Lay Me Down: (An MM Fantasy Romance) (Captive of the Prince Book 1) by Julie Mannino

Author:Julie Mannino [Mannino, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-07-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Remus was pulled from bed around noon, taken for a bath, given a meal, and brought right to the Prince’s rooms even though he hadn't slept nearly enough.

He’d spoken to the Regent in his room before he slept. Corentin had likely spoken to the physician too. He wouldn’t be surprised if Commander Martin was already locked up.

Sébastien was up and on his couch. He was paler than usual, shadows lurked under his eyes, and he had the look of someone getting over a long illness. Oddly, he was dressed to go out with his purple cloak even though he appeared like he needed to head back to bed. The extra single color was strange.

“Stand there.” Sébastien pointed. “How did you notice something was amiss last night, but not the night before?”

Not even a thank you? Remus would have accepted a stiff one. He glanced at the guards who’d brought him in. They stepped out, and the door shut. The fact that they were alone and no command came for him to go to the corner might have been some sort of trust, although it was rather shoddy.

“Well?” demanded Sébastien.

Same old tone and expression. This was not a man who’d wake up one day and go back to being innocent and pleasant no matter what Maxime thought.

“Last night, I had trouble sleeping, and I decided to walk up and down the hall. That’s why I came out and noticed your guards were missing. The night before that, I went to sleep at a reasonable time. I have no idea what happened outside of my room.”

“Tom came in this morning,” said Sébastien. “No one’s allowed to leave the grounds, and Tom says he heard nothing specific, but it’s obvious there’s been trouble, so he decided to come clean. He admitted that yesterday morning, he came for his shift outside of your door a couple of minutes early, and no one was around.”

Remus raised his eyebrows. “Is this…normal?”

“No. A man on shift is to wait until his replacement is there. I think, as a former Prince, you should know how a fucking guard rotation works.” Sébastien leaned forward. “He said this isn’t the first time it’s happened, but he never said anything because he didn’t want to tattle. Obviously, the others haven't said a word either.”

“How many times have they left you unguarded all night?”

“I don’t think they've been leaving me alone all night,” said Sébastien. “After standing there for a while with nothing happening, they’re bored and hungry, so they slip away a little early to get breakfast down in the guardhouse or go home. Chances are, within ten or fifteen minutes, nothing is going to happen to me, and the replacement keeps quiet so he can possibly do the same. They could be flogged if reported, and since it’s peacetime and there’s been no known threat, he didn’t want to make enemies. Neither did the others.”

“I’d say Tom did it with good intentions and didn’t wish to cause strife,” Remus said neutrally.

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