"i'm...cold," severin blinked.

elle swallowed, forcing a smile on her lips. as happy as she was for the transformed severin, elle couldn't help but feel uneasy. she had fallen in love with a droll, antisocial male. the addled prince before her looked nothing at all like her love, perhaps he would act nothing like him as well.

elle viciously silenced her thoughts. just because severin was now human-an unfortunately handsome human-didn't mean severin wasn't himself. "that happens when you aren't covered in fur," elle said, grinding her voice into a dry tease as she stood.

severin stood as well, wobbling as he adjusted to his body. "i'm human," he repeated, frowning as he looked at his hands. "how?"

"severin, you were the one who explained the curse to me," elle said.

severin pushed an eyebrow up, fixing elle with a look of unimpressed disbelief. he opened his mouth but froze. "no," he declared after a moment.

elle blinked, that wasn't exactly the reaction she was expecting. "pardon?"

"brother!" lucien rode up on a prancing white charger, all smiles and good cheer, with a squad of honor guards. "you're human again! you wooed her after all didn't you, you sly fox!"

"lucien." severin said.

lucien swung off his horse, carelessly leaving it loose for a servant to scramble after. he hugged severin, smacking his half brother on the back. "well done, not bad for a day's work! you can't believe how glad i am to see you again-the real you! blast, how i have missed you in the palace. finally life will be bearable again, but we can celebrate later. your still may be in danger. the assassins have been taken care of? don't just stand there, report in," lucien said, turning around to face elle.

elle lowered her head in deference. "the assassins had three parties around the chateau perimeter. one attacked soldiers patrolling the pathway nearest to severin, another set up a diversion in the courtyard, the third group attacked severin. one assassin was killed and another was injured. vie and aubery are chasing the injured assassin and his companion. i split up the rest of my team to take care of the other assassins."

"well done, well done indeed," lucien beamed, not at elle but severin.

"lucien, what's going on?" severin said, shifting from foot to foot in the snow.

"you haven't figured it out? the change back must have addled your mind, severin. in any case, brother, allow me to introduce you to ranger seventy eight, your intruding houseguest."

severin stared at elle, and elle forced herself to meet his gaze. she had purposely kept him and his household in the dark. she owed it to him to face the consequences with dignity.

even so, elle felt her heart break as she watched severin-before her very eyes-grow as stony and cold.

"ranger seventy eight?" he said, proving elle wrong as his voice did retain a little of the growl.

"yes, it's why she was indisposed for so long. she was stranded in your house, recovering and-thankfully-falling in love," lucien said, rocking forward and backward on the balls of his feet.

"you assigned rangers to me?" severin said.

"yes. there were two stationed at the chateau most of the time. i wasn't going to leave you unguarded in this godforsaken manor, severin. usually i used combat trained rangers, but ranger seventy eight was available at the time and none of my combat rangers were," lucien shrugged. "so, how does it feel to be human again?" he brightly asked.

severin would not be distracted. "you had her stationed at the chateau. was this a set up, falling through the roof and staying with me?" severin demanded, running a hand through his hair.

"no, the rooftop incident was ranger seventy eight's clumsiness," lucien said. "i was most displeased about that. i was planning to send her to arcainia for an infiltration assignment after she finished her two week stint of guarding you. but she wasn't a total failure. she did fall for you."

elle wished she could sink into the ground, or sock prince lucien in the face. his blase manner was going to make everything worse. elle shifted, accidentally drawing attention to herself.

"oh. i forgot about you. you can go. check in with the rest of your team or something," lucien said.

elle looked at severin, but he wouldn't even glance at her.

"what are you waiting for? go," lucien said, his voice growing frosty.

elle bobbed forward in a bow before she retreated. she blew her silver whistle-which hung from a leather cord around her neck-three times before untying fidele from the tree she had secured him to. she may as well take him back to the stables while she waited for her team to reorganize.