My gut is a mess when we finally reach his office. The steward opens the door and we file into the cramped space. Andrew is sitting at his desk, his face a mask of serious neutrality.
“Prince Nolan, Wife Consort Hazel, thank you for attending me,” he says, standing. “Steward Michaelson, Steward Paulaner you are both dismissed.”
The two stewards bow to Andrew and file out, but the guards remain. Andrew glances at the guards but doesn’t say anything.
“Please, sit,” he says, gesturing. I take a seat and Hazel sits down next to me a moment later. Andrew sits in his chair and sighs.
“We’re here to determine the guilt of Wife Consort Hazel Joyce.”
I stare at Andrew, completely shocked. “Guilt?” I ask him. “What the fuck is this, Andrew?”
“Prince Nolan,” Andrew says. “The Wife Consort is accused of high treason. These are serious charges.”
“Bullshit,” I say. “You know that media shit is total garbage. It’s just a story put out by—“
“Prince Nolan,” Andrew says loudly, cutting me off before I can say Julian’s name. “I’ll remind you that this is an official hearing, witnessed by the guards of the castle. Do you understand?”
I hesitate before nodding. “I understand,” I say, and I think I do.
Andrew’s warning me. He just stopped me form accusing Julian of anything, and now he’s telling me that the guards are Julian’s men.
Maybe he’s not a traitor after all, but a steward caught in the middle.
“Good,” he says. “Now, we’ll review the evidence against the Wife Consort.” Andrew produces a piece of paper and slides it across his desk. “Can you tell me what this is?”
I pick up the paper and show it to Hazel. She glances through it and shakes her head. “I’ve never seen this before,” she says softly.
“Can you confirm what it says?” Andrew asks.
“It says that Hazel was hired by the American Defense Department,” I say.
“I couldn’t even drive back when this says I was hired,” Hazel says. “This is absurd.”
Andrew glances at the guards. “Maybe,” he says. “But we must continue. There are rumors of treason and spying here, you understand.”
“She’s not a traitor,” I say.
“I have not and never will work for the American government,” Hazel says clearly.
“Is that your official statement?” Andrew asks.
“Yes,” she confirms.
He nods and writes it down. “Very well. Is there anything else you wish to add in your defense?”
“I was a child back then,” she says. “The idea that I was hired to be a spy at that age is absurd. That’s not how things work in America.”
Andrew nods slowly. “Very well.” He jots it down quickly. “Anything else?”
“No,” she says.
“Thank you for cooperating, Wife Consort Hazel,” he says. “And thank you, Prince Nolan.”
I blink, surprised. “Is that it?”
“For now,” Andrew says. “The investigation will continue.” He gestures at the door. “You two are free to leave.”
I hesitate for a second. We’ve barely been here a few minutes, but I think I know what’s happening here. Andrew is doing just enough to make it look like he’s actually trying to follow orders, but not enough to actually prosecute anything. He’s going to drag this fake investigation on as long as humanly possible, hopefully giving me the time I need.
I stand and nod to him. I hope he understands that I know what he’s doing. He nods back. Hazel heads toward the door and I follow her. The guards step back and allow us to leave. As soon as we’re outside, the guards leave and head in two different direction.
We stand outside of Andrew’s office for a second, watching the guards leave. Hazel takes my hand and squeezes. “You were right,” she says.
“About what?” I ask.
“It’s dangerous here.”
I nod slowly. “I hoped it might blow over. But still, we can’t afford to be anywhere else.”
We start walking back toward our apartment, and my heart is beating fast. I don’t know what I’m going to do to keep her safe, especially now that Julian has his own little guards.
“Come on,” Hazel says, pulling at my hand. “Let’s go back to our room. We need to start planning.”
“You’re right,” I say, sighing. “I need to get some guards for us first, though.”
She hesitates but nods. “You’re probably right.”
“We can’t be caught off guard again. This might be over soon, but we should be smart about it.”