Jackline found Alex in the training yard, and the sight stopped her. The lazy, smiling guard was gone, replaced by a silhouette of lethal grace. His armor was a gleam of polished steel, and his sword, which usually hung like an afterthought at his hip, moved with a fluid, deadly ballet. This wasn't the jester she thought she knew; this was a weapon, a very dangerous weapon, honed and disguised.
A shiver of unease—or something else entirely—traced its way down her spine. The easy grin was a mask, carefully crafted. Her respect for him deepened, and so did her suspicion. He saw her from across the yard, and the mask snapped back into place. He sheathed his sword, the metallic sound sharp in the quiet yard, and his easy smile returned. "What story has the ghost left for us today, my Queen?" he asked, his voice a low, mocking murmur that carried only to her.
Jackline ignored his baiting. "Alex, you are a curious man," she said, her eyes betraying none of her inner turmoil.
"The cooks are concerned," he said, his voice a low, firm counterpoint to his levity. "They say you haven't been eating enough to sustain a healthy monarch. I told them you were simply too beautiful to be bothered with such mundane things. They did not seem to find that a comforting explanation."
Jackline's lips curled into a slow, deliberate expression that didn't reach her eyes. She decided to play his game, a new, more dangerous one. "Perhaps I am simply too distracted by the palace's resident jester," she said, her voice laced with playful venom. "It seems he has forgotten his role. I was told guards were meant to be silent and solemn, not full of… delightful commentary."Alex's smirk widened.
He leaned against a marble pillar, perfectly at ease, his gaze never leaving hers. "Ah, but a jester in armor is more dangerous than a fool with a bell," he said, his voice dropping slightly. The mockery remained, but a subtle, sharp edge was now visible, like the glint of a concealed dagger. "Keeps everyone on their toes, you see." He straightened up and took a step closer, the space between them shrinking. "But you're different, my Queen. You're one of a kind, the rarest gem to find." His words were a caress, and his smile sent a thrill, like an electric shock, through Jackline's body. " Any man would be lucky to have you," he whispered, his eyes holding hers.
A genuine smile, slow and involuntary, bloomed across Jackline's face. Alex was the only one in this vast, silent palace who made her life less of a performance and more of a game. She had grown fond of him, and the feeling, as terrifying as it was, felt like the first breath of real air she'd taken since becoming queen. The king was a problem she had to solve, but Alex was a complication she might want to keep. The king was a ghost, a phantom, but Alex was real—and dangerous.