“Mama, was my mother a princess?” I picked up a box of spices from the array of items neatly arranged on my bed, and put it away into my bracelet’s inventory.

  “No, Priscilla was never a royal. Everyone knew that she was the daughter of the previous king, Nazirus. But she had no legitimacy, so it was an unspoken thing.” Her long fingers shifted past a few items to a leather-bound notebook. She leafed through it. “It was for the best, since that branch of the family had been wiped to the roots. You and Ben may very well be the last vestige of it.”

  “Is that why Elise called it out?”

  The corner of Mama’s eyes twitched. “The Duchess is playing a dangerous game. And I’d rather she not put you in the middle of it.” Her gaze drifted down to the ring on my left hand and I self-consciously covered it with my other hand.

  When I first showed her the ring after getting back from the party, her face blanched upon seeing the royal winged dragon engraved on it.

  At first, she hesitated to cast Identify on it, as if fearful that it might attack her for the attempt, and when she finally did she grew even more despondent, bemoaning how I always seemed to dig myself into deeper trouble.

  Apparently, the [First of Avatince] was a relic from the founding days of Avatince, over six hundred years ago, worn by its first king. No royal in recent memory had even tried to put it on for fear of being rejected by the ring. But in the past those who managed to put it on had used it as a mandate to take over the throne.

  Upon hearing that I nearly ripped the ring off my finger. Mama stopped me, telling me to just turn the ring so that its engraving was hidden.

  “It’s a double-edged sword. In some circumstances, it could save your life,” she had told me.

  The part of its description about needing to ‘bear its greatest responsibility’ still made me uneasy about wearing it.

  “Are you sure the second prince doesn’t know about the ring?” Mama asked as she set down my notebook, seemingly satisfied with my dungeon notes.

  “He seems to think he’s the only one who’s given me a magical ring. So I’m certain.”

  “Good. Hopefully, the Crown Prince hasn’t told anyone else, especially his mother. Sarsee would find no humor in this.”

  I remembered their last interaction together at my first birthday party. The strain in Mama’s face and the venom in the Queen’s voice.

  “You and the Queen had a history?”

  “Yes.” She paused in her inspection and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry Mama. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

  She pulled me in against her chest and patted my head. “It’s not your fault dear. Just remember: the Queen and the Consort are the two most dangerous people in the Kingdom.” She gestured to the rest of the items on the bed. “Come on… let’s finish going through everything.”

  This time, I was packing for real. Winthrop already had a ride ready for me tomorrow.

  Mama quirked an eyebrow, picking up a long loaf of bread. “This?”

  “Time stops for items in my inventory. And similar items stack.”

  There are other storage items with spatial magic in this world. But from what I could tell from the books, they just made the items lighter and took up less space. None of them froze time for the items or stacked them.

  It was fun taking freshly frozen ice cream with me on my trips out to the woods with Ben and Beatrice. They were both giddily surprised and we shared a moment together on our picnic blanket, enjoying cold ice cream under the hot summer sun.

  Items that were essentially the same stacked under the same icon with a little number in the top-right corner indicating the quantity. The max I could stack together was 99, and I found that out by throwing in melon seeds.

  I could also split the stacks with just a thought.

  That’s right, this thing could double as a calculator. Not that I needed it; unlike Joan but just like Steve, I’m pretty good at doing numbers in my head now.

  “Yes, that inventory of yours is truly peculiar. But are you sure you need this much bread?” Her hand waved over to the pyramid of loaves stacked on the side table.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Hey, I’m basically French, and after eons of hard bread, having some crispy baguette-like bread with soft insides… C’est parfait!

  I quietly snuck a few sticks of butter that the maids had wrapped for me in wax paper into my inventory.

  “Well, you have all the essentials, everbright torch, lamb-wool bedroll…” Her fingers tapped over the items one more time. “You know, given your position now. You could outright refuse Winthrop, and he’d have to give in.”

  “I could’ve refused before, but I want to help. That thing is connected to me in some way. I just know it.”

  Mama sighed. “It’s not your fault. You don’t have to go down there, maybe they can just bring recordings back up, like that other one.”

  I left the items alone and stood up straight, facing her. “Mama, I have to. There’s another reason I want to go down there. You already mentioned the dangers that I’ll be soon faced with. I need to gain experience and get stronger.”

  “You don’t even have a class yet.” She caught herself and quickly shook her head. “No, of course you do, you’re always so damn early in everything… But you can’t physically fight them. They have armies backing them, you can’t take those on.”

