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"As it so happens, a prince will often ride on horseback"

"Not with that horse"

Mott grinned "No, not that horse Where is she?"

"Long gone I can’t even tell you which direction"

"Conner will be furious He was going to have her broken soon Are you hurt?"

"I think bruises are the worst of it She stopped to get a drink of water and I fell off"

Mott chuckled "You stayed on through the ride and fell off when she stopped? Cregan’s going to laugh all night about that"

I rolled the rest of the way out of the streas up close to h the ride Or he’ll make lessons just as bad tomorrow"

"Sorry, but at some point, you will have to learn that you can’t say whatever you want to whoue, and this is one of them I hope it will prove to be your most valuable lesson today"

Valuable lessons were code words for pain that no one apologized for I’d had enough of theo back?"

"You’ve got a cut on your cheek"

I brushed a finger over it, though in the darkness of the woods and with my dirty hand, it was hard to tell if there was any blood on it It didn’t feel wet "I think it’s stopped bleeding"

"Conner won’t like that He doesn’t want to present a prince at court who’s got cuts and bruises all over him"

"It’ll heal by then" Mott extended an arround for a moment, and then looked up at hi to choose me just as I am"

Mott took et you back and cleaned up"

"Did I ?"

"We canceled it to look for you"

"What about dinner?"

"They’re eating right now"

"I can only iine how Roden and Tobias will talk about me to Conner" It’d be aus back to the stables The springtiht had cooled, and I shivered in my wet clothes Mott must have felt sorry fore a wild horse Unfortunately, I had other things on my mind, so I missed most of the lecture Too bad, because what I did hear actually sounded interesting

Then Mott asked, "What’s your interest in I Why?"

"She passedat her So I’ll ask again, what’s your interest?"

"There’s nothing," I insisted "It’s just that she seems so anxious all the time Is she safe here?"