The novel was not only beneficial in occupying me, but also in stimulating my brain. I read the entire story in one sitting and was delighted when I reached the end and found out who the murderer was.

I lay down in the early hours of the morning, feeling that I would wake up refreshed and ready to investigate again now that I had solved a fictional mystery.

But my brain had a different idea.

I was standing in the entrance to the gambling hall again, alone, aside from Sasha's bloodied corpse. She was lying in the same position as she had been the day I'd identified her, staring at the ceiling.

"You're just as bad as him," she whispered. Her lips didn't stretch and flex to form the words. They just flapped open and closed like a porcelain puppet. "What gave him the right to take my life? What gave you the right to take his? You're not my sister anymore. You're a murderer!"

***

I woke up just a few hours later when Clara came in to relight the fire. If at all possible, I felt even more exhausted than when I'd closed my eyes.

I sat still until the flames had got going, avoiding the cold air outside my bed. I felt chilled enough as it was. Had killing Janus been the wrong thing to do? It certainly hadn't made me move on from Sasha's death. And now that my numb feelings about the matter were starting to fade, I felt guilty.

"You're just as bad as him," Sasha whispered.

I shivered and looked over my shoulder, expecting to see her standing behind me. When I looked back, Clara was beside my bed.

I jumped and almost screamed.

Her eyes widened, apologetic and guilty. She spread her hands in a helpless gesture. Then she looked at the book on my bedside.

"I read it all last night," I said. "I loved it. Thank you."

I handed it back to her. Another scrap of parchment was sticking out of the top like a bookmark, containing my own message.

Why did they take your tongue, Clara?

***

I dressed in a red skirt, matching cloak, and white blouse, starting to become fond of being fashionable. I fastened my weapons belt around my waist and put on some black stockings, then tied the laces of my boots. Hopefully, no one would notice that I was wearing the same ratty footwear each day. I didn't want to part with the knives concealed inside.

As no one had died during the night and there were no meetings to attend, I followed Clara to the dining room to have my first meal with the royal family.

The dining room was -- to no great surprise -- dark, but it was an improvement on most of the castle. Vibrant paintings of horses hung on the walls, a crystal chandelier was suspended from the ceiling, and in the middle of the room was a dining table covered with a red cloth and several bowls of colourful fruits.

As always seemed to be the case when I gathered with everyone, I was the last to arrive. The five royals were sitting in the same places at the table as they did on the murder investigation committee, and all of them looked up when I entered. Leo took in my second scrubbed-up appearance and glanced away.

I crossed the room and pulled out the chair next to Elise. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Grace," Queen Kassandra said. "Before you sit down -- why don't you go next to Leo? Without the nobles, this seating arrangement is going to be unbalanced otherwise."

I failed to see the logic in that, because with King Xander at the head of the table, Queen Kassandra and Elise on the left, and Princess Camilla and Leo on the right, there was going to be an unbalance wherever I went. She was wearing a cheeky smile, too, looking more like a scheming sister than a queen this morning. But I did her bidding and sat down beside Leo anyway. She probably just thought that he could do with a few more friends. With his surly attitude, he likely didn't have many.

He only looked up once I'd tucked my chair in. "Good morning."

I didn't realise, until his dark eyes met mine, that our chair legs were touching and I was very close. My heart leapt. I swallowed nervously, wondering if there was something wrong with me.

Leo's gaze dropped to the circles under my eyes. He frowned and opened his mouth --

"You look tired, Grace," Elise said.

I looked between her and Leo. Then I shrugged and picked up an empty bowl from the centre of the table, loading it with strawberries. I'd never had them until the previous morning -- they were a Hoshidan fruit. But I'd already decided that I perhaps liked them as much as Leo liked his tomatoes. "I'm fine."

"If Leo hadn't stolen you away to his study, you could have hung out with me again last night and actually had some downtime." She glared at her brother.

