I woke up because it had become too quiet in the carriage.

  Lianel and Alexia were still asleep. Even in her sleep, Alexia hadn't removed her hand from my head, as if afraid I would evaporate if she loosened her grip.

  Another village drifted past the window. People stopped, following our procession with their eyes. I watched them through the slits of my mask—an invisible observer in a tightly curtained world. To them, we were the embodiment of power and wealth. To me, they were just fleeting memories I had already seen before.

  The carriage door creaked quietly. Zevlud slipped inside, beaming with his usual cheerful smile.

  "Oh, you're awake?" he whispered, settling into a corner. "Listen, Greg, you're probably the happiest person in the whole wide world."

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  I lazily raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that, kid?"

  "Well, look for yourself!" Zevlud started ticking things off on his fingers. "You're strong. You have eyes that any beauty in our country would sell her soul for. You're traveling with two actual princesses who practically blow the dust off you... And one of them is using her lap as your pillow. You have status, you aren't starving, and you're constantly surrounded by attention. What else do you need to be happy?"

  I looked at my reflection in a small mirror mounted on the carriage wall. From beneath the mask, eyes stared back at me—one black as the bottom of a well, the other blue.

  From Zevlud's perspective, everything was perfect. A full stomach, power in his hands, and beautiful girls nearby. The simple arithmetic of life.

  I smiled faintly under the mask. "Maybe you're right, Zevlud. From the outside, that's exactly how it looks."

  I shifted my gaze back to the window. "Or maybe not. Who knows..."

  At that moment, Alexia squeezed a lock of my hair a little tighter in her sleep. I closed my eyes. In the end, if "happiness" simply meant not being actively murdered and being fed on time, then I truly was winning at life.