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Whatever I had expected, it was not this. Flora von Heskin and the Oberwaldian maid lay on the floor, tied to a bedpost each. Through gags made from torn sheets, Flora tried to talk to Helia, who stood above her with a smile that told me to keep my distance.
For a moment, she looked like my princess—dangerous and wild. I shook my head and turned to the maid, disappointed and relieved that her mistress seemed to have been forewarned of Helia’s arrival.
As this woman had been left behind tied to the bed, it probably meant she knew nothing of use, but she was the only one available to answer my questions.
The maid hid her face and gag under her blond hair. Carefully, in case she decided to bite, I brushed it aside.
Her eyes met mine in defiance.
I had seen her many times. She was objectively pretty, but to me, forgettable.
That was no longer true.
Her lips turned my stomach, her cheeks and nose made me stagger back. She had not changed but looking at her, slimy things seemed to crawl down my back.
Struggling not to throw up, I blindly removed her gag.
“What happened to you?” I forced the words out through clenched teeth and turned away.
As soon as I could no longer see her, my body settled. This was not natural.
“Curse,” she spit out. “She cursed me.”
“Who?”
“Vanya Komarova. The one you’ve been unable to take your eyes off this last month. She had more gumption than I gave her credit for.”
So, Tempest had a name.Vanya. I rolled it on my tongue, knowing I should hate it. How many times had I called herPrincessorHeliaas she grinned in response? I should despise every part of her as much as this woman’s cursed face. Hearing her name should not have eased the pain in my chest.
“Do you know the name?” I asked Helia, who shook her head.
The maid grunted. “She’s no one and now she’s long gone. She always talked of running.”
Lying in my arms, my princess had told me as much. Did she lie to everyone, or was this the truth? Perhaps a ploy within a ploy to achieve something I could not fathom? King’s Conquest revealed how people thought—some, like me, played a calculated long game, some uncaringly discarded their pieces, and others strove for a quick win. Vanya had played impatiently, reacting to my every move with innovative maneuvers, but never seemed coldly calculating. She burned hot, moved with her feet barely touching the ground, and fought without holding back.
“She’s from Lowtown?” I asked, testing the memory she’d shared of sitting on a roof watching the stars barely visible between the neighboring tenements.
“Not originally. Release me, and I’ll lead you to where she lived.”
You needed to read someone’s face to question them. Because of the curse, I could only go by the woman’s irate voice. I hesitated. She had been part of a month-long deception, assisted a girl impersonate royalty, possibly helped to kidnap the real princess.
Every principle instilled in me since birth told me she needed to be arrested and brought before the court. But then I might lose my chance at answers and expose the deception to not only the Council I hated but the entire city. Would my father step down if there was another scandal? Would there even be a wedding?
My head spun, and I sat heavily on the bed.
“Let her go, if you want to, but I’m keeping my aunt. The last thing I remember is talking to her,” Helia said, watching the still-bound Flora. “I especially like how this Vanya tied the fingers together to prevent her from getting free through magic. Seems my double wasn’t incompetent.”
I sighed. She certainly was not. Tempest had had me so enthralled I’d considered leaving both revenge and kingdom behind.
“How many would challenge it if we don’t acknowledge the deception until we have more answers?” Helia asked and turned away from Flora. “The girl must have looked a lot like me for it to work.”
“She could have been your sister.”
The Oberwaldian princess tilted her head in a way so familiar my heart ached. “As far as I know, I only have brothers.”
She might have said more, but a knock interrupted us.
Helia marched to answer while I closed the bedchamber door. No matter what I decided, no one needed to see people tied up in the princess’s rooms. I did not care whose reputation I was protecting anymore.
