I follow her inside a turquoise tent. “Bottles,” I say flatly, looking around. “You wanted me to look at bottles with you?”

She picks up one and cups it into her palm. “I wanted you to come with me so that you’d stop looking so pathetic.”

“Pathetic?”

“Mm,” she hums, putting the bottle back before selecting another. “Like a dog that hasn’t been fed in days. I’m surprised you didn’t start salivating.”

I draw in air as silently as I can. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Her thick brows arch even higher than my own. “Fine then, play dumb if you like. It’s not my business anyway. Let’s talk about something else, shall we?”

“What does Nosis Magis mean?” I ask as we meander deeper into the tent.

Theodore nods at the shopkeeper, who offers her a satchel for the many bottles she now holds. “It doesn’t have a direct translation. But in short, it means someone very wise.”

“So, you’re the Wise, and Lachlan is the Generous. And the entire Kingdom adores you both. Not an easy feat.”

Theodore continues shopping, pointing at some of the larger containers behind the seller. “It’s easy to be liked when your Kingdom isn’t at war all the time and easier for a Prince to be praised when he does his duties instead of fleeing.”

I grab a glass carafe and force every muscle in my face to relax. “Ah, yes. Royal duties. Well, it’s hard to do those when your King doesn’t trust you enough to give you any.”

“Even harder when one runs around with a bunch of bandits,” she says.

I gently set the decanter on a table. “How do you know about that?”

Theodore takes coins out of her pouch and slips them into the seller’s hand. His eyes widen at the amount, and he blows kisses and begins to bless her.

“I know many things. I’m The Wise, remember?”

We both know her wit far surpasses mine, so I concede. “Fine, you got me. It’s true, Theodore. Some of us just weren’t meant to be royalty.” I dig my hand into my pocket as we leave the tent and pull out a small glass vial. “Some of us were born to be thieves.”

She only laughs at my smug expression. “That’s your problem, Braizen,” she says. “You’re so busy thinking that no one is paying attention that you forget to do so yourself. Why do you think I paid that man as much as I did? You’re good, but you’re no ghost. If you want to be the best, you’ll have to make sure your moves go completely undetected.”