I woke to the sound of hushed conversation and the rustle of fabric. Someone giggled, then there was a muffled thwack! and a not so muffled yelp. I opened my eyes. Three young maids in matching uniforms stood squabbling at my bedside. The shortest one rubbed her arm and glared at the maid on her left.

The tallest maid gasped. "Oh, her eyes really are green!"

The trio looked at me, then looked at each other, then huddled together and began whispering frantically in another language.

For a moment, I forgot where I was. This bed was the most comfortable thing I'd felt in months, leagues above the cot in Faye's workshop I'd grown used to occupying. But a moment later the cloud of sleep faded and I remembered I had work to do. It was day two of seven of the royal ball, and I needed to get as much information out of Cas as possible. What time was it?

I pulled the silky blankets up around my shoulders and struggled to sit up amongst the mountain of pillows. Carlyle was nowhere to be seen. He'd probably started his patrol of the palace bright and early.

I eyed the trio. Despite being employed in the palace, they clearly weren't human. Or at the very least, not fully. I assumed they weren't sisters either, given the variety of hair and skin colors. The one thing they did share was green eyes. Not quite the same shade as mine, but still very green. "Good morning," I greeted warily.

The whispering ended abruptly, and the three maids returned to a straight line, curtsied in unison, and said (also in unison) "Good morning, Lady Jacintha."

"How long have you been watching me?"

"Not long, Miss," the first maid said, curtsying again. She looked similar to Faye, but younger and without any scales. She did have some blotchy red skin on the sides of her face though. Almost like a birth mark, or a faded bruise.

"We arrived only minutes ago to prepare you for breakfast, but were told not to disturb you if you still slept," the tallest maid added. She looked closer to my age, and was paler than the first, with icy sage eyes. She had the same red marks.

"Did we disturb you?" The short maid in the middle asked, her dark green eyes going wide.

"You disturbed her," the Faye-clone muttered before I could answer.

Shortie swatted Faye-clone's arm and the hushed squabbling began anew.

I chewed my lip and glanced around the large room. I had no clue how I was supposed to deal with this. Weren't they supposed to be taking care of me? I decided to wait it out, but when the hissing and swatting evolved to hair-pulling and shrieking, and enough was enough.

With a sigh, I stood and put myself in the middle of the trio, pushing them away from each other as politely but sternly as I could manage. "It's fine, no one disturbed me, I like to wake up early. What were you saying about breakfast?"

The trio exchanged quick glances, then Faye-clone folded her hands in front of her apron and cast her eyes respectfully to the floor. "The royal highnesses, Prince Casimir and Princess Rainette, have requested you join them for breakfast in the banquet hall."

Perfect, I could ask the questions I didn't have a chance to bring up yesterday. "Alright," I said, "Thanks for letting me know. I can take care of myself from here."

The trio looked at me with expressions of horror, then once again circled up to whisper frantically in... Keldan, probably? The discussion ended much quicker this time, and after a nod they returned to their line.

"But we're you're handmaids, Miss!" Shortie exclaimed. "I've already drawn you a bath, and Ren spent the whole walk here deciding what to do with your hair..."

I chewed my lip.

"We were so excited when we were assigned to you, Miss," the tall maid added, ringing her hands. "You're um, you're part mermaid aren't you? That's the rumor going around." She made air quotes with her fingers, "the half-breed prince has taken interest in a fish-blooded maiden from an unknown family."

"And then we saw your green eyes and, well, it's true isn't it?" The short one pressed eagerly.

I nodded. If this was the narrative going around, it was easier to play along than argue it and cause more suspicion. Besides, Julian had already implied as much during the carriage ride here. "Yes," I responded. "I'm half Siaboran."

Shortie let out a squeal of joy and clapped.

The Faye-clone beamed. "Its wonderful that you were able to find such success in spite of your heritage."

"Are you..." I struggled to find the proper wording. I didn't want to sound rude. "Half as well?"

"No, we're mermaids," the three said in cryptic unison.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise. I'm so used to mermaids having sca-" I bit my tongue as I registered my mistake, my gaze immediately shooting to the red marks the trio shared, in the same place Faye and Serpina had their scales. I suddenly felt a bit nauseous and decided it was best to change the subject. "Since you'll be taking care of me, may I ask your names?"

"Arenya, Miss," the Faye-clone said with a curtsey.

The tall maid followed suit. "Solana."

"Please call me Dori," Shortie chirped, bouncing into a curtsey of her own. "My full name is Eldoris, but I hate it."

I curtseyed back to all of them as best as I could manage in my nightgown. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Please be gentle."

Without another word, the trio guided me to the claw-footed tub and I was once again scrubbed half to death. I don't know how I could have possibly gotten dirty between now the scrub down I'd recieved yesterday, but the trio ignored my protests. Once I was deemed clean enough, Arenya draped me in a robe and sat me before a large vanity, where she styled my hair and applied light makeup.

