At this very moment, dense dark-element motes gathered and draped themselves around the Empire's Regent, completely masking her presence. That waterfall of fine, silvery-white hair was now veiled by a thin gauze of night. Paired with her pure-black lace-trimmed sleeves, the luxurious, smooth, night-sky gown, and the sheer black stockings covering her tender legs, the once dazzling Imperial Jewel now looked mysterious, yet elegant.
Astrid was not at the very center of the frontal battlefield. As an imperial power figure and a reserve force, she had completely blended into the darkness, protected at close range by the head maid, while silently watching the shifting tides of battle.
No one could say for certain whether the royal mages now appearing high above were the full extent of the royal house and the Church's foundation, or only part of it, whether others still lay hidden beneath the curtain of night, observing the battlefield as closely as she was, ready to enter at any time.
