Plaek was surprised that the King and Queen had him and Cara fight against the Night Army earlier. Plaek thought it was too risky to have their beloved jao ying, the future heir to the Kingdom, out on a battlefield, but he was wrong. Apparently, Mehk warriors found the presence of royalty fighting beside them to be a symbol of strength, equality, and resilience. He was grateful for the combat training the mistress had him do. Even if I used it to betray you.
Plaek sighed and slowly crept through the antechamber. He was glad that Sofia’s inner circle only had a handful of acquaintances, so there weren’t many to question him for being in the palace alone. Moreover, the real Sofia’s limited knowledge of Tropos’s traditions gave him some leeway to be forgetful and awkward about anything Mistress hadn’t taught him about the Royal Family.
A mischievous smile graced his face as he pictured Cara’s startled look when he tried to strike her in the forest. He loved her frightened expression and laughed at how small she appeared. He was so close to getting rid of her on the battlefield. If only the youngest royal guard didn’t show up when he did, Plaek would have been free of his annoying roommate. The other two royal guards weren’t far behind, ready to escort him back to the palace if he hadn’t turned into a tiny bird on the battlefield to escape them.
Plaek wished Cara would disappear and let him enjoy this new life in peace. He hated sharing a room with her but continued the best friend charade while pretending to be the princess. Are there no extra rooms anywhere in the Royal Palace? Why does she need to stay here in my room?
As he entered the main bedroom, everything inside was still and dark, so it was entirely possible that Cara got the message and found somewhere else to spend her time. Plaek looked forward to a quiet evening without Cara’s pestering presence.
Plaek pulled off his battle gear piece by piece and left it strewn across the floor. Climbing the stairs toward the bed’s platform pained him since his entire body ached from maintaining Sophia’s form while fighting on the battlefield. He wanted to shed this frail human frame and return to his natural one. Nothing felt better in this world than the snug embrace of his tentacles, but it would be too risky to change form again.
With each strained step up the stairs, Plaek wanted to scream the pain away but recalled Cara’s shocked expression when he yelled at her instead. Her surprised response made it seem like the real princess never yelled at people or lost her temper. What an easy life she would have if she never got angry. I wished I could have just sung them all to sleep and returned to the palace unscathed. But that would’ve given away the disguise.
The group’s friendship irritated Plaek. His mistress taught him to be independent and self-reliant, so Plaek could never admit to wanting friends. He pictured Cara and the Sawaans again. His annoyance softened. It might be nice to have someone to depend on. Perhaps I could get used to them…eventually.
Plaek climbed under the covers and let his body fall into the cushions of the oversized bed. Thoughts of his mistress swirled in his mind, and Plaek wondered if she had come to the battle to see him. But he knew it was impossible since her banishment meant she could never cross the royal barriers.
His entire world started and ended with his mistress, and Plaek longed for the chance to see her one more time in his new skin that he worked so hard to maintain. Plaek was sure that Captain Riay received high accolades for bringing the real jao ying to his mistress. Neither of them would have made it back if I hadn’t saved them with my beacon.
Now was not the time to get caught up in competition. Plaek accepted his victory and wanted to enjoy the good life in the palace. But he sensed a change in Cara and felt her suspicious gaze during combat. Maybe she had already realized he wasn’t the real princess? He didn’t want to think about it at the moment and gave in to his exhaustion in the safety of the jao ying’s room.
Plaek rested his head on the pillow and let himself relax for the first time that day. Perhaps he would dream about the real princess and learn more valuable information about her life. That way, he would find out how to trick Cara into believing he was truly Sofia.
With his eyelids closed, Plaek realized he had not shared any of the jao ying’s memories since they switched places. This could only mean that the real princess slept very little or wasn’t dreaming much. Or could it mean that she is no longer around at all? It was unlikely that his mistress would kill her, but Plaek had to admit that he wasn’t entirely sure what her intentions for the princess actually were—yet another thing he didn’t want to think about at the moment. Instead, he fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.