A Shade of Vampire 79 A Game of Death - Bella Forrest Page 0,23

Rimians and the Naloreans here. I would’ve done the same, for fear of retribution from the potential Darklings still embedded within the gold guards’ ranks.

We weren’t making any progress. Every maid and valet had been telling Corbin the same thing. They’d come in at their usual hours. They’d done their rounds and chores without any disturbances and without seeing anything strange. They’d waited for the early morning shifts to come in before going home. That was it.

Valaine was losing her patience as well, while Corbin started interrogating one of the Nalorean nannies. She was a burly young woman with pale blonde, almost white hair braided down her back, and big blue eyes. Her cheeks were full and pink, displaying dimples at the faintest smile.

“Now, Eudora, I know you’ve spoken to my guards before, but I need you to tell me everything you told them, along with anything else you might have omitted,” he told the nanny, who settled in an ornate chair in front of Corbin. He chose to stand, towering over her, but Eudora didn’t seem intimidated at all. It was the first time I was witnessing a non-Aeternae servant looking Corbin right in the eye, fearless in her demeanor.

“Milord, I usually never leave Prince Thayen’s side,” she said, hands resting in her lap. Her nanny uniform was dark blue with white lace details, the skirt big enough to hide an entire kindergarten beneath it.

“You must’ve seen or heard something,” Corbin insisted, watching her closely.

“Prince Thayen?” I asked Valaine in a hushed voice.

She widened her eyes at me. “Oh, that’s right. You haven’t met him. The Lord and Lady Supreme keep him rather isolated,” she whispered. “Thayen is their son. He’s only eight years old. They have a protection detail on him at all times. An army of nannies. Maids and valets. He’s not without… but to be honest, he is a little neglected.”

Thayen sounded like a well-kept secret of this palace. “He’s the heir to the Nasani dynasty, right?”

“The only one,” Valaine replied with a faint nod before she moved her attention back to Corbin and Eudora. “Hence why he’s not a part of their public life. He’ll have an introductory ball when he turns fifteen.”

“Eudora, were you with Prince Thayen at all times?” Corbin asked. There was tension in his whole frame, his brows pulled into a heavy frown.

“No, milord. I did go to the bathroom a few times,” she replied dryly, clearly uncomfortable with this line of questioning.

I scoffed, tired of listening to the same exchange over and over again. It drew me a scowl from Corbin. “Am I boring you?”

“A little, yes,” I said. “This isn’t going anywhere. You’ve got Darklings who have infiltrated the gold guards. Do you really think the servants will point fingers? They all want to live.”

Valaine was stunned by my remarks, but a sympathetic glimmer persisted in her black eyes. Corbin, on the other hand, was not my biggest fan. He turned around to face me properly, while Eudora stifled a smile, gaze fixed on the floor.

“Do you have any better ideas?” Corbin asked tightly.

I had a feeling that I might get my head cut off if I gave him the wrong answer. Corbin Crimson could easily make himself feared just by using the right tone of voice. That, combined with his massive figure and illustrious armor, was enough to make me take a step back.

If the two of us were to go head to head, Corbin had the advantage as an Aeternae. Faster, stronger, significantly more accustomed to violence than me. But I had to make him see past his own irritation, for there was truth in my words, by which I stood firmly.

“You’ve been grilling all the servants, but I haven’t seen you do the same to the golden guards,” I said. “If there are Darklings among them, at least one or two soldiers should be able to tell you something about it. A rumor, a change in behavior, anything that might indicate foulness. The servants fear your guards. They would never tell on them, for fear of retaliation.”

“Tristan is right, Father,” Valaine added. “I, too, find it odd that no one has interviewed the guards until now, especially since the Darkling we killed was one of them.”

Corbin stood before us, his expression set in stone and difficult to read. He definitely didn’t like what he was hearing, and I could see why. But the more he lingered, the more suspicious I got. It was his daughter the