"Grace is a key part of this murder investigation," Leo said. "'Downtime' is not a priority. This is an extremely serious matter."

"Hey! I know that! I'm not stupid, Leo!"

"That's debatable."

"Enough," Princess Camilla said gently. "You two argue just as much as you did three years ago."

"It's not my fault," Elise grumbled. "It's Leo."

The King and Queen of Nohr exchanged a fondly amused glance, King Xander's usual harsh expression softening considerably. Unnervingly, his gaze then travelled to me. "On the subject of the investigation, Grace, have you handled the tracking of any criminals other than Janus?"

I gulped. "No, Your Majesty. Before the death of my father during the war, I helped out in the family bakery. We lost it after he passed over, and I have been out of work ever since. I'm not an accomplished individual."

"Did you never dream of being anything in particular?" Queen Kassandra asked. "When I was too young to understand what being royalty meant, I wanted to be a professional musician."

"No, my lady. I just thought Sasha and I would follow the family tradition of running the bakery." I smiled wryly. "I never pictured this."

"You can read and write," Leo said. "So you were educated?"

"For a while, yes. Mother died before I was even a month old, so it was Father who taught us, and he encouraged us to be academic in our spare time. Sasha loved it. She wanted to be a governess."

"And you?" Princess Camilla asked. It was the first time she'd actually addressed me, and I almost jumped out of my skin. She was watching me with genuine interest this time, albeit slight, as opposed to the way she'd sized me up the previous night.

"I only liked academics if there was a problem to solve," I said.

"I hate studying," Elise declared. "Even about medicine. I just want to be doing things."

"How's your studying going, darling?" Princess Camilla asked Queen Kassandra. "You're almost a fully-qualified healer now."

"It's good," she said brightly. "It's just hard to fit it in, of course. I'll be glad when I'm finally finished."

"I didn't know that you were training to be a healer, my lady," I said.

Queen Kassandra smiled. "Yes. I would already be one if I wasn't so busy. Speaking of which, shouldn't we be going now, Xander?"

King Xander sighed and stood up. "So we should. My apologies, everyone." He looked at me. "It was nice to talk to you about something other than murder, Grace."

He took Queen Kassandra's hand, and they left the dining room together.

Elise beamed at me once the doors were closed. "It's surprising that Xander can be really nice sometimes, right? Unlike Leo." She glared at her brother.

"I am nice," he said, but he looked at me uncertainly. Then his expression hardened again. "We should press on, too. I want to question the ninjas before they start instructing, and I've also arranged for us to go to Gideon's quarters and speak with him about the poison in more detail this afternoon."

"But I've hardly had the chance to eat this." I reached across the table and picked up a tomato. "Can I tempt you to stay for just five more minutes while I finish?"

He sighed, but I didn't miss the brief spark of joy in his eyes as he took the tomato off me. "Fine."

***

Leo was not so happy when we reached the garrison.

"Kaon and Mura have just started their sessions," Emiko said, when we found her and asked where the other women were. "But I have a few minutes to spare."

Leo glared at me. "I hope your strawberries were worth it."

"They definitely were." I grinned. "At least we can talk with Emiko. Should we go in the storage cupboard again?"

We went into the storage cupboard. Leo was the last one in, and he slammed the door behind us, making both me and the ninja jump. "Emiko, we know you lied."

She looked between us. "About what?"

"Kaon and Mura," I said, trying to sound as grumpy as Leo. There was no way he was getting all the fun as bad cop.

"They were not in their own rooms when you entered the castle with Jin," Leo continued. "Mura spent at least a few hours in Kaon's room. Why did you lie? Were you covering for them because, in the early hours of the morning, they left and killed a butler?"

"No!" Emiko said. Her eyes widened. "I was covering for them because they stole. They're not murderers."

I frowned. "What did they steal?"

"A few times since we've been here, they've looted a bottle of wine or two from the kitchens. Every other night, they stay up late playing card games and drinking. I know that was what they were doing on the night the butler was murdered. Just spending time together."

