AN: Sorry for the delay, I had a family trip on the weekend. Here's the next chapter.
Raindrops pattered against the roof and the windows incessantly. On a more typical day, Wilmarina might have found the sound relaxing.
On this day, it simply worsened her headache.
"Dear Lady Noscrim, the relationship between House Elend and House Noscrim has been a long and productive one," Wilmarina read. "Recently, House Elend has been experiencing financial problems due to merchants being waylaid on the road. This regrettably limits the support I can provide you in these trying times. Best wishes, Count Senecio Elend…"
Wilmarina scrunched up the letter into a ball and tossed it against the opposite wall of the room.
"That's the seventh this morning..." Luciana said morosely, not even shocked by her superior's rude action.
"This is more than expected," Wilmarina said. "It certainly isn't because they believe what's being said about us, they're no fools. No… they must be receiving threats, blackmail or other direct pressure, forcing them to abandon our faction."
The Noscrim Faction had swelled in the aftermath of the latest Senate meeting, with formerly undecided factions joining forces. Now… not only were those fair-weather friends leaving, even some long-standing members were breaking away.
"We have to stop this!" Luciana said. "At this rate… Lescatie will be broken into a hundred pieces, right when the monsters are about to come!"
Wilmarina's eyes twitched. She had plenty of experience hiding her true feelings, even from those close to her, but there were times it was difficult.
"Olivie and Lucas are working on that," Wilmarina said. "They should be able to find evidence of how our enemies are coercing our allies to abandon us." Since Luciana still looked uncertain, Wilmarina added, "Our enemies must be desperate, they've had to arrange all this in a matter of days. They couldn't have done so without leaving evidence behind."
That seemed to make Luciana feel better. Wilmarina only wished she could believe it herself.
Even now, I can hardly believe what's happening...
Wilmarina thought back to last night, back when she'd still had some semblance of hope.
-ooo-
What's next…? Ah, yes… I need to… look over the state of the walls…
Wilmarina searched through a mess of papers on her desk. Normally it was much more orderly—that made work more efficient, after all—but recently, she just couldn't work up the motivation to tidy up.
After about fifteen seconds, she found what she was looking for. Wilmarina began reading a report from the guards on the east wall.
Almost immediately, her eyes began to glaze over.
I… need to focus!
Wilmarina pinched her arm. She forced herself to actually pay attention.
Let's see… thanks to increased funding, they're patching up the vulnerability in the east wall's barriers… excellent, that should make it harder for monsters to sneak in through there…
Lescatie's external walls were reinforced with myriad enchantments, but even magic was not immune to the effects of time, resulting in the formation of weak spots. Wilmarina had known about one particular weak spot for over half a year, yet each time she tried bringing it to her superiors' attention, they'd politely ignored her. Only now were the east wall's barriers being repaired.
But they'll take time to fully repair…
The door opened and Luciana stepped into the study. She immediately frowned.
"Lady Wilmarina… you said you would rest now."
"It won't be long until I finish this pile," Wilmarina said. "Then I'll certainly rest—"
"You should rest now," Luciana insisted. "We've already gone through the most urgent matters, so what's left can wait until tomorrow."
"But—"
"What would happen if monsters attacked tomorrow?" Luciana said, raising an eyebrow. "We'd all be looking to the greatest hero of Lescatie to lead us—"
Wilmarina blushed. "That's exaggeration, and you know it better than most."
"—and she'd be too tired to even get out of bed," Luciana finished. "So you need to rest now, Lady Wilmarina."
"...Very well..."
But just as Wilmarina stood up from her desk, the door opened again with a slam. Olivie burst into the study, causing both Wilmarina and Luciana to jump in surprise.
"Forgive me, Lady Wilmarina!" cried Vermut, who was trying to pull Olivie back by the shoulder. "I tried to ask her business, but she suddenly—"
Before Wilmarina could tell Vermut not to worry, Olivie slammed her hands on the table in front of her. The blonde hero looked more worried now than in all of Wilmarina's time working with her.
"I'm sorry, but this is urgent news!" Olivie gasped. "It's the king—His Majesty—he's fallen down stairs—he's now in critical condition!"
"How could something like that happen!?" Wilmarina asked. "Was it an accident!?"
"Or was he… was he… pushed?" Luciana asked, that last word voiced in no more than a whisper.
"I'm not sure myself," Olivie admitted. "But there's no doubt that something terrible has happened to His Majesty!"
That also meant there was no doubt about what they should do next.
