After frantically expining to Lydia that Edna didn’t uand sign nguage, I got her to transte for me. I implored her to go to Bir’s side, where she was ying unscious in the alley.

  “Don’t worry ne,” Edna sighed and k o Bir. “I won’t abandon her. I just need a moment. Healing isn’t something I’m well versed in.”

  Taking a moment to i Bir’s wound, Edna finally imbibed a vial of ichor. With her fingers bing she touched Bir’s forehead. The air around her began to warm as a painful chirping echoed through the alley. C my ears I watched Edna in horror. This was nothing like what’d happened when Bir healed me. Was she going to kill her?

  A gasp escaped Bir’s throat as her eyes flittered open. “Lady ne!”

  ?I’m here. I’m safe.? I fell to my knees beside Bir, holding her hand in mine.

  “Sorry for the theatrics,” Edna looked up at me with a smile. “It took me thirty years to learn healing magic. Even now, it’s a weakness of mine.”

  The sound of footsteps sighe arrival of a group of armored knights. As soon as they ehe alley they began shouting for us to raise our hands and decir ourselves.

  “I’m tess Edna Marwood,” Edna stood, pg herself between the rest of us and the knights. “The individual you’re looking for has fled.”

  “Who are these women?” One of the knights asked looking at Lydia in suspi.

  “They are Lady ne of Ezin, a guest of mine. Her maid, Bir. And a young woman I’ve only just met. When the perpetrator attempted to kill Lady his woman jumped to her defense. I vouch for her innoce. I owe her greatly for proteg my guest from mortal peril.”

  Bir looked from Edna to Lydia in fusion but said nothing. She’d been knocked unscious before Lydia exposed herself. To her, Edna’s version of events was likely no different tharuth. Still, Bir was a knight. If we didn’t tell her, she’d likely smoke out the truth. To prevent any mistrust growiween us, I vowed to tell Bir the truth as soon as a good opportunity preseself.

  Edna spoke with the knights a bit more before they took off, hunting a vilin who did. F a smile, Edna turo the rest of us. “Alright, lets go home. We’ll worry about your wardrobe ter, Lady ne. As for you—“

  “Lydia.”

  “—Lydia. I hope you know I ot allow you to remain near Lady il I’ve properly vetted you. Prepare yourself. I don’t intend you any harm, but I will have you tell me everything.”

  “That’s ve. I have questions for you too.”

  “I’ll ao the best of my ability. Bir, do you feel well enough to take Lady ne back to the carriage? Lydia and I will che Rika and my guards.”

  “What?” Lydia looked at Edna in disbelief. “I’m staying with ne.”

  “I already told you I ’t trust you.” Edna replied, furrowing her brow. “Even if you are someone Lady rusts implicitly, I have bee in charge of her wellbeing. If you want to remain at her side, I suggest you do as I say. You will get your ce to sway my opinion when we’ve returned home. For now, there are things I have to do, and unfortunately Bir is not strong enough to protect Lady ne from you.“

  “Lady Edna, might I suggest a different pn?” Bir asked looking up at Lydia.

  “You may.”

  “Am I right you are well versed in sign nguage, Lydia?”

  “I have spent the st couple of years speaking with ne daily. There is not a sign she would use that I don’t know.”

  “Then, Lady Edna, would you escort Lady ne back to the carriage, with Lydia as her transtor? If healing is all that is here is no one more suited for the job than me. I will ehat Rika and everyone else are in good health and theurn to your manor on foot.”

  “Why are you suggesting this?” Edna asked looking down at Bir in .

  “I don’t know what has happened here. I’m sure there is reason to be wary of miss Lydia. But I also trust that you are more than powerful enough to keep her in check. If Lady ne does have a history with miss Lydia, I don’t want to dey their reunion any lohan is necessary.”

  I felt my eyes mist over as Bir spoke. When we spoke about her reasons for remaining at my side, I’d doubted her. I couldn’t imagihat the was truly as pure-hearted as she seemed. Now I felt bad for having my doubts. Bir was a truly good person. I was blessed to know her.

  “Do what you must aurn swiftly,” Edna ordered. Turning on her heels she motioned for Lydia and I to follow. “e, Lady ne, and Lydia. We’re returning to our carriage.”

  “They’re… really into you, huh?” Lydia whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. “I thought you were being bullied int a bck-hearted mistress. I kept imagining you being forced to act as aic showpiece given your looks. I never imagined anyone would be calling you a princess.”

  ?It’s been a very iing couple of weeks. We’ll talk more at Edna’s manor. Please pretend as if I’ve always been a princess until then.? As much as I wao tell Lydia everything, I couldn’t risk my backstory unraveling. Not when so many people were risking their lives to maintain it.

  Once we returo the carriage, Edna beed both Lydia and me inside before b herself. At first Lydia had sat beside me but Edna wouldn’t allow it, so we ended up sitting across from one another. With Edna at my side.

  “I ask that you act as transtor for Lady ne, miss Lydia. Until her maid and transtor returns to us.”

  “Sure,” Lydia leaned forward, brag herself with her elbows on her knees. “Now, I know there are things we have to wait on, but just who are you?”

  “I wao ask you the same thing.” Edna replied narrowing her gaze at Lydia. “Even if I was reigning myself in to limit colteral damage, I’ve never met a mage capable of defending themselves through overwhelming force.”

