The city was nothing like the palace.
Even this late at night, people were still outside. A baker was closing his shop while arguing with a customer over the price of bread. Somewhere farther down the street, someone laughed loudly enough to make a dog bark in protest.
Lysandra slowed her steps.
She had imagined the city countless times from behind the palace windows, but imagination had never captured this feeling.
The streets weren't polished like the marble floors of the palace. The roads were uneven, and puddles left behind by the afternoon rain reflected the lantern light. The air smelled of fresh bread, roasted meat, smoke, and something sweet she couldn't quite recognize.
People walked past without even looking at her.
No one bowed.
No one lowered their head.
No one called her "Your Highness."
For the first time in her life, she was simply another person walking through the city.
A small smile appeared on her face before she quickly hid it.
She had to remember why she came.
Not to wander.
Not to enjoy herself.
To find the truth.
She pulled her hood a little lower and continued walking.
A fruit seller called out as she passed.
"Miss! Fresh apples! Two for one copper!"
Lysandra stopped out of habit.
"No, thank you."
The old merchant smiled warmly.
"You're polite. Not from around here, are you?"
Her heart skipped.
Had she already made a mistake?
"I... recently moved," she answered, trying to sound more casual.
"Hm."
The old man nodded before turning his attention to another customer.
Lysandra let out a quiet breath and walked away.
She would have to be more careful.
Princesses spoke differently.
Walked differently.
Even thanked people differently.
If she wasn't careful, someone would notice.
She wandered through the streets without any clear destination.
The city was larger than she had imagined.
Blacksmiths were putting away their tools for the night. Children chased one another between the houses while their mothers called after them. A few musicians still played near the town square, hoping to earn a few more coins before going home.
Life continued as though nothing had happened.
Yet whenever someone mentioned the palace, conversations became quieter.
She noticed it immediately.
People were afraid.
Not only because of the prince's condition...
But because no one knew what would happen next.
As she passed a small bakery, two men stood outside speaking in hushed voices.
"I heard the palace searched the kitchens again."
"They've been doing that since yesterday."
"They still haven't found anything?"
The first man shook his head.
"They're questioning every servant."
Lysandra slowed her pace and pretended to admire a basket of bread.
The baker didn't seem to mind.
Another man approached, carrying a sack of flour over his shoulder.
"My cousin works in the palace," he said.
The other two looked at him immediately.
"What did he say?"
"He said one of the kitchen servants disappeared yesterday."
Lysandra's fingers tightened around the loaf she had picked up.
"A servant disappeared?"
"That's what I heard."
"Maybe they ran away."
"Or maybe they knew something."
Silence settled over the three men.
Finally, one of them sighed.
"Whatever happened inside that palace..."
"It isn't over."
Lysandra quietly returned the loaf to its basket before anyone noticed she had been listening.
A missing servant.
She repeated the words in her mind.
Yesterday.
Kitchen staff.
Missing.
It wasn't much.
But it was the first real lead she had found.
She continued walking until she reached a quiet fountain tucked away from the busy streets.
An empty wooden bench sat beneath a lantern whose light had begun to fade.
She sat down and reached inside her cloak, pulling out a small notebook and a piece of charcoal.
It was another thing she had prepared long ago, never imagining she would one day have a reason to use it.
She wrote carefully.
Kitchen servant missing.
Palace kitchens searched again.
Questioning all servants.
She stared at the words for a long moment.
There were still too many questions.
Who was the servant?
Why had they disappeared?
Were they running...
Or had someone made them disappear?
She closed the notebook and tucked it safely beneath her cloak.
"I'll find you," she whispered.
"Whoever you are."
A cold breeze swept through the street.
She looked up.
The eastern sky had begun to lighten.
Her eyes widened.
"Dawn..."
She had stayed out far longer than she intended.
If the palace maids entered her room before she returned...
Everything would be over.
She hurried through the quiet streets, no longer stopping to look around.
By the time she reached the palace gardens, the first birds had begun singing.
She climbed the old stone wall again, this time with a little more confidence.
Halfway up, one loose stone shifted beneath her foot.
She slipped.
Her heart lurched into her throat.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the wall just in time.
For a second, she stayed there, breathing hard.
"Not now..." she whispered.
Slowly, she pulled herself up before lowering herself onto the palace side.
She landed softly on the grass.
Without wasting another second, she hurried through the servant passages she had memorized years ago.
Every sound made her stop.
Every shadow made her hold her breath.
When she finally reached her chambers, relief washed over her.
She quickly hid the cloak and boots behind the wardrobe, changed back into her nightgown, and slipped beneath the covers.
A knock came almost immediately.
"Your Highness?"
Lysandra forced herself to yawn.
"Come in."
The maid entered carrying a basin of warm water.
"Good morning, Princess."
"Good morning."
The maid smiled and began preparing the room.
She never noticed the faint scrape across Lysandra's palm.
Nor the dust still clinging to the hem of her nightgown.
Lysandra lowered her eyes.
Her first night outside the palace had given her only one clue.
A missing kitchen servant.
It wasn't much.
But it was enough.
The truth had already begun to disappear.
And she intended to find it before someone erased it completely.