Court nobility, unlike the visiting princesses, did not receive rooms at the palace. Most owned residences in the city, close enough to attend the palace regularly but not part of the palace complex itself. Mouse started for the gates.

Cel crossed her arms, planting herself firmly between him and the exit. “No.”

“It’s not that far,” Mouse argued, gazing longingly at the front gates.

“No. Last time you left the palace, you nearly became a darkfoe. No, Mouse. I’m not letting it happen on my watch.”

You don’t know the half of it. Mouse glanced at his feet, pretending to be wounded. “Cel, I’m perfectly stable. I’m not going to do anything ludicrous, just visit a few nobles.”

“Sure. Or you could wait for the end of court and catch them on the way out, because I’m not letting you outside. They aren’t even at their residences now, anyways.”

“Do you not trust me?” Mouse asked. His lower lip trembled subtly.

“No. Why the hell would I trust you? With all due respect, Your Highness.”

Defeated, Mouse sighed. “Alright, fine. I’ll wait for court to let out. Just sit here and grow moss, I suppose.”

“Wonderful. Like a stately princess ought to.”

He sighed again, but kept his mouth shut this time. Cel’s a tough nut to crack.

The sun rose high overhead and started to fall again. At last, the doors to the palace opened. Men and women streamed out in twos or threes, hurrying away with measured, clipped steps. Mouse stood, hands clasped behind his back, waiting.

A few of the nobles curtseyed or bowed as they passed. Mouse nodded, acknowledging them. Most ignored him, far enough from his edge of the path they could pretend not to see the princess, or disdainful of honoring foreign royalty in general, he neither knew nor cared. He yawned, waiting for Cel to strike.

“Oh—there, over there!” Cel whispered in his ear.

Craning his neck, Mouse caught a glimpse of a woman in green velvet. Deep mahogany hair piled high atop her head, and heavy makeup gave her the appearance of a young woman, at least from afar. He nodded at Cel and strode over, muttering over his shoulder, “Bring the bribes.”

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Cel hustled after him, struggling to contain the baked goods.

The woman saw them coming and turned away, gracefully diverting down a side path to avoid converging with the two of them. Mouse turned and chased after her, unbothered by how it looked. Everyone thinks I’m nuts. Might as well act a little crazy. He put on his kindest smile. “Excuse me, would you mind taking a moment to speak with us about the biting incident the other day?”

She paled slightly, but managed a smile. “Ah, I’m in a rush, I haven’t had a bite to eat all morning and I’m desperate for lunch. Please, you’ll have to excuse me…”

“Wonderful. Would you like a cookie? A handpie, perhaps?” Mouse offered, grinning broadly.

The noblewoman froze. Her face twitched. “Actually… I’ve an urgent appointment with Princess Sabelyn. You understand.”

“An urgent appointment with Sabelyn? I’ll let her know you were busy with me. She’ll understand. We princesses are quite close.”

The noblewoman’s smile twitched again, more fiercely. Her eyes darted around the gardens. After a moment, she pressed her lips together in a defeated expression. “What do you want?”

“The biting incident, please, Lady…?”

“Eirika. Ah… I don’t remember much. I, er, I certainly did not mean to implicate Your Highness, I…”

Mouse waved away her excuses. “Never mind that. Any details you remember, even if they implicate me, please?”

Lady Eirika bit her lip. “Uhm… it was late. I was walking the gardens… as I like to do every night when I’m around the palace. Admiring the flowers.”

Mouse and Cel exchanged a glance. Shifting his gaze to Lady Eirika, Mouse gave her a second glance. A knowing smile crawled over his face, and he nodded. “The gardens, right.”

She licked her lips. “As I was leaving, I felt a presence behind me. I turned, thinking it was… a servant, but… instead, there was a gray-skinned woman. It was dark, and I couldn’t make out much more. The next thing I knew, I was lying in the garden, sun rising over the horizon. That’s all.”

Mouse nodded. “Right, right. Thank you, Lady Eirika, I appreciate it.”

Tersely, she nodded. “If you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Mouse stepped aside and let her pass.

As she vanished into the distance, Cel leaned toward Mouse. “Admiring the flowers? At night?”

Mouse laughed. “It took me a moment, but I recognized her. I’ve seen her around the castle before, around the time the goblins got blighted. Admiring the flowers, ha. Warming our Crown Prince’s bed, more like.”

“Someone was admiring her flower,” Cel muttered.

Mouse chuckled.

Cel shifted the pastries in her arms. “Did we learn anything we didn’t already know? They all got bit by a gray-skinned lady. That’s all they said.”

“Not so. Didn’t you notice? They all had dark hair and pale skin. Our gray-skinned lady has a preference.”

“Right, and that’ll hold up in court,” Cel muttered.

Mouse shook his finger at her. “I have no such preferences. But I know another gray-skinned lady who does. I think it’s time we paid her a visit.”