by Kaylin Lee
“Why would an address mean he’s committing fraud at the bank?”
“It’s a small thing. A mistake. But not the kind of mistake a record-keeper would make, not unless he were hiding something bigger. In the brokerage log, Ambrose found three transactions with three different trading companies recorded by our brokerage arm thirteen years ago—all assorted products, values, and dates. Each transaction lists a different trading company, but the companies are all located at the same address on Helix Street.”
Raven frowned. “So? Maybe it was just a mistake.”
I shook my head. “I’m telling you—no one at Bank Argentarius would make a mistake like that, not if they wanted to keep their job. My father pays very well, and his clerks are the best in the city. Three different companies, all listed with the same address. The names sounded vaguely familiar to me too. If I had the chance to go through more records myself, I bet I’d find them in other transactions over the years. And if we could investigate their registration papers, I think we’d find, if we go back far enough, that they’re all owned by Bank Argentarius or one of its smaller arms—the ones most people haven’t heard of.”
Raven frowned and tapped her pencil against her paper, beating out a steady rhythm. “But why? What good would it do? This doesn’t make sense.”
“I think he was importing something, and he didn’t want anyone to know how much he was moving. I’m certain he’s still doing it today. ‘A thousand creeks become a mighty river.’ Whatever he was importing, he was spreading it out over different companies on paper, but in truth, it was all going through the same address.”
“And you don’t think the products on the official packing list match what he really imported through those companies.”
“Exactly. Otherwise, why would he make the effort to hide how much he was bringing in? He wanted to keep attention off completely.”
Raven nodded slowly.
“What if there are more addresses like that one in his records, with more recent transactions?” I continued. “There could be more trading companies that aren’t really trading companies at all, just covers for Bank Argentarius, so he can import products without anyone knowing. The bank brokers so many transactions—hundreds of our deals come through the city gates every day. No one would ever notice it in the logs—not unless they were looking for inconsistencies, like Ambrose was.”
“And the smuggling charge he tried to put on you …”
I nodded. “It was him. Now that I remember what Ambrose found, I’m certain it was him. Whatever it is, my father is smuggling it in by underreporting shipment weights to gate guards and inspectors, making use of false bottoms in the crates, and then spreading it across multiple trading companies as an extra layer of protection against detection. He probably has inspectors working for him—that’s why they didn’t find the inconsistency with that one shipment until a few weeks after it had already been imported.”
Raven turned to Estevan. “Your Highness…”
Estevan nodded curtly. “Send an investigative team to the address now. And don’t let anyone outside the Sentinels know.” He jerked his head toward me, and Raven shoved a scrap of paper and her pencil across the table. I wrote down the address, the three company names, and the dates. “Here.” Raven thanked me and left.
Darien looked between me and Estevan, then stood awkwardly and cleared his throat. “I’ll go … ah … see if Raven needs help.”
I stood, and so did Estevan. He leaned back on his heels, a resigned expression coming over his face. “Wait here. There’s a man from the Ministry of Justice who wants to see you, and unfortunately, until I know how your attacker got past the palace guards last night, it isn’t safe for you to leave the Sentinels’ level of the palace. The clerk will have to come here.”
~
An hour later, the man from the Ministry of Justice arrived. He looked distinctly uncomfortable in the Sentinels’ headquarters, and the presence of two massive, heavily-armed guards in the cramped meeting room didn’t put him at ease. Or perhaps it was the way the guards hadn’t stopped glaring at him since he’d entered, their hands resting on the hilts of their knives as though they expected him to assault me at any moment.
I stood before him like last time as he sat at the table, shuffling a stack of papers.
“Lady Belle Argentarius. Six weeks ago, you were formally charged with one primary offense and three secondary offenses, with your sentencing hour scheduled for …” He coughed and glanced at his papers. “Today.”
My mouth went dry. I nodded to show I’d heard him, but there was no way I could speak.
“The purpose of this hearing is to withdraw those charges.”
I swayed, my legs suddenly weak with relief. “What does that mean? I’m free to go?”
The clerk darted a quick glance at the guards. “Not exactly.”
“Well, why are the charges dropped? And why can’t I leave, if I’ve been cleared?” I wanted to get out of the palace and never see Estevan’s perfect, heartless smile again.
“The Ministry of Justice has also received word that …” He coughed, glanced back at the guards, then looked down at the table. “We have received word that the Royal Intelligence Division has identified the culprit who is actually guilty of smuggling and framing you, but they need to continue their investigation in secrecy to avoid alerting him of the investigation. So, the Ministry of Justice will no longer be involved, and for your safety, you will remain in the protective custody of the Royal Intelligence Division and the Sentinels until the culprit is apprehended.”
I scowled. After everything, I was stuck here?
The clerk picked up his papers and stood, his large belly resting against the meeting room’s single, worn table. “For what it’s worth, the ministry is deeply sorry, my lady.” His round cheeks reddened. “We make it a point never to bring such serious accusations against anyone unless we are nearly certain the party is guilty. In your case, we were wrong.”
“Are you done here?” Estevan stood at the door to the meeting room, glaring at the clerk just as his guards were doing.
