“I have to say, Dubart, that was terrifying,” Princess admitted as we lay once more upon her bed. Though unfamiliar with the intricacies of female attire, I had deftly changed into sleepwear under the cloak of darkness, swift and silent, secreting away her discarded day dress beneath the bed—an act driven by a primal instinct of self-preservation, urging me to construct a plausible alibi.

  Moonlight filtered through the window, casting a soft glow upon the slumbering Fermina, and I seized the opportunity to speak with my hostess. “I had imagined this would be harmless fun… for the most part,” she echoed, her thoughts not far removed from my own, regarding the escapade we had recently undertaken. “It terrifies me that it could have been me if your Artalar had worked back then.”

  “I had no intention of making you rampage as a goat across the entire mansion,” I reassured her in a subdued tone, careful not to disturb the other two sleeping maidens. “I merely intended to have you headbutt a guard or two and then present you to my brother, demonstrating my command of the Artan Legacy with pride.”

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  “I am still so glad that your plan didn’t work, my perverted Master,” she censured, still worried. “Dubart, do you think that the girl, that Raiya… is she going to be a goat from now on?” She surprised me with her concern, despite her enmity for the affected party.

  “Oh, not at all,” I replied with the unabashed truth. “The effects of a hexerei can linger, but this particular manipulation is temporary at best. It can easily be undone by removing the piece of paper I tied around the maid’s neck. By now, they should have discovered it, knocked it off accidentally, or otherwise ended its influence. She should be restored by now, by all accounts.”

  “I’m sorry that I insisted on you using Artalar,” Princess expressed genuine regret.

  “Do not be. It is highly unlikely that this incident can be traced back to us, and we now know that sigils are a valuable tool should we ever need them again. Now, try to sleep, Princess. If all I have read about the aftereffects of casting hexerei holds true, rest will be essential for your recovery.”

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