Wilmarina and her three companions left the Noscrim Manor and hurried towards the palace in the centre of Lescatie.
Even along the way there, Wilmarina noticed signs of turmoil—well, more turmoil than in the past few days. Guards stood nervously at the entrances to noble mansions, clenching their weapons in shaking hands.
It can't be… at a time like this…
But seeing the palace itself didn't improve Wilmarina's mood in the slightest. There were guards, knights and even a few heroes running around in a chaotic frenzy. Instead of working together as they should, they shouted angrily at each other, glared suspiciously at each other.
Even Wilmarina's group wasn't spared from the suspicious glares, and they were actually on the side of the king!
Eventually, one of the guards approached and said, "H-Hero Wilmarina and company, please follow me. The third princess has asked to speak to you…"
Wilmarina's group began following the guard through the chaos that now filled the palace.
I wish the rest of the Holy Ice Flower could be here, she thought. But most of them are busy with various tasks. It's been a neverending struggle to try and clean up Lescatie in time to resist the monsters…
They arrived at a room with a table and a few chairs. There was initially no one else in the room, but the princess arrived at a run a few moments later.
"Sorry about this," Princess Selina said, brushing her braid of purple hair out of her face. "This isn't something we can talk about in public, and…" She clenched her fists tightly. "And immediately before this, I was at my father's side…"
"It's nothing to apologise for, Your Highness," Wilmarina said quickly. "If I may be so bold as to ask, what exactly has happened?"
"What happened is that they tried to assassinate my father!" Selina roared. She slammed a fist on the table hard enough to leave a crater. "Oh, they claim it was just an accident, and 'pray that he recovers as soon as possible', but it's all an act! My father's walked the stairs of this palace for as long as I've been alive! Tell me, do you think he'd just happen to fall down at a time like this!?"
Who "they" were needed no explanation.
"I… I don't think that's likely," Wilmarina replied. "But if it was deliberate, how did it happen? Who else was present at the time?"
Selina brought a hand to her forehead. "Only his two personal guards, Eddard and Phillip… He always trusted them, but now I'm wondering if he was wrong about that…"
"Could… Could there instead be a problem with the stairs he was walking on?" Olivie suggested in a low voice.
"We've looked at every single step of those stairs, and the walls and even ceiling near them," Selina replied. "And the clothes Father was wearing at the time… literally anything that might have been the problem. We even heard of a maid who'd slipped down a completely different staircase, so we investigated that as well! But we couldn't find any signs of tampering on either staircase."
It was a truly thorny mystery. The maid's fall might have been a genuine accident, or it might have been arranged in order to make the king's fall seem less suspicious. But that still left the question of how the king's fall could be arranged in secret.
Any spell, even the most skilfully cast one, would leave traces. And not only had it been a short time since the king's fall, the investigators would include some of the most skilled mages in all of Lescatie. It should be impossible for any spell—if that was the method of assassination—to go unnoticed.
Are there traitors among those who investigated the stairs? But to ensure that no evidence was found, there'd need to be a considerable number of them… and I refuse to believe that Lescatie has become that corrupt.
Then another possibility came to Wilmarina's mind. "The ones who investigated the stairs… is it possible that any of them have been threatened into hiding the evidence?"
"That's… possible," Selina said. "I'll have my trusted subordinates ask around, making it clear that anyone with useful information will be protected by the royal family."
"And… if I may ask, what is the king's current state?" Vermut asked hesitantly.
Selina looked like she might break out in tears. It was far more vulnerability than a princess or a hero was meant to show, not that Wilmarina could blame her.
"Father is… Father is… not in danger of death, at least. But to properly heal him… there's a few in Lescatie with the necessary skills, but in the current situation… there's only one or two that I might trust around Father…"
Wilmarina exchanged glances with her three companions. It was obvious who Selina was talking about: her two older sisters.
The first princess, Benella, was a priestess of the Order. Some claimed she was equal or superior to Sasha Fullmoon in her faith and mastery of holy magic.
The second princess, Vivian, was apprentice to the Sage of Horizons, a legendary magician who had otherwise never taken apprentices. She was one of the few magicians who was spoken of in the same breath as Mimil Miltie.
"Why did they have to travel abroad now, of all times?" Selina groaned. "Well… there's no changing that now. My sisters are heading back to Lescatie as fast as they can. Until my father is healed, he won't be meeting with anyone. No exceptions."
"Understood," Wilmarina said. Picking her next words deliberately, she added, "We hope that your sisters can heal your father to full health as soon as possible."
