Chapter Sixteen- That of Poison and Roses

Careful.

Careful.

Careful.

That's my one job, my one goal this morning. If I'm to pull this off, I have to be careful. Proving my mother's innocence might not be easy, but it's necessary. 

She is innocent.

She has to be.

I wouldn't go so far as to call my parent's relationship loving, but she certainly would never kill him. They got along and helped each other be better, in the way that royals should. My mother would never kill my father, even if it meant she'd gain power. 

I keep this in mind as I crouch behind my door. I feel like a child again, pretending that I was on the Royal Task Force, on a secret mission. Only this time, it's anything but fake. The hallway, however, is still hopelessly empty. 

I've watched Adrienne, Odessa, and Jace come out of various rooms on this stretch, and I figure that all of the princes and princesses must be staying on the same floor. I duck back into the room as I hear soft footsteps, and seeing Nova's lean frame passing by through the golden keyhole only confirms my suspicions. 

Breakfast is beginning soon, and I hope that Casimir hasn't had the same idea as me to skip it. 

A minute passes, then two, then three. I'm anxiously twirling my hair between my fingers again, and I realize I'll probably have to brush out the snarls I'm unknowingly creating. Finally, I hear a set of footsteps, these ones more calculated and precise, and I know it's Casimir. Taking note of which door he'd appeared from, my head darts back into my room once more. I wait until I can no longer hear the footfalls, taking an extra moment just to be safe. I wince as the door opens with a light creak, despite the fact that there's no one in the hallway to hear it. 

Casimir's room is four doors down from mine, it appears. I run my hands over the smooth keys. There's four on this ring, all aged metal with different symbols at the top: an arrow, a candle, a coin, and a book. I try the book first, then the arrow. I take a deep breath as I insert the candle, exhaling only when I hear a soft click.

I shut the door behind me as I slip into the room, taking in every detail. The space is predominantly blue, which my brain unhelpfully points out as being the same color as his eyes. But no, this room is more navy. Tall wooden bookshelves span one wall, similarly to in Odessa's room, only here, the shelves are filled with actual books. The room feels dark with its navy walls, which are dimly lit by sconces. Despite being able to afford electricity, Casimir Aldridge seems to prefer candles. His bed is pushed into the far corner, the white and navy sheets folded perfectly. 

Next to the bed, I notice a small side table, which I begin to rummage through carefully. Casimir must have something else, some other evidence, something. Or, at the very least, I can take the chalice back for myself. 

I freeze, hearing footsteps behind me. The door creaks, and I brace myself.

"Fun-sized?"

I turn around, instantly recognizing the demeaning nickname, and wondering how I could've been so stupid. Kai's on this floor too. Of course Kai's on this floor. I'd foolishly assumed that because he wasn't an official prince or princess, he'd have been staying somewhere else. But to the Aldridges, he's family all the same.

"Kai, I-"

"I mean, I knew you were desperate to get with Cas, but this really isn't-"

He thinks that I... that we...

"Holy hexes Kai, it's not like that! Ew, what in Veridia?"

"Mmm," he mutters, seeming anything but convinced. "Then explain to me why you're in here."

"I..." I blow out a deep breath. "It's none of your business." I go back to rummaging through the side table. He leans over my shoulder, and I groan. "I thought I knew annoying until I met you, smalls."

"Why thank you," he smiles. I'm not finding anything in Casimir's bedside table, and Kai is blocking the way to the desk and shelves across the room. I turn to face the bed, running my hands along the frame, searching for any sort of hidden compartments.

"And now you're caressing his bed-" Kai drawls, and I thoroughly consider punching him in the face. I wonder how his olive green eyes would look with a nice purple bruise.

"Do you have nothing better to do?"

"I can have breakfast with my cousins everyday, princess. But I don't exactly know how long you're staying, so I might as well screw with you while I can."

"Call me princess one more time, and I'll snap your neck." 

My threat is empty, but Kai doesn't seem to care. "See!" He says, making me fully aware that I'm only further proving his point, "Dessa would've already gotten up and left by now. At least I can get a few threats outta you."

"Odessa is a very smart girl, then. Maybe I should follow her lead."

Before standing up, I finish checking the end of the bedframe closest to the wall, and my fingers catch on a small raised piece. I press down carefully, hoping to find something, anything-

"Kai? Aily? What are you doing here?"

My face heats with Casimir's voice. It's not wrong of him to be in his own room, but I'd wanted to assume he'd be distracted with breakfast.

"I was just asking your cousin that exact question," I gesture to Kai, the lie flowing easily off my tongue. 

Kai throws his arms up in exasperation. "Are you serious? You literally just-"

"Kai," Casimir says, and the simple word sends his cousin into a silent pout. I watch as Casimir's eyes shift to me, then to the tiny compartment in his headframe. Something flashes in his eyes when I see it, but, as usual, I can't read his true emotions. His face shifts back to neutral after a moment, and he turns to me. "What's going on?"

"What's going on is I'm going to find out who killed my father, because I know it wasn't my mother. And nothing you, or Odessa, or anyone else says is going to stop me. Okay?"

Instead of being angry, or offended, Casimir Aldridge has the nerve to smile back at me. "That's lovely, Rose. Now would you prefer to keep wasting your time in my room, or could I show you where you can find clues that actually matter?"

"And how do I know you're not trying to keep me from something in here, huh?"

"Because then," he fishes out a small key ring from his pocket, "I would've never let you steal these. You think I didn't notice last night?"

I pat my pockets, wishing I wasn't so impressed.

Kai chooses that moment to butt in. "Alright, this is great. You're both kleptomaniacs. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm fucking starved." 

He slams the door shut behind him, and I can't help but laugh at his theatrics. 

"Disregard Kai," Casimir says, running his hand over his face, "He's... well, yeah."

"Don't act like you're that much better, Aldridge."

"Now, that's no way to speak to the guy who just offered to help you solve your father's murder, is it?"

"We'd be solving your father's murder too," I point out.

"That doesn't matter," he says coolly.

"What?"

There's nothing joking or sarcastic about his tone anymore. "The sick bastard deserved to die. It was bound to happen eventually."

I'm rendered speechless, and a thick silence hangs in the air for the moment. 

"So no, Aily, I don't care about solving my father's murder." Casimir closes, "I don't care that he's dead at all. But if you'll stop digging through my room and actually do something productive, then I suppose it's in my best interests to help you."

"Y..yeah," my words are clipped and startled, "I suppose it is."

As he walks me out the door, I pray that the hand offered to me is not the same one that was used to poison my father.

Casimir Aldridge is not a murderer. 

He's not.

Right?