“The clothiers down by the port?” His eyebrows arch. “Do you have any idea the thieves and other unsavory folk who linger there?”
“Sounds like my kind of people.” There’s more truth to that than he realizes.
“They’ll give you nothing but a lighter purse for your troubles.”
“I have no money, so I’ll be safe.”
“You have an answer for everything.”
I shrug. “It’d be nice to get away from my prison walls for a bit.”
His lips twist with thought. “Should I parade you through town again? Empty a bag of gold in the rookery while we’re at it?”
“Two bags,” I quip, though my brain instantly stirs an image of another ride through Cirilea with Zander pressed against my back, and the flutter in my stomach says I wouldn’t mind it at all.
He offers a wry smile but then pushes, “Why do you really want to go to the market, Romeria?”
He’s too smart or too suspicious, I can’t decide. “If Ianca came in on a ship, someone will have seen her. And maybe if she hears I’m around, she’ll try to make contact. There’s bound to be more information among the commoners than here.”
“So the future queen wants to wander around town, asking if anyone has seen an elemental caster lately.”
“I don’t need to announce who I am, do I?” I found a plain navy gown stuffed into the back of my closet that would suffice.
“Any immortal in the crowd will know it’s you.”
Right. Orange blossoms. “I’ll keep my distance.”
He snorts, amusement flickering across his face. “I can’t wait to hear from Corrin about this.”
“She already knows, and she doesn’t approve.”
“For good reason.” His gaze wanders to one of my mammoth windows. “With all the outsiders flocking to the city for the market fair this week, I do not believe it wise.”
My frustration swells. I foolishly thought I might be getting somewhere with him.
“Until then”—his eyes flip to my bedchamber—“stay out of trouble.”
“Always,” I mutter bitterly, reaching for my graphite pencil. “By the way, why did you take my sketch?”
“So the royal guard could be on the lookout for that woman,” he calls over his shoulder.
Good luck with that.“Tell me if you find her.” I guess that’s my answer to who carried me to bed, though I already suspected. I should be bothered by the idea that Zander was in my room while I was sleeping.
I’m bothered by the fact that I’m not.