” reported Arthur with a strained voice.

“This goddamn Order is spreading everywhere! They could strike at the wedding. Kaenington has to handle this situation. And Haedeon had a hunch⁠—”

“But—”

“Keep your mouth shut when I speak, boy!” Father barked. The vibrations of his voice ran through my body, awakening the scars on my back. A thud echoed through the stone as Arthur’s body met the wall.

“Find him,” Father growled.

“I’ll do my best, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t disappoint me again. Be useful for once,” Father hissed and went away.

Silence fell, followed by Arthur’s murmur echoing up the stairs. “Shit!” he cursed. His footsteps echoed in the distance, too.

With my back pressed against the cold stone, I waited a few moments before going down the stairs to avoid crossing paths with one of them. With a deep breath, I pushed myself from the wall and⁠—

“Eavesdropping, Princess?” a voice said from above.

“Hells!” I gasped with my hand over my chest. I looked up to meet the gaze of Zaidkiel, perched on the tower’s roof. “You need to stop doing that!”

What is he doing up there? How did he get there?

Zaidkiel jumped off the roof, landing where I stood, the corner of his mouth fighting a smile.

“Are you spying on me or something?” I asked with a frown.

Zaidkiel tilted his head, “What’s the score? A fiancé, a boyfriend, and now a mysterious stalker?” A slight chuckle rumbled from his chest. He arched a brow, a playful twinkle in his eyes. “You certainly know how to spice things up.”

“Is this a sneaky way of offering your services?” I scoffed, crossing my arms.

He clicked his tongue, stepping past me with deliberate moves. “I don’t typically go for princesses, but for the sake of the kingdom, I might reconsider my stance,” Zaidkiel smirked, bowing his head slightly.

“So, you were stalking me,” I scolded, staring up at him.

He let out a low, deep laugh, the sound as silken as velvet along my skin. “Aren’t you confident now? Sorry to disappoint you, but the world doesn’t revolve around your pretty little head. I was here long before you.” Zaidkiel gestured toward the roof with his head.

So he’d been up there since this morning, and he hadn’t said a word? I hadn’t even felt a presence there all day.

“You could have said something when you saw me go through the door.”

“Now that wouldn’t have been funny, would it?” Zaidkiel smirked as he placed his hands on the edge of the balcony.

“Why are you here? And on the roof, no less?” I asked bitterly.

“I cannot go wherever I want as a guest?” Zaidkiel raised an eyebrow and glanced at me.

“Not exactly the kind of place people stumble onto, don’t you think?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s usually deserted.”

“You come here often, then?” Zaidkiel arched a brow, curious.

“When I want to be alone, yes,” I replied flatly, annoyed by him. I glanced at him and added, “A luxury I apparently cannot afford anymore.”

My bitter remark made him laugh, and I looked at his hands, resting on the railing. His fingers were tattooed with designs in script—simple dots on his thumbs, three points arranged in a triangle on his index fingers, and other symbols I didn’t recognize.

And one on the back of his hand, six swirling lines…

I stilled. What in the Hells? How was it possible?