How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Volger snorted. "Aleksander, you don't trust a mere boy with the greatest secret in the empire." (21.60)
Even if that secret is about that mere boy? Apparently not. We can't say we blame Volger for not telling Alek about the pope's letter earlier. While we can see that Alek is maturing, he's done some pretty irresponsible things on the way to Switzerland (see Lienz), and we don't know that he could have kept the fact that he's the true heir to Austria-Hungary under wraps.
Quote #5
"Well, then," Volger said. "Let's pretend that I don't know English. We might learn something interesting if the Darwinists think I can't understand them." (29.10)
Volger, you crafty cat—like anybody's going to believe you're not the savviest guy in the room. It's so funny to watch Volger pretend to be dependent on Alek's translations because the person he becomes in the meeting is so different from his typical character. Also, pretending you can't understand the enemy = oldest trick in the book. A book which Volger probably wrote.
Quote #6
Alek didn't answer, gritting his teeth. Every word out of his mouth only betrayed more information.
He wondered if the Darwinists had already guessed who he was. The assassination was still front-page news, and the rift between his father and the emperor was no secret. Luckily, the Austrian papers had never revealed that Alek was missing. The government seemed to want his disappearance kept quiet, at least until it could be made permanent. (30.20-21)
Talking just gets you in trouble when you've got any kind of secret. This time, it's not his accent that betrays Alek but his words themselves. Dr. Barlow is way good at asking leading questions, and Alek consistently follows her lead.