True to Alexander's words, we stopped at a burger place and grabbed some food. The guards secured the area before allowing us to order food and eat at the picnic tables. They tried to rent the whole place, but we didn't let them.
"Did my mom say anything rude to you?" Alexander asked.
I munched on my fries a bit, thinking. Lady Hargrave had been rude, but she knew how to word it in a way where it was only speculation.
"I think she blames me for you getting hurt," I told him. "Which is true. It was my fault."
"Rin," he began.
"I know you don't think so," I quickly said. "If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have gotten shot."
"Knowing these Extremists, they would have tried to shoot me regardless of if you were there or not. I don't want to hear you blame yourself anymore, alright?"
I shoved more fries in my mouth and nodded. As we ate, I thought back to Lady Hargrave. It was hard to figure out what she was thinking. She sounded supportive, but at the same time, she didn't. She'd ordered outfits for us and shared dirty secrets, but that didn't mean she was on our side. She'd said she wouldn't oppose us, but someone else could with her backing.
"Anything else?" Alexander asked.
This time, I took a bite out of my burger. I got the feeling that he was fishing for something.
"Nothing else," I said. "But - "
"What?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. It feels like she wasn't surprised you were . . . you know, a human. Like she only said what she said to get a reaction. Maybe it's just me. I don't know."
Alexander finished the rest of his burger. "She had a lot of informants," he said. "It would be strange if she didn't know before we got there."
"Plus, she seemed well versed in what was happening to everyone, too."
"That she did."
I realized how that sounded. "Not that I'm trying to be rude," I quickly said.
"I know how you meant it. Besides, I asked, didn't I?"
"What about you?" I asked, changing the subject. "Did she say anything rude to you?"
He grimaced. "I'm fine," he said. "My mother knows how to use her tricks well. It's one of the reasons why I haven't spoken to her."
I put my burger down. "Did I force you to talk to her when you didn't want to?"
"What? No. Rin, it's not like that. I -" he trailed off.
"I'm so sorry," I said. Guilt twisted my stomach. "I didn't realize you cut ties with her. Sorry."
"I should have told you about the relationship with my mother. We tend to disagree on a lot of things now." He shrugged. "I didn't want my relationship with her to get in the way of our relationship. I needed to know where she stood. Now, I know."
"Sorry," I repeated.
He smiled and gave me the rest of his fries. "Here," he said. "Eat up, and don't worry about it."
Sadly, I munched on the fries. Ignorance wasn't an excuse. I'll do better, I told myself. I need to.
It was late evening when Alexander dropped me off at my house. He walked me to the door where Dad waited.
"Good evening, sir," Alexander said.
Dad gave a curt nod before ushering me inside. Mom pulled me into the living room as soon as I walked in. She sat me down on the couch.
"Well?" she asked. "How did it go? Did she like the gift?"
"I think so," I replied.
Judging by the conversation, Lady Hargrave probably hadn't liked it, but she hadn't mentioned it more than once. Perhaps that was a good sign.
"What else did she say?"
I hesitated. Lady Hargrave hadn't been rude, but she hadn't been pleasant.
"She was . . . different," I said. "She everything about everyone, and she was upset about the assassination attempt."
"Did she blame you?" Mom asked. Her arms were crossed.
"Not in so many words, but Lady Hargrave said she'd help with the announcement ceremony."
"So, she approves?"
I shrugged. "It's hard to tell."
I glanced at the door. Dad hadn't come in yet.
"What's up with Dad?" I asked.
Mom shook her head. "He doesn't trust the royal family." She touched my arm. "He wants to keep you safe."
"I know," I told her.
I grabbed her hands in mine. "Everything will be fine. This situation is not a crisis, okay?"
"Right, it's going to be celebratory."
A few minutes later, Dad walked in. I went to the door and waved goodbye to Alexander. Closing the door, I went into the kitchen with my parents.
"Everything alright, Dad?" I asked.
He sat at the table, frowning. "Hmm? Yeah, everything's fine."
Mom and I shared a glance. She shook her head.
"Let's order in," Mom said. "We'll rent a movie and spend some time together."
"Sounds great," I said.
Dad chose the movie while Mom ordered food. Despite my lack of hunger, I ate a couple of dumplings throughout the film. As it finished, I excused myself. My eyes wouldn't stay open. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and returned to my room.
