"So this Francis that Arthur warned about, he exists in this realm after all?"

"Yes, it appears he may have turned out to be quite the villain too."

Alfred sipped on his wine, closely listening as Antonio recounted the recent events in northern Prathage. With Feliks at their side, they had ridden from Primgate the morning after they received Tolys's update from Coit. Now that the eternal winter had been lifted, it only took four days of riding to reach Inasdiff, where they had now settled on the terrace after dinner.

"And he's been hiding out in Krizoris all these years?" Gilbert checked, "How has he not crossed anyone's path all this time?"

"Krizoris is the most remote region of Ixaidel," Basch reminded, "Even the largest city of Lomore only has a small population, at the far western edge of the lakes, and the other small villages quickly get cut off every winter when it all freezes over. It is a difficult place to live, but those who want that isolated lifestyle can make it work out there."

"So having a remote hideaway on Lake Virside would make perfect sense then," Antonio determined, "Out there, the only unwanted visitors would be those looking for the same seclusion."

"And you said our band of spellbreakers are on their way there?" Gilbert checked, "Do you know where they are now?"

"They are crossing Acecaria at the moment," Feliks reported, "They left Drudale yesterday, and should reach Lomore three days from now. From there they'll pass into the lake region, and have to find Francis's castle somewhere along Lake Virside. Tolys's raven is flying back and forth between our groups, passing along updates on where we all are. Naktakė is nearby, ready for me to send her back to Acecaria with an update on what happens here."

"We're on our way to join them, as we mentioned earlier," Alfred added, "We knew you'd want to know about this development, which is why we stopped here. There's a couple more clues about Francis's dealings that you might also be able to help us figure out."

"We're listening," Gilbert allowed, "What can we help with?"

"Francis's hideaway at Virside was only one of several things Madeline saw from his memories," Alfred described, "There were two other visions she saw that we're concerned about. One is about a 'stolen duchess', where Francis stole an infant child from her crib many years ago."

"A stolen infant duchess?" Basch interrupted, "Gilbert, could it be Erika?"

"Erika?" Antonio asked, "Who's Erika?"

"Basch's little sister," Gilbert explained, "She was stolen from her crib twenty years ago, in the middle of the night, and was never found. If Erika is still alive, she'd be third in line for the crown, after Ludwig and Basch."

"We don't know for sure that it's Erika," Alfred disclaimed, "On the other hand, we don't have any records of any missing Prathagean duchesses over the last generation. We wanted to ask if you knew of any missing Ixaidellian duchesses, which it seems you do."

"Erika's the only one missing," Basch assured, "None of the other duchy families in Ixaidel have had this happen over the last twenty years, only my family in Gaeniel. If Francis was the one who stole Erika away, perhaps he has her hidden away with him at Virside. Gilbert, perhaps it would be best if I join them in this journey, and see if she's indeed there."

"That makes sense to me, Basch," Gilbert approved, "There are nine days until the wedding, you might still make it to Tark in time. Granted, of course, that Alfred allows you to join them."

"We'd be glad to have Basch join us," Alfred accepted, "What's this about a wedding in Tark?"

"As you know, we sent Ludwig to Tark to re-establish Ixaidellian relations with Stulikya," Gilbert addressed, "He has found himself in the middle of a long-standing feud between Queen Erzsébet and Princess Natalya, and the recent events have taken a turn for the bizarre."

"Arthur suspected he would also be needed in Tark," Feliks mentioned, "Another of Madeline's visions from Francis included a 'false queen', a woman with her own magical prowess that Francis helped acquire a crown. Stulikya is the only of our three kingdoms with a Queen right now, and Arthur immediately recognized Queen Erzsébet's name, as well as those of King Ivan and the Princesses."

"All those signs certainly point to Arthur's eventual visit to Tark," Basch deduced, "Perhaps he'll be the one who can sort out what has happened to Ludwig."

