With that, Dexter nudged his horse and they set out. Dexter and Reid rode side by side, two men in front, and two men behind.

“Your most skilled men?” Reid said. “I would have thought that included Markis and Gytha.”

“I lied to your grandfather,” he admitted. “I left in such a hurry I didn’t have time to find Markis and Gytha. Instead, I grabbed the first four soldiers I encountered and ordered them to come with me.”

She chuckled. “Then I’m surprised those two didn’t come after you.”

He smiled ruefully. “Even though you haven’t been in Axian long, you seem to know and understand a great deal.”

“I saw their loyalty to you the moment I stepped off the boat.”

“Speaking of that day,” Dexter said, “I want to apologize for the way I treated you.”

Why was Dexter being nice to her now? Did he finally trust her or was he only trying to gain information? She needed to proceed with caution. “When King Eldon informed me I’d be marrying you, I was furious. Given the fact I’d snuck into your home and tried stealing from you, I hadn’t expected a warm reception.” She spoke softly so the soldiers escorting them wouldn’t overhear.

“I’ll admit, when you first arrived, I feared you were here to assassinate my father.”

Yet, he’d still ended things with Gytha. Interesting. “You know that’s absurd, don’t you?” Reid was many things, but an assassin was not one of them.

“Is it absurd?” He eyed her. “King Eldon sent you here to acquire an object for him. That speaks volumes about what he thinks of you and what you’re capable of.”

Because Eldon didn’t employ women. “But stealing is very different from murder.” She’d only ever killed someone once—when they’d been ambushed by assassins in the forest. And even then, she’d only done so to stay alive. Rubbing her forehead, she banished all thoughts of that night and what she’d done. It was too hard to think about.

“After watching you,” Dexter said, adjusting his reins, “I could tell you weren’t interested in my father. When you formed a friendship with my brother, I thought maybe you’d been sent to assassinate him. But that didn’t seem logical. You had nothing to do with me, so I figured you weren’t out to kill me.”

“Why do I have to be killing someone?”

“Once I realized you weren’t an assassin, then next logical reason was you were a spy.”

“I’ve already admitted to that. The king wants me to spy on your family. I assumed that was obvious.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes. “I feel like there is something I’m missing,” he admitted.