"Aylo?"

A voice pierces the stillness. I pause at the sound of my name, leaning against a tree to catch my breath. Pain has ebbed into my ankle ever since I left Odeia. I ought to have rested, even when my pace slowed to a hobble. But I refused to risk her safety. Besides, I could rest at the palace.

"Aylo?"

"I'm here," I yell as loud as I can. Murmurs rumble through the trees, and footsteps crunch toward me. Wolfgang appears first, then three guards emerge on his heels.

"Aylo, what on earth are you doing here?" Wolfgang exclaims, rushing to my side. His voice is stern, but his light brown eyes betray his concern as they frantically scan me for injury.

"I got lost," I say.

"Are you hurt?"

Another pang shoots through my hollow belly. An entire afternoon and night elapsed since I last ate, and my hunger had returned in full force.

"Mainly hungry, though my ankle's rather sore."

Wolfgang nods to a guard, and she passes me a paper bag with a pear and biscuit inside. I eagerly sink my teeth into the soft fruit. Juice dribbles down my chin, which I don't bother to wipe away until I've reached the pear's core.

"Don't ever scare us like that again," Wolfgang admonishes. "We have three search parties looking for you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get lost." I devour the biscuit next, sad that some flaky crumbs drop to the forest floor.

"Why did you decide to go hunting in the first place? It isn't proper for a young lady like you." Wolfgang continues. "And why didn't you tell us? You should've had more guards with you instead of a single servant."

"We needed a break from the palace," I say, certain that Sigvard already explained the same thing.

Wolfgang places a rough hand on my shoulder. "Let's just get you home." I limp between him and another guard, while the other two disperse to find the remaining search parties.

I should feel more guilty than I do. But I know worry hides behind his intense lecture. He isn't purely angry. And I force myself not to think about Odeia because when I do, I feel a smile sneaking onto my face. I might've terrified the entire palace, but I think it was worth it. Odeia will, too, once we uncover my mother and father's killer.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☀. :☆ﾟ｡･ ───

A stampede greets me when I enter the palace. Uncle Rothbart leads the charge down the stairs, his brown cape flowing behind him. Duke Von Stein and the Tolmeizers are close behind. Beyond the foyer, Sigvard and Benno race through the glass backyard door. Matilda and several other maids pound toward me on another staircase.

"Aylo, are you okay?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Were you attacked by any animals? Robbers? Hoodlums?"

"Where have you been? Didn't you know we were scared half to death?"

Faces cluster around me, Sigvard and Benno asking about where I disappeared to, my uncle demanding an explanation for my actions, the maids fretting over my health and well-being. My gaze drifts to two onlookers on the second floor, Clemaina and Sewale. Once again, I wonder why Clemaina isn't in lessons. Both wear neutral expressions, observing the scene without a word.

That's a first. I add getting lost in a forest to the list of ways to shut Clemaina up.

"Aylo, what happened?" Uncle Rothbart's voice slices the din and snaps my attention to him.

"I got lost in the woods," I say again. "I wasn't careful, and I didn't pay attention to where I went. I'm so sorry for all this."

"You've caused quite the commotion around here," Uncle Rothbart says.

"I'm sorry," I repeat. "I don't know what else to say."

Uncle Rothbart sighs. "Well, you won't be leaving the palace again anytime soon. Neither of you." Uncle Rothbart glances at Sigvard before stalking toward stairs. "You'll resume your normal schedule tomorrow. Any and all breaks must be spent on palace grounds." He turns abruptly, his intense gaze focused only on me. "If there are any extenuating circumstances that change this, Wolfgang must accompany you personally."

My heart sinks as I think of Odeia. I no sooner found my half-sister, and now I can't even see her.

"Are you hurt?" Matilda asks again.

"No, just a bit hungry."

"You already ate an apple and a biscuit," Wolfgang states. He's returned to his normal, statuesque demeanor beside me.

"That takes care of yesterday's lunch. I still have two meals to catch up on," I say.

"I'll let you know when your food is ready," Matilda says. She and the maids hurry up the stairs. That's when I realize that more of an audience is trickling in. Men and women dressed in the finest clothing line the balcony overlooking us while others watch in the halls adjoining the foyer. My cheeks grow hot, and I avert my gaze.

