The announcement of an upcoming banquet elicited a chorus of groans from the maids.

"Why, what does that mean?" Mina murmured to Sophie.

Sophie let out a dry chuckle. "What that means is we'll be working our asses off for the whole week to get ready."

Mina frowned, her hand drifting to the ends of her hair. Even the overly energetic and quick-tongued Sophie seemed to be discouraged by the news, and Mina soon found out why. She spent the next few days on her knees and hunched over, scrubbing the floor until she could nearly see her reflection in it. Her whole body ached, especially her right shoulder whose movement was already inhibited thanks to her old injury, and the added strain made her feel as if the wound was going to tear open again. By the end of the day, she was usually too tired to do anything else before passing out on her cot, sometimes without changing out of her uniform. Even her longest nights at the tea house didn't compare to this. Here, she was supposed to be doing something that mattered, taking a real step toward her goal, but instead she was slaving away, serving the very people she despised. She hadn't even seen the prince in a while, much less the king, which was the worst part of it all. If she wanted to work like a dog for no reason, she'd just go back to her hometown, to her father and to that leaky cottage roof. She had believed those days were long behind her, but now she saw the fallacy of those thoughts.

Sophie was notably much less chatty than usual, with her usual side commentary being replaced with ragged coughing that only seemed to worsen each day. She covered it up with her crooked smile as best she could, but even Mina noticed how little she managed to eat and the lack of sleep she was getting. By the middle of the week, Sophie was especially sluggish, dragging her cleaning supplies behind her since she felt too weak to carry them normally.

"Oh, don't mind me," Sophie wheezed, even though Mina hadn't said anything. "If I drag the mop behind me like this, it'll continue to clean the floors while I walk."

She continued to mumble more nonsense, but Mina had stopped listening as soon as a familiar man came into view. He was wearing all white today, save his tall black boots. Gold embroidery detailed his suit coat, and his short dagger hung from his belt as usual. He was walking the opposite direction, talking to some official looking men dressed in dark blue suits. His guard wasn't with him, but Mina assumed he was just right around the corner somewhere.

Mina stood up to go, her eyes still fixed on him.

"Come on," she ordered Sophie. "We still have more rooms to clean."

Sophie nodded, grabbing onto a nearby ledge to help hoist herself off the ground. "Yes, yes, just give me—"

Mina barely had time to hold her arms out before Sophie slumped over. She didn't weigh much, but the sudden dead weight made Mina stumble a little. Lowering her down to the floor, Mina supported Sophie's head on her lap as she tried to rouse her. Why did this have to happen now? Hearing footsteps, her head shot up to see the prince approaching. She immediately diverted her eyes, as if looking away would make him spontaneously disappear. Not surprisingly, he stayed right where he was.

Magnus, upon hearing the thud from Sophie's fall, had hastily excused himself to attend to the situation.

"What happened? Is she alright?"

"It's nothing, Your Highness," Mina responded, still not looking at him. "She's just exhausted is all. Don't worry about us."

Magnus frowned, reaching over to touch Sophie's arm but recoiling when he felt her burning skin. "She doesn't look good. Come, I'll help take her to the physician."

"There's no need. I really don't want to burden you."

He shook his head, gingerly pulling Sophie's limp body away from Mina and into his arms. "It's no trouble. You would need help carrying her anyway."

Standing up, he gestured to Mina to come follow him. It took a moment for her to snap out of her daze, before pulling herself to her feet and scurrying after him. It was one thing to speak kindly to castle servants, but it was another to voluntarily assist them when they needed it. Most royals or nobles barely looked at them, and the mere thought of even touching them would appall most, but here he was, carrying a sick girl in his arms without any sort of obligation to do so.

"It's Mina, right?"

She paused for a moment to get over her shock that he remembered her, much less her name. "Yes, Your Highness."

He looked over at her, offering a small smile. She was rather disheveled, which wasn't a surprise, but her dark eyes still retained a slight gleam under the loose strands of hair hanging around her face. It wasn't a hopeful nor gleeful look, but rather nothing but pure drive and will. What struck him most however was that other than the flickering flames in her gaze, he had never seen anyone appear so lifeless. She seemed to be held up by invisible strings, like a dead girl who had arisen from her grave to complete some unfinished business, and as soon as that mission was completed, those strings would be cut and she'd fall down dead again.

