He stepped toward her, reaching around to pull the tight braid over her shoulder. “In Bela, we learned of your likeness to Queen Aurora, but we’ve both heard the stories of Rapunzel. Now that we know there is Draconian blood in your veins as well as Belaen blood, we have answers to all the questions we’ve been asking. It’s funny, your father gave you all the answers you needed when he named you Persinette.”
“The Draconian word for Rapunzel,” she said softly. “How long have you known?”
“Esme told me about the translation and then I saw you heal Alex. That’s how Draconian blood entered the Basile line. King Philip didn’t kidnap her. She went willingly. She must have fallen in love with Phillip and Aurora’s son—the first man to fall under the curse.”
She ran a hand down her braid, stopping