"Why didn't you tell us this in the first place?" Leo asked.

"I suffer from loyalty to my friends."

"If they're your friends," I asked, "why didn't you play cards with them that night?"

"I worry that all this staying up late will cause them to grow exhausted. If their performance drops, they might get kicked out of this arrangement. As I might, if I join in. And I need the money. We all need the money." She raked a hand through her blonde hair. "Please don't punish them too harshly for stealing, my lord. Kaon needs this job more than anyone. Her father died in the war, and now she has her widowed mother to support."

"If she needs this job so much, she shouldn't disrespect it," Leo said. "Theft is a crime, you know. I have every right to send them both back to Hoshido." He looked at me. "I want you to watch Emiko for a while. I'll find Kaon and Mura and talk to them when their sessions are over." He walked out.

Emiko sighed. "Poor Kaon."

I went to put my hands in my coat pockets, then realised that they weren't there. I clasped them behind my back again, remembering that I was supposed to be a captain. "You said her father died in the war?"

"Yes -- but we all lost someone. I lost my sister, Mura her mother, Jin his father also. You must have lost someone, too. Kaon wouldn't murder anyone for it." She considered, then added, "If you can't believe that, at least understand she needs this money too much to risk being hanged for murder."

"She doesn't seem to mind risking it over some bottles of wine."

"The drinking and card games are her coping mechanism."

"And Mura's, too, presumably?"

Emiko shrugged.

"What's yours?" I asked.

"Training." 

"And Jin's?"

"We know little about him. Well...except Kaon." She crossed the storage cupboard and opened the door. "I have to train one of your platoons now."

"Wait!" I trotted after her. "What do you mean about Kaon?"

But Emiko had a long stride on her and was already halfway out the main entrance. By the time I'd caught up, she was standing on the raised platform around the back of the building and had begun her session. I stepped up to watch. Mura was further away, bringing her own training session to a close. Leo was nowhere in sight, so I presumed that he had gone to speak with Kaon first.

Emiko had her soldiers practising how to draw their blades quickly and quietly. She paired them off, and whoever drew their blade and raised it towards their opposition first won the little match. She spent a long time making them do this, then let them duel for the last five minutes.

Mura wandered over to me while Emiko was watching them, her ginger hair tangled in the pink scarf she was wearing. She was smiling brightly, and it struck me that her personality did not really match her role as a ninja at all.

"Hello, Captain Grace," she said. "What do you think?"

"It seems very simple," I replied honestly.

Her smile widened. "Yes, we don't do anything fancy. We just try to add some ninja techniques to what they already know. After all, they're not training to be fully-fledged ninjas. Prince Leo was just interested in whether he could train them to be stealthier."

"Leo?" I repeated. "It wasn't King Xander's idea?"

"Not from what I've heard, no." Mura turned away, something catching her eye. Leo was glowering at us by the barracks. "Oh, there he is. Did you know that people actually smile at each other in Hoshido?" She winked, but after a few seconds under Leo's gaze, her cheerful expression faded. "Does he want me?"

"I think so."

"Oh, dear." She clutched her pink scarf and went to him.

Emiko dismissed her soldiers, and when they'd all gone, she came back to me. She followed my gaze as Leo took Mura inside. "I feel sorry for her."

An awkward silence hung over us.

I cleared my throat. "Your training session seemed like fun at the end. I've only sparred with other people a few times in my life."

"Really?" Emiko stared at me. "But I thought you were a captain?"

Damn.

"Most of my experience has been gained first-hand," I said quickly. "Battles and...whatnot."

"Then you should train with us. We're starting our sessions late tomorrow so that we can keep our own skills up to scratch. Come and experience what it's like to spar with Hoshidans."

The thought of it filled me with excitement. "I would love to."