"How have you been lately?" he asked gently.

She side eyed him, but looked away when he met her gaze. "Fine, Your Highness. Just busy."

He nodded. "It's always busy when a banquet comes around. Poor Sophie seems exhausted."

"She's been getting sick for a while, but we haven't been able to catch a break." Seeing a concerned expression cross his face, she decided to twist the knife a little. "Poor girl has barely eaten or gotten any sleep for the past few days."

"Why doesn't Jia let her rest?"

"We need all the help we can get with all the preparations. We're used to long and hard work hours, but it's been especially taxing on all of us lately."

Magnus nodded solemnly. "I suppose that's the result of having such a small staff for such a big castle."

"Yes, because we can't let just anyone in, for your sake." She was toying with his emotions, and it was obviously working with the way distress clouded his gaze.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, the sincerity in his voice almost making her believe that he actually meant it. "I wish it didn't have to be like this too."

"Why don't you change it then?"

He chuckled softly at her boldness, but opted not to comment on it. "It's not up to me."

Did he really have no power to do anything? "But would you, if you could?"

"I'd want to, yes, but I don't think that's the wisest choice unfortunately."

"Afraid of living in fear, hm?"

"Well, I am already, somewhat." She looked over at him and he smiled sadly. "Although the feeling is more of disappointment than anything."

"How so?" she asked, forgetting that she was speaking to him so casually. Lucky for her, he didn't seem to mind.

"I've tried to believe people who've gotten close to me genuinely cared about me, but I've been wrong every time."

She stiffened next to him, feeling goosebumps form on her skin, but she kept her face neutral. "That must be difficult."

He nodded. "But there's nothing I can do about it."

Is there anything you can do at all, or are you completely helpless? "That's...unfortunate."

Her tone seemed to be reaching yet falling short of sincerity so obviously, it almost made him laugh. It was as if she was being honest about trying to lie to him, a concept that was hard for his brain to make sense of. She clearly didn't feel sorry for him and seemingly wanted to make that known. No one had ever been so blunt and straightforward with him before, and he never expected someone like a cleaning maid would even dare to speak to him like that. But he didn't mind. Mostly. At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder, what was her motive? Was she really just a blunt person who was incapable of lying? Maybe she was just being sarcastic? Or was there something bigger that she was hiding? No, if she wanted to hide something, she was doing a terrible job of not acting suspicious. But then again, maybe that was just the way she was. He didn't have long to ruminate any further however before they finally arrived at the physician's office.

"Can you knock for me? My hands are full."

Mina bit back yet another sarcastic comment, figuring she was already pushing her luck, and did as she was told. Moments later, the door opened to reveal a short and stocky middle aged man with dark skin and a full beard. A pair of spectacles was perched on his hooked nose and his dark brown eyes were sharp and piercing. Crio Feyre was never physically the largest person in the room, but he almost always boasted the largest presence. He was a master of his craft, and thus made himself an irreplaceable part in the castle.

Upon seeing the prince standing before him, he dipped into a deep bow. "Your Highness, what can I do for you? Or should I say, her?" he asked, gesturing to the girl in his arms.

"Sophie here is very sick. Could you take a look at her, please?"

Crio clicked his tongue. "Set her down on the bed over here. You shouldn't be near her if she's sick, Your Highness. You don't want to catch something before the banquet."

Magnus shook his head, gingerly placing Sophie down on the bed. "I'll be fine. She needed my help anyway."

"That was very kind of you, Your Highness, but I'll take it from here."

Nodding, Magnus thanked him before returning to the doorway and gesturing to Mina to follow after him. She threw one last glance at Crio and Sophie before exiting and shutting the door behind them.

"She'll be alright," Magnus assured, but Mina's mind was already elsewhere.

"Yeah...thanks."

"Come, I'll escort you back."

She raised an eyebrow. "To my bucket and mop?"

He smiled charmingly. "If you'll let me."

"And what if I say no?"

"Then I won't push."