Solana and Dori bickered between themselves about which dress to put me in, and I braced myself for the inevitable tear of fabric. Luckily that never came, and they settled on a dress made of the soft pink satin Faye's friend Carmen had given us. It was empire waisted with cap sleeves, and tiny little pearls dotting the bodice. It was nowhere near as extravagant as the ballgown I'd worn last night, but it was still beautiful.

The trio looked me over once more, then curtsied as a knock sounded on the door.

"That should be your escort," Arenya said, "have a wonderful day, Miss."

"When you return for the night, just ring that bell there and we'll arrive shortly to prepare you for bed," Solana added.

I smiled, said a polite goodbye, then exited the room.

A knight in full armor awaited me in the hall. He bowed when I approached, and humored me when I angled myself to peek into his visor.

"Sorry, I was just wondering if you were Juju."

"Sir Ettore is on patrol at the moment," the knight said, almost sounding ashamed of his existence. "I'm very sorry to disappoint you, Miss."

"Oh no, hat's fine." I smiled. "You already seem friendlier than him, anyway."

The knight and I made casual small-talk all the way to the first floor. (His name was Harrison, he'd just graduated from Lumina's knight academy a week ago, he missed his parents, and had a cat named Periwinkle who he loved dearly.)

Cas was waiting for me outside the wide double doors of the banquet hall, pacing nervously back and forth with his hands clasped tight behind his back. He was dressed much more simply than he had been last night at the ball, in only a pair of black pants with gold trim, a white shirt that looked sort of like something a pirate would wear, and a pair of leather riding boots. He was also crownless.

"Good morning!" I called cheerfully, giving a little wave when he paused his pacing to grin at me.

He bounded the final distance between us in just a few long-legged strides. "Good morning, Lady Jacintha. You look radiant. N-not that I expected any different." He extended his arm to me and I looped mine through it, then he turned his attention to Sir Harrison. "Thank you very much for escorting her, you're dismissed."

"Of course, your Highness." Harrison bowed deeply, his armor clinking slightly due to his shaking knees.

"I hope you slept s-soundly, Lady Jacintha," Cas said as we entered the banquet hall.

"I did, but you don't need to call me that. If I get to call you Cas, you can call me Jackie." I internally cringed at the thought of being referred to by my mother's name, but it was better than hearing my full fake title every time Cas spoke to me.

"I-if you insist Lady Jacin-Jackie." He glanced over at me, went red, then turned his gaze forward again. "I saved a seat for you beside me-"

"Jacintha dear, over here!" Raini waved eagerly from her seat, then rose and hurried over to drag me from Cas's side. "You're seat is beside me."

"Oh, but..." I looked back at Cas, who also seemed quite displeased with this change.

"Lady Mildred wished to sit beside my brother, so I simply swapped your seats." Raini said with a delicate shrug. "You don't mind right?"

I did, obviously. This would have been the perfect time to interrogate Cas. I could always try getting information out of Raini, but something told me she would be a bit more challenging to manipulate.

"I don't mind," I smiled. I took the empty seat beside Raini and watched as Cas somberly took his seat several spaces away beside an overly affectionate middle aged woman I assumed was Lady Mildred. Poor boy.

Breakfast was much less crowded than I expected, given how many people were at the ball last night. But Raini explained that many of the ball guests lived in Réalta and therefore didn't need to sleep in the palace.

It's a shame Carlyle wasn't there to see me, because I managed to do a pretty great job passing myself off as a well-educated noble woman during conversation with all the other nobles around me. While I wished I could credit Serpina and Emrys's teaching for that, it was really because I had way too much experience eating meals with stuffy, unpleasant rich people.

"I wish my mother was a fish. Those green eyes are lovely," one teenaged noble woman sighed.

My smile strained, but I managed to laugh good-naturedly.

"Oh, hush!" Raini gasped, grinning as she swatted the girl with her fan. "I know your mother, shall I tell her you said such a wicked thing?"

"You wouldn't!"

The pair giggled.

Since interest in me faded, I was able to finish my breakfast in peace and observe the others at the table. Julian was off on patrol according to Sir Harrison, but Raini's personal knight Tobias stood silently at attention along the wall behind Raini's seat. He was in full armor minus the helmet, and as a result I was able to follow his intense line of sight to the dark haired man sitting quietly at Raini's side.

I don't know why it took me so long to notice him, but when I did my blood went cold. He was the man who'd been watching me from the balcony last night, beside the queen. And what's more, he was watching me now.

When our eyes met, he nodded once and raised his tea cup ever so slightly in greeting. His expression was unwaveringly blank.

