Chapter 111 - Heavy Sleepers

Following the poor maid's Shade, Alexa went around and around the castle until she reached a slightly collapsed lookout post, on the castle's outer wall. In the distance, on the plateau above the precipice, the same place where Magnus and Florian had dueled, she saw small flickering lights. With the huge moon in the sky, she was sure they were torches.

'Don't the watchmen see this?' she wondered. 'And, what will that be?' But Shade disappeared after bringing her there, and the Princess was sure that was what she had to see. Then Alexa went quickly to the place, without using any kind of lighting. She didn't want to be seen. Luckily, the night was bright enough to help her do that without any major problems. Still, it was a good 30-minute walk down the steep road, past the wall. But she couldn't go on the road, or she would be seen.

She had a suspicion. Nerissa had tried to show her something before. But when the Princess got there, she found no one else, just clear signs that a group had been there recently.

Even with the sea breeze, the smell of burning flesh and hair still permeated the air. Stroking here and there, she found nothing more than a fire. The place would be better investigated during the day, she was sure, but she didn't have the day for it.

Returning to the castle, the Princess knew she should look for Blue Eyes to warn him, but she didn't know exactly where he might be. More by guess than anything else, she went to the castle chapel. Normally some servants and even soldiers used the benches to sleep, since there were obviously no beds for everyone in the castle. Still sneaking around and using everything she knew about rogue art, Alexa entered the chapel.

She didn't expect to find the chapel empty, so it was a surprise to find the seats empty, although some candles were lit. The place was decorated with flowers and sumptuous ornaments.

'What? Why the hell is the chapel decorated like that? ' she wondered as she walked cautiously in the shadows near the wall. The candles were almost gone, so she figured there was no one to replace them. She saw a dark-haired boy sleeping on a bench near the altar, and remembered that this was the page who used to deliver messages to Father Agnello. 'Maybe he's really here,' Alexa thought, then headed for the confessional, which was the only place Blue Eyes could be, since she didn't see him anywhere else.

Listening to her ear to see if there was a murmur in the confessional, the princess realized she could arrive without any problems. Entering the niche of the wall separated in two by an elaborate lattice, she saw Blue Eyes' feet, but there was definitely no one kneeling on the other side. Taking the penitent's place, she peered through the lattice. It was difficult to see, but she could have sworn the priest was asleep.

'Busy isn't it? He's too busy, I see!'

"Father?! Father Agnello!" She whispered, calling to him.

Realizing that her whisper wouldn't wake him, she went to the other side and found him with his face slumped over his arm, in deep sleep. The princess even started to worry, as he was known to be a light sleeper and even to be insomniac. It was not until after several attempts to wake him that he opened his opaque eyes and gradually showed facial reactions,

Alexa took off the mask, whispering,

"Father, it's me. What are you doing sleeping here?"

"I..." he showed embarrassment and stood up, looking around. "I shouldn't have slept. Where is… Lady Cordelia?"

"Hm, was she the one who was confessing?"

"Yes, she will be married tomorrow."

"Yes, I know, I know," the princess grumbled, "and apparently her sins are so dull that the Father slept in the confessional."

The Florentine Father shot a deadly look at Alexa, who realized that he was now fully awake. Leaving the confessional followed by her, Father Agnello looked around, looking for the lady and her court.

"I didn't drink, I don't know how I got to sleep ... Lady Cordelia must be less than impressed with me."

Alexa watched him closely and said,

"Probably. But strange things happened here today. Don't judge yourself too hastily, Father." Then she related the encounter with the gello in Prince Gutard's room, followed by her experience with the ghost who was murdered in her room, when she was still a mere guest.

"In short, Father Agnello, I need your help to investigate who summoned this succubus for the castle. They killed two witches yesterday, and it may be retaliation, but at the same time, there were already reports of a succubus in the castle. At least Prince Magnus had heard rumors. Whether or not it's a coincidence, I don't know. But… I think we will need to talk about your cousin, Letitia di Borghesi, soon."

As soon as Alexa said that, the chapel candles went out with a sinister draft, and the Princess felt the priest's firm grip on her arm.