The clerk swallowed. “Yes, Your Highness. Your Majesty. Ah—”
“You’re dismissed.” Estevan’s cold words echoed in the silent room, and the clerk fumbled with his papers and bowed his way out as Estevan stepped past him into the room. With a glance from him, the two guards nodded sharply and filed out.
I watched them leave, torn between elation at the clearing of my name and annoyance at Estevan’s presence. Then I realized Estevan was frowning.
“My investigators just got back from the River Quarter,” he said.
I tensed. “And?”
“The space at that address is vacant. They went to the precinct tax office next, and there’s no record of the past renters. Nothing. It’s as though it’s always sat empty.”
He stepped closer as prickles across the skin of my arms. I knew my calm mask had slipped.
“Belle … is it possible you forgot the address? Can you think of any other address we should check?”
I clenched my fists. “No. Not possible. I promise you, it’s the right address. Every detail I wrote is correct. I don’t make mistakes.” Once I learned something, I never forgot it. “If the address is now vacant, it only means he’s been covering his tracks. He must have moved the operation somewhere else. And if there are no local records, he must have the precinct officials in his pocket.” I arched one eyebrow as Estevan scowled. “It wouldn’t be the first time a Procus lord paid off city bureaucrats to get his way.”
Estevan’s expression darkened. “True.”
The air in the meeting room was heavy and stale. I took a deep breath but couldn’t get enough air. Would my father’s corruption and influence ever cease to smother me?
As though he guessed my thoughts, Estevan stepped closer. “He can have the whole city government in his pocket for all I care. I’m still the Crown Prince. I’ll end this, Belle. I swear it.”
/> My whole body longed to step closer, to meet him in the middle and take comfort in the now-familiar scent of winterspice soap that clung to him. But I rocked back on my heels and crossed my arms instead. There was no use seeking comfort in a man like him.
“I hope you do,” I answered. “But in the meantime, you’ll have to excuse me while I get back to my original plan.”
Estevan frowned, then gave just the slightest shake of his head. “Your … what?”
I couldn’t help glaring at him. “My plan. My original plan. To uncover my father’s fraud and find a way to end it.”
Estevan laughed harshly. “You must be joking.”
“I assure you, I am quite serious.” The smirk on his face was cold, and it made me straighten my spine even further. “As you said, the address was vacant. My secretary’s finding will be of no use to your investigation. But if I can return home—return to my position at Bank Argentarius—I’ll be able to access more records, search out more addresses that might be part of his operation. Warehouses or trading brokers that haven’t already been cleaned out.”
Estevan watched me as though I’d begun spouting ancient Kireth.
I twisted the fabric of my skirt, then forced my hand to be still. “I’ll keep you informed, of course.” Why did he look so furious? “The Sentinels, I mean. For the … investigation …” I trailed off. Estevan looked ready to explode.
In three steps, he was directly in front of me. “You think I’m going to release you into the home of a man who tried to kill you last night?” He laughed again, a short and humorless sound. “You’re insane.”
I tilted my head up and narrowed my eyes. “I’m not insane. I’m right, and you know it.”
He shook his head incredulously. “Foolish, then. Reckless. Or do you still have a death wish?”
I stepped back and crossed my arms. “I have no death wish, Estevan, and I never did.” He opened his mouth as though to interject, but I cut him off. “I want to live as much as anyone else in this city. But I don’t know anyone else who can get close enough to my father and to his bank to uncover the truth.
“Yes, he sent a man to kill me, but all he knows is that the man failed. He doesn’t know I am certain he was behind the attack. He doesn’t know he’s still under investigation. If I play this right, perhaps I can convince him I’ve been loyal to the family all along. He will think that if I had betrayed him, he would have been arrested for blackmail by now. As long as we’re both free, he has no reason to doubt me.”
“Forgive me if I’m skeptical that a madman who threatened and attempted to murder his own daughter can be trusted to assume the best of you,” Estevan growled. “He’s just as likely to kill you the moment you walk in the gates of the compound, and then where will your precious plan be?”
I felt my cheeks heat up. “Don’t I have the right to take my chances against the man who tried to kill me? He’s just as likely to think I managed to get the charges dropped. If I can get back into Bank Argentarius, it’s worth the risk. Besides, now that I know what I’m looking for, I’ll only need a few days to go through the records. I’m certain I’ll find another address like that one.”
“No.” Estevan paced away from me, then whirled around. “No, Belle. It’s not worth the risk.”
“How can you say that? You know the danger of Procus lords running around the city as though they own it. His corruption and machinations are an affront to your throne, to the authority of the royal line. Whatever must be done to end his dominance—it’s worth it.” I raised an eyebrow. “You say you care about strong leadership, that you want to be king. I may not agree with your methods, but at the very least, you must see the threat my father poses to your authority.”
Estevan tensed, and for a moment I thought he might strike the table before him. “It’s not worth—” He cut himself off and shook his head.
“What? Not worth what?”
