"Well, at least Lacey seems to be enjoying herself."

Hisui laughed a little, watching her daughter and Lana Marie chase Toma across the ballroom. Laxus smiled, stealing a kiss before letting out a quiet sigh. Even before the ball had begun, the day had been utterly exhausting. He let one hand rest proactively over his wife's baby bump, well aware of just how nervous both of them were. Laxus glanced towards Toma, pushing aside a sense of bitterness. They had already argued enough for one night. Hisui leaned into Laxus' embrace, briefly closing her eyes. Only a few more hours until they could finally sleep. Truly, it couldn't come soon enough. Freed and Mira were, once again, out of town. It was all too convenient for them to suddenly travel whenever there was something they sought to avoid, and something in that was maddening.

"'Sui?" Laxus murmured, feeling her flinch in his arms. "Everything alright?"

"Just exhausted," Hisui quietly replied. "It's only about another hour, isn't it?"

"A little less," He gave her an affectionate squeeze. "No one will fault you if you leave, 'Sui. I'm sure if you and Lacey leave, it'll be okay."

Hisui laughed a little. "It's still my duty as the Queen, Laxus," She smiled when he kissed her forehead. "I'm sure I can last through what's left."

He nodded. "Alright," Laxus glanced nervously around the ballroom.

"Laxus?" Hisui briefly rested her hand against his chest. "You always tell me to try and relax during these events. You should too."

"I know, I know," Laxus hesitated, pulling her a little closer when he saw Natsu (restrained by Lucy) was trying to show Lacey how to "play" with fire. "Oh, God, if the Salamander -"

A loud crash rang out throughout the ballroom. Laxus flinched, and Hisui sighed, seeing Natsu run into the wall, most likely drunk, and Lucy began to help him off the floor. She looked particularly embarrassed, and Lacey began cheering, looking particularly excitable. Toma slowly pulled her back, with Lana Marie with him. The ballroom was just as chattering and loud as ever. People watching were giggling, talking, and dancing. Natsu seemed rather pleased with himself, even though it looked like his clothes were smouldering a bit. Erza, near them, looked irritated and started to snap on Natsu though she stopped when, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Jade and Siegrain, who seemed to be arguing, albeit quietly. She took a step back, starting to walk towards them but turning around suddenly upon the doors to the ballroom opening again, with Mest and Cana entering the room and looking uncomfortable when, briefly, everyone turned towards them.

"Damn it," Mest muttered, squeezing Cana's hand. "We're late again."

"I think we're very late," Cana replied, laughing a little. "Oops?"

Mest wrapped an arm around her and waved nervously.

"You are a member of the Magic Council, after all," Cana teased. "People were always going to stare at us whenever we came in."

Mest looked to her in surprise. "You planned this, didn't you?"

"No, my dad did," Cana rolled her eyes. "Are you so tipsy that you already forgot that we were out with my dad because he wanted to intimidate you?"

"Don't remind me," He shuddered a bit and finally stopped waving. "You and I both know that I try to repress some of the most intimidating things that your father has said to me."

Cana grinned. "Well, you'll survive. You and I both know that he's not as scary as he likes to pretend he is. At least to you, that is."

Mest smiled while they approached Laxus and Hisui, both of whom looked rather amused.

"Your hair is unusually a mess," Laxus remarked. "Did you get in a fight?"

"Only with my words," Mest replied. "Cana insisted we not bail on her father. Apparently Gildarts is about to travel again."

"Isn't he always traveling?" Hisui raised an eyebrow. "Or has my husband exaggerated that?"

"I don't exaggerate anything," Laxus kissed her cheek. "Except for maybe my fear of your father."

"Toma is scarier than Gildarts," Mest agreed, laughing a little. "He always has been more eccentric."

"I disagree," Cana elbowed him. "My father drinks more than I do."

"Well, we know where you get your alcohol tolerance," Hisui quipped. "I've never seen anyone else drink the way you do and still manage to be functional the next day."

"I'm special," Cana winked. "I imagine you know quite a bit about that."

Hisui turned pink, flushing even more when Laxus gave her an affectionate squeeze.

"I do have to ask, though," Mest gestured to where Lucy was trying to put out the small spots on Natsu's suit that were still on fire or smouldering. Happy was babbling in amusement just overhead him. "What happened to him?"

"Hard to tell," Laxus chuckled. "It's the Salamander. Every time he's in the palace it seems like he gets into some sort of trouble."

"That's an understatement," Hisui sent him a pointed look. "I hope you haven't forgotten when he stole the crown jewels."

"Ah, yes!" Cana started laughing. "I remember that. It was incredible."

"Your definition of incredible can be concerning sometimes," Mest shook his head with a smile. "But, I suppose, it is often quite fun too."

Cana began to respond but cut herself off when she saw Belno all but run out of the ballroom, looking horrified.

"Is -" She finally started.

"I don't know," Mest glanced to Laxus and Hisui. "Give us a few minutes. We'll be right back."

"If it really is him," Belno lightly grabbed her daughter's wrist, seeing her swaying. "Then we'll have to be exceedingly careful."