"Excellent." She stepped off the platform and turned to look up at me. "Kaon will probably be less than thrilled, but I think Mura would love to have you, and Jin won't care. I'm scheduled to have a lunch break now. Is it all right if I...?"

"Yes, of course," I said. "I think Leo only sent me off with you to check you weren't going to confer with Mura and Kaon before he interviewed them. Just to be thorough."

Emiko nodded slowly. "Yes...of course. Captain Grace, you two will catch this killer, won't you?"

"Of course." I stepped off the platform so that I was alongside her, suddenly alert. "Has someone threatened you?"

She hesitated. Then she shook her head, looking down at the floor. "No...no. But I'm worried that the blame is going to fall on the wrong person."

Her gaze drifted back towards the barracks, where Kaon was emerging. The brown-haired ninja stopped and looked at us contemptuously. Then she stalked away.

***

I couldn't see Leo anywhere on the training grounds after Emiko had departed for lunch, so I assumed that he was still inside with Mura. I knew that I should probably go to him, but Emiko's talk about training had made me think of my own. My home routine had been completely torn apart by my arrival at Castle Krakenburg, and I needed to keep my skills up to scratch.

Further along the training platform, around the corner and near the watchtower, were some targets for archery practice. I stopped next to them and drew one of my knives. Surely no one would mind if I used them for five minutes.

I pushed my shoulders back so that I was standing completely straight and took a deep breath, relaxing my body. I put my right foot forwards and prepared my aim. Then I threw the knife in a half-spin move. It soared through the air and stuck in the target.

I warmed up with half-spin throws for the other three knives that were in my belt, then collected them and did a round of one spin throws. After that, I practised more advanced techniques, settling into a calm rhythm of throwing and collecting.

I started moving around while throwing, and I'd just performed a two-spin throw while turning in the air when I heard someone approaching. I landed and spun to face them, my knife thunking into the centre of the target behind me.

"Impressive." Leo folded his arms.

Unaccustomed to anyone but Rory seeing me practice, I blushed and escaped to retrieve my knife.

When I came back, Leo said, "Why didn't you kill Janus using your throwing knives?"

"He was good at dodging them." I put my knife back in my weapons belt.

"So you stuck at it and gave chase until you were close enough to stab him." Leo looked away. "Even though you shouldn't have done it...thank you for tracking him down. Without your hard work, he would still be out there, taking lives."

"You're just as bad as him," Sasha whispered. "You're not my sister anymore. You're a murderer!"

"Grace?"

I jumped.

Leo was frowning at me. "I said we need to see Gideon now."

"Oh, right. Do I have time to change?" Despite the cold winter's air, a fine layer of sweat was coating my skin. I was aware that, beneath my cloak, my blouse was sticking to my back.

"No. You'll be perfect like that." Leo walked away.

I hurried to fall into step beside him. "You mean you want me to turn Gideon off."

He looked at me again, his jaw tightening. "You're not interested in him, are you? So it doesn't matter."

"True enough. What did Kaon and Mura say?"

"The same as Emiko," he replied, his voice hardening with disapproval. "They were just playing card games and drinking stolen wine. I've given them a lecture and warned them that if they set another foot wrong, I'll have them forcibly removed from the castle."

"Did they say what time they went to bed?"

"Mura swears she left at midnight and went straight to her room. Kaon testified the same thing and said she went to bed as soon as Mura had gone."

"And do we believe them?"

Leo sighed. "For now, yes. Part of me wants to arrest them all as a precaution for Kass. But if I do that, I'll risk making our relationship with the Hoshidans awkward. And if the murder investigation committee push Xander for a quick execution...well, I don't want to risk condemning the wrong people to death. So, until we have concrete evidence against anyone, I'm not arresting them."

"Even if it risks Queen Kassandra's life?"

He hesitated. "Yes."

"Good. I agree." I lengthened my stride, drawing ahead of him in a silent challenge, even though I knew that he could easily out-walk me. "So let's go and study some poison."