  I thought of that night when my fidèles turned against me.

  My jaw muscles clenched hard. “I can if I don’t care.”

  Mama’s arms quickly wrapped themselves around me. “No, I won’t let that happen.”

  —

  The morning fog settled around me as I stood out by the roadside waiting for my carriage. It would be scandalous for a Duke’s daughter to be seen wearing a leather jacket with leather pants, so I had a long black cloak draped around myself.

  It was still made of rich velvet, which stood out even against tiny beads of dew. But both Mama and Beatrice were insistent.

  My hair was tied up into a simple ponytail beneath my hood. Beatrice had cried when she pulled my hair together. She asked that I don’t go, but she was still standing behind me, sniffling, her eyes puffy.

  I turned back and gave my best reassuring smile, only to have her burst out into more tears.

  Mama shook her head and gave me a nod with a thin smile.

  My hand patted my left wrist where the bracelet lay beneath the hard leather. We had meticulously compartmentalized everything into smaller packs so that everything I needed only took up fourteen slots, including the baguettes and butter.

  I was as ready as I ever would be.

  Hoofsteps, rumbling low in the distance, reverberated up through my boots. Soon, a train of horses appeared pulling a nondescript wooden carriage. A tug on the reins, and the horses neighed, slowing to a trot. The carriage pulled up before me, its large metal wheels crunching the gravel.

  The door opened and a large, broad-shouldered woman stepped out. She wore a white robe with a golden sunburst symbol emblazoned upon her ample chest. Her dark hair flowed in lustrous curls down her back and a set of icy, pale blue eyes peered out against the backdrop of her darkly-tanned skin.

  Those intense, icy blue eyes scanned over us before settling on Winthrop who hurried forward.

  “Sister Zadina, it’s good to meet you! This is Lady Josephine de Bloomcrest, the ward that we requested you care for in this endeavor.”

  I glanced over at Mama. This was never mentioned to me before.

  “It’s an extra precaution. Your rank and status warrant it… And I’d feel better knowing there’s someone dedicated to your well-being with you.”

  I couldn’t hold that against her, and inclined my head ever so slightly.

  Sister Zadina knelt down before me. “My Lady. I, Zadina, Paladin of great Lumus, pledge to be your sword and shield. I will protect you against all the foul creatures and spirits that we might encounter in this dungeon.”

  Winthrop quickly added from beside her. “Yes, the Paladins of Lumus specialize in fighting evil and the undead. Her skills and knowledge could be a great help against what you face.”

  I just hope that my [Demonic] condition doesn’t trigger anything in her.

  So far, I didn’t sense any strain in her eyes when she looked over me.

  I said my farewells to Mama, to a teary-eyed Beatrice along with a hug, and even spared Winthrop a brief curtsy and a “goodbye.”

  “No, sister!” Ben’s voice caught me just as I was about to board the carriage. He burst out of the woods, running hard, and skidded to a stop before me.

  He bent forward, hands upon his knees, wheezing for breath. “You can’t leave Jo. You’re going to do something dangerous again, aren’t you!”

  I thought of Papa and his wail.

  But this isn’t like that, I have the bracelet and can come back often enough.

  Moving back to Ben, I rested my hand on his shoulder. “I won’t be gone for long. Don’t worry, I will see you again before you know it.”

  “No, I can’t let you go. I’ve been training hard. I’ll go to the Academy soon. I can protect you. Then you don’t have to do dangerous things, and those princes can’t take you!”

  My hand moved up by itself from his shoulder, to his neck, to his cheek. His face wasn’t so boyish anymore. Thinner, more mature, it reminded me a little of Pierre whenever I saw him again at the army camp during each lifetime. “You already are, remember? You’re my knight, my lord and my prince for so many lifetimes.”

  So many lifetimes under the tablecloth.

  “Thank you for protecting me, for making the springs warmer, and the summers brighter. Thank you for being my brother.”

  I leaned over and pressed my lips against his forehead.

  On the carriage, I watched the trees and fields blur by without sound, drowning in Papa’s wail to me just before I set off.

  Je ne te reverrai jamais—I’ll never see you again!

  My hand clenched upon an unseen rosary.

  I won’t let that happen!

  “You are an old soul, My Lady,” Zadina’s voice said from beside me.

  “I know.” I pulled my hand close to my chest.

  “You had faith…”

  “Once…”

  The scenery continued to blur past.