For once, Odilia was happy to be a bird because neither Merlin nor the prince cared to move their conversation from Odilia’s prying ears.

Odilia was surprised at Merlin who first raised his voice at the crown prince and surprised at how the prince abandoned all courtesy to argue back.

“Do you really want that, your highness?” Merlin crossed his arms. “Because continue on the way you do and you’ll see how much the people respect you and your reign.”

“How I chose to rule in the future is none of your business, Kenta,” the prince scoffed. He said the samurai’s name rather mockingly.

“Oh,” then Merlin jabbed a finger at the desk before him with the partially-done paperwork. “Well I’d like to say that your paperwork that I’ve completed would beg to differ.”

“Hah!” The prince moved closer to set two objects down: the rifle he’d received from the empress on his birthday and a large trunk. “When did I ever ask you to complete my share of work?” demanded the prince. “Don’t steal my work and then blame me for it afterwards.”

“Steal-!?” Merlin sounded appalled. “With all due respect-”

“Oh, so now you want to show respect?” the prince rolled his eyes. “You haven’t even asked me where I’ve been. Shouldn’t you show concern as my bodyguard? Or have all your duties shifted to being that bird’s caregiver?” At those last words, the prince’s gaze slid to Odilia’s perch on the couch.

Merlin stepped to where the prince stood, tugging at the collar of his sleeves. “The smell of pine and dirt. I know where you’ve been. The rifle you were carrying even confirmed it.” Merlin looked exhausted. “You went back to that lake.” It wasn’t a question, and the two men continued to silently stare into each other’s eyes.

Odilia, who’d heard all this for the first time, was alarmed. The lake! Odilia wanted to fly out the nearest window and check on her sister and their friends. What had the prince seen, exactly? Feeling her heart tremble, Odilia strained her ears to not miss a thing.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Why’d you do it?” asked Merlin. “You heard what the doctor said. Even the prince shouldn’t stoop so low as to trespass a citizen’s land.”

So Merlin had gone to the lake also. If so, when? Odilia’s feathers stood on its end.

The prince shook his head. “I can’t speak of the secret, but I can show you.”

“A secret?” Merlin tilted back so his face looked up at the ceiling, then looked back down, rubbing his temple between his eyes. “Your highness, please…”

“You wouldn’t believe until you see,” said the prince. “Just meet me at the edge of the woods an hour before sundown. I’ll show you then.”

Odilia let out a frightened cry, but it was ignored by the two men.

“No,” refused Merlin with a shake of his head, to which Odilia relaxed with a sense of temporary relief. “We both have duties and you have extra now that there’s a ball,” the guard continued. Merlin set his hands on his hips and glared at the prince as if he were scolding a child. “Did you know that you are to find your bride in less than a week?” Merlin ran a hand through his ash-brown hair. “Please tell me you’ve at least visited your office.”

The prince nodded his head. “And I promise I’ll be up to task… for the most part.” He pushed his hand up and stepped back from Merlin. “But no matter if you want to join me or not, you must let me continue to visit the lake”

At this, Odilia’s head went light, panic finding her heart in a rapid drum. No. She wouldn’t let them go like that. She couldn’t! For she was sure that the prince had discovered her sister’s secret. Her secret.

She couldn’t let more people discover what she’d hidden. The life she’d built for herself over the course of four years, would shatter. Odilia’s dream flashed in her mind. The broken glass. The voice.

Odilia then knew where the voice had come from: Erwin. Erwin’s warning had spoken out to her in the dream. If she were to reverse the spell on her sister, she’d lose everything. However, as Odilia helplessly watched as the prince deducted plans to bring forth to Merlin, the secret of the cranes’ transformation, Odilia felt that she wouldn’t have to reverse the spell to lose everything that was her life.