Samuel stopped walking up the cliff as soon as my sister said something and turned to look at us with a blank look on his face. Confusion filled his eyes, and he looked toward my other side where there was "no one" before he looked at Isen, raising an eyebrow in question. "Did you hear that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, and his face grew slightly pale.

Isen, Alexia, and I paused while Samuel looked between the three of us without another word, and I could tell that his mind was going a mile a minute while he tried to comprehend what he was thinking and what he heard.

"No?" Isen asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he studied the Warrior that was sent to protect me by my cousin. He frowned and cocked his head to the side while he studied him. "What did you hear, Samuel? What is going on with you? What is wrong?"

Samuel hesitated before he shook his head and moved a hand through his hair and across his feet. "I don't know," he said honestly before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, looking between the three of us again. "However, it sounded like someone said, "you have my word," and it sounded like a female, a different female than Titi." He gestured toward me, and they looked at me before they looked at him.

Alexia frowned and narrowed her eyes while she studied the male. Something flashed through her eyes while she looked at one of my guards before she took a hesitant step toward him.

Samuel didn't seem to notice the movement and continued to look between Isen and me before he looked to where Alexia had stood.

My sister continued to walk toward him and stopped right in front of him, but his face never left the spot near us.

"Can he see me?" Alexia asked, her voice barely above a whisper while she waved her hand in front of his face. Her brows were furrowed with a small pout on her face while she looked at him, not knowing what was going on or what had happened. "Or was that some sort of fluke?"

Instantly, Samuel turned his gaze to her, and his eyes grew wide. His heart seemed to skip a beat before it pounded hard and fast in his chest, even though I wasn't able to hear it because of the suit that he always wore underneath his normal clothes. "That wasn't you saying that, was it, Titi?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he stared at Alexia.

I shook my head no and bit back a small smile. "It wasn't me, Samuel," I said, trying but failing to hide the amusement in my voice. "You should know my voice by now, so did that sound like me? I mean, you already said that it didn't sound like me, so what changed?" I raised an eyebrow in question while I studied him.

Samuel hesitated and looked at me. He scowled and narrowed his eyes, slowly blinking before he looked at the spot where my sister stood.

Hesitantly, Samuel took a step back so that he could put some space between the two of them, and my sister watched him with wide eyes. "Does that mean she is in front of me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Like right here?" He gestured to where my sister stood up and down, even though he didn't know she was there.

My sister bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded in confirmation. "I am," my sister said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I am standing right in front of you, Samuel."

Samuel gulped and bowed, putting his hands behind his back and clasping his hands together. "Then forgive me, Your Highness," he said, the boy from the palace seeming to come forth and not the strong warrior that had followed Jo to the ends of the earth that he had molded himself to be. "I did not mean to be rude or hurt you."

My sister chuckled and shook her head, and I could hear a sob while she blinked back some tears. "You didn't hurt me, Samuel," she said and cleared her voice when her voice cracked, "and I didn't think that you were rude."

Samuel cleared his throat and bit the inside of his lip while he stood there. He looked between Isen and the spot where she stood before he looked at me. He didn't say a word and slowly blinked while he looked at me, looking a little nervous.

"Do you know why you can hear me, now?" Alexia asked and cocked her head while she studied him, and Samuel looked at her. "Is it because we are on this cliff?"

"Possibly, Your Highness," Samuel said and slowly nodded. He looked at Isen and raised an eyebrow in question. "You still can't hear her, right?"

Isen bit back a small smile and shook his head. "Unfortunately not," he said. "I think it might be because we are not that far up the cliff like you are."

"Go ahead and start up the cliff again, Samuel," Alexia said and shook her head, biting back a small smile. "And please don't call me "Your Highness," for I am dead and am not here."

"But you are still a princess, Your Highness," Samuel said with a small hum in his voice before he bowed and cleared his throat. He stood and started to walk the cliff with Alexia following close behind him.

I grabbed Isen's hand tighter while we followed them, and my heart skipped a beat before it started to pound hard and fast in my chest. My hand continued to shake, and I couldn't help but bite the inside of my lip, silently wondering if Isen would be able to hear her the further we went up the cliff.

"I would appreciate it if you do not call me "Your Highness," Samuel," Alexia said with a small hum in her voice, tucking her head closer to her chest. "I mean, you do not call Anastasia "Your Highness," nor Jo Anne."

"Well, Jo Anne has been in hiding for most of her life, Yo- Alexia," Samuel replied. "Anastasia..." He hesitated and looked at me, not knowing what to say and not wanting to hurt my feelings.

I bit back a small smile and shook my head. "I had forfeited my position as soon as I was "back,"" I said before I cleared my throat and licked my lips, "and after I had killed you and our parents."

"But you are still a princess, Anastasia," Alexia said and shook her head, biting back a small smile while she looked at me. "You will be a princess to the day that you die."

Isen bit back a small gasp, and his eyes flashed with happiness. He grabbed my hand tighter, and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and raised an eyebrow in question. "I can now hear you even without using Anastasia, Alexia," he said, not even trying to call her "Your Highness." "This is so exciting."

My older sister chuckled and tucked her head closer to her chest while she stared at Isen and me with a small smile on her face. "And hopefully you will be able to see me once we are further up the cliff," she said, "and not just using Anastasia to hear and see me at all..."