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“You look as if you’re running a fever, Princess!” Jinky had come to wake me up the next morning. For once in my life, I wasn’t faking. I’d actually made myself sick.

“Stay in bed today,” she said. “I’ll go and fetch you some pandesal. And I’ll ask the healer to come see you.”

I nodded weakly. It was just as well. Hiding seemed like a reasonable solution to all my problems, in particular to facing Lucas after what I’d witnessed the night before. I wasn’t ready.

I welcomed the opportunity to rest, though without internet or even trashy daytime television, a day home from school was not a whole lot of fun. All I had were my schoolbooks and a window to sit at and watch palace staff go about their business—an endless procession of food deliveries and bolts of fabric and slatted crates filled with who knew what—baffling in their sheer volume. I wondered when their activities would end, how much more they could possibly do. Or maybe I was just irritated because it was a nonstop reminder of impending disaster, like the gathering storm over the mountains, which not only hadn’t gone away but was getting bigger.

Because of course, three weeks before the coronation, I still had no clue what my talent was. Maybe I had no magical ability and should just let the Court of Sigbin take the throne.

So I stayed away from the windows, too. The view was only making me feel sicker.

I thought about going to the library to see if I could find more about the beetles—or maybe even tips for magicless mortals on how to pull an enchanted scepter from a chest. But I didn’t want to draw any attention in case someone decided I was well enough to have another impromptu fitting or to answer another question about flowers. Medium pink or dark pink? Which type of filler flowers did I prefer?

Althea, the healer who was Nix’s friend, arrived. She gave me some black tea, like my mother used to do, and explained that sometimes encanto food and the air in Biringan are hard on the human nervous system. Maybe I just needed some time to adjust to living here. She instantly made me feel better and made me miss my own mother. Taking her advice, I slept through lunchtime and into the afternoon.

After I woke up, I read from the Hayop at Halaman text and finished an essay a week ahead of time. Then I heard Jinky out in the hall. She’d gone down to the kitchens to get our afternoon merienda of fried bananas in sugar.

I wrapped my robe around me as I opened the door. “Jinky, could you ask if there’s any—” A surge of fear and anger shot through me when I saw the face on the other side. “What are you doing here?”

Lucas looked like he was trying to run away, but he’d been busted. “Oh, hey,” he said sheepishly, raising his hand in a slight wave.

“I said, what are you doing here?” I demanded, a little more stridently than was warranted perhaps, since he didn’t know that I had seen him in my father’s office the night before. Plus, it was irritating being so close to him; he was so annoyingly good-looking, and I couldn’t help but notice how long his lashes were. Ugh.

He looked around helplessly, as if someone might help him. “I was...”

But I didn’t let him finish. “Lurking around my room?” I accused. “Is that it? Like you lurk around my father’s?”

To my surprise, he began to walk away. He didn’t even try to answer me.

“Wait! Where are you going?” I called after him. “Lucas! Get back here!”

He only walked faster, almost tripping over his own feet.

“You better keep running, then! And stay away from here!” I yelled, feeling a bit foolish after having just told him to come back. “Guards!” I shouted. “Guards!”

His footsteps faded down the hall and around the corner.

In anger, I’d been bold, but now that the immediate surprise had passed and he was out of sight, I realized I was shaking, from my hands to my feet. I felt kind of weak, like I needed to sit down.

Lucas had been in my father’s rooms, and now he was outside my door, when I was alone. When confronted, he’d offered no explanation; he just ran away. Staying home hadn’t protected me. I was foolish for letting him get away. In my panic, I wasn’t thinking straight.

I clutched my dressing gown tighter around me, as if that would shield me. “Jinky?” I called out. She should be nearby. I shouted again, louder this time: “Jinky!” And where were the guards? How long could a shift change take? Had they allowed Lucas to walk right up to my door? If so, that meant anybody could take advantage of that window. Something would have to be done about this. They were always around to stop me from doing things I wanted to do but not around when I needed them to be.

Then I noticed it. My blood ran cold. A crack in the stone wall, something moving around it. Many somethings.

The same ones I’d seen all over the king’s desk and window.

Black beetles.

***

A few days after Lucas’s unexplained visit, I invited Nix over to the palace for merienda. The afternoon snack was by far my favorite meal of the day. “By the way,” I said as casually as I could, “what do you think about Lucas?” Since we were both transplants from the human world, I trusted her opinion. It was a relief to have someone who understood me, who saw this world through eyes similar to mine. Not that I was going to tell her everything just yet.

“I guess he’s cute,” Nix replied, shrugging. “Not my type, even though he’s the reigning Arnis champion in all four kingdoms, two years in a row.”

She didn’t need to remind me. Anytime his name came up at school, it was like, “Sir Lucas Invierno, youngest knight to ever win the all-realm martial arts tourney.” With the way everyone strained to watch him when he walked by, I was surprised there weren’t more neck injuries at school. It was kind of nauseating. Not that I totally blamed them. He really was so handsome, if you could get past the whole egomaniac thing.

