It wasn’t an accusation; it was fact. She was angrier than Durkhanai had seen her in a long, long time.

“How did you—” Durkhanai started, heart hammering. She went to stand, and her head spun from the sudden movement.

“I saw him leaving, at fajr, before dawn,” she replied. “I’ve barely seen you lately . . . and I couldn’t sleep after praying . . . so I thought I would come visit—I didn’t know you already had a visitor.”

“You don’t understand,” Durkhanai said. Her mouth filled with bile. “Please, come sit with me.”

She felt like she was being squeezed into a tiny box. Shame pressed her cheeks red hot like coals sitting on her skin. Zarmina would think the worst, seeing them together so late at night.

“Nothing . . . like that happened,” Durkhanai insisted. “We were just discussing something about the illness spreading through the village.”

It was a half lie, acidic in her mouth.

But how could she explain? What could she say?

“Whatever it was, you showed him the passageways?” Zarmina asked, incredulous. “You do realize how stupid that was, don’t you? The one mode of hidden transportation within the palace—not even everyone in the family knows. You told Saifullah and I only a few years ago, yet you immediately told our enemy? When did you become such a fool?”

“Zarmina, please,” Durkhanai said. She was suddenly tired, much too tired. “I don’t want to argue.”

“You’re being nonsensical!” Zarmina said, scolding Durkhanai as if she was a child. “You’re so distracted, and you’ve become obsessed with Asfandyar. People are beginning to notice, and rumors—”

“Enough about rumors,” Durkhanai responded, rubbing her temples. “I’ve done no one harm, who would spread rumors about me?”

Zarmina shook her head. “You still don’t know how the world works. This could ruin you, not only as a woman, but as the princess.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

The people knew the truth about her, just as they always had. Who would believe such filth? She was confident nobody would believe it, and if they did, somebody would defend her, just as she defended her people.

“You don’t understand,” Zarmina said. “Asfandyar is the most important ambassador. You haven’t been paying attention, but Saifullah and I have. Jardum is our biggest threat. They are the most favored zilla. They haven’t even been negotiating—since clearly their ambassador has been occupied—and they’ve just been watching.

“They are friends with everyone. It’s said Jardum is the middle, the ally that gets goods for the other zillas, the one that gets things done. And it’s said Asfandyar knows everyone, everywhere. He’s so young, and there are many rumors about how he got such a position so quickly, but some say he works for a man—”

“That’s enough, Zarmina,” Durkhanai said. “Don’t treat me like a child.”

“You’re acting like a child!”