Page 87 of Heartbreak Prince

“Of course! You’ll stay with us until you’re fully healed,” says Lady Kaenan. “We’re sending plenty of experienced guards to escort Vawn to the Celestial Seat, and they’ll remain with him for as long as he needs them. He’ll be well protected.”

I glance at Vawn. He won’t look at me, but it’s clear he’s already aware of this plan. They must have discussed it while I was unconscious.

He’s leaving me here and continuing his journey without me.

The voice that comes from my mouth doesn’t sound like mine. It’s hollow, dispassionate. “Of course. Goodnight, my lord, my lady. I promise the prince will behave better tomorrow.”

“You forget your place again, Syth,” grumbles Vawn as I usher him up the stairs. I should be reassured by the presence of additional castle guards on each landing and along the third-floor hallway, but instead I feel as if they’re haunting me. By their very existence, they’re proclaiming my inadequacy as Vawn’s protector.

When we reach his room, I can only manage a few words. “Be sure to lock your door.”

He doesn’t respond, and his silence infuriates me. I slam my own door and bolt it, and I’m tempted to bolt the door between our rooms, too—but what if he’s attacked in the night? What if he needs me?

Then again, why should he need my help? He has the very experienced guards of Anyssir Castle to keep him safe.

The room is quiet, pleasantly lit by a low fire and a couple of lamps with rosy stained-glass shades. Severin is silent and inanimate, neatly rolled in a glass-topped carpet case lined with silk. A gilded carpet brush lies on a cushion nearby. One of the maids must have brushed him and tucked him in there, a luxury I’m sure he enjoyed.

After removing my mask, I reach for the buttons along the side of the gown’s bodice, beneath my right arm. The movement tweaks my injury, and I groan, wondering if I should call one of the maids. Between my stitches and my broken finger, I’m not sure I can get out of the dress by myself.

Before I can call for assistance, Vawn bursts through the connecting door, charging into my room like an angry wyvern.

“What did you mean, ‘he’ll behave better tomorrow?’” He glares at me. “I did well tonight. The whole point of that party was for me to be confident and charming.”

“And you did a fantastic job of it.” I tug off my bracelets and throw them onto the dresser. “‘Oh, General Centune, how beautiful you look! Come sit on my lap.’ She was practically salivating for your cock. You should go to her room right now and let her sit on it.”

“Syth.”

“Or pay a visit to that young lord you kissed. He’d eat your ass and thank you for the pleasure.”

“This is my fucking job, Forsythia. I charm people into craving me, liking me, and wanting me around. It keeps me safe. It makes them more amenable to political bargains. This is what I do.”

“No. It’s what you did when the King and the Crown Prince were in charge of you. But they’re gone, and you don’t have to operate the same way anymore. You’re not the ‘Naughty Prince,’ you’re the ascending king. Act like it.”

“What does that mean?” he spits. “Act like who? My distracted father who barely spoke to me other than calling me to his office each month to yell at me about my expenses? My brother, the ambitious heir to the throne, who whored me out to his allies? Lord and Lady Kaenan who invited me here once a year, gave me the best time of my life, made me believe they cared, and then didn’t write to me or visit me throughout the other eleven months?”

I hesitate, a twinge of pity softening my anger. “You didn’t mention that.”

“I don’t tell you everything. I don’t owe you every thought in my mind or every part of my heart.”

“I never asked for your heart!” My voice rises, shrill and tight. “I don’t even want it.”

“Right. Because you don’t want me.” He’s seething, eyes flaming, crowding me backward until my calves hit the bed. “And yet you throw a tantrum when I play games with the people who can help us.”

“Help us? Is there still an us? You’re going to take their guards with you to Tularesk. You’re planning to leave me behind.”

“You’re still recovering.”

“I can travel.”

“Forsythia, you nearly died. You left me, you went to that woodshed alone, and you got the shit beaten out of you.”

“There it is.” I point a finger at his face. “You’re holding that over me. Yes, I made a mistake. I left you in that house, and I didn’t protect either of us effectively. I fucked things up. I admit it. But I’ve learned from the situation. And until that point, I was doing a decent job.”

His eyes narrow. “So this is you fighting for your position because you want to be paid.”

“Of course I want to be paid, but it’s not even about that—”

“Oh, you’ll be paid. You might have to wait a while, but after I make the alliance with the Twin Lieges and reclaim my kingdom, I’ll see that you are compensated appropriately. Until then, you should remain here. Lady Kaenan will see to your recovery and find you local employment once you have healed.”