Jade pulled her arm back from her mother, reaching up to drunkenly brush her bangs off from hanging over her glasses.

"It's going to be fine," She told her, stumbling a little. "You're more powerful than him and always have been."

"Jade, listen to me," Belno paused her daughter and held her steady, a hand on each of her daughter's arms. "Everyone in this family has more than a few good reasons to go after Ivan, but I am not going to let you get hurt. Please go back."

"I'm not a child!" Jade snapped, pulling away from her mother again. "I can handle things like this, I can make my own decisions and -"

"Alright," Belno lowered her voice. "Just be quiet and stay behind me."

The two of them finally continued back around the hall. The only thing that could be heard was the clicking of their heels. Some of the halls were dark, or at least barely lit beyond what moonlight came in through the large, panoramic windows. It was shadowy, and it was nerve wracking. With every second that passed, there was more tension and unease. As they turned a corner, Jade nearly fell, tripping a bit on the skirt of her gown. Belno reached over to steady her daughter again, only continuing down another hall when she was sure her daughter was steady. A thousand thoughts a minute raced through her mind. Belno swallowed hard when she got a glimpse of Ivan's coat towards the end of the hall, especially when she realised he had stopped moving. Rolling back her shoulders, Belno moved more quietly, but she and Jade continued towards the shadows and the light flicking of Ivan's coat.

"Ah, yes," Ivan sneered while they approached close enough to see him, both of them having adjusted to the moonlight of the corridor. "Quite bold of you two. I think it is interesting that anyone would think they really saw me. Even Laxus -"

"Don't say his name -" Belno snapped.

"- He is as much my son as he is yours," Ivan laughed. "And, in all the ways that count, he is much more my son than yours. I was the one who raised him, the one who gave him the ability to overcome his illness -"

"By hurting him, and putting him through absolute hell," Belno cut across him, impulsively pulling her daughter tightly into her. "If I could have saved him, I would have and you knew it."

"Obviously," Ivan started to walk towards her and Jade, laughing. "Why do you think I used all of my resources to keep you silent?"

"You can't keep a person silent forever," Jade quietly spoke, glaring at him over her glasses, the alcohol seemingly overtaking any rational fear. "Why come here? After threatening to harm Hisui and their baby, you know -"

"Fiore may be the most powerful country on the continent, but the royal family is woefully arrogant," Ivan snorted. "No help from Laxus. That boy still refuses to acknowledge that he would be nothing without me, and that message -"

"You cannot possibly be that arrogant -" Belno started, her eyes narrowing.

"And that is where you have always been wrong," He matched her glare with as much contempt. "My dearest Bella."

Ivan moved swiftly and, without warning, went to attack her and Jade with his magic. In a split second, she pushed out her hand, pulsing a powerful blast of her light magic and shielding her daughter with her body. Belno then reached for her gun under her skirt and pulled it on Ivan, starting to fire at him. He blocked the shots with his own magic, though he couldn't quite break past her protective pulses. Rage was rising in his chest, and Ivan intensified his magic energy into his attacks. He was eventually stopped, if only for a couple of seconds, when one of Belno's shots hit him in the arm. Ivan recoiled back in pain, clutching his arm. His eyes nearly went red from his anger, and he lunged towards her, only to slam into the wall when she managed to get herself and Jade out the way by mere inches. The second he was reoriented, Ivan paused to focus his magic, glowering at his ex wife, who was illuminated only by her magic, prepared at any second to attack him again.

"You're even worse than when we were married," Ivan spat. "To think I thought someone as impetulant as you could ever -"

"Perhaps that same impetulantance is the same which allowed our son to get away from you," Belno pushed back another attempt by him to break her protection. Ivan's jaw and eyes began to twitch in rage. "Don't I please you, Ivan?"

"You haven't in a long -"

He whipped around, cutting himself off when he heard louder footsteps storming down the stairs and into the hall. Throwing out one last attempt at attacking them, Ivan used his magic to create a whip of sorts that broke through his ex wife's protection and, in doing such, left her briefly winded, falling to the floor while he disappeared in a loud crack. Jade stumbled to try and help her mother off the floor, mumbling incoherently, sounding absolutely terrified. Mest and Cana ran towards them. Cana immediately started to help Jade and Belno steady themselves again, and Mest took a cursory look over the scene, shaking his head when he saw that Ivan had broken a window in his escape. He frowned, eventually turning towards his wife, Jade, and Belno.

"Are you two alright?" He asked, running his hands through his hair. "Was that really -"

"He's getting bolder," Belno sighed, coughing a bit. "I don't like this. Something more needs to be done, and Toma -"

"He'll listen," Jade said darkly. "There's no reason for him not to."

"That's not necessarily true," Cana said nervously. "But Mest is right. The most important thing is that you both are alright."

"For now," Belno told her. "Is the ball -"

"I assume it's just wrapping up," Cana quickly explained. "Though I got the sense that Laxus and Hisui are exhausted. It's probably best to leave this until the morning."

"I would tend to agree," Mest shared a long look with her. "All things considered, of course."

Belno eyed them both sharply for a long moment but then let out another sigh in resignation.

"Alright," She said coldly. "But no later than that."