Aw geez that is one sad puppy face. But Strange isn't going to lie and he's not going to try and sugar-coat the truth. Steven wants to know, so Steven will be told what happened. It's just a damn pity he couldn't distract Steven by talking about dreaming something better.

"The curse is real, though it doesn't affect me at the carnival. I don't mind it though. The alternative was worse and I know I'll break the curse someday."

He's got to. He's already been away from Arabella for far too long. He knows she's safe and he knows she's perfectly fine back in Venice, but that doesn't change the fact that he misses her like hell.