Zugos perked up at the mention of a curse. Now that was uncharacteristically bold, even for those witches. A curse now and then on an unimportant peasant was fine, but this time, the royal family? They must be out of their mind. Or possibly not. 

 “No one can go in or out? So what happens when they do?”- He narrowed his eyes, tapping the cane absentmindedly. There must be a reason for this recklessness. A witch didn’t just waltz up to random people and curse them for fun. As far as he knew, a curse of that caliber, covering the entirety of the castle ground, must require a lot of work. Not something that could be done with a flick of the wrist. But why did the witch do it? Something was aloof, of that he had no doubt. Maybe an elaborated plan from those witches? Trying to take over the royal family and stuffs? Fools. The king hadn’t exactly outlawed witchcraft back then, but after this incident, he probably would. If he managed to survive. 

 So lost in his thoughts that Zugos didn’t realize the woman before him hadn’t given the answer to his question. Curious, he glanced up briefly, mouth opened, ready for another sarcastic jab. But upon seeing her current state, he held his tongue. The girl looked like she hadn’t slept days and hadn’t eaten a decent meal in longer. He should probably do something before she passed out right there on his door step.

 “…Where are my manners? Please, princess, come in.”- He smiled, stepping inside and motioning her to follow. Limping his way around what might be qualified as a living room, he began sweeping stacks of books from the old couch to make room. “Excuse the mess. You see, I haven’t had any visitors of late. Certainly not one from the royal family." Pausing for a moment, he turned to look her square in the eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "And you're right. I'm Zugos Velarium, sorcerer and professional procrastinator, at your service."