The Bishop Unreturned
“Did you find anything you liked?”
The dress she wore felt faintly awkward, a reminder that she was stepping into a role that did not quite fit. Kayla answered with a tense smile, fully aware that the performance had begun.
“Yes. More than enough.”
“Good. I’ll have them sent regularly, once a month.”
“……Pardon?”
Niguel brushed past her startled reply and paused at the memo she had left on the table. One brow arched as he surveyed the unfamiliar drawing room.
“Nothing feels uncomfortable?”
“Not at all. Hot water comes through the pipes.”
Boilers were a luxury reserved for the highest circles, and the additional heater that could warm the water further told her the household had been prepared to receive its future mistress at any moment. Niguel merely gave her a look that said such conveniences were beneath notice, then his gaze sharpened on a single corner of the room.
Following his line of sight, Kayla felt heat rise to her cheeks. Carlo’s old luggage sat there, conspicuously out of place.
“Nothing missing?”
His tone was cool. Her face flushed deeper; she nodded. He frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
“Nothing at all?”
She thought of the neatly repacked belongings—the notebook, the paper knife wrapped in cloth—everything exactly as she had left it. Kayla shook her head quickly, as though to erase the image from her mind, and stepped closer, lightly catching his sleeve.
“We’ll be late for dinner.”
He looked down at the hand on his cuff, an uncharacteristic stillness in his expression. The air between them felt suddenly cold; she began to withdraw, afraid she had overstepped. Instead, he slipped an arm around her back with casual ease and gestured toward Cindy, who waited quietly by the door.
“It’s a little stuffy in here. We should let in some air.”
Kayla caught the faint scent of cinnamon as they stepped into the corridor.
* * *
While Kayla and Niguel took their seats, Gerard turned his goblet slowly in his fingers, studying her with open curiosity.
“You play the part rather well.”
Whether the remark was born of wine or simple disdain, his flushed cheeks made it impossible to tell.
“I’ll be careful not to cause offense.”
Gerard gave a languid shrug. “No need to try so hard. You could never compare to royalty like Fanny, after all.”
“You’ve had quite enough to drink before the meal.”
Niguel’s cold glance cut through the room, reminding them both that the conversation was no longer private. Gerard clicked his tongue in mock surprise.
“They say you’ll one day kill a man with light. No need to go far—you’ve found the perfect match right here.”
At that moment a soft voice, sharp as a blade, drifted across the table.
“Is that military secret?”
Theophany entered in a vivid green gown that left her collarbones bare. Every eye followed her as she moved with deliberate grace. The midi dress, cut to cling like wrapped fabric, accentuated the shadowed curves of her figure and the slender line of her ankles. Even the unsightly splint on her arm seemed, to Kayla’s eyes, almost ornamental.
Kayla rose with the Maddison men to greet the princess. Once the butler had seated Theophany opposite Niguel, everyone returned to their chairs.
“Does this mean we’re family enough to share secrets now?”
The barbed remark, wrapped in a smile, prompted Gerard to slide his wine glass aside and chuckle softly.
“Secrets? Even if we told them, you wouldn’t understand.”
Kayla felt her ears burn and kept her gaze fixed on the tablecloth. Only Niguel remained untouched by the tension. He signaled the butler, and the servants began to serve the formal courses.
Kayla ate mechanically, barely aware of whether the food reached her mouth or her throat. Fortunately, no one paid her any attention. While the plates emptied one by one, the others discussed international affairs and economic currents she could not follow.
Her own voice was the only one absent from the table.
She was chewing a bite of perfectly seasoned meat when an odd sensation crept over her. Hoping she was mistaken, she lifted her eyes. Theophany, chin resting on her splinted hand, was watching her with a thoughtful, unsmiling expression.
Unease prickled at Kayla’s spine. The meal was nearly over; she had prayed the princess would continue to ignore her. Clearly Theophany had other plans.
“You seemed to enjoy the luncheon as well. I suppose the food here suits your taste.”
Is she trying to humiliate me?
A small alarm rang in Kayla’s mind. She answered with wide-eyed innocence, the sort that could charm even a spy.
“I can’t imagine a finer dinner anywhere outside the palace.”
Theophany’s lips curved in a crooked smile.
“Yes, that’s how you’ve always been. You had to taste something before you were satisfied.”
As she finished speaking, her crimson gaze slid past Kayla to the man beside her, revealing a noble, simmering anger. Kayla felt the force of Theophany’s will—an intent to provoke, to wound, to stop this marriage at any cost.
Wait. Something doesn’t add up. Could this be an act too?
The thought had barely formed when Niguel calmly wiped his mouth with a gleaming white napkin and set it down, scattering the gathered stares.
“Don’t waste your breath on this.”
“What are you doing, taking her side right in front of me?”
Theophany’s eyes darkened with humiliation. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, the butler quickly dismissed the servants and closed the doors. Silence settled once more.
Theophany opened her mouth to speak again, only to be silenced by Niguel’s icy reply.
“Do you want the monarchy restored? Then catch the devil yourself. Remove the calamity. Or do you want control of the cabinet? Abandon Sprouse Castle. I’ll help you.”
The shocking words froze the very air in the room. Only Theophany’s ragged breathing disturbed the stillness.
This… this isn’t an act.
Kayla’s heart pounded; she wished she could shrink into the corner and disappear.
At last Theophany spoke, her voice cracked and bitter.
“Anyone listening would think you were a man of honor.”
“Don’t forget. Our own arrangement was political as well.”
“…You make it sound so easy. Is that why you threw away that mining nobody and broke things off?”
“Circumstances change. Naturally the person beside me changes too.”
“What exactly changed in those circumstances?”
Even under her sharp questioning, Niguel set his glass of sparkling wine down with delicate precision.
“I want to preserve what exists. You want change. Isn’t that right?”
Long nails tapped the table while conflicting emotions flickered through Theophany’s eyes.
“What conditions are you demanding this time for a political marriage? Does she even have anything worth bargaining with?”
She dragged Kayla into the open even while the girl sat frozen beside them.
“There is propriety. That, at least, is a secret.”
Theophany stared at him for a long moment, then her gaze softened into something almost sorrowful.
“Niguel, you know it as well as I do. A mouse that gnaws one corner of the patchwork will eventually devour the entire storehouse. You can’t possibly be blind to whether the person beside you is a child coveting jewels or a monster coveting your life.”
Theophany’s heartfelt plea filled Kayla with crushing shame.
“A twisted nature can never be corrected. Tell me—did you return the stolen bishop? Did you apologize? Did you repent?”
“No. Neither the piece nor an apology…”
Niguel turned his head. His face had hardened slightly as he fixed Kayla with an unwavering stare.
“Not yet.”
His eyes were still fixed on that chapel eight years ago, judging her exactly as they had on that day. She wanted to return the bishop, wanted to apologize, but both desires were impossible; any excuse would only sound like cowardice. The realization left her dizzy.
All she could do was hold her breath and endure the slow collapse of her pride.