Page 42 of Kingdom of Dance

With a quick curtsy, she complied.

“Your Highness,” said Elizabeth in apparent exasperation the moment the door was shut. “What’s going on? Must you shock the new girl?”

Zinnia gave a laugh that wasn’t quite steady, sinking down to sit on her bed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m just so relieved to see you.”

“What have I missed?” Elizabeth asked, sounding alarmed. “I knew I shouldn’t have taken leave so soon before you were supposed to return.”

Zinnia waved a hand. “Don’t be silly. I’m fine, really. You’re allowed to have your own life.” She watched as the maid continued to sort through her clothes.

“I went out last night.”

“What?” That brought Elizabeth’s head snapping up. “Without me here to cover for you?”

Zinnia shrugged. “I managed. I still had an old letter that I never used before I went away, and fortunately the gatekeeper didn’t look too closely.”

The maid looked alarmed. “Princess Zinnia, that’s dangerous. I don’t know what the smugglers’ ring would do if they realized you’re an imposter. I wish you hadn’t taken that risk.”

“No harm done,” Zinnia assured her. “But I do need another letter as soon as possible. I’d go out tonight if I could.”

“You want to go out again so soon?” Elizabeth demanded. Abandoning her task, she knelt on the floor, taking one of Zinnia’s hands and looking up at her seriously. “Your Highness, I was thinking about it while I was away, and I don’t like it. I don’t feel right about keeping silent, knowing you might be in danger.”

“Elizabeth,” Zinnia gasped, horrified. “You’re not going to rat on me now, are you?”

“Of course not,” her maid assured her. “But I promised myself I would at least try to convince you to stop these outings. Surely whatever it is you’re looking for, King Basil could more easily find if you would confide in him.”

Zinnia gave her a sad smile, unable to say what she wanted to—that she would hand the burden over to Basil in a heartbeat if the magic allowed it.

“I won’t ask what you’re doing,” Elizabeth said gruffly. “It’s none of my concern. But I couldn’t be easy unless I told you that I don’t like it.”

“It’s terrible of me to impose on you like this,” Zinnia said repentantly. “Using your brother to—”

Her words were cut off by a snort from Elizabeth. “If my fool brother is going to be careless enough to let me catch him making illegal gold running errands for a bunch of smugglers, then he can face the consequences. Giving me the occasional letter of entry is a small price to pay for me to keep his secret.”

“But it has occurred to me,” said Zinnia tentatively, “that it might be better for him in the long run if we didn’t keep his secret. If we exposed his activities before he went too far down this path.”

Elizabeth looked troubled. “The same thing has occurred to me,” she admitted. “But your…project comes first.”

Zinnia said nothing. Her conscience ate away at her, but at the same time, she needed the way into the city undetected. She was finally on the cusp of finding information Basil might be able to use.

“What else have I missed?” Elizabeth asked, her voice a little too airy as she stood up and started neatening Zinnia’s shoes.

“What do you mean?” Zinnia narrowed her eyes at her friend, instantly suspicious.

Elizabeth hesitated only a moment, then sat on the bed beside the princess. “What’s the deal with this soldier?”

“Lieutenant Obsidian?” To her embarrassment, Zinnia felt her face heat at the memory of how he’d caught her weeping that morning. “What about him?”

Irritatingly, Elizabeth nodded, as if Zinnia’s reaction had confirmed something. “Well, there are all kinds of rumors swirling around, as I discovered the moment I set foot back in the castle.”

“What rumors?” Zinnia asked forebodingly.

“These are your new slippers, by the way,” Elizabeth said, picking up the items in question. “Apparently we were to give them to youwith your fond brother’s compliments.”

Zinnia scowled at the offending slippers. “Elizabeth,what rumors?”

“It’s the shoes,” Elizabeth said, the words bursting from her with barely concealed excitement. “The story is that you and the other princesses have a secret—that you wear out your shoes somehow, and no one knows what causes it. They’re saying that your brother has brought in this soldier to discover what’s happening, and that anyone who can solve the mystery will win your hand in marriage!”

Zinnia snorted. “That’s a load of nonsense,” she said confidently. “I mean, Basil did bring the lieutenant here because he suspects I’m up to something, and wants him to investigate, but do you really think my brother would give me away to whoever won some stupid contest? Basil isn’t going to push me to marry anyone.” She chuckled. “And something tells me the lieutenant would have run home in a heartbeat if he’d been told success would shackle him to me for life.”

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