Chapter 37: The Royal Lorendia Siblings [2]
"There you are."
The voice cut through my contemplation. The door swung open to reveal Hannah, and despite the smile on her lips, there was something distinctly dangerous in her grey eyes.
Crap.
"I had the most interesting conversation with a young man in the corridor," she continued, her tone conversational but weighted with meaning. "He was so helpful in directing me to the gardens, where I spent quite some time searching for two particular royal children who were, apparently, nowhere to be found."
William and Eleanora exchanged guilty glances, but neither seemed surprised by their discovery.
"Hannah," Eleanora began, her voice taking on a wheedling tone, "we can explain..."
"I’m sure you can, Princess," Hannah replied smoothly, though her attention had shifted to me. "But first, perhaps our new friend could introduce himself properly? I don’t believe we’ve been formally acquainted."
"I am Harold, just a mere commoner who had the honor of helping Queen Emma’s group find their way to the capital," I replied.
Hannah’s perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched upward, and I could practically see the gears turning in her mind. "You came with the Queen?" The question was posed casually, but her tone carried the weight of an interrogation. Her gray eyes, which I now noticed were remarkably sharp and intelligent, seemed to pierce right through any pretense I might be maintaining.
"Yes, I apologize if I had been... less than completely forthcoming earlier," I said, allowing a sheepish smile to cross my features. "The truth is, I simply wanted to help the Prince and Princess. When I saw them in distress, I couldn’t stand by and do nothing."
"You certainly know how to use your tongue well," Hannah said.
Before I could respond, Eleanora stepped forward, her cheeks flushed with what looked like embarrassment. "It’s our fault, Hannah," she said apologetically, wringing her hands in a gesture that spoke of genuine distress. "We were so focused on finding the Princess of Briaran that we didn’t think about proper protocol. Harold was just trying to help us."