I swallowed and dropped my eyes back to my plate, but I wasn't hungry anymore.

A short time later, Cas stood, called everyone's attention, and announced the end of the meal. I was impressed by how professional he came off, given how awkward he was every other time I'd heard him speak.

Nobles slowly filed out in little clusters, laughing and conversing as they went. The unsettling man placed a pale hand on Raini's arm, whispered something in her ear, and then excused himself from the room after receiving her nod.

"Who was that," I asked Raini, watching him leave.

"Lord Favaro Solanum, the Lousvar family's court sorcerer, my mentor." Raini straightened up and smiled pridefully. "And my fiancé."

Its a good thing I'd swallowed my tea before she responded, or I would have choked. "Your fiancé? How old are you? How old is he?"

I knew age differences weren't that big of a deal here in the Shadow Realm, seeing as Lydia was a good six or seven years younger than Seraphim, and the people who were unaware of the mind-control element in that "relationship" didn't seem to bat an eye at it.

"I'm seventeen, which I'm sure you're aware is quite old enough to have a betrothed," Raini sniffed. "Favaro is only twenty-one."

I nodded. "Oh I see, and are you um, in love then?"

"It's a political arrangement." She shrugged. "I am on pleasant terms with him, at least."

"Was it your parents who arranged the marriage?"

"No, it was my idea." Raini narrowed her eyes. "Though I don't see why all this information is of such dire importance to you."

I flushed bright red. "I'm so sorry, your highness, I was just-"

Thankfully, Cas strolled over and saved me from further awkwardness by overshadowing mine with his own. "L-lady Jacinkie-er, Jacintha-wait, no Jackie..." he cleared his throat. "Would you be interested in a tour of the palace?"

"Oh, but its such a lovely day," Raini pouted before I could get an answer in. "We should go out to the gardens and play hunt the monster!"

Cas frowned, glancing nervously at me. "Rainette, don't you think that's a bit childish?"

"I don't care if it's childish, we haven't played in ages, and we only have a few more days until the snows start." She twisted one of her curls and smiled sweetly. "I think Jacintha would have more fun in the gardens than wandering around this dusty old palace. You don't want to bore her, do you brother dear?"

"I-I um..." Cas's lip trembled ever so slightly before he smiled back at his sister. "Of course. You're right, Rainette, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Perfect, it's settled then!" Raini squealed and jumped to her feet. She clapped twice and Tobias hurried away from the wall to take his place at her side. "Tobi, we're playing hunt the monster."

Tobias bowed from the waist. "Excellent, my princess, I look forward to it."

It was jarring how formal and distant he seemed, compared to his easy intimacy with her last night at the ball. For a brief moment, part of me wondered if I'd imagined the whole thing. But then Raini bumped him playfully with her shoulder and the two laughed.

The four of us headed out to the garden, passing through a beautiful greenhouse decorated with a multitude of intricate stained glass windows. The greenhouse wasn't in Shadows of Light, which meant there could be a ton of other featured to the palace the game left out. Perhaps I should have insisted Cas take me on that tour instead.

"So how does one play 'hunt the monster?'" I asked, mainly to keep myself from panicking about all the work I still had to do with only five days left.

"O-oh it's easy," Cas said. "It's similar to hide-and-seek and tag, but only one person is hiding or running while everyone else is trying to find and catch them."

I made a face. "Not gonna lie, that sounds a bit miserable."

"The person running and hiding is the monster, of course," Raini added. "While their main goal is to avoid being caught, they can also catch one of the hunters off guard and steal their flower, then that hunter becomes the new monster and the old monster takes their place as a hunter."

I waved my hands, my head spinning. "Wait wait wait, when did a flower come into this?"

Raini sighed. "Everyone but the monster has a flower tucked into the back of their belt. The monster wants to steal a flower to become human, the hunters want to kill the monster before he makes them like him."

"The monster is killed by capturing them before they take a flower or survive for five minutes, and then the hunters win. If the monster steals a flower or lasts five minutes without getting caught, then they win. Understand?" Tobias drawled.

"I... think so?"

Raini waved a hand. "She'll learn while playing. Now. Last person to say their name is the monster! Rainette!"

"Tobias!"

"Ma-umph." I snapped my mouth shut and bit my cheek hard.

"Casimir!"

"Jacintha," I mumbled, accepting my fate and mentally kicking myself for almost saying my actual name.

"The best way to learn is as the monster anyway," Raini said, tying a silk sash around her waist to serve as a belt. "Just don't get lost in the hedge maze, please."

Oh great, a hedge maze.

"You'll do wonderfully, I'm sure," Cas said with a blush. He picked a vibrant, sapphire blue rose from the bush to his right and tucked the stem into the back of his trousers. Raini and Tobias followed suit.

