Not on the Menu

The brightness of the prince's smile dimmed considerably at Ullen's question, and the handsome man let out a sigh heavy with responsibility and complicated feelings.

"Consort Esmerelda," Prince Eddis replied. "It pains me to do this to her, but I've noticed her acting… oddly recently. I must put the safety of the kingdom above that of one lone woman."

"Acting odd how?" Ullen pressed.

"Lately I've caught her aimlessly wandering the halls of the castle at night, as if sleep-walking. But it can't be so simple, because whenever she does this, her eyes are incomparably alert.

"Whenever I speak to her, she refuses to make eye contact, something she had no trouble with in the past. Her voice, once bright enough to light up the room with a single laugh, is now subdued and hushed, as if speaking is enough to get her punished for something.

"But perhaps strangest of all is this."