Chapter 117 - In the Still of the Night

"Then we meet again," said the White Queen, staring at the Lightbearer with gleaming eyes. In a corner of her mind Alexa knew that they only met there because she had banished the Shade from the world of the living. But the maiden didn't know what to expect next. 'Do I tell her I am her daughter-in-law now? I remember she wanted it and said she would even reward me ... Well, of course it was before I managed to ban her…'

"Oh, well ... You must go with me. I must take you to the right Path ... Princess Gisela. "

"You already know you made a mistake, don't you? Do you already know that you left the Dark Evil free to dominate those lands ...?" a soft smile appeared on Shade's scary face. Although the features of her beauty had not left her face entirely, it was as if it were a cracked and pale mask of sheer texture over a face that constantly winced revealing her twisted emotions.

"Who knows, maybe you can give me much needed answers," Alexa probed, waiting for Shade's goodwill.

"And who knows ... You can convince yourself that you should take me back," said the White Queen, with a deep look in Alexa's eyes.

The mere possibility hit the Lightbearer's mind, and she opened her eyes, astonished. Again, Alexa stared at the embroidered stars of the false sky from the bed's canopy. And again she was inhabiting Alexander's body.

Turning to the side with a sigh, she stretched her fingers and toes, a little disappointed that she hadn't continued her dream and learned more. Was it just a dream? Was she still able to just dream?

In fact, would she have been able to dream, one day?

Alexander had told Alexa that he dreamed of her life while he slept. But she rarely remembered her dreams. What did she dream of, anyway?

Sitting up, he saw that Blue Eyes was writing, sitting at the table.

"If you're awake, you might want to hear the news," Father Agnello commented without looking up from what he was writing.

Lex sat up, suddenly worried. He knew that Blue Eyes was angry that the Second Prince showed 'himself' awake and in the castle, to Cordelia. But she didn't know if that was still the subject.

"Something happened?"

"Besides Prince Gutard's wedding? Yes. Rumors that Princess Alexa is dead have reached court."

Lex took a deep breath. At first it didn't even make sense, but then some implications came to mind.

"Wait ... How did that rumor come about?"

"Some people say that Princess Alexa was stabbed the last night she was seen alive, leaving with the Prince and Duke. They say that she was murdered by a mad woman, and that Prince Gutard himself witnessed and confirmed it. Whoever started spreading the rumor has a lot of interest in it, since it's involving important people."

"Hm, I suppose this information must have been expensive. Lighthouse people may have witnessed it, Prince Gutard's men... or anyone who witnessed when the Prince sent you word that I was dead at the lighthouse, Father Agnello," concluded Alexa, going to get dressed. From behind the screen, she heard Blue Eyes musing,

"I've been thinking about it. It's not so easy to identify the gossip's source, but trying to identify who wins from it is important."

"Well, it may even be well-meaning gossip. There was no dignified burial. If Prince Gutard himself said that the 'Princess' was dead," it was a little strange to speak of herself in the third person, "then not having an 'Princess' funeral' ritual is quite suspicious."

"But after last night, my suspicions have changed," Blue Eyes finally closed the small leather-bound book, buckling it and keeping it in its cloak."Prince Gutard and his wife went to Schwarzenhofhausen to spend a few days far from court."

"Isn't there a banquet or anything?!"

"His Majesty requested modesty and discretion in the face of the latest scandals involving the marriages of the royal family. The wedding was in the chapel and as far as I know, the family went with them to Schwarzenhofhausen, to a private banquet," the priest clarified, with an ironic smile.

"If your suspicions have changed, is it because you believe that Cordelia's family is involved in something?" rubbing 'his' hands over his face, Lex felt his stubs pricking. When Lex looked in the mirror they're hardly seen, but they were there, and Lex was very aware of them.

Blue Eyes covered his mouth hiding an amused smile when he noticed the female soul's cringe in a male body, even a beautiful one.

"Di Borghesis know that de Wits are up to something. There is just no evidence. There's a suspicion about the attack on Prince Magnus, and although the court was shocked by what happened in the villa, being innocent of one thing doesn't exclude being guilty of another. And, Jürg de Wit despaired when he thought he was losing the game and showed his true colors, on your wedding day, remember?"

It was interesting to see the man of faith giving way to the politician. Lex looked at the Italian,

"There are two important things to do. Find evidence against Cordelia's mother, because she killed a maid. Nerissa was the name of that girl, and she would embark with me to England. On our return, this girl was murdered, and Alexander said that the woman who came into my room was Cordelia's mother. The second thing is… this girl needs a mass for her soul, Father," Lex asked with a contrite expression. She couldn't go looking for Nerissa around to send her into the Light, but maybe a ritual by a Christian priest could show her the way.

"Hm, no wonder if we find out that the maid was a spy for de Wit."

"But if so, why would she have lost her usefulness?"

"I will try, and find out who this woman was, I just need to talk to a few people," said the priest. "And I will start it now. But, can you help me with those Greek texts?"

The Princess absently agreed, while her mind wandered to another path. Perhaps it was possible to find something compromising while de Wits were outside the castle. Blue Eyes thanked Alexa with a smile and left the tower. Balbo entered the chamber shortly after.

"Balbo, I need your help!" Lex spoke showing a toothy smile, without giving the warrior a chance to bow. The Lazarite raised an eyebrow, curious.

ººº

Half an hour later, Balbo had gone to search the de Wit couple's room while the Second Prince investigated Cordelia's room.

Many of Cordelia's goods were packed and ready to be taken to her new room, and Lex focused the search on what looked like the most precious chests.

One, with a pleasant scent of lavender and roses, seemed to be worth opening, and when Lex finally managed to unlock it, he discovered a series of small treasures, starting with a rolled canvas. Lex shivered just at the smell of paint, but after a moment's hesitation, she quickly unrolled it to see what it was all about.

Surprisingly or not, it was a portrait of Prince Magnus. The portraitist imprinted a style that reminded Lex of the damn Flemish painter's technique, Jan.

Magnus stared in the distance and the painter was effective in masking some of his arrogance as self-confidence, although the sardonic and provocative look was present. It was a great portrait but understandably empty, compared to the intensity of the actual person. His features were also more subdued, and his eyes were painted a somewhat tamed shade of green, instead of the stormy golden-green shade they had.

After watching for a while, Lex rolled up the screen again and rummaged through the other papers. He found a small little book with a leather cover embroidered with thread, and flipped through it quickly, imagining it was a missal or something. But the content surprised her. It was poetry!

Poetry written by Cordelia.

After reading the poetry, which had words that he didn't fully understand, and just guessed by context, Lex scratched his head, worried.

'Is she in love ... with Magnus?' they were poetry of love and definitely v.i.r.g.i.nal in content, but now it was possible to understand many things that were not so clear before.

The Flemish maiden awaited this wedding with fervor, because of her fantasies with Prince Magnus! How shocked and angry was Cordelia when she met him in person? How frustrated was she when she was rejected by the Prince, even if their families agreed to marry Cordelia to him? And worse, how was she feeling when she had to marry Magnus' father?

While the Second Prince had just closed the box as it was, Lex heard a very faint noise at the door. His heart pounded in anticipation, and his only option was to hide as best she could.

She quickly used the shadows for this, taking advantage of the mannequin with Cordelia's