  “I’m ne’s guardian. She and I are family.”

  “That tells me nothing. Where did you learn magic?”

  “I picked up a thing or tw my travels. I had access to some great teachers, and I was a quick study.”

  From the moment I met her, I’d been told Lydia owerful mage. I believed Elise, and I’d seen Lydia use magic so I had no reason to doubt what I’d been told. But, Lydia was a thief. Normally, she used magily as a distra, and only when needed. Plus she used ichor beads which even she admitted were a weaker dose than what one would get from a vial. To hear Edna, a bonafide hero mage, end her, it gave me questions of my own.

  Why did Lydia stay with Elise and me if she was so powerful? Did she simply not realize her own strength?

  “I am Edna, tess of Marwood. If you haven’t heard my name, I am a spellcaster of some renown. I’ll be the first to admit my legend is overblown, but I am strong enough to inspire others to believe its legitimacy. You have the skill of a court mage, it’s hard to believe you gained such power and trol as a vagabond.”

  “You doubt me all you want, I’ve told you all I’m willing to say at the moment.” Lydia’s gaze shifted to me momentarily. With a somber smile she looked back at Edna. “After everything, I’m gd to see ne in good health. I want to thank you for proteg her, even from me. I am truly sorry I misread the situation. If I’d known it was like this, I would’ve approached you sooner.”

  “Did you know?” Edna’s brow furrowed. “Who ne was?”

  ?I thought we o wait till we got home to discuss that!?

  “Eh?” Edna looked at me apologetically after Lydia transted. “Sorry. I just… I’m trying to make sense of how someone so powerful came to be so close to you. And long before you came here at that. My desire to find an answer I could accept made me fet myself for a moment.”

  ”Despite my trol, I actually have an exceptionally weak stitutio es to magic. I may not look it, but our short exge has already tired me. Much more and I would’ve been on my hands and kruggling to breathe. Even if I matomentarily, in a war of attrition you’d win, Lady Edna.”

  “Is that so?” Edna frowned. “I guess that would make you less desirable as a guard. Even as a soldier you’d be a difficult asset to field. You’d be best utilized as an—“

  “Assassin.” Lydia pleted what Edna was about to say. Looking out the window of the carriage, she sighed. Her long expressio me w, for the first time in years, if I’d truly takeime to get to know her. I accepted everything Lydia ever told me at face value. As long as Elise trusted her, I trusted her. Maybe I should’ve takeime to learn more.

  “I won’t pry any further,” Edna said softly. “Not until we’ve had a ce to speak in private about Lady ne and her future.”

  “Yes. Once I’ve heard about why you’re housing my princess, I might feel like telling you more about me. Until then just know, I’m not leaving ne’s side. It was a mistake to do it st time. I won’t let there be a ime.”

  After we returo Edna’s manor, she instructed the maids t a light lunch to her study. This time, Edna had no qualms with Lydia sittio me. She sat across from us and waited patiently for the food to arrive. Once we’d been served, she ordered the maids to leave us. Finally, Edna told Lydia everything.

  “The Saint?” Lydia looked incredulous as she ied me. Reag forward she scooped up a bit of my white hair and gazed at it. Suddenly it was as if she were seeing me for the first time. “The saint is always a human woman is she not?”

  ?You know of the saint?? I always thought Lydia would be just as in the dark about all the religious stuff as I was. Her already knowing of Saint Rochelle left me feeling a bit ignorant.

  “I do,” Lydia smiled and began to softly brush my hair with her fingers. “But you’ll always just be o me, okay? A fancy title doesn’t ge our retionship.”

  “Despite having a legacy of human vessels, there is no doubt that ne is Saint Rochelle’s vessel.”

  “Already dropping the honorifics?” Lydia raised an eyebrow at Edna who only smiled defiantly in response.

  “ne specifically asked me to speak more casually with her when we’re alone. I’m only h that request.”

  “That sounds like something she’d ask. Now then, I know you said the younger prince would be sending bodyguards for ne. I would like you to inform him you’ve already found one. As you already guess, I pn to stay here.”

  “If you’re the type to grow weak after only a few spells, you’d be a terrible guard, miss Lydia. Might I suggest a different arra, ohat’ll allow you to be by her side even more than a guard would?”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Well, as it stands, ne only has a siending maid. I have been slowly vetting my own staff to try and find others who I trust with her care, but you’d do nicely. You speak sign nguage. You care deeply for her wellbeing, more than any typical maid would. And, if the worst ever came to pass, you’d be a stunning st line of defense. When partnered with her current maid, Bir, who is a talented healer, you might even be able to stretch yifts further.”

  Lydia began to grin sadistically as Edna finished her offer. Without warning she reached forward and grabbed me by the waist, pullio her p. “I don’t know if my pride could handle going from being ne’s big sister to a lowly maid?” Lydia asked mirthfully. “I might have to bully her on occasion just to cope. Would that be acceptable?”

  “I see no issues with it.”

  ?I do!? I huffed as I signed my distent. Despite my protests it seemed as if Edna and Lydia were doh their deal making. Even with the threat of being bullied, my heart warmed as Lydia rubbed her cheek against mine. After weeks of uainty I was gd to be back together.

  eri