"So what exactly is happening there, then?" Antonio redirected, "What did Ludwig stumble into, and who's getting married?"

"Queen Erzsébet had been an excellent royal host, sparing no expense to host Ludwig," Gilbert described, "However, when he finally had a chance to speak to Princess Natalya, she informed him that the Queen was terrorizing the people, and needed to be removed from the throne. Kiku went to the village of Ivrark to verify these claims, finding that the people could barely afford food and were getting constantly taxed by the Queen. Princess Natalya is plotting to overthrow her sister-in-law, and asked Ludwig for his help."

"That's quite the plot for a coup," Alfred remarked, "It seems Ixaidel might be the only kingdom where royals haven't been trying to overthrow each other over the last few years. Do you know how Natalya planned to do this?"

"She told him about her intentions at the ball being hosted in honour of his visit," Basch took over, "The next day, however, Queen Erzsébet suddenly announced the Princess's untimely death. It is claimed that Princess Natalya went for a midnight stroll in the forest, only to be devoured by the same Beast that killed the King."

"Princess Natalya is dead?" Antonio gasped as he leaned forward in his seat, "The same way Ivan went?"

"This is where things get confusing," Basch continued, "There's a band of thieving dwarfs that have been prowling the woods between Ivrark and Tark, wreaking havoc for the royals. After they stole the last round of royal taxes, Prince Ludwig and Kiku took some guards into the woods to hunt down the miscreants. They were surprised to find that the rogue band's newest member was a very much alive Princess Natalya."

"Wait, what?" Feliks laughed, "She's joined a band of thieving dwarfs?"

"Ludwig and Kiku were baffled by this development," Gilbert explained, "Natalya's false death was already under suspicious circumstances. It happened right after she told Ludwig her plans to overthrow Erzsébet, and she had reportedly been killed the same way as her brother. There was also never any proof of either death, or of the very existence of this 'Beast of Bueswood'. All things considered, Ludwig already suspected foul play from the Queen before discovering that Natalya was indeed still alive. Kiku reported that Ludwig may have been enamoured with Natalya as well, although our last update from them flips this part upside-down."

"What's the most recent update then?" Alfred asked.

"Ludwig has suddenly switched from suspecting the Queen of treachery to adoring her," Basch revealed, "Out of nowhere, he had suddenly fallen in love with her, even agreeing to marry her. In nine days time, Ludwig will marry Queen Erzsébet at the palace in Tark."

"Prince Ludwig is marrying the Queen?" Feliks tested, "But didn't you just say that he was enamoured with Princess Natalya?"

"That's where we've lost track of the situation," Gilbert admitted, "Even Kiku has no idea how it happened, although he did notice that Ludwig was suddenly acting very strange and now only speaks about Erzsébet in all reverence. That's why Basch and I were to leave Inasdiff tomorrow, riding out to Tark a few days early and sorting this out before Ludwig marries the Queen."

"In that case, should you be joining us then, Basch?" Alfred pointed out, "If there's trouble brewing in Tark with Ludwig's pending nuptials, shouldn't you be there as well instead of hunting down Francis in Krizoris?"

"The timing will cut it very close," Basch assessed, "We'd need to be wise about how we use our time in Krizoris, and ride as long as we can each day, but it's still possible. It would take a full two days of riding to reach Tark from Lake Virside, cutting past another couple lakes and riding through Bueswood Forest."

"I can write to Tolys and tell him about this restricted timeline," Feliks offered, "Given everything that is happening, Arthur might also need to be at the wedding in Tark, whether to allow it or protest it. They cannot delay in their search for Francis."

"The most direct path for our group would be east through Ewixabet," Gilbert planned out, "The main roads will carry me swiftly to Tark from there, while the rest of you will have to venture onto less-tread paths north to reach the southeastern edges of Krizoris. There are ways to get to Virside from there, but given our time restrictions, you may have to circle around and meet with our spellbreakers in Bueswood."

"That all sounds good to me," Alfred agreed.