Nix added, “Amador drags his currency down some, though.” Then she did a double take, smacking her hand against the table and leaning forward. “Wait! You like him?”

“No.” I shook my head vigorously. “Of course not! That’s not what I meant. Like, do you think he’s dangerous?” The answer should have been obvious, except I kept thinking that maybe he had a valid reason to be in the palace. His father did use to work there. Which meant the guards knew him. Maybe he came in to get something that had belonged to his dad? It was a stretch, but better than the alternative.

Nix pondered that. “Dangerous...?” Her voice trailed off. “He’s friends with Amador, so.”

My stomach flipped. “So that’s a yes ?”

“Well, I would’ve maybe said no before, but after the other day, I’m not so sure.”

“What happened the other day?” I asked, fighting to keep my tone casual. The other day could mean when he’d crept around in the king’s chamber, right before lurking around mine.

She shook her head. “It could be nothing.” She took a sip of her drink. “If it’s nothing, you didn’t hear anything from me.” She pointed a perfect pink nail in my direction. “But if it’s not nothing, remember I’m the one who told you.”

“Of course,” I promised, holding up my hand to vow.

Nix leaned forward. “All right,” she began. “I was going to the market in town, looking for some more of that fabric I found last week. The one with the tiny roses?”

I nodded. Nix liked to tell stories with a million tangents. But if I hurried her through, she might rush to get to the point and leave out crucial details. And anything might be relevant, even if she didn’t think so. I had to let her do her thing.

“I was looking through the bolts, and I couldn’t find the right one. So I asked the vendor if she had any more or if what I’d bought was the last of it. Because I want a bag to match the skirt I’m making. And while I was waiting for her to check, I got bored, so I happened to turn around, and then I saw him.”

“Lucas?”

“No, this creepy-looking guy I’d never seen before. He was just sort of standing around. Not shopping. More like he was waiting for someone. Or looking for someone to rob. Well, that someone was not going to be me, so I kept my eye on him. And if I hadn’t, I would have missed who he was there to meet.”

“Who? Lucas?”

“No.” She waved her hand as if to say Lucas wasn’t important. “Another shady-looking guy. The second guy walked up to him, and they looked like they were conspiring.”

“And then what?” I asked hopefully.

She shook her head. “First the fabric woman came back and said she didn’t have any more. I asked if they were going to get any more, and she didn’t know, so I thanked her, and I decided to go check the other fabric merchant on the other side of the market. When I turned to go, I noticed that the two men were gone. I forgot about them and went to find out about the fabric. And you are not going to believe this.”

“What?” I had a feeling she was finally getting to the interesting part.

“The other fabric merchant had one single half bolt of the rose fabric left! Isn’t that amazing?”

“Yes,” I said, pretending not to be disappointed. “It was meant to be.”

Nix nodded enthusiastically. “It was!” She drank from her teacup. “This is really good,” she said.

“It is,” I agreed. “The cook uses a rare cinnamon for the champorado.”

“I need to get some,” Nix said. “Can you find out where it’s from?”

I nodded. “Sure. So then what happened?” I asked. I was getting really antsy.

“Oh! Right. Well, I’m getting the matching bag made as we speak.”

“With Lucas,” I pushed.

“Oh, right. I saw him talking to the creepy guy.”

“Which one?”

“Both of them at first, I think. I saw the second guy walking away from Lucas and the other one. After I went to the second fabric merchant, I took the long way around the other side of the market, which I never do, but I was in a good mood, and I wanted to shop some more. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have seen them.”

“Did he see you?”

She shook her head again. “I don’t think so. He was deep in conversation.”

“Okay, so you saw Lucas talking to the creepy men. Why did you think they were shady?” There had to be more evidence of Lucas being nefarious than that.

“For one thing, they kept looking over their shoulders, like they were afraid of getting caught. They were watching everybody who walked by. And one of them kept putting his hand on his sword, as if he was preparing to use it. They were also dirty, like they hadn’t showered in a long time, and they just looked mean.”

“Do you think they were insurgents? And that he was conspiring with them?” If Mr. Two-Time Youngest Arnis Champion of the Four Kingdoms meant to take me out, I doubted he would risk his own life or reputation. He’d do anything for his kingdom, though. Like hire an assassin to kill the king in his palace? And if that was the case, then perhaps he was hiring them to do another job. To take out another royal rival. Me.

Elias’s investigation had generated no real leads so far, and he was more than frustrated about it. Although he did say that once I was crowned and imbued with all the power of Biringan, there would be nothing more to worry about. Once I was queen, I could kill people with a word. The prospect was a little daunting, to say the least.

But for now, if no one was going to actually protect me, I would do it myself. “What do you say we go look for them? Those men Lucas was talking to? And find out what this is all about?” I asked her. I started getting up from my seat.

Nix put down her drink and blinked at me. “That sounds extremely reckless and dangerous.” A huge smile broke out on her face. “I’m in.”