Selina dipped her head slightly in gratitude. "I hope you succeed in cleaning up this mess of a city. It's what my father, your king, would want… We can't let those bastards win."
After exchanging a few more words, Wilmarina's group stood up and began to leave.
Then—purely on a whim—Wilmarina turned back and asked, "Pardon me, Your Highness, you mentioned two of your sisters. How is the rest of your family, your mother and youngest sister?"
"My mother is as distraught you'd expect," Selina replied. "She won't leave Father's side for anything." She paused for a few seconds, then looked slightly nervous. "And Francisca would be—is still bedridden, as always. I'm… sure she's distraught as well…"
"Thank you, that's all I wished to know."
With that, Wilmarina and her companions left the room. They began heading for the exit of the palace.
"This is horrible…" Luciana said. "What does this mean for Lescatie now?"
"We… We ought to meet with the others and explain what's happened," Vermut said. "We can work out our next move from there."
"Most of them are in Salvarision, or patrolling the vicinity of the capital," Olivie said. "As for the sole exception… Lady Wilmarina, do you know where Kirsch is now?"
Wilmarina was moving her legs purely on muscle memory. She didn't have any attention to spare for the noise entering her ears. All she could think about was how Princess Selina cared so little for her sister's wellbeing, she didn't even know what she was currently doing—
"Lady Wilmarina?"
That brought Wilmarina back to reality with a jolt.
"I… we must meet up with the rest of our Order," Wilmarina said. "This changes everything."
"Yes, but I was asking if you knew where Kirsch is now," Olivie said again.
"I'm… afraid I don't," Wilmarina sighed. "It's odd, she seems to have just disappeared…"
That was another mystery. Kirsch had never been the kind of person to shirk her duty. But between the monster invasion and Lescatie's internal conflict, Wilmarina had no time to spare on one missing ally.
Is she investigating behind the scenes…?
Suddenly, Wilmarina heard a conversation from the other side of a nearby wall. Said wall was thick enough that the average person wouldn't have heard a single sound through it. However, Wilmarina's ears were sharp enough to detect most of the words.
"...Lady Wilmarina… her father already. Now… the king as well?"
"With recent events… perhaps…"
"Oh dear… so many young folk forgetting their place..."
Wilmarina wasn't the only one to hear this. Her three fellow heroes heard it as well, judging from the looks on their faces.
"How can they say such things!?" Luciana exclaimed. "To lie about—"
"Please keep your voice down," Olivie advised. "I know it's infuriating, but reacting would just be playing into their hands."
"I can understand that," Vermut said, her hand twitching towards her sheathed sword. "Still, it's not easy to pretend to ignore such slander."
They began moving again. But a short while later, Vermut turned towards a nearby wall.
"Vermut?" Wilmarina asked.
After some visible hesitation, Vermut approached it and pressed an ear against the stone. She then recoiled and drew her sword.
"Vermut, calm yourself," Wilmarina said, as quietly as she could manage while being firm. "There's no need to pay credence to slander."
"But—do you know what they're saying?" Vermut said, her expression thunderous. "They're saying, Lady Wilmarina, that you're secretly a degenerate woman, that you spend your nights sneaking into the slums to—to—to lay with commoners!"
Wilmarina was taken aback, if not for the reasons most would expect.
Have they discovered—!? No, wait, Father was extremely careful to cover up all of my history with Elt. Since it affected his reputation, I can trust his efforts here. And I've certainly never gone into the slums…
"They must be desperately spreading any insult they can think of, hoping to drag down our reputations so they can better claw their way back into power," Olivie said. She grasped Vermut's hand and gently pushed the latter's sword back into its sheath. "If we respond with force, it's exactly what they want."
"We… We should just leave as fast as possible," Luciana said.
"Yes… that's right," Wilmarina said. "We will counter their efforts by continuing to act as usual, fighting for the sake of Lescatie."
With that, Wilmarina's group hurried towards the exit of the royal palace. The others were undoubtedly thinking about the current political crisis, but Wilmarina was occupied with something else.
The slums… Elt… and… Sasha Fullmoon…
Wilmarina had never had the chance to visit Elt at his home. Even now, when she desperately wanted to verify his safety, she had too many obligations keeping her away.
Was Elt… really in his right mind when he wrote that message?
It was true that Sasha had a reputation of purity as a priestess of the Chief God. This was acknowledge by multiple factions of Lescatie, so that reputation seemed to be founded in truth.
But that's while she was a human… could she really still "be herself" after being corrupted into a monster…?
