When Eleonora had decided to share the newly found information about the duchess with Prince Callahan, she had known he wasn't going to jump out of his seat in shock. With the little interactions she had had with him, she could judge he was a man who wasn't very prone to making reckless decisions — unlike herself. But Eleonora had expected some sort of reaction at the least. A mild surprise, perhaps. Or an intention to act.
Instead, Prince Callahan didn't appear to have heard her at all. Or so it looked like to her. His attention was focused on the ale he was drinking, and when he raised his head to look her in the eye, he had that certain calmness about him — the same she had witnessed back in the forest. It still unnerved her.
Thinking she might not have been very coherent previously, Eleonora repeated. 'The duchess. He intends to kill the duchess tonight.'
The prince gave a curt nod. 'So I was told,' he said, leaning back on the couch and reading her face like a very interesting poem.
Eleonora's eyes widened. 'You knew?'
His shoulders raised in a slight shrug. 'She wrote to me a few days back.'
Eleonora was taken aback. Just when she had started to think she was finally understanding what was going on...
'If she were to die anyway, why was I called upon to treat her?' she asked, putting her thoughts into words.
'She cannot be treated. You were called to ease her symptoms. I thought we were very clear about that, were we not?'
'Ease her symptoms for the few hours that she has left?' Eleonora hadn't meant to sound so condescending when she said it, but her tone was expressing her helplessness rather than her irritation. She doubted the prince would care though; she doubted she would be allowed to get away with speaking to him that way though.
But when Prince Callahan placed his empty glass on the table, and raised to his full height — keeping his eyes steady on her — there wasn't even a hint of annoyance on his face. There was a casual manner about him as he walked in her direction, but the graceful fluid movements paired with his commanding stature looked anything but casual. Nobles were trained to stand apart in a crowd of normal people. She didn't know much about the practices, but she could imagine that the royals would be trained to stand apart from the regular nobles. Eleonora had recognized this ingrained elegance in him back in the forest, and now watching him dressed in robes made of the most expensive of materials, his hair perfectly and neatly set back, not one imperfection marring him, she wondered how could she have ever mistaken him for a soldier or a spy.
Prince Callahan stopped a few short steps away from her, such that Eleonora had to crane her neck to look up at him. She had intended to back away, to put some distance between them, but when she looked into his eyes, she did the opposite. Hopeful, Eleonora walked closer to him, her face inches away as Prince Callahan blinked — showing a bit of surprise for the first time in forever.
The candles all around the room cast it with a soft golden glow. It created a nice ambience for a cozy refuge to share a few drinks with friends or acquaintances, but the lack of bright lamps could only do so much for the visibility of the place when the windows were curtained with thick, embroidered drapes. Perhaps that was the reason why Eleonora had missed it until now. Despite it being a frowned upon practice to look into the eyes of a royal — or truly, even a noble — she had made sure to keep note of the color of his irises. They had been blue. Until now.
'Are you doing something?' She asked, remembering the first time that the change had occurred was when he had heard footsteps in the forest. And it hadn't gone back to the original until they were in the safety of her cottage. 'Are you going to help her?'
Prince Callahan leaned forward, making her aware of the proximity. 'She isn't the one who needs help.'
Eleonora took a step back. When it wasn't enough, she took another. 'But,' she said, searching for ways to express herself without offending him. 'Your Highness, she's dying of the duke's drugs already. Why does she have to be murdered by his hands too?'
He pulled back. His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth in a sharp, disapproving sound. 'I thought you were smarter than this, Apothecary.'
Eleonora pressed her lips together in irritation. Why does he keep doing that?
Nothing stoked her ire quite like her intellect insulted. And with the way he was looking at her, it seemed like he knew it.
'You planned everything, didn't you?' she blurted, forgetting about his status for a while. 'Everything. Just like back in the forest?'
A smile graced the prince's lips. 'There you are. I was starting to worry you weren't paying attention.'
'So you planned her murder as well?' Eleonora jutted her chin forward as she asked. 'You entertained the duke knowing what he is about to do; you called me here to help her, knowing what is about to happen to her. Why?'
'Why do you reckon?' he prodded.
Eleonora racked her brains for an answer. 'To make me a witness?' she frowned, her tone lacking confidence. 'The drugs might not be enough, so you use the murder of your aunt to put him on trial?'
He looked away, disappointed. 'Why does everyone think I'm trying to put that bastard on trial,' he murmured under his breath like a curse. Then his black eyes fell back on her, drained of the amusement that they had held before.
'Do you understand what being under Imperial protection means for him?'
She nodded, having heard about it from Talia. 'That he's protected by the King from any and every harm,' she answered, with relatively more confidence.
'Incorrect,' said Prince Callahan. 'It means he can do whatever he damn well pleases. He can commit a hundred crimes, and unless it directly affects the throne, the king himself, he would not be charged for even one. There will be no trial for him. Ever. Not for the ales; not for the duchess.'