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It was the same folio he had given Teigra, telling her to destroy it when she was done.
Urosina’s notes? What? How in Dimethan did she have them?
The folio’s content ran through his head.
The profiles.
The criticism.
The comments about weaknesses and proclivities!
She has them all! She must know about the mission.
The door clicked closed behind him, and he was alone with the princess—save her two cronies, taking up flank on either side of the exit.
Despite her saying they needed to talk, Zosime said nothing. Instead, her dark eyes fixed on him like an hungry raven.
Aurelius crackled with a combination of nerves and excitement. It was just how those wrestlers must feel as they circled a fresh opponent, both fearing the potential for injury, yet eager to test their skills.
And whether she knew it or not, the princess had already made her first move: showing off the folio, practically begging him to bring it up. She had wanted to shock him, to throw him off balance.
And he couldn’t allow that.
“Thank you, love,” he said with a good-natured smile, plonking himself down in one of the chairs that ringed the audience area. A rope was laid down in front of it, making what appeared to be a circular wrestling arena directly in front of the thrones, with the red rug in place of sand. “I have been trying to get that old woman off my back all week. Uppity commoners. You know the sort.”
His nonchalance drew the response he’d hoped for—a barely-concealed mix of confusion and anger. It was quite a thing to see it on such a beautiful face, blemished only by a scar that ran down her left eyebrow, cutting the hair in two.
Poor thing. She probably had a whole speech ready and everything.
At last, she relented. “I know why you are here, Herald. You Mestibians think you’re all so clever, don’t you? With your fancy words and talk of diplomacy. You act like you are the mother of all Dynosia—helping the little children get along. But you are just the same as the rest of us. The Ondocians might screw us into a bad trade deal, but at least they do it to our face. But this is what Mestibes does.”
“And what is that?” he said, glancing lightly at the folio she brandished.
Her eyes narrowed. “Spying on us. Taking trusted conversations and turning them into arrows.”
Ahhh, he thought, his whole body relaxing. The poor thing is staring at a gold mine, and all she can see is a hole in the ground.
“My dear Princess, I have come to your land in a carriage bearing the crest of my polity. I am staying in the Mestibian embassy, right in the center of town. And I have arrived at your palace, by appointment, for your family to receive my credentials. If my goal is to hide, I am rather failing at it.”
“You don’t have to hide to be a spy.”
“Actually, you do. A spy you can see is called a diplomat.”
“Spy? Diplomat? What difference does it make!” she said, waving the folio emphatically, like some kind of club. “Either way, you have come here to twist and shape us, just like your aunt did before you. Just like that smarmy woman does. Trying to wipe clean your cowardice at Sama?”
“Of course.”
The princess paused. “You... admit it?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I am representing the archon of Mestibes, who has made no secret that she wishes to normalize relations between our two polities. I am here to achieve that goal. And further, while I am here, I will meet with all manner of people. From those conversations, yes, I will write letters back to the archon, telling her of the progress of my work, and of any challenges that stand in the way. Including I might add, of this very discussion.”
Zosime tensed. “You wouldn’t.”
“A meeting with a senior royal? Naturally, I will report on that.” His eyes narrowed to Urosina’s folio. “On all that has happened.”
Her confidence unraveled, turning instead to anger. “No! I won’t allow it!”
The two Sisters rushed from the door to Aurelius’s side, their weapons drawn. Though his heart pounded, he did not divert his eyes from the princess as the steel was laid cold against his throat. He had diplomatic immunity, though he doubted this member of the royal family cared much for such traditions.
