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"Can I help you?" I do my best to sound polite, but noticeably fall short of courtly pleasantries.
"How fascinating," he says with little inflection, as if he's bored standing before me. "All these years I thought you might have been a figment of my imagination, yet here you are, very much real."
"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" I snarl, not in the mood to deal with his unwanted stares.
"Ah, she lacks manners, I see."
"She is losing patience." I pop my hip to the side and cross my arms over my chest. "State your business or leave."
There is a slight uptick of his lip, and I'm unsure if it's due to amusement or disgust.
"I am Thrane Basilius, son of Eiran, Crown Prince of Elowen and Heir to the Ice Throne."
I lean against the doorframe and shrug, mentally willing my head to stop throbbing. "That's quite the mouthful. Prince Thrane would have sufficed."
He clicks his teeth, clasping his hands behind him. "Sufficed, yes, but would have certainly been anticlimactic."
"Well, Thrane Basilius, son of Eiran, Crown Prince of Elowen and Heir to the Ice Throne" – I throw back at him – "why are you here?"
Thrane tilts his head to the side. "Call my visit, curiosity."
I puff out a breath, trying not to laugh. "As lovely as your curiosity has been, I'm tired and as I'm sure you can assume, have a headache, so I'm going to rest – "
"Did you really not know all these years that you were a Basilius?"
His question doesn't necessarily catch me off guard, but his tone certainly does. There's skepticism, and if I'm accurately picking up on his mood, aggression.
"Don't you think if I had known, I would have come looking for my mother sooner?"
"Do you always answer a question with a question?" He fires back.
"Do my questions bother you?" I can't help myself, feeling as if I'm striking a nerve.
There's definitely a flash of amusement in his narrowed grey eyes, drawing a smirk from me. "You are without a doubt Sylvane's daughter."
"I will take that as a compliment."
"You should," he says plainly. "She is the only family member I can tolerate."
"Because you are such a gem."
"Contrary to what my tone may imply" – he takes a step forward, eating the little distance that remains between us – "I like you."
"You don't even know me."
"I am an excellent judge of character and honestly, I don't waste my time exchanging hollow pleasantries with those who don't appeal to me."
"You still haven't told me why you're here, Thrane."
"How deliciously informal of you, Cousin." His gaze flicks up and down my body like a hawk zeroing in on its prey. "Consider this me welcoming you home." He turns on his heel and stomps down the hall but stops when I call out, "That's it?"
He whips around to face me but continues to backpedal away. "I understand I am quite charming, and my undivided attention is desirable, however, I do have more important matters to tend to." There's a danger in his eyes that has me on edge, but by his playful tone, I can't help but be sucked into every word he says.
I roll my eyes and scoff, "Please – "
Thrane shoots his hand into the air, silencing me. "A Basilius never begs." He turns to continue down the hall and flashes me one last look over his shoulder. "Until our next encounter, Aurelia."
"My name is Shaye!" I shout, but he either doesn't hear me or he doesn't think it's worth the effort to acknowledge my correction.