"Let's wait in the courtyard," I murmur to Sigvard and Benno.

The four of us—the guys and Wolfgang—head to the back door. I grow anxious as we near it, since I can't talk freely if our butler is around. However, Wolfgang doesn't follow us outside, watching us instead from the glass door, probably to make sure we don't disappear into the woods.

I settle on the steps several rows from the top of the patio. No one can overhear our conversation. Warmth from the stones seeps through my pants and onto my legs. I glance over the brown cloth, pleased that the grass and dirt stains aren't too noticeable. After a wash, they should be good as new.

"I'm mad at you," Sigvard grumbles. He sits beside Benno instead of me.

"It was an accident. How many times do I need to repeat this?" I let out a puff of air, resting my chin in my hands.

"Because of you, we can't leave the palace either."

"Well, maybe you'll forgive me when you learn what I discovered," I say.

Sigvard's spine straightens in spite of himself. "What?"

I lower my voice to a whisper. "I found Princess Odeia."

Next to me, Benno gasps.

"What? Where?" Sigvard exclaims.

"She lives by a castle deep in the forest. You know, the Ancient Saursi Palace."

Sigvard's excitement wanes. "That was destroyed, Aylo."

"No, it's not. It was just hidden deep in the forest."

It never occurred to me that Sigvard wouldn't believe me. I'm almost afraid to continue if he already doubts me. But he and Benno deserve to know all the details, regardless of how ridiculous it sounds.

I summon my courage. "You're not going to believe this, but she's not entirely human anymore."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Sigvard says.

"She's a swan during the day."

Sigvard sobers. He blinks at me, frowning in a way that says "you've got to be kidding me."

"Like the animal?" Benno says after a bit. He alters his position with unease, maybe because of Odeia, maybe because of the tension between Sigvard and me.

"Yes. That's how she managed to escape from prison. Someone turned her into a swan, and she flew away."

Sigvard's head rolls backward. "Come on, Aylo. You must have been dreaming."

"No! I swear it. Odeia is now a swan." I look at Benno. "You believe me, don't you?"

His black eyes veer to the grass. "I want to believe you..."

"But it's true! I can even take you to her."

"No, you can't." Bitterness saturates Sigvard's voice. "In case you've already forgotten, we're stuck here at the palace."

My chin falls back into my cupped hands. "That does complicate matters. But I promised you'd visit her." A breeze brushes past, whisking a few strands of hair into my face. "We could always sneak—"

"No," Sigvard cuts me off. "No more sneaking about. I'm sick of being sneaky."

"You're not going to find out the truth playing by the rules," I say. "The rules ensure we don't find out what really happened. The rules tell us that Odeia is guilty despite major gaps in their analysis. Don't you want justice for Odeia, the true heir of Saursi?"

"How is sneaking out to find her going to help things?" Sigvard challenges.

"She might know a valuable detail that's been overlooked. Besides, she hasn't had human contact in years. Wouldn't you want some visitors in her place?"

Sigvard sighs. I can see the conflict in his eyes.

"Will you come with me?" I ask Benno.

"Do you think Odeia would want to see me?"

"Of course."

He hesitates before finally agreeing, and I return my attention to Sigvard.

"Still planning to miss out?"

Again, Sigvard flings his head backward. "Fine, fine, I'll come with you. What's the plan?"

I hadn't planned much, but ideas are starting to flow in my head. "I'm thinking we can leave at night, maybe through a window. We can sneak to the edge of the palace, then climb a tree to get over the palace gate. The window in my room is probably the best. There's a tree by it, and my room is on the edge of the palace complex, so the guards are less likely to notice us, especially if it's dark outside."

"And what if someone catches us?" Sigvard questions.

I shrug. "Simple, we don't get caught."

"Okay, and what if someone checks on us in the night?"

"No one will do that," I say. Sigvard frowns, raising his eyebrows.

Benno clears his throat. "So, when do we leave?"

"I told Odeia we'd come tomorrow night. That'll also give things a chance to cool down a bit."

"Fine," Sigvard mutters. I don't take his grouchiness too seriously. He'll thank me later for finding the lost heir.

A door closes behind us, and my head whips around to see Matilda heading toward us.

"Your highness, the food is ready."