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The missives. All the letters sent between Shan and Elva that he tucked away where he thought no one would find them. This is certainly proof enough to lock him away indefinitely.
The other guard grips Shan by the arm, and he instantly starts stuttering, trying to pull away, arguing that he didn't put those there and that he was searching for them.
They drag him all the way to me, and I hide my fury behind a cold mask of indifference. I'm not willing to show how much it rattles me that he was behind the attacks on Elva, and I'm not willing to admit that I'm rife with guilt over having someone so treacherous so close to her.
"You're not even going to let me explain?" he shouts, each arm gripped tightly by a guard dragging him into my office.
"What is there to explain?" I ask. "The very things I was asking you for were hidden. That seems quite self-explanatory to me."
He shakes his head, trying to gain footing. "You don't understand. I didn't put them there. I don't know how they got there."
"Why should I believe you?"
His jaw drops, offense clear. "Because I've been loyal to you for years. Since you first took the throne, I've stood beside you."
Calm fury fills me. "Being a good dog is not the same as being a loyal one."
"Your Majesty," he pleads. "What would I have to gain from this?"
"An empty throne."
A grimace twists his features. "I have never wanted to rule. I've seen the toll it takes, and I have no desire for that kind of responsibility."
"So you are telling me there's an intruder in my home? One who has gone completely unnoticed by every one of my guards, both the living and the dead?" I narrow my eyes.
"I don't know, Your Majesty."
My instinct is not to believe him. To gut him here and now. But even still, something isn't adding up. If it is him, he wasn't alone in this and killing him now will only cut me off from my only lead.
"You'll remain in the dungeon until our guests have returned safely home," I tell him. I do not have the time to torture answers out of him now, and with my current state, I'm more likely to kill him before retrieving anything useful. I just want Elva where he can no longer reach her.
The sooner she's gone, the better. If she makes it home, her adoring fans will be waiting, and not a single soul will dare harm her, lest they fall to the throngs of people celebrating her victory over The Horned King.
"You're not killing me?" Incredulity fills his face.
"Not yet." I shrug, sending the guards away with him in tow.
Rather than listen to another second of his pleading, I go the opposite direction, heading to his chaotic mess of a room.
Everything is strewn about, from the papers to his dirty clothes. There's not a spot here where you can walk without stepping on something. Even with the help of several sets of eyes and hands, this will take me weeks to sort through.
Instead of allowing myself to become overwhelmed, I rifle through the missives between him and Elva, my fingers drifting across the small, tightly controlled script in hers. The almost too-pristine letters leave me wondering if she rewrote it several times to get it right.
Her writing is just another version of the masks she wears. She's endlessly articulate and cordial but not overly friendly. She shows her knowledge of our customs and traditions but with none of the wisdom that comes from seeing them firsthand.
I think of all the things I want her to see, and I consider starting now.
She would love the hot springs, I think. The way the water glows at night. I stand in the mess of a room before me, yet my entire mind is focused, consumed with thoughts of all the things I could show Elva, both out in the world and just between the sheets.
Caressing her sweet handwriting again, I remember the way she fell apart wrapped around me in the library. She seemed genuinely surprised that just my fingers brought her to rapture so thoroughly. I wonder how else I could make her come. Gods, I want to feel it so badly.
The gloves kept me from truly feeling her in her pleasure, but if I have to, I'll wear coverings on every inch of me. So long as she keeps letting me strip her bare and please her. Her bod—
"Whatcha doing?" Raya interrupts my thoughts, which is for the best. This is not the time or place to be imagining all the vile things I could do to my Elva without breaking her no-skin contact rule.
I sigh, passing the papers to Raya. "Shan's working with Rhyma."
"No." She puts her hand over her mouth. "Is he the one who hired that guy to kill Elva?"
