Page 85 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

We sat in silence, her quiet comfort telling me she’d be there if I wanted to talk, but what was there to say?

My best friend turned up a corpse in a dumpster on that island. By the time he was actually found, the rats had gotten to him and he was barely recognizable. It was chalked up to a mugging. Which could have been the case, nothing was left on him. That never sat right with me, but pirates didn’t mix well with the law, and I had no other leads to track.

“You can stick to the ship,” she said. “There’s no real reason to get off anyway.”

“I know,” I said, though I had a feeling that wouldn’t end up being the case.

“So… what’s up with you and the princess?”

That question took me by surprise. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “I’ve never seen you let anyone talk to you like that.”

I scoffed. “Of course she talks like that. She’s a princess used to getting her way, after all.”

“And you’ve been avoiding her.”

“I have not.”

Her brow lifted. “You indeed were.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Bramwell caught you hiding in the hall when she was going to the mess the other day. You seemed very keen on making sure she didn’t see you.”

“Sounds like you two need more work, if you have all this time to gossip.”

I finally glanced at her, and she was studying me the way she did when a new crew member came aboard, trying to see what shaped peg I was, where I fit in.

“You like her, huh?”

“Connie, stop.”

“I’m just looking out for you,” she continued. “I just don’t see how it could work.”

“There’s nothing to work.”

“Unless you plan on retiring, or she plans on leaving her life behind and⁠—”

“Constance,” I finally snapped, using her full name. Something I knew she hated, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of what she was doing either.

She sighed. I knew she wanted to continue prodding, but my tone seemed to make it clear how disinterested I was in continuing that line of questioning.

“Fine, if that’s what you want. I’m going to prepare the crew.”

She stood, letting the chair fall back to all fours.

“I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“I know,” I said, barely above a whisper.

My door clicked shut. I was left alone, again.

Chapter 30

Sage

Islid on the navy dress and put my hair in a simple braid. The crew walked above me as they got everything ready for docking.