“I would not expect him to.”

“If Captain Bolivar is still . . . here,” Rosario points out.

Everyone in the room pauses to consider. I wish I could hear what they’re thinking. Rosario fiddles with the fringe of his cushion. Mena squirms in Hector’s lap.

Lord Dante is the first to break the silence. “I still advise that we don’t jump into this plan too hastily. There may not be a law against it, per se, but—”

“Lord-Commander Dante,” the empress says in a voice I recognize. She’s about to pull rank. “Is it my Guard, or is it my Guard?”

The commander ducks his head. “Now and always, Your Majesty.”

“You are one of my most trusted friends,” the empress continues. “More like family. When Hector resigned his post, it gave us great confidence and pleasure to appoint you in his place. I know you will do the right thing and protect the crown’s interests in every possible capacity.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. May I speak freely, Majesty?”

“Always.”

“Lady Red is an exceptional candidate for the Royal Guard; I have no doubt about that. And being a woman does not disqualify her in any way. I only meant to say that some will not see things so clearly. If she takes to the sand, her first year will be challenging in ways I can only imagine.”

“I want to do it,” I say.

“I won’t be there to protect you,” he says, finally addressing me directly. “I’ll be in Orovalle with the empress for months. Maybe a year. Hector won’t be here. The empress won’t be here. We have no idea where Bolivar is. You’ll be on your own.”

“I’ll be here,” Rosario says.

“Every recruit leaves home,” I say. “Gives up everything.”

“Almost everything,” Hector clarifies.

“Right. Except three items. Anyway, everyone is alone when they come to the palace on recruitment day. That’s the point, right? We belong to the crown now. Our lives for Elisa’s. So I don’t need special treatment. I’ll succeed or fail on the same terms as everyone else.”

The river rock walls and the thick oak door are meant to deter eavesdropping, but they make a silence feel heavy, as though it’s pressing in.

Princess Mena whispers something in Hector’s ear.

“I think,” Hector whispers back, “that if Red can’t be your sister, she still wants an excuse to see you every day. Like Guardsman Fernando does.”

“Good idea,” Ximena says gravely.

Tristán says, “All right, I like this plan. I think it would discourage any assassination attempts. Red is simply not a target anymore, as a mere Guard recruit. Not to mention the fact that the Guard barracks are nearly impossible to penetrate.”

“Red will still be a target,” Mara says. “Just for different reasons. For being a woman with the audacity to try for the Guard, for instance. Trust me on that.” She and Elisa exchange a knowing glance.

“I’m happy to begin spreading the rumor that this is a punishment, as Red suggested,” Conde Juan-Carlos says. “I promise to be appropriately smug. It should be very convincing, coming from the bitter son of the disgraced traitor, yes?”