Page 46 of The Frog Prince

Otto could only nod, unable to explain that he had seen hurt and shame and vulnerability in those strange features in such a short space of time. That there was softness there too, and intelligence that far outmatched his own.

Gisela sighed and closed her eyes, her face tightening before she nodded in acquiescence, her shoulders falling. “Very well. We’ll keep the secret for now, until we can figure something else out.”

“I’m working on a cure. I’m not giving up on the village.” Otto took her hand. “Gunther…” His voice cracked and he couldn’t finish.

“It’s not your fault,” Gisela said. “I’m sorry for using that against you. You didn’t make him sick, Otto, and you couldn’t have done anything to prevent his passing either.”

Otto nodded. He knew that, but he couldn’t help but feel responsible. The Frog Prince wasn’t the answer though, he truly believed that. “Curing them only until this sickness comes back won’t help anyone in the long run. They’ll make their deals and still might fall ill again tomorrow.Youmight fall ill again, or me. Something much bigger is going on here. I need to find the cause of the illnesses and stop it at the source. That’s the only way to fix this once and for all.”

“Well if anyone can, it’s you,” Gisela said with full faith.

“I hope so,” Otto said, his own confidence flagging. “I owe it to them to try.”

Rustling from inside the house snapped them out of their conversation, and Gisela raised a brow at Otto.

“Is everything all right?” she asked, and Otto looked behind himself at the wood, picturing what was beyond before nodding.

“It is,” he said. “He was a decent houseguest last night.”

She shook her head. “This is so strange.”

Stranger than you know.

“Indeed.”

“Be careful, Brother,” she said. “Please.”

“I will. I promise you.”

She gave him one last searching look before she turned around and headed back into the village.

Otto stepped forward to watch her go, seeing the looks she was getting.

Jealousy, envy, surprise, happiness, and anger mixed on people’s faces as they watched her walk, healthy and confident, down the road. It solidified his decision to keep the prince hidden, even as his guilt doubled.

Otto sighed, only relaxing after he saw her enter Liesel’s house. He turned to return inside, only to startle. There at his feet were numerous frogs that were creeping toward the entrance of the house, trying to sneak within.

He stared down at them. They stared up at him.

“Look…this isn’t a frog boarding house,” he whispered.

A smaller one leaped over its neighbor toward the threshold, completely ignoring him.

Otto quickly moved his foot in the way. “I mean it!”

They continued to stare, nonplused.

“Did you learn that stare from him, by chance?”

A croak, chorused by another that was sure to carry up the stairs at any moment.

Otto threw a quick worried stare behind him before ducking down in haste. “I’m terribly sorry, but I have already filled my quota of green, weirdly well-spoken and alluring creatures.”

He blushed as the last part rolled off his tongue naturally.

“What am I even doing speaking to frogs?” he chastised himself, hurrying back inside and closing the door softly on the protesting amphibians, apologizing under his breath all the way. He leaned back against the door, sweating profusely and cheeks flaming.

Thankfully there was no sign of the prince, so he quickly finished off the stew from last night and then walked to his desk in the corner.