“Are you really sure? It sounds like a bad idea,” Keelan said. He looked nervous, hugging Ren's jacket to his chest.

“Don't worry about me,” Ren said. He leaned in to press a fleeting kiss to the youth's cheek. “Just don't tell anyone.”

CHAPTER TWO

It took Ren almost two hours to get rid of the advisors. They all sat around him, explaining in slow, dry voices what each section meant, what each combination of numbers stood for, and where and how to mark each royal agreement.

Luckily, life at court had taught Ren how to feign interest and act engaged, so he managed to avoid further lengthy explanations that could easily have dragged on all afternoon.

Advisor Selva offered to stay and help him with the second batch, but Ren politely declined, assuring the advisor that he worked best by himself, but appreciated the offer.

Finally, he was alone.

Outside, Ren could hear the muffled sounds of the court and their guests preparing for the luncheon. Ren left his desk and wandered over to the window facing the gardens. Lords and ladies balanced slender cups of welcome drinks between their fingers as they wandered through the gardens. Servants decked the horseshoe-shaped arrangement of tables that ran around the edge of the large outdoor stage. Performers would entertain the guests there as they ate, and after dinner, the stage would be cleared to make space for dancing. In the morning, the lords and ladies feeling fresh enough to ride a horse after the previous night's drunken stupor would be invited out for a morning hunt. Ren didn't need to be there for all of it, just the best parts.

It was clear that the staff had not been prepared for the Skarlans to arrive early enough to partake in lunch. Orders were passed around in tense and clipped voices as servers ran back and forth between the tables and the double doors that led into the castle. Ren smiled to himself. The contained chaos would work to his advantage.

In his dresser, Ren found a white and gold jacket, a pair of fitted trousers, and one of several pairs of new boots he hadn't yet had the chance to wear. Something simple, more in lieu with the guards' uniform that would keep him from sticking out like a sore thumb. With a fine-toothed comb, he brushed his golden hair, still tousled from the hunt, out of his face. A few longer strands fell back down and brushed his cheekbone. He'd have to get Keelan to cut it for him, soon. The boy had more finesse with a pair of scissors than Danali, who had once left Ren with a buzz that had taken weeks to grow back out.