I looked around at the mess. I needed to do chores tomorrow. After shoving my clothes in the laundry basket, I crawled into bed. Just as I was dozing off, there was a knock on my window. Seconds later, my phone buzzed.
'Let me in.'
Frowning, I sat up and went to the window. It couldn't be Alexander, could it?
I opened the curtain and saw a familiar face. Sighing, I let Camellia inside. I closed the window and the curtain.
Camellia took a seat at the edge of my bed. She crossed her legs.
"Thanks for delivering the gift to Lady Hargrave," I said. "I completely forgot about it."
"That was my job," she said.
Reaching into her leather jacket, she pulled out a small blue box. "Here's the ring," she told me.
Unable to help myself, I took a peek at it. The ring matched my own. The gems were from my blood, but the twisting black gold was still the same.
"It's perfect," I said.
"When will you give it to him?"
I shrugged. "I don't know when it's a good time. The announcement ceremony?"
Camelia crossed her arms. "The royal family will give you each a matching circlet," she said. "You don't need to give him a ring. If anything, you'll show off your rings at the ceremony. I say the sooner, the better."
I nodded. It also meant I had to wear my ring often.
"Thanks for bringing it," I said.
Closing the box, I shoved it into my bottom drawer. Hopefully, Mom wouldn't find it. I didn't want to keep it from her, but I wanted to hide my secret a bit longer.
Strangely enough, Camellia hadn't left.
"Was there anything else?" I asked.
In response, Camellia morphed into a cat.
'Nothing I can say aloud,' she replied.
I bit my lip. "You found something."
'Something like that.'
I motioned for her to continue.
'I looked into the security team at the coronation event,' she began. 'Turns out, all the members have disappeared. Well, more like it's classified. I cross-referenced the names and found they were also security at the Ambassador building before it was attacked.'
Feeling weak, I sat at my desk. "It was an inside job," I whispered. "Do they belong to a certain faction?"
'They're all part of the mafia,' Camellia replied. 'Except I've never met them. When I question the higher-ups, they didn't know this team either.'
"They could've lied," I said.
'I thought of that too,' she said. 'But they have to be part of the mafia. Otherwise, there's a rogue group of operatives performing acts of terrorism.'
I crossed my arms. "How many groups have the funds and authority to own such a group?"
'Not many.'
"Plus, they don't like vampires that side with humans," I muttered.
'How do you figure?'
"The Extremist's video. It said, 'if you like humans so much, join them.' It makes me think they're specifically attacking human sympathizers."
'That would make a lot of sense. I'll narrow the search. If we can link the rogue operatives to a known group or affiliation, we can find who attacked His Highness and the ambassadors.'
"Prince Noah has been helping too," I told her. "You might need him to get you access, seeing how you're being blacklisted and all."
Camellia gave me a death glare. 'I'll keep that in mind. You trust him?'
I crossed my arms. Nowadays, that was a difficult question to answer. "I trust that he does want to help his brother," I replied.
'You don't think he's behind this?'
"Honestly? I don't know, but something tells me he isn't."
Camellia flickered her tail. 'Tell me about your meeting with Lady Hargrave. How was it?'
"You suspect her?" I asked.
'I suspect everyone,' she replied. 'But tell me, how did it go?'
"Well, I don't think she liked the brooch. I also didn't think she liked me very much. She barely made me any attention or wanted to have a conversation with me. It felt like I was being interrogated most of the time."
'It could have been worse.'
"How?"
'She could have kicked you out.'
"Fair. Lady Hargrave did want to help us," I said, "but I'm not sure what she's going to do."
'Don't be afraid to say 'no' to her help,' Camellia said. 'Otherwise, you'll be seen as someone with no authority.'
"I'll keep that in mind," I said. "I'll ask Mr. Adams how to say 'no' politely without offending anyone."
'Whatever works.'
Camellia stood and stretched. 'I'll keep looking for answers. In the meantime, focus on things you can do. Go on a date.'
"A date?" I asked. "Alexander is swamped with work. How can I take him away from his responsibilities?"
'I assure you, he needs a break.'
Camellia darted to the window. I opened it for her.
'Ask him out,' Camellia said. 'Enjoy yourself. Once Lady Hargrave gets involved, you won't have a quiet moment.'
With a flicker of her tail, she jumped out the window. I watched her shadow disappear before closing and locking the window again. Once I'd drawn the curtains, I changed into my pajamas. It had been a while before Alexander, and I had gone out. It was time to act a little more like a couple.