The Thesoloian justice system was confusing, but it moved quickly.

Apparently, Lek Hemane sat on a valuable plot of land; it was the single most coltan-rich part of Thesolo. Alehk’s talk of bringing Lek Hemane into the future had actually been a plan to destroy it by an insidious method—sickening several people and making it seem that the land was unfit to live on. The Prince’s plague had been a detour in that plan, one that helped bolster his popularity amongst his fellow villagers before he planned to reveal the “true” source of their illness: the coltan that the selfish prince was refusing to dig up and get rid of.

Alehk’s arrest, his poisoning of Ledi and others, all of it, should have made her even more doubtful about the human race. But her cousin Nya had come to the hospital and broken down into pitiful tears when she realized her attempt at stopping her father hadn’t worked, and Ledi couldn’t be angry at her.

“He is a man who creates grudges from nothing and holds on to them tightly,” Nya said as they walked around the hospital greenhouse, safe from the cold. Ledi was better, and the other victims were recovering, but Nya had worried herself sick, literally. Her room was next to Annie and Makalele’s, making visiting convenient for Ledi. “Your parents left years ago, and he still got so angry every time our grandparents spoke fondly of your mother. He felt that she’d gotten something he hadn’t, and he never forgave her.”

“What was that?” Ledi asked. “What could she have access to that he didn’t?”

“You, my cousin,” Nya said sadly. “And through you, power. We were born not far apart, but the Priestesses chose you instead of me to be the prince’s betrothed. He had already lost my mother, and I suppose he felt deprived of something that was owed to him for that great loss. He loved her. He loves me too, in his own way.”

Ledi rubbed her cousin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. It must be so painful for you, even though you’re free of him now.”

Nya smiled. “I don’t think one can ever be free of their parents. I am sad, but then I remember that you have come into my life and I think this was a more than fair trade.”

Her face warmed.

“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Nya said sadly.

Ledi cleared her throat. In the weeks since her sickness, she’d been gathering data and trying to shore up the thesis she was writing about the experience, combining the fields of infectious disease, sociological epidemiology, and the degree in law she’d unofficially received after watching too many marathons of Law & Order.

Thabiso had been extremely busy, too. He’d been charged with monitoring the investigation and searching out any other possible crimes committed by Alehk that could have endangered the people of Thesolo. He was also tracking Alehk’s connections to companies that had been rejected flat out in their overtures to the Thesoloian government. Her uncle’s email server had been loaded with shady deals and unauthorized interactions, meaning lots of work for Thabiso and little time for each other. He hadn’t been kidding when he said being a prince wasn’t all fun and games.

“I wouldn’t mind staying a little longer,” Ledi said. “New York can be much too hot in the summer.”

Yes, that was what she was worried about.

“But you should come visit me.”

“I like heat,” Nya said as they walked back into the hospital’s main building. “I want to try these bagels you keep talking about. And a slice of pizza.”

“Oh my god. I’ll take you to my favorite pizza place and you just might refuse to come back to Thesolo,” Ledi said. “And there’s this bagel store in Williamsburg. We’ll do a food tour!”

Nya looked wistful. “Now that I am the daughter of a fraud and a criminal, perhaps leaving forever is not a bad choice.”

Ledi threw an arm around her cousin. Spontaneous hugs were much easier when you were sure they wouldn’t be rejected. She said what she wished someone had told her over the years. “If you need me, I’m here, okay? We’re family, and not just because we’re cousins. I mean, technically yes, but I like you for reasons outside of our shared DNA.”

Nya nodded, swiping at her tears.

“And Portia likes you, too. She posted a photo of you on her InstaPhoto, hashtagged ‘#frand’ and I’m usually the only one who gets that treatment.”

She left Nya near the entrance to the hospital and walked back to her suite alone. The staff, no longer strangers, waved at her and nodded encouragingly when she spoke her clipped Thesoloian greetings. A peacock with droopy feathers that she’d named Thurston kept pace with her for a moment before heading back to the garden. She was going to miss living in the palace, and not just because she didn’t have to do dishes.

She was going to miss Thabiso.

But they hadn’t spoken about the future, and she wasn’t even sure what she wanted. Was she still betrothed to him? Did she want to be? After all, they’d never even gone out on a full date. She wasn’t even sure if he was the kind of person who asked loud, annoying questions throughout a movie, although she’d heard there was a cinema in the palace somewhere. If she could confirm his boorish in-movie behavior before she left, she would feel a little better about saying good-bye. Or maybe he’d do naughty things to her in the dark theater. She’d be down with that as an alternative.