Grieta paused, her hand still poised as though she would stroke his cheek. She had seen him flinch. A smile spread slowly across her face as she lowered her hand.
"I see," she murmured and raised an eyebrow.
"I don't have time for this right now," Mikhail growled. "The Princess could be anywhere between here and Allesburg. She is alone and unarmed and-"
"And your men are already searching. My people are as well. Besides, the Princess of Vezda was trained as a warrior like her sister and mother before her. Most people she might encounter between here and Allesburg would have more to fear from her than she from them," Grieta shrugged.
"For a loyal Vezdan, you show very little concern for the last member of House Eosin," Mikhail accused.
"And as a Prince of the Unarian Empire, you appear to show a great deal of concern for the Princess of Vezda," Grieta smirked. "I've heard from many people that she's quite a pretty girl, my Prince. It seems you agree."
"That's not-"
"Something you're comfortable discussing... clearly," she interrupted. "Very well. Now... I have given you the information you needed, I'd like something from you..."
"Say it and be quick about it," Mikhail grumbled while standing up to display his impatience.
"The Emperor sent you and your men to the North. Rumors suggest that the Duke of Yevin and his rebels have been raiding small towns throughout the Highlands... though you and I both know that isn't possible. What did the Emperor send you to do?"
The marks across his chest began to burn as Prince Mikhail felt his throat close. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as the familiar pain began to spread through his body.
He knew well that Grieta also bore marks beneath her clothes, though hers were far older and had faded somewhat with time.
"The village of... Chelblade," he managed to say through gritted teeth.
"Yes," she nodded encouragingly. "What happened there?"
Mikhail scowled. Long ago, when Grieta received the marks of the Krovbond, Emperor Grigori had known very little about the blood magic. Hers were crudely carved and dyed. She had almost died of infection, and in all the years since they had never worked as intended.
She was almost always in pain, though she never showed it.
"It wasn't raiders from north of the mountains, was it?" she guessed.
"No," he agreed, wincing.
"The ancient ones have left the mountains," she realized.
"Yes," he confirmed.
"And the Emperor sent you and your men... to fight them?" she frowned as though she found such a thing unlikely.
Mikhail shook his head slowly. The pain was coursing through him. His stomach clenched as though it would empty itself at any moment.
"No..." she nodded. "He wouldn't go head to head with them. There would be witnesses. He sent you to bargain with them-"
Mikhail shook his head again.
"No?" she confirmed, surprised. "Then what..."
"No... witnesses...the... villagers..." he managed through clenched teeth.
"Oh..." she said, realizing what that meant. She sat down on the bed heavily as if someone had dropped a weight on her.
Mikhail leaned against the bedpost and took several deep breaths, trying to steady his shaking hands.
Grieta did not spare him a glance as she was lost in her own thoughts.
"Do you suppose the ancient ones know somehow? Do you suppose they've learned that the Emperor has taken the last daughter of House Eosin prisoner?" she mused.
"It doesn't matter. Once I find her, I will send her to Frem with Ilya. The Emperor has the other girl, there will be no better time to--"
"It is the worst time to send the Princess to Frem, or have you heard nothing of the council of seven kingdoms?" she interrupted.
"The seven kingdoms?" he repeated, confused.
"Yes, the court has been buzzing about it for days now. One of the seven kingdoms has initiated an inquiry into Unaria's handling of the Treaty of Fronov. The Emperor expects to receive a delegation from the council within a fortnight. Most people assume that the Princess poisoned herself in protest of the Emperor's treatment of her and her Kingdom," Grieta explained.
"Which is why now is the best time to send her to Frem. If the girl dies in the palace after poisoning herself in protest, it would raise little suspicion at court," Mikhail reasoned.
"I doubt the Princess would agree. If a member of the council raised an inquiry, it means Unaria has an ally among the seven kingdoms. The Emperor will fear sanctions. If I were the sort to gamble on my opinion, I would lay a handful of gold down that the Princess can ask for just about anything in exchange for her testimony that she agreed to renegotiate the Treaty. She could demand gold for Vezda instead of promises of food, or negotiate for the rights of Vezdans still in captivity. Perhaps even ask for her own freedom," Grieta said lightly as she lounged back upon the bed.
"She would not ask for her freedom, not while Vezdans still go hungry," Mikhail grumbled.
"She would not ask for more food and farm supplies when she already gave her life and did not receive what she was promised," Grieta shrugged.
"She will not be safe until the Emperor believes her dead," Mikhail answered firmly.