She couldn't mask her surprise, eliciting a chuckle from him. Her every expression seemed wholly genuine and unfiltered which felt like a breath of fresh air to him. Sure, she wasn't the most prim and proper, but it was something different, something unique, and perhaps, he hoped, something real.

"Well, I suppose I'll allow it," she replied. Any excuse to keep him in her presence. He already seemed somewhat intrigued by her, so she just had to find ways to keep reeling him in. If she made him remember her, maybe he'd seek her out more often. Thinking about it more however, she frowned to herself. No, what were the chances of that? He'd never care for someone like her.

As they retraced their steps down the hall, Mina was keenly aware of his gaze on her. No one ever really paid her much attention, but on the off chance that someone did, it usually never meant something good. The stares she got from men at the tea house or at the rebel camp always meant one thing, so she was instinctively on edge. But he didn't look at her in the same way they did; he didn't leer, didn't look her body up and down. Instead, his gaze was soft and somewhat curious though not prying nor invasive. She felt oddly comfortable around him, not in the sense where she was happy to be in his presence, but rather that, for once, he was someone who didn't seem threatening.

Magnus couldn't help but notice how briskly she walked, staying a few steps ahead of him and forcing him to trail behind her. Sometimes she would glance back to look at him, holding his gaze for a few seconds longer before turning away again. She still had a frown on her face, but she didn't look like she was uncomfortable, at least, he hoped not. Clasping his hands behind his back, he decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, Mina, where are you from?"

"Calama. Have you heard of it?"

"Yes, I've heard of it," he replied, recalling the maps he had studied. "It's a small town south of Corypha."

She bit the corner of her lip. "Have you been there before?"

He was quiet for a moment as he tried to remember. It had been nearly a decade since he had been outside the castle walls. The details were fuzzy, but he vaguely remembered traveling to the south side at least a couple times. The name Calama sounded familiar, but his knowledge from his studies blurred with his memories from experience, making it difficult to tell them apart. "I may have. I don't remember exactly though."

"Where's the last place you've been?"

He pondered her question, but a frown formed on his face when he realized he couldn't remember. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you. It's been too long."

She looked over at him, but his eyes remained fixed on the ground. Did he really have no memory of that day? Maybe that's why he didn't recognize her. But why wouldn't he? Did he just not care? Or had he just seen so many other instances of similar things happening? Did he ever follow in his father's footsteps and do the same? She wanted to ask him everything, but she knew she couldn't just do that. It was too fast, too soon, and she couldn't even fathom how he'd respond. If he found out she was the girl from that day, he'd have her thrown out or killed—or worse. A heavy silence settled on both of them, and he didn't say anything more until they returned back to her cleaning supplies.

"Thank you for talking with me, Mina. I apologize for distracting you from your work."

She shook her head. "It's no trouble. I needed this break anyway."

He smiled. "I'll see you around then. Please take care of yourself."

"I'll try," she paused. "Your Highness." She covered her mouth. "Forgive me, I haven't been addressing you respectfully."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I didn't even notice. Just try to remember to say it if other people are around. They're usually more bothered than me."

His casual tone and attitude only added to the list of surprising things she'd learned about him that day. "Of course, Your Highness."

He gave her one last smile before turning and leaving her alone again. Mina waited until he was out of sight before slumping to the floor with a sigh. If she was being honest, he was nothing like she imagined. She imagined someone cold, cruel, and vicious, like his father had been, but instead she was faced with someone soft, kind, and tender. It had to be all fake. He had to be lying. He had to be hiding something rotten under that sweet exterior. There was only one way her path with him could end, and he was already making it hard for her. She cursed her stupid, fragile heart. She couldn't let him get to her. She couldn't at all costs.

Magnus ran a hand through his hair. There was still something so familiar about her that he couldn't quite pin down. Maybe he had seen her sometime many years ago, when he was still allowed outside. Maybe she just looked like someone he had met before. Maybe she was the daughter of one of the older staff members. But she also had said she was from Calama, and even that felt like it should be familiar, but he couldn't recall anything about it. From the way she spoke to him and looked at him, he sensed she knew something he didn't. Somehow, someway, he believed she held the key to something in his past, and he was determined to unlock exactly what it was.