Estevan glowered at me. “Regardless, I am your prince, and I say you will not be going home. You will remain here, with the Sentinels, until your father and his accomplices are apprehended, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
My mouth hung open for a long moment, and Estevan narrowed his eyes, as though waiting for me to challenge him. What was he doing? “But I’ve been cleared of the smuggling charges! You know I’m innocent! I didn’t do anything. Why imprison me when I’ve done nothing wrong?” Inwardly, I cringed at my desperate, pleading tone. What was it about Estevan that caused me to behave with so little dignity?
He laughed humorlessly. “I know you’re innocent, Belle. Of course, I know. This isn’t a punishment.” He slid his hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “Call it the whim of your ruler, if you like. I don’t care what you call it. You’re staying here until it’s safe to leave.”
I couldn’t let it go. “What if it never is? Safe, that is?”
“It will be,” he ground out. “Is my word not enough for you?”
What could I say to that? I knew he was an honorable man, but no one knew the depths of my father’s power and ambition like I did. “What if we compromise?”
Estevan raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Did I not just say that this discussion was over?”
“Hear me out.” I softened my voice and met his gaze steadily. “Please, Estevan.”
At the sound of his name on my lips, a bit of tension seemed to ease from his shoulders.
“I’ve been in the palace for six weeks already. What if I stay for six more weeks while your investigators look into Ambrose’s disappearance and the original smuggling crime? And if hard evidence against my father is not found by then, we try my way. If my father is not alerted to the investigation, I know I can find a way to come back home and convince him that I’ve been loyal all along. I’ll only need a few days at the bank with access to brokerage records, and as soon as I find what we need, I’ll come right back to the palace where it’s safe.”
Estevan shook his head resolutely. “No. Absolutely not. Impossible! And that’s not even a compromise. It’s just you, getting what you wanted, six weeks from now instead of today.”
I smiled as he narrowed his eyes. “But I’ll be waiting six weeks for it.”
“No, Belle.”
“What if I give you something extra in return?”
“What are you offering?” His voice was low, his expression indecipherable.
“An ally.”
He frowned. “An ally? Who?”
“Me.”
Chapter 24
“Excuse me.”
The guard waiting outside my room turned toward me. “Yes, my lady?”
My stomach rumbled. I couldn’t stand waiting inside my tiny room any longer. Estevan had agreed to my proposal with surprising swiftness, and then, with a mumbled excuse, he’d made himself scarce, leaving me in my tiny bedroom with a rotating guard shift outside and nothing to do inside. As the final hours of the day crept by, I found myself dizzy with boredom—and hunger. “Do you know where I might find some dinner?”
His eyebrows shot up. “I … ah … I thought you were dining with His Highness tonight.”
I attempted a smile, as my stomach clenched. “No. I won’t be.” Not after the furious words we’d exchanged that morning. And never again.
The guard was the same one who’d led me to Estevan that morning. He was a few years older than me, perhaps my sister Kaia’s age, and was tall and broad-shouldered, with close-cropped dark hair and a smoothly-shaven jaw. His brows furrowed in concern.
“It’s fine.” I loitered in the doorway. Now that I’d stepped out of my tiny, windowless room, I couldn’t force myself back inside. “Would it be possible for me to go and get a meal for myself?” My cheeks heated up as the awkward words passed my lips. I’d never made such a request. But then again, I’d never been quite so desperate for company other than Prince Estevan’s.
The guard’s eyes widened slightly. “Ah—”
I tried to smile. “If
I spend another second in that room by myself, I might go mad. I know it’s safe here, but …” Every moment I spent in that stifling room, a part of me couldn’t stop wondering when the next attacker would push through the door. My hand grazed the skin of my neck, and I glanced down, surprised to see my hand placed protectively at the top of my blouse.
The guard’s eyes followed my gaze, and his concerned frown grew heavier. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then shut it and shook his head. “My name is Cole, my lady. I would be happy to escort you to have your meal in the Sentinels’ dining hall, if you desire. It’s not much, but …” He shrugged one shoulder. “It’s safe.”
And likely full of guards. I wouldn’t be alone. Sounded good to me. I forced my hand away from my neck and nodded resolutely. “Wonderful. Lead the way, Cole.” I smiled, and he returned the smile, a slight flush coming across his cheeks as he did so.
The Sentinels offices inhabited a warren of narrow, dusty hallways, with tiny, windowless meeting rooms and offices splitting off here and there. When we finally reached a hallway that smelled like food, I breathed a sigh of relief. Cole seemed friendly enough, and I knew Estevan trusted the Sentinels, but I couldn’t wait to be around more people.
He stopped before a wide set of doors. The scent of warm yeast, stewed meat, and fragrant spices wafted through the air, along with the slightest hint of burnt cinderslick. My mouth watered.
Cole turned back to me. “Ah … it might be a bit … boisterous, my lady, especially with your presence.” He squared his shoulders. “But I’ll keep them from bothering you.”
“Um … that’s fine. Thank you.”
He opened the doors, and a dim roar of noise hit me like rushing water. The dining hall was packed full of men and a few women in black uniforms, with the odd gold armband of tracker mages sparkling here and there in the sea of black. The ceiling was low, and shouts of laughter echoed off the walls. Cole stepped through the entryway, then stopped when I didn’t follow. He glanced back anxiously. “Would you like to return to your room, my lady? I can have a meal brought to—”