'Is he afraid or is he trying to protect me?!' she wondered, blinking in confusion. But Alexa should have imagined that the shades would manifest if she said something stupid like that. She should be more careful with her words in the future.

The priest murmured his prayers, and the oppressive feeling inside the chapel left them in a few minutes. The Princess then said,

"That's not all, Father Agnello. We suffered a shipwreck. Magnus and Alexander survived, but our current situation is quite complicated. I still don't know exactly where we are, but people speak English there," she revealed. "Both Princes might die on this journey, and we were all very close to it this morning. So…"

"… a Prince without heirs…" the priest scratched his chin as they left the chapel for the courtyard.

Alexa remembered that, a few days ago, Cordelia had rescued the body of Alexander that was being taken by the Cult of Diana. The Princess had found Cordelia in that very courtyard. The Flemish maiden had killed someone with her own hands for that. And now she would become Gutard's wife.

Some pieces did not fit, however.

"I'm confused, Father. I feel like��" looking around, she dared to express her feelings even though Blue Eyes might think otherwise. "Exactly on the night that something like this happens, the priest falls asleep in the confessional. I suppose you have no idea where Lady Cordelia is, right?"

The priest frowned, thoughtful and moody,

"Are you implying that my sleep was a work of black magic, and that Lady Cordelia is involved in this diabolical plot? But ... You said yourself that you rescued her from evil spirits in the villa on the way to Holstein."

"Yes. I reported what happened. Nothing I told was a lie. But ... All I can say is that I found out she is ..." the Princess was still hesitant, because in fact she never saw anything that couldn't be justified otherwise. Cordelia wasn't directly involved with the facts, but Alexa was also sure that her facade of innocence covered up something very dangerous. "And most importantly, there are too many 'coincidences' to ignore in a court like Holstein. Did she find and be able to take Alexander's body from the people who abducted him? Does she… disappear before your eyes while you, from everyone, fell asleep?" Alexa questioned, imagining that a sharp person like Blue Eyes would agree with her suspicions.

"Even so, there are a number of natural explanations for this," he mused. Alexa was surprised by the priest's reasoning, but then she remembered that Fater Agnello wouldn't be who he was if he were just a superstitious man who blamed the supernatural on any occasion.

"Yeah ... I don't know how to explain it, but if she's not in her room, that will be a sign that I may be right, won't it?" it was a blind attempt, to prove a point that even she was not sure of. Only her intuition told her she had been wrong about Cordelia for a long time.

"Hm, you're right not to trust anyone. We can check to it right away," Blue Eyes made his decision, and started back to the castle's main building wasting no time. The Princess follows him in the shadows, at a distance.

Hidden behind a column, she saw when the priest knocked on the door of the Lady's room, fixing the collar of his cassock and holding his rosary for a moment. The door was opened, a conversation followed, and Alexa heard Blue Eyes' voice a little louder, demanding in an arrogant and imperious tone,

"Well, if she felt bad, let me see her for a moment. I'll make it brief," and the priest forced his way into the lady's room, despite his maids.

The door closed behind him, and the Princess felt her heart pounding. If she was right and Cordelia was involved with witches linked to a Necromantic Cult, Blue Eyes was in danger of death by entering the room so carelessly as he did.

Alexa was about to sneak closer to the door when she saw movement coming from across the hall. A group of women was approaching. The torch light was enough that the Princess could identify the Ludovica, the nun, and the ladies-in-wait Catalina and Elke. And of course, Cordelia.

It was clear they tried to make as little noise as possible. They whispered briefly to each other before Elke raised her hand to knock on the door. But she halted suddenly. Alexa followed more nervous whispers among themselves, until the nun, Ludovica, seemed to interrupt with authority over all. Even Cordelia.

'Hm,' the Princess thought, 'what do we have here?'

Sister Ludovica spoke quickly, but "If necessary," was all the Princess understood, while the others nodded in obedience. Her tone was menacing, however.

Alexa had no doubt that the priest was in danger at this point. And Alexa only saw a way to prevent Blue Eyes from ending like Nerissa.

Taking a deep breath, the 'Second Prince' stepped forward, revealing herself.

His sudden approach caught the attention of the group of women. Cordelia immediately turned towards him, gaping.

"W-who are you?"