“No. Cien does wear a family ring that grants him access to my accounts. Until I have my own children, he’s my heir.”

“Why was he alone while you were gone?”

“He wasn’t alone,” Torran said, then corrected himself. “He wasn’t supposed to be alone. He had a bodyguard, and the house staff was here, too.”

My interest sharpened. “Where is the bodyguard now?”

“Missing.”

Of course they were. “Did the bodyguard help the kidnappers?”

“Cien’s bodyguard slipped out before the kidnappers showed up,” Torran said. “But it’s a good bet that he helped them before disappearing, because they knew exactly where to find my nephew.”

“The other staff?”

“Investigated, extensively, and they appear to be uninvolved.”

My eyes narrowed. “Why are you being so helpful all of a sudden?”

“I was unable to discuss the kidnapping with anyone who didn’t know about it.” He sighed. “And I am still bound by additional oaths, but I will share what I can.”

“Why was Cien here?”

“His parents are on a diplomatic trip. He often stays with me when they are traveling, under the pretense of learning military strategy.”

“His parents are on? They haven’t returned?”

Torran’s expression darkened. “No. The empress is keeping Cien’s disappearance quiet. If his parents returned early, that would cause suspicion.”

I silently shook my head. It’s good that I wasn’t an empress’s daughter-in-law, because if my kid went missing, I’d wade through hell to get them back, and fuck everyone else.

I tried to let it go. I wasn’t successful, but I switched topics anyway. “I’m assuming your team has been hunting the whole time you were gone? What have they found? I want all of the information you’ve collected so far. In a kidnapping, time is of the essence.”

A muscle in Torran’s jaw flexed. “I’ve already told Nilo to prepare a brief for your team.”

Speaking of . . . “You didn’t tell me if the kidnappers have been in contact.”

Torran said nothing, and I blew out a frustrated breath. “Let me guess: you can’t tell me.”

His chin dipped a bare millimeter.

I leaned back and propped my feet on his desk. He looked at them pointedly but didn’t ask me to move, so I stayed where I was. With him looming over me, it was easier to watch his face when I was tilted back.

“I’m guessing they don’t want money because you would’ve given it to them.” I waved at the drawing and the shiny rocks. “You love your nephew, that much is clear. So they want something you’re not prepared to give.” I thought about it. “Or they want something the empress isn’t willing to give.”