There’s only so much I can tell Gus about my predicament. I can’t tell him my name or anything much about myself. Luckily, I remember a fairy tale from Dinah where the conditions of the princess’ curse (a princess, of course) was that the magic prevented her from speaking her human name out loud.

“Of course,” Gus says after I explain this to him, “you can’t know about a curse in order to break said curse. That defeats the point of the curse.” He says this like it makes sense, and I believe him. This must be what makes him such an effective leader.

“Is there ever a point to a curse?” I still can’t help asking.

“Punishment, usually.”

“I can’t think of any reason someone should want to punish me. I’m a nobody.”

“Well, you’re a princess,” Gus reminds me.

“Right.” I sound like Hector and Leander, stammering to cover for my lies. “But, I mean, even for a princess, I’m a boring one. I don’t do anything.”

“I find that hard to believe,” he laughs. “You may have saved my life tonight.”

“Unless they really were talking about a letter, as you insist on believing,” I point out.

“Mm.” He’s lost in thought again. “Sometimes the curse is meant as protection. A beautiful princess cursed with ugliness to shield her from a wicked king, for instance. Was there danger where you were?”

Only the danger of Alvin’s wrath. “I don’t think so, no.”

“There must be something I’m forgetting,” he says. “Some story that can help you. I’ll do some research in the morning.”

“You would do that for me?”

“It’d be terribly ungallant for me not to help a princess in need,” he says. “And I’d much rather spend my day reading than worrying about military stations and border treaties, anyway.”

Usually I understand why everyone finds this frustrating about the King, but today, I’m grateful. “And I’ll keep close to Hector and Leander where I can,” I promise. “See if there really was a letter.”

“There must have been, I’m sure of it.” He doesn’t sound sure, though, and it’s heartbreaking to see it in his eyes. “Would you mind doing me one more favor, Princess?”

I inwardly groan at the name, which seemed like a cruel enough joke at first, but now only serves to remind me of the escalating lies I’ve tangled myself in. “Of course. What is it?”

“You’ve heard us talking about the missing maid, Lurina?”

I freeze. Has he figured me out? Is this a trap?

“Would you be able to find out more about her?” he continues. “Check in with the maids perhaps, see if they’re talking about her or know where she might be. I’m going out of my mind with worry. If this was somehow my fault—”

“It wasn’t,” I say before I can stop myself. “I mean, from what I’ve heard. If it’s anyone’s fault, it was Alvin’s.”

Gus laughs, though not without much force behind it. “Even so, I’d like to apologize. I know I can’t make her come back, but I wish I could explain that she did nothing wrong.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

**

Thank the skies that it doesn’t take Gus much longer to fall asleep. It’s already far past his usual bedtime—I swear he can only function when the sun’s out. Unfortunately, Otis and Otto are still outside the door, so I have to escape through the window again once I turn back into myself. Even though I know I can do it, leaping across balconies hasn’t gotten any less terrifying since my first attempt.

Creeping through the shadows, I make my way down to the servants’ quarters, making sure no stray nobles are roaming about looking for a girl to bother. If only I could have a disguise of some sort, though I suppose with the King’s private bodyguards now suspecting a conspiracy to murder him, a strange cloaked figure roaming the corridors at night might not be a welcome sight.

After the way my heart’s been racing all night, between eavesdropping on a potential murder plot, revealing myself to Gus, and making my daring escape, it’s almost disappointing when I relay the day’s events to Dinah around mouthfuls of food and she simply says, “My, haven’t you been busy?”

At least I remember to swallow before protesting, “Is that all you have to say? What am I going to do? Gus has so many questions, I’m bound to slip up eventually. And what if there really is a murder plot? What if I don’t find out about it in time and they kill him? The entire country is in crisis, Dinah!”

“So he’s Gus now, is he?”

It takes a moment for me to catch what she’s saying—what I’ve been saying—and now that I’m human, I know I’m blushing. “Not the point! Please, Dinah. I could really use your advice.”

Dinah laughs. Her gentle hand stroking my hair eases the sting a little. “I don’t know how much I can help you from all the way down here.”

“Do you think you could keep an ear out around the palace, as well? Not just for Hector and Leander. There must be others involved. They seemed afraid of someone.”

“Of course, my darling.”

I know what she knows: servants are all but invisible to the nobles, unless they want something—and then, they can’t be near enough. She can be around. She can hear even more than I can, maybe.

“Thank you, Dinah,” I say.

She pats my hand. “Now, finish your soup while you still can.”