Page 12 of Stranger's Choice
Chapter 5
Auraelie stood outsideSebin’s rooms, waiting for him to emerge. She wondered how many chances she would get to make him betray his understanding of the language today. She wondered if she could make him lose control enough to laugh out loud.
The door finally creaked open, but he didn’t step out. She looked over at him, and he gestured for her to come in.
She stiffened.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I promise I won’t touch you. Now, please come in.”
It was the first time she had ever heard him speak Imperial. His accent gave the words a staccato rhythm, one that sounded almost musical as his voice rose and fell in a way native speakers’ did not.
Auraelie followed him into the room. She stopped by the door. He continued on to the collection of cushions in front of a low table, but didn’t look surprised when she remained by the exit.
“I thought it was time we reached an agreement,” Sebin said once he settled onto the cushions. “Something beyond you don’t tell on me, and I don’t touch you.”
“Why?”
“Well, first off, I’d appreciate it if you stopped trying to trick me into revealing that I speak your tongue.”
Auraelie bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if she was annoyed at her failure, or grateful that she could say she had tried without actually having to break the spirit of her deal with the prince. Until now they hadn’t really spoken, but . . . she liked him. She was disposed to believe he would keep his end of the deal, even if she bent hers and revealed his understanding without technically telling anyone. Perhaps the danger wasn’t as great as she had at first feared.
But it was a big risk to take, trusting a stranger. She wasn’t sure she could do it.
The prince continued talking. “In addition, from what you have said while trying to make me betray myself, I gather you are an intelligent woman. At present, I only have Tjalik to advise me of the customs and politics in Pynth, and he has his own agenda. I’m sure you do as well, but a second viewpoint is always welcome.”
“You speak Imperial very well,” Auraelie said to buy time. He did. His accent was noticeable, but he spoke without hesitation—the choppiness of his words came from his accent, nothing more.
“Thank you. It seems the humans on Pynth must have come from across the Mladin centuries ago. Your language is remarkably similar to some of the old languages on my continent. I suspect it is most like Old Vairainian, but there are enough similarities to Old Moialan—which I learned as a boy—that I caught on quickly.” Sebin paused. “Now, have I given you enough time to consider your response, or should I continue talking about my experiences learning Imperial?”
“Oh, please continue. I’m sure you are enjoying this opportunity to go on at length instead of dealing with an interpreter; I wouldn’t want to spoil it.”
The prince grinned, and it made him look young and boyish. He was probably only a couple years older than Auraelie, but he usually projected such a serious, mature air, he seemed a decade older. She couldn’t pull it off herself. The best Auraelie could manage was blank indifference, and even then, she relied heavily on her veil to hide the twitch of her lips.
“Well, if you insist. So long as you are my only audience—” The prince cut off abruptly and frowned. His brows drew together, and he glanced at the door. “Is it going to cause problems—for you or me—if someone learns you are alone with me in my room?”
Auraelie shook her head. “No one but the Emperor will care, and he would only mind if I was hurt.”
Sebin’s frown deepened. “The way you say that makes me think you refer to physical injuries such as broken bones. In fact, your insistence on my promise not to touch you in exchange for your silence makes me think you have no confidence that you are safe from other types of harm. And yet, you wear the dark veil and tunic, which I thought was a warning that a woman is off limits.”
Auraelie hesitated. The man was too astute. She could not tell him the truth: that the Emperor would only care if she had a seizure—which Sebin’s touch would not cause. She did not want him to know he could touch her without risk of retaliation. No one could know. And he was right, there would be an outcry and swift punishment were he to attempt anything with any other woman in the opaque veil.
“Perhaps our languages are not so similar after all,” Auraelie said after a moment. “You say hurt and harm as if they are different. Touching me, or any woman in the dark veil, would be a hurt. I demanded your promise only because I do not know how well you understand imperial customs.”
“And because you could do so in a way that still allowed you to expose me. After all, if I reveal myself, no matter the provocation, you are not really the one who is telling people I can speak your language.”
She shrugged.
“Well, you’ve made it obvious enough that you have no intention of reaching a new agreement with me.” He stood up and strode toward Auraelie and the door. He stopped a pace away. “I suppose we shall continue with our prior arrangement: I won’t touch you, and you will do your best to make me laugh at an inopportune moment. I am on my guard now; you won’t find it easy.”
He reached out, and Auraelie flinched, though he was clearly aiming for the door and not her.
“I’ve already promised not to touch you.”
“And will you keep that promise, even though I have bent my own end of the deal?” She couldn’t help asking, even though she already knew the answer. Even though his answer meant nothing, for a man who wouldn’t keep the promise would also lie.
“I will keep my promise.”
She believed him, and it made her doubt her decision to betray him.