"I've never seen a rose that color in real life," I gaped. "Do they grow naturally?"

"It's a meiranda rose. They were once native t-to Ignus. My grandmother had them imported decades ago. W-would you like some in your room perhaps? I could have a servant prepare a vase for you?" Cas asked.

"Actually, I would." I smiled. Maybe I could get some seeds as well and see if they would grow once I got back home. I doubted it would work, but there was no harm in trying. They were so beautiful. I made a mental note to request supplies later so I could paint them.

"Let's go already," Raini huffed. "You only have until the count of twenty to get into your first hiding place."

"Oh. Right then. Okay." I shuffled in place for a moment before sprinting aimlessly into the depths of the garden.

I stopped and crouched when I came to a pretty fountain that would provide decent cover while still letting me keep a look out for who was coming. I mentally finished the count to twenty and waited. I had to either stay hidden for five minutes or steal someone's rose.

Tobias and Raini ran by a moment later hand in hand, too busy giggling to notice me. Their dynamic confused me. Maybe it was something I could report back to Lydia and Seraphim? But I wasn't sure how useful that information would be, or even how to word it.

Another few breaths later, Cas came into sight. He was moving much slower, his eyes scanning the area more intently. His gaze passed over the fountain and for a moment I was certain he saw me, but he made no indication if that was the case and didn't move to capture me.

He started walking around the fountain, and I shuffled along as quietly as possible, keeping myself out of his line of sight. It seemed like the easiest course of action would be to sneak up behind him and take his rose.

I crept around the fountain until I was right behind Cas. I took a breath and dove for the rose, but in a flash Cas spun and grabbed my wrist.

It would have been an impressive move if he hadn't been immediately caught off guard by my forward momentum and toppled backwards into the fountain, pulling me with him and soaking us both.

"You knew I was there the whole time!" I cried.

Cas spit out water, laughing. "Of course I did, your entire head was in sight! Are you sure you were trying?"

I huffed and tried to stand, but my silky ballet slippers slid on the tiles and I fell right back down on top of Cas. Now I was laughing too, and my hair was hanging in limp tendrils around my face.

"Y-you lost by the way," Cas noted between laughs, his face red and smile bright.

I tried and failed to swallow another fit of giggles. "Judging by the state we're in, I'd say we're both losers."

Behind us, a woman cleared her throat loudly.

Cas sat up, his arm reflexively going around me. All laughter died from his face in an instant. "M-mother!"

"Casimir, dearest," Queen Amaranth greeted him with a nod. "Taking an afternoon swim I see?"

My face went red enough to rival Cas's when I realized what this must look like. The way we'd fallen put me directly in Cas's lap.

I scrambled to get up, stumbling a few times. My embarrassment worsened when the two knights who had arrived with the queen stepped forward to lend me a hand.

"I-I'm um, I'm so sorry, your Majesty." Once I was on dry land, I curtsied as best as I could in my soaking wet dress. "We were playing hunt the monster and I accidentally knocked Cas-er, Prince Casimir-over. I'm Lady Jacintha Ca-"

Amaranth held up a hand to silence me. She was the picture of elegant, judgmental serenity. Her skin was darker than Cas's, and her curly hair danced on the line between brown and black with just a few faint strips of silver. Her face was free from wrinkles, but she still looked tired around the eyes-eyes which could almost be considered a dull copper when compared to the vibrancy of Kindle's firestone. Whatever fire they held was fighting hard to be there.

"I know who you are," she said, sounding unenthused. "Your eyes gave you away from the start."

I nodded, unable to find my voice. I wanted to die on the spot, or at the very least shrink into a little speck of dust and become invisible.

"Casimir dearest," she said, her voice immediately becoming warmer as she turned her attention from me to her son. "I'm amazed that you've become fluent in Aeternal so suddenly. Truly, it's astounding."

Cas shifted from foot to food beside me. "P-pardon?"

Amaranth continued, "well you didn't show up for lessons after breakfast, so I must assume that means you no longer need them."

"Oops," Cas squeaked.

"It may be festival week, but that doesn't mean you can ignore your studies. Come along. Late is better than never." Amaranth turned on her heel and Cas followed behind her, dripping puddles with each step.

"Oh, Jacintha?" The queen paused to call over her shoulder. "Tell my daughter its time to stop playing-her fiancé is waiting for her in the library."

I curtsied deeply on shaking legs. "Yes your Majesty, of course."

Once I was alone at the fountain, my legs gave out and I dropped to the ground, breathing deeply to steady my terrified heart. That was Amaranth, the traitor to her people, the woman Kindle and so many others hated, the woman I was meant to kill.

I wanted to laugh. I couldn't even read her, forget killing her. I was in so far over my head. They may have pulled me out of the water, but no one would be able to save me from drowning.