"She will never be safe until she IS dead," Grieta chuckled. "No one ever is, but if she is anything like her sister, she will not be content to be shipped off to a lifetime of exile in Frem."
"It is not her decision!" Mikhail growled.
"And I say it is not yours to make! She is a grown woman and the rightful ruler of Vezda," Grieta scoffed.
"I promised Queen Ora-"
"You always go back to that! You promised Queen Ora indeed! When the queen left Vezda years ago, she left a 16 year old child with no family and no experience leading a country. Of course she was worried for that child! But it's been years since then. That child grew up and defended her country against the largest army on the continent for two years. If Queen Ora could see the woman the Princess has become--"
"She would still demand the same thing!" the Prince seethed.
"Would she? Is it really Queen Ora's wish... or is that our Prince cannot bear to lose the girl he loves to his brother?" Grieta accused.
"Don't be ridiculous," Mikhail scoffed.
"I could say the same! Do you think I don't know why you have a preference for small, blue-eyed, Vezdan whores? Do you think I did not see the guilt in your eyes when I tried to touch you just now? You came for Fioria six months ago. You could have sent the Princess to Frem anytime between then and now, but you didn't. No, you kept her by your side, even taking her to the north with you. Why else would she have come from Napolanva?"
Mikhail opened his mouth to defend himself but closed it again quickly. Grieta rarely picked a fight with him. It was unlike her. Something was off.
"Queen Ora gave her life believing her sacrifice would keep the Princess safe. The same Queen Ora who used her marriage and her own body to barter a chance for freedom for you and all other enslaved Vezdans," Mikhail reminded her.
"There is no freedom for me," Grieta reminded him, pulling down the neckline of her dress to expose her marks to him.
"Nor for me," he snapped, "but I won't dishonor that woman's sacrifice just to--"
"Marry the Princess then."
Mikhail took a step back as if she had swung her fist at him.
"What did you say?" he hissed.
"I can give her the same herb I gave to Queen Ora which will convince the royal physician that she's pregnant," Grieta continued.
"No," Mikhail shook his head.
"If the Emperor believes she's carrying your child, a child of the royal line, he will not harm her. She will be safe from him and in an excellent position to barter for Vezda-"
"Absolutely not," Mikhail repeated.
"The Duke of Yevin's army grows by the week, the ancient ones are coming down from the north, and now Vezda has an ally among the seven kingdoms. Do you not see the end coming? I see it. The prophecy we scoffed at may have had merit. The elder daughter of House Eosin will end the Emperor's curse after all. He will die without an heir, and the curse will die with him," Grieta insisted.
"If Fioria dies at court, and the Princess shows herself after, I will lose the ability to stage her death and send her to Frem," Mikhail argued. "Not to mention it would reveal my disloyalty to the Emperor!"
"You hired a double to protect the woman who is carrying your family's heir. There's nothing disloyal about it," Grieta suggested.
"You cannot use the Princess of Vezda like a pawn upon your chessboard! I will not allow it," he growled.
"With her appearing to be dead, Vezda will lose what allies they have, and with House Eosin gone, Vezdans themselves will lose heart and maybe even the will to fight," Grieta reasoned.
A timid knock at the door interrupted the argument before Prince Mikhail could reply.
Grieta stiffened at the sound and glanced between him and the door. She quickly mussed up her hair and swiped her thumb across her lips to smear the perfectly applied stain on them. Her dress already hung loose.
She stood and went to open the door while Mikhail stepped behind it, out of sight.
"Yes? What is it?!" she demanded impatiently as she cracked the door open.
"My lady, there is a visitor here to see you," came a quiet and embarrassed voice.
"I am with a guest at the moment. You should know better than to interrupt me when I am entertaining such an important client," Grieta scoffed.
"The visitor says that it is urgent, my lady. They need to speak with you now," the girl's voice insisted.
"One moment!" Grieta sighed and shut the door in the girl's face. She turned to glance at Mikhail.
"Forgive me, my Prince. If you wait but a moment, I shall return. My girls are very foolish. I will get rid of this visitor and have a word with them about interrupting my private sessions with important clients!" she excused herself.
Mikhail almost argued that he needed to leave immediately, but a thought occurred to him. He nodded his permission, and she left the room swiftly.
She rarely argued with him. He had been suspicious throughout their argument, and the interruption confirmed his suspicion. Grieta had kept him arguing to distract him. Her people were also looking for the Princess. He felt certain she had gotten word of some sort.
He waited only a few seconds before opening the door and slipping into the hallway after her.