“I didn’t. Not always, but I had a very good teacher.”

Caldenia glared at me. “Yes, you did. And don’t you forget it.”

We resumed walking. She knew perfectly well that to tell her about the Sovereign, I would have had to cross the personal boundaries she had put in place. She would pardon me for respecting her wishes, but she would have never forgiven me for trampling on her freedom.

A part of her must’ve known. The description of the spousal selection had to have sounded familiar, so she must’ve suspected it and made a conscious or subconscious effort to avoid it. Caldenia was both perceptive and introspective. Her mind was as sharp as her teeth.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble this entire affair will bring?”

“Yes.”

“I very much doubt it. You’ve jumped into the whirlpool, and you’re in danger of drowning.”

“If I do drown, would you throw me a rope so I can pull myself out, Your Grace?”

She arched her eyebrows. “Do we have that kind of relationship?”

“That’s up to you, Your Grace.”

I halted. The distant door at the end of the hallway rushed at us and stopped two feet from me.

“If any harm comes to the Sovereign, the Assembly will take my inn. If anything happens to one of the guests on my watch, I may as well surrender the inn, since I wouldn’t deserve it.”

“Are you threatening me with the loss of my safe haven?” Caldenia’s eyes blazed.

“No. You are a guest, Your Grace. My very first one. Your wellbeing and safety are my first priority. I am simply advising you of facts. I hope that when things become dire, you would give me your guidance as you have in the past. Do you still wish to see Lady Wexyn?”

She tilted her chin up. “Yes.”

I knocked on the door. “Her Grace Caldenia ka ret Magren to see Lady Wexyn Dion-Dian.”

The door swung open, and a veiled male attendant with dark eyeliner, broad shoulders, and tan muscular arms invited us in with a bow. We followed him inside.

The door opened to the courtyard paved with pale brown stones. A brook wound its way around it, spilling into a wide pond. Beautiful Fortune trees leaned over the blue pond like slender women, dripping their long branches with lemon-yellow leaves into the water. An ornate wooden pavilion perched on the shore, cushioned in Fortune trees and ornamental shrubs. Within the pavilion, Lady Wexyn reclined on a chaise, sipping tea from a flower-shaped cup.