A few hours later, the guests continued the celebration alongside their escorts in a hall set up for the occasion, accompanied by Umgard musicians who honored the attendees by playing songs from their respective kingdoms. Freed from the oppressive presence of the Empress—who had retired to her chambers to attend to important matters—the guests finally had a chance to get to know one another.
The Archmage, however, had stayed behind in the hall to enjoy a few glasses of fine wine and converse with the most prominent figures. After growing bored with the siblings from Hermania, she decided to set her plan in motion and pull Princess Snow White aside. Too bad Grimilde wouldn't leave her alone for a single second... Alex's eyes tried to interpret the two women's body language, but she wouldn't glean any useful details in a public setting. When she saw the Queen engaged in a conversation with the Prince of Olson and Adelina Floris, she decided to take advantage of the moment and approached Snow White.
"They told me there's a terrace with a stunning view. Would you like to go see it together?" Alex knew the princess wouldn't be able to say no, given her polite nature.
Indeed, the young woman agreed, though she turned to look for Grimilde; seeing her busy, she decided not to disturb her. She followed the Archmage to the terrace and noticed out of the corner of her eye that Iza was nearby; this allowed her to ease her tension. She trusted she would be safe, at least for the moment.
"I get the feeling you wish to speak with me about something."
"You are right." Alex leaned against the balustrade and paused to admire the night sky, dotted with tiny lights, save for the full moon that dominated everything with its silver rays.
Snow White realized just how young Alex actually was, even though her eyes betrayed a difficult past and a maturity forced upon her far too early. The Princess of Arran was highly sensitive to people's emotions and sensed a shift in Alex, so she stepped closer to her and waited patiently.
After a few moments of silence, the woman with amber eyes spoke: "You've seen with your own eyes what awaits us... a horrific nightmare," she whispered, turning to face Snow White with a look that brooked no denial.
The princess was left stunned; then, the fear set in. She didn't know what to say; it was as if her brain had frozen over. Her thoughts were paralyzed, and she could only see those terrible images that now haunted her spirit. She shuddered and turned to leave, seeking Grimilde to ask for her comfort, but a hand clamped around her wrist and stopped her.
"I can sense vital magic, but also mortal magic—the absence of light, a dark abyss, a cold breath that chills you to the bone... I know you have been touched by that kind of demonic breath."
Snow White's eyes widened, and she gritted her teeth. Alex moved closer and closer until their faces were mere inches apart, and her lips brushed the princess's ear: "What you saw will truly happen if we don't stop it."
Those words knocked the wind out of the princess, who tried in vain to block out the disturbing images she had seen in the mine in Arran; they kept coming back, striking her with fury. She only realized she was trembling when two warm, familiar hands cupped her cheeks; only then did she see the eyes she loved so deeply, the ones always capable of offering her relief and safety.
"Darling... it's alright." The princess nodded weakly against the Queen's shoulder, focusing on calming her racing heart and rapid breathing.
"What happened?" In the Queen's voice, it was impossible to miss the anger, no matter how icy her tone was.
Alex realized her mistake and tried to make amends somehow: "Forgive me, I didn't think she would react this way—"
"That is not what I asked."
The witch sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and avoiding the Queen's gaze. "I spoke of what she saw, of the visions about the demons." She didn't let her emotions bleed into her voice: perhaps she felt guilty, or perhaps she was simply annoyed by the situation.
Grimilde wrapped her arms around the princess's body and shot one last warning glare at the witch before turning to leave the hall. She had many questions for the Archmage, but this was not the time to ask them.
The Queen didn't look at anyone, too preoccupied to do so, as she walked away from the terrace and toward the hall's entrance doors. She only stopped when the princess asked her to. Snow White had, in fact, recovered—at least outwardly—and silently pleaded with the Queen through her gaze, asking her not to be reckless. Grimilde easily understood her, given how well the two of them communicated with their eyes. The princess didn't want to draw attention to them, although it was already too late for that.
Strangely enough, it was Astrael who resolved the situation. He had taken the place of one of the musicians and began playing a different melody than the previous one; it was something livelier, something the Queen of Arran felt resonating with her childhood memories.
Seorlin Mijavlik was the first to notice that familiarity and pushed his way through the crowd to listen to Astrael up close, surprised by his musical performance. While everyone was distracted by the turn of events, the princess and the Queen were joined by Iza, who had observed the interaction between Snow White and Alex but couldn't have predicted the princess's reaction. The three women left the hall without drawing attention, thanks to Astrael's trick that kept the nobles occupied.
When the Queen and Snow White found themselves outside the blonde's room, they looked into each other's eyes and communicated silently. It was best to stay together, given that they didn't know Alex's intentions. Iza would stand guard all night to ensure their safety.
Finally alone, they had the chance to discuss what had happened and reflect together on the Empress's and the witch's behavior toward them. First and foremost, it was obvious to everyone that they harbored a deep interest in the couple from Arran, but the motive behind their actions remained unknown.
"If they wanted to harm us, it wouldn't make sense to lure us into a public event."
"She wants to speak to us about something important and will likely ask to meet with us in private. To be safe, I'll have Astrael come with us."
"Actually, I don't think that will be possible. Alex told me she can sense the presence of demonic traces, as she did in my case."
Grimilde was stunned by those words: she hadn't calculated that Alex would uncover all their secrets so quickly. Astrael had probably been detected the moment he set foot in Krussgard, despite his skills in camouflage.
"We must remain on our guard... Astrael." The Queen snapped her fingers, moving closer to the room's terrace, and within seconds, the figure of the lust demon emerged from the darkness.
"I love putting on a show, but that was a tough crowd! Especially that weird guy from your neck of the woods," Astrael commented, approaching the two women.
The Queen ignored him, as they had more pressing matters to attend to; in fact, she wasted no time and got straight to the point: "Alex knows who you are."
"I expected no less from a witch of her caliber... I must say, I really appreciate individuals like her. People capable of harnessing the darkness to achieve their goals, without stopping at obstacles, but trampling and destroying them along the way. Just like Alex of Clevwood did."
"Are we in danger?" the princess asked, moving closer to the two of them.
Astrael observed her carefully and answered seriously: "Probably, yes. But only if we anger the Empress."