“I don’t understand why Braze isn’t the distraction! He’s a handsome devil. Maybe Lannex will be smitten by him,” Torrent says, folding his stocky arms over his chest.

“We already explained why, you massive twit! Lannex has met Braizen; he’ll recognize him, and all will be over!” Lin jabs back, shaking a finger under Torrent’s nose.

“Well, then why don’t we just lay waste to them? I don’t understand why we’re doing all this pretending anyway.”

“We don’t lay waste to nobles, Torr. We swindle them.”

“Oh? Then how did we get her?” Torrent points to me. “By swindling those guards?”

“That was different!”

“How so!?”

“They were Verdanians. They’re already our enemies! We aren’t trying to make more!”

I can’t stand it one moment longer. Their shouts, their petty jabs, their incomprehensible planning. I clear my throat and yell from the tree.

“Excuse me!”

They continue to argue and scream over one another. I shout louder this time.

“Hello! Listen to me! Over here!”

Nothing. These idiots won’t stop. I murmur words that a lady would never deign to speak aloud and then cry out a final time.

“Oh, no! The mist! It’s returned!”

At once, the quartet of bumbling imps falls silent. They form a tight circle and face outward, bracing themselves for imminent danger from any angle. They turn to me when they finally realize that the sun hasn’t yet fully set and no baleful mist is barreling towards them.

I smile at their stupidity. Braizen puffs himself up as if to reprimand me, but I speak before he can open his mouth. “So, the rumors are false then? Baellileans do know how to shut their mouths. My father will be shocked to learn this!”

They’re unamused. Lorna begins to stalk towards me, probably to shove more cloth down my throat.

I lean my head back against the bark and continue. “Not that I’ll ever be able to tell him again, seeing as your atrocious plan will get us all killed.”

Lorna pauses and turns her head back towards Braizen. His icy eyes lock in on me. A slight smirk pulls on his lips as though he won’t give me the satisfaction of revealing an outright smile.

“Our atrocious plan?” He drawls, running a hand through his hair.

I can’t stand his hair—those beautiful brown curls against his bronze skin. I straighten against the tree and beam at them.

“Unless what just passed was a theatrical piece you perform in pubs, and gods, for all our sakes, I hope it was. Because if not, whatever you’re planning will surely fail.”

Torrent steps forward and points his sword at me. “As a Verdanian, you must know all about failing, right? Well, forgive me if I don’t give a rat's ass what you say about our plan.”

“Not that we’re planning anything in the first place!” Lin tries to recover, shooting a worried finger into the air. Lorna rolls her eyes.

“Fine,” I huff. “Have fun dying if you like. But please, leave me tied to this tree. I think I’d rather take my chances with the mist.”