Dark images flitted through Wilmarina's mind: Sasha in scandalously revealing clothing, Sasha pressing her body on Elt's, Sasha forcibly pressing her lips on—
"L-Lady Wilmarina?"
Wilmarina was brought back to reality again. She looked up to see Luciana looking at her with a worried gaze.
"Lady Wilmarina, I know this must be hard, but I'm sure we'll get through this," Luciana said.
"...You're right," Wilmarina said. "I'm sorry for making you concerned…"
Even if the Order of the Holy Ice Flower had started out as a mere tool of the Noscrim Faction, the bonds formed among its members were genuine. Wilmarina knew she could count on their support even in these difficult times.
However, she still wasn't prepared to trust them regarding Elt yet. She wasn't alone in this, since Lucas also had never revealed any details about his childhood friend.
Wilmarina glanced in a random direction upwards. Somewhere, on one of the higher floors of this castle, would be the room of Fourth Princess Francisca.
Fran…
She could trust Fran with this. After all, Fran had been friends with her and Elt in the past.
In the present… was a different story.
At that high society dinner, a few months ago… I met Fran again. She looked so beautiful in her dress, with her hair done up… It must have taken much effort on her part to attend the dinner. And when she tried talking to me, she revealed she'd sent requests to meet me, in the past…
That was another reason Wilmarina could not forgive her father. To him, the bedridden fourth princess had no value whatsoever, so he'd prevented those requests from ever reaching Wilmarina's ears.
But I… I didn't know what to say… and in the end, I treated her like a stranger… It wouldn't be surprising if she hates me now…
In any case, Wilmarina couldn't meet Fran now. Doing so would just draw unwanted attention to the normally ignored fourth princess… and it was now clear that even royalty wasn't safe in Lescatie's struggle for power.
So to keep her friend—and first ever rival in love—safe, Wilmarina would have to keep treating her as a stranger. The necessity of it didn't make it any less painful.
-ooo-
The situation hadn't improved since then. The Noscrim Faction was shrinking rapidly, its less-devoted members leaving like rats from a burning building.
Then there were its formerly rival factions, the Miras Faction and the Gallon Faction. Previously, the new leaders of these factions had vowed to cooperate for the defence of Lescatie. However, after the king's fall, Wilmarina hadn't received any visits or letters from them affirming their vows.
Did they lie originally, and are only now showing their true colours? Wilmarina thought as she paced around her study.
After all, corruption had been pervasive in Lescatie for generations. Even if many of the family heads had been replaced, those replacements were their own children, raised to follow in their footsteps. Not everyone could break free from their upbringing...
There's another possibility… the honest ones being manipulated by the corrupt, stopping us from working together to clean up this country.
Perhaps Father was right. I was too reckless… and now, everything I aimed for is collapsing before my eyes…
Wilmarina shook her head. She couldn't let herself think that way. Lescatie hadn't survived countless monster assaults by having a weak-willed populace. She had to keep trying no matter the odds arrayed against her.
"Let's go to… the new leaders of Miras and Gallon," Wilmarina said out loud. "If we visit in person, it will be harder for anyone to turn us away. And if we can secure an alliance with old rivals, we can fight back against these… these traitors to Lescatie."
Luciana nodded. "I'm ready, we can leave at once."
The two of them left the study and headed down the stairs. But in the entrance hallway, they ran into another pair.
"Ah…" Luciana said. "Lord Lucas, Lady Olivie, did you have any… success…?"
The reason for Luciana's trailing off was obvious. Based on their downcast expressions and limp postures, Lucas and Olivie hadn't had any success whatsover.
"...Let's talk in a more private setting," Wilmarina said quietly.
They went up to the study again. It was a little cramped with four people in here, but they'd just have to bear with it; this room was the only one in the manor to be checked for spying devices twice daily.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't find a thing," Lucas said bitterly. He ran a hand through his silver hair. "We asked around as discreetly as possible, sent out a few trusted subordinates to investigate, but… it seems our enemies—those within Lescatie—are very good at covering their tracks."
"I'm sorry, Lady Wilmarina," Olivie said, looking down at her clenched hands. "We've failed…"
Wilmarina forced herself to look calm despite the sinking feeling in her heart. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You two were the ones best at this, so if you couldn't find any evidence, there must be none to find."
"But I don't understand, how could they get rid of all evidence?" Luciana asked. "It's only been two days since that Senate meeting, when everything changed!"
"This is just speculation, but… most likely, they already had plans for this," Lucas said. "No one survives the high society of Lescatie for long without planning for emergencies."
"I doubt any of them planned for an emergency of this scale, however," Olivie added. "They must be very good at adapting what they'd planned to the current situation."
The four of them fell silent. One of their main ideas on fighting back had been completely thwarted. It was as if Lescatie itself refused any attempts at reform even in the face of destruction by monsters.
Could there be agents of our enemies among our servants…? Argh, I can never feel at peace wherever I go.
...I might be at peace if I visited El—
No, it's not the time for that! First, I have to work with the others to find a way out of this mess!
...Alright, what was I thinking of before? Ah, yes, the possibility of enemy infiltration… while that's quite possible, I doubt it could be responsible for Lucas and Olivie's investigation bearing no results. Still, it's a good reminder that we must all continue to be vigilant.
"For now, there is something else we can do," Wilmarina said. "Luciana and I were originally going to visit our two former rivals, House Miras and House Gallon. Securing their support would go a long way in turning this situation around."
"That could work… though from some of the rumours I've heard, it might not," Lucas said. "It's worth a try, if only to get an idea of their positions. Allow me to come with you, having two people of our ranks should encourage them to listen to us."
"I'd like to accompany you as well," Olivie said.
"Hmm… while it would be better to visit Miras and Gallon with more people," Wilmarina said, "we have many tasks ahead of us, and can't afford to neglect any of them. Olivie, I want you to instead meet up with Alameria and Paula for debriefing—"
Even with Lescatie's internal struggle, it wouldn't do to forget the approaching monsters. Two of the Three Musketeers had gone out to nearby villages to gather information and also reassure the villagers that Lescatie would protect them.
"—and, while you're at it, try to find out where Kirsch has gone," Wilmarina finished. "She hasn't shown her face for several days…"
"At this point, we have to consider the possibility that she's abandoned us," Lucas said.
"Luc—Lord Lucas!" Luciana exclaimed. "How can you say that? There's… There's no way Kirsch would abandon us, not when Lescatie needs her more than ever."
"She might have seen more benefit in switching to another faction, as many are doing right now," Lucas said unflinchingly.
"We can't rule out that possibility," Olivie agreed. "Still, I hope she hasn't done that. We've fought together as comrades, after all. Lady Wilmarina, I'll do as you ask."
With that, they all left the mansion to their own respective tasks. It was still raining, but casting a basic spell kept them all dry.
-ooo-
In mid-afternoon, Wilmarina and Luciana returned to the Noscrim Manor. They'd parted with Lucas prior to this, as he needed to go to his own home to sort out his family's issues.
Shortly after the two women stepped through the front door, they reached the guest room and slumped down on the soft couches there.
"Luciana…" Wilmarina said. "I've never drunk alcohol before, except for social occasions. Now… I'm beginning to see how my father became an alcoholic."
"I'll… make sure you don't… go down the same path… Lady Wilmarina…" Luciana said halfheartedly.
There had to be even more paperwork upstairs—most likely, more letters from noble houses who were leaving the Noscrim Faction. However, Wilmarina and Luciana simply couldn't muster up the energy to deal with it.
"The new Duke Miras is 'inspecting the defences of Lescatie's villages', despite never leaving the capital until now," Wilmarina recalled. "And the new Marquis Gallon is 'feeling unwell', despite having perfect health until now. Though… I suppose the latter might be true, recent events could certainly take a toll on one's health…"
"Just how can they be making excuses like that?" Luciana asked despondently. "I thought they also wanted to make a difference to Lescatie."
"Perhaps they never did, only acting that way as long as it benefited them," Wilmarina replied. "Or perhaps they thought that way, but gaining power corrupted them… it would hardly be unprecedented in history. Or perhaps they still do think that way, but are being manipulated by others."
Wilmarina sorely wished she knew how those other major powers in Lescatie were thinking. But while her father's records were comprehensive, they still had many gaps, either because her father's spies had limits or because there were some secrets he only kept in his own brain.
"I did tell the servants to let their masters know we visited, so… if those masters truly have similar goals to us… they should meet us," Wilmarina said. "Until then, we have to get back to work."
"Yes, Lady Wilmarina—hm?"
A servant knocked on the door of the guest room.
"You may enter," Wilmarina said, raising an eyebrow. Hopefully this was good news, she needed that quite desperately.
A butler in a grey suit entered and bowed. "Sir Eustace Rosnair has arrived and requests an audience," he said. "Shall I let him in, Lady Wilmarina?"
"Yes, certainly!"
The butler left and returned soon after with a dignified-looking man who had grey hair and was dressed all in blue. Then the butler nodded and left once more.
"It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Lady Wilmarina," said Sir Eustass, father of Vermut. "I only wish it were under better circumstances…"
"The pleasure is all mine, Sir Eustass," Wilmarina said. "Please, have a seat."
Eustass sat down on a couch opposite Wilmarina. He looked around the guest room, at the glass cabinets filled with wine bottles, and frowned slightly.
"To think my successor—and now predecessor—was indulging in such things…" Eustass said. "Well, he is no longer a concern. I have regained my position as Grand Master of the Holy Knights. Unfortunately… I have bad news in that regard."
Wilmarina's heart fell, but she kept a brave face as she asked, "What has happened, Sir Eustass?"
"The Holy Knights have a reputation for being above political squabbling, unlike those other knight orders which are sworn to specific factions," Eustass replied. "That was untrue when—forgive me, when your father had influence over them, and even now it remains untrue. At least a quarter of the knights are slacking off in their duties, helping to spread slander about our side and… I suspect they may be acting as spies as well."
"It can't be…" Luciana said. "Is nowhere in Lescatie free from this… this rot?"
"There may well be, but only in places whose residents have no say in Lescatie's workings," Eustass said. "And, if we cannot stop the monsters… then none of us will have freedom ever again." He sighed tiredly. "I am doing what I can to sort out the Holy Knights, as are all of my children."
"Thank you for your efforts," Wilmarina said. "I am quite familiar with your daughter's skills, and I trust that all of House Rosnair is similarly gifted."
"You are too kind," Eustass said, bowing his head. "Now then, I hope you both have a good day and that when we meet again, it is under better circumstances."
Wilmarina and Luciana said their goodbyes as well, then Sir Eustass left. As he walked out of the room, Wilmarina noticed he was limping slightly despite only being in his early fifties. It may have been due to an old war injury, the stress of his experiences or a combination of both.
All of us are under great burdens at the moment, Wilmarina thought. Sooner or later, we might start collapsing under the strain…
Once again, Wilmarina thought about Elt. Seeing him again, talking to him, just knowing he was safe would relieve much of her stress.
Surely I could do that… I would just be confirming that this newfound monster in Lescatie isn't a threat, that…
"Lady Wilmarina?" Luciana said, peering into her superior's face. "Shall we go upstairs and handle the paperwork again?"
"...Yes, of course."
-ooo-
A few hours passed and night arrived. Fortunately, Wilmarina and Luciana managed to finish the piles of paperwork between the two of them.
"It's late, and going back to Salvarision in the rain would be uncomfortable," Wilmarina said. "Luciana, why don't you stay here for the night? There's plenty of empty rooms…"
"Thank you for the offer, Lady Wilmarina, but I have to say no," Luciana replied. "It's not that hard to get back to Salvarision, and… I shouldn't give people reason to believe those horrible rumours…"
Wilmarina grimaced. The slander had been getting worse by the hour. Now, people were claiming that she not only lay with commoners, she did so with men and women alike, including her own deputy. Women being together would be scandalous even without any difference in class, since they could produce no offspring and would be vulnerable to the temptations of monsters.
"If that's your decision, then alright," Wilmarina said. "Good night, Luciana."
"Good night, Lady Wilmarina."
Luciana left, meaning that Wilmarina was now alone in her study. She rested her upper body on her desk.
We've been doing so much today… yet it feels like we haven't achieved a thing. If anything, we're moving backwards…
Images of a red-haired man being chased by a green-haired woman came to mind again. Wilmarina slapped her cheeks with both hands, then went off to bed.
-ooo-
The next morning, Wilmarina woke up earlier than usual. She spent what felt like hours just lying in bed, listening to the sounds of the rain, wishing that recent events were no more than a nightmare.
Sadly, reality had no intention of complying with her wishes.
There was a loud series of knocks on the door.
"Wilmarina!" Luciana called out. "I'm sorry, but—this is important! Alameria has been—"
Wilmarina practically teleported out of bed and to the door, which she opened with lightning speed. Standing on the other side was her fearful-looking deputy, now accompanied by two of the Three Musketeers.
"What's happened to—?"
"She's been arrested!" Paula cried, grabbing Wilmarina by the shoulders. "We have to go save her!"
Wilmarina gasped. Surely this had to be a nightmare, there was no way so many things could go wrong at once—
"A group of priests and heroes came to accuse Alameria of being a monster," Olivie explained grimly. "Now… she is in prison, and slated for execution."
