Yes. Guilty or not, Zofi had done no worse than Akeylah herself. “Do you think my father is right to imprison his own daughter based on a hallucination?”

Rozalind glanced down at the king. “I don’t know. But I’ve spent nearly two years at Andros’s side.” Akeylah resisted the urge to flinch. She hated the reminder of who Rozalind was, her place in the kingdom. “Your father would never imprison anyone, let alone his child, without due cause.”

“He’s ill,” Ren said. “He wasn’t in his right mind.”

“You didn’t see him last night.” Rozalind’s jaw hardened. “I’ve never seen him so heartbroken, so torn about something, not even after—” She stopped herself short. Swallowed whatever her next words had been. “I’m just saying, don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions.” When she looked to Akeylah again, her eyes shone. “Someone has been threatening you.”

Akeylah’s pulse jumped. “How do you—”

“I’m not an idiot, Akeylah. You asked me to dig up a body so you could confront Yasmin about her past. Then there was the fit you suffered in the library, which didn’t seem to surprise or faze you for long. Not to mention the way you found poor Florencia in the baths.” She gestured at Ren, who winced. “It’s clear to me that you’re in danger. Both of you. How do you know it wasn’t from Zofi?”

For a split second, Akeylah thought about it. Really thought. Zofi was the one who broke into Yasmin’s chambers and brought back a note confessing to the murder of Acolyte Casca. A note that led them in the completely wrong direction.

Then there was the night in the sky gardens, when Yasmin fell. Akeylah had been dancing with Rozalind, and Ren had been with their father. But where did Zofi go? Akeylah didn’t remember seeing her again, not until Yasmin had already fallen.

And of course, only Ren and Akeylah had suffered the heir’s latest hallucinations—a vision that nearly drowned Ren, and another that turned Akeylah to a cowering mess.

But then, why would Zofi reveal her own secret? Why get herself arrested? It made no sense.

“We just know,” Ren spoke into the silence Akeylah left, her voice hard. “And we don’t have to explain ourselves to you.”

Rozalind bristled. “I’m not asking for an explanation. I’m asking you both to be careful. News of Zofi’s arrest has already spread. If she has committed this crime, and you release her, you could be accused alongside her. Whereas now, no one can reach her in the dungeons, nor can she reach anyone else. If she is the threat, no more harm will befall you while she’s trapped there. If she isn’t, once proof of her innocence has come to light, you can free her at a later date. No harm done.”