"Alex." Zeyana didn't lift a finger, but the pressure her voice exerted on Alex was palpable. The witch reluctantly backed away and returned to her side.
"I wasn't doing anything wrong."
The Empress then seemed to snap out of her thoughts and took charge of the situation. "Well then, now that we are all gathered, we can begin the welcome banquet." The Sun of the Empire started heading toward the long table that had been set for the occasion, but first, she addressed Grimilde and Snow White. "Why don't you sit near us? I would very much enjoy conversing with you during the banquet."
And that was how they found themselves celebrating in appearance, but battling a silent tension visible only to the eyes of the four highly influential women. Grimilde was elegant as always, giving no indication of what she was thinking or feeling. The princess, on the other hand, found it hard to ignore the witch's insistent stare: why did she keep staring at her? Did she want to talk to her, perhaps?
"Are the dishes to your liking?"
"Yes, everything is delicious."
"I care deeply about ensuring my guests eat well."
The Empress's comment did not go unnoticed: the princess and the Queen knew perfectly well that she was alluding to her influence over Umgard, acting as if she were the lady of the house. Indeed, Askmon and Fromm had vanished after the banquet began, and no one mentioned them.
"Speaking of which... could you clarify something for me? Did you personally invite every guest present today?" Grimilde took a sip from her goblet, appearing relaxed and almost nonchalant.
Zeyana rested her clear, crystal-water eyes on her and smiled enigmatically. "No, I did not."
Snow White paused a moment to take a good look at the couple dining with them: the Empress was truly beautiful, but she carried an oppressive intensity that overshadowed her unique charm. She had long, very fair hair, with some strands looking almost silver, while her eyes differed from the Queen's by having slightly lighter pigments and, most notably, by revealing absolutely no emotion. Alex, on the other hand, was clearly a seductress: she was dressed in a tight golden gown that left her shoulders and arms bare and showcased her feminine curves; she also had amber eyes and a very beautiful face, with full, red lips. Yet, Snow White felt that for both the Empress and the witch, this was all an act. And what about the rest of the guests? The princess hadn't had much of a chance to get to know them, since, from the moment she sat down on that side of the table next to the Empress, no one had dared to bother them.
"And may I ask the reason why?"
"I could answer you, but in exchange, I would like you to call me by my name, and so I may call you by yours."
Grimilde lifted her eyes from her plate and fixed them on the Empress. "Agreed, Zeyana."
Alex bounced her gaze from the Empress to the Queen of Arran, then took another sip of wine, remaining silent. Albeit briefly. "Can I call you Snow White?" She addressed the princess, cutting to the chase, and the latter smiled cordially, although she was weirded out by that behavior.
"It's an unusual name."
"My father and mother chose it for me. Apparently, I've been as white as snow since birth."
Alex propped her elbow on the table, resting her face in the palm of her hand, contemplating the princess sitting across from her. Her behavior was ignoring every single rule of noble etiquette, but no one would have ever dared to point out such a detail. After all, she was the famous Archmage of Atenarte, a woman endowed not only with great power but also with the Empress's favor.
"You must have been a very loved child... weren't you?"
At that point, Grimilde decided to intervene in the conversation to stop Alex from continuing her interrogation, which only caused discomfort, but Snow White took it upon herself to change the subject. "I take it you know a lot about me... and yet I know nothing about you. Where do you come from? I like listening to stories."
"Mine isn't a very nice story." The witch adopted a detached expression, but her eyes were vacant. She completely changed her demeanor, and her body language communicated distance. Snow White didn't want to cause trouble, but in that way, she had stopped her attempt to make her uncomfortable.
Grimilde took charge and changed the subject once again: "I have heard of your exploits. Your skills are spectacular... magic is something truly intriguing. In most kingdoms, a supernatural phenomenon has never been witnessed, yet there are those who possess unseen powers..." The Queen complimented Alex, who turned mischievous again, flashing that seductive yet ambiguous smile.
"Strange... I thought you were well-versed in the supernatural arts."
Grimilde gripped her goblet tightly, but kept her shoulders relaxed, remembering not to let her restlessness show. The Empress took another sip of wine, then placed a hand over the witch's, drawing her attention. "Didn't we agree to talk about this later?"
"Oh... you're right, forgive me." Alex smiled at her, squeezing her fingers without caring about the people around them who were watching closely.
Snow White blushed at their intimacy and wondered if their relationship was somehow deeper than she had thought. When the princess looked at the woman beside her, she noticed she seemed distracted, lost in her thoughts. Under the table, she grabbed the hand that was resting on her knee and received an almost imperceptible, yet present, smile.
"Allow me to say that you are truly stunning. Grimilde has always praised you in the letters I've received, and I must say she did you justice in the best possible way." Albert Blueblood was sitting near Alex, across the table from Snow White, and wore a sincere expression. His blue eyes seemed genuinely kind.
"Thank you... I didn't know the Queen spoke of me in your epistolary conversations." The princess blushed, hoping it wasn't too obvious; she ran a hand through her hair, smiling shyly.
Grimilde finally seemed interested in what was happening at the table and started conversing with Albert, happy to see a friendly face among the attendees. Adelina soon joined in, and for a moment, the two women from Arran forgot the tension they had felt since the beginning of the banquet. They didn't know, however, that the Empress was studying them closely: she had noticed details in the interaction between Grimilde and Snow White. She had a hypothesis she wanted to test, and to do so, she would ask for Alex's help. She was good at these things: her malice and sensuality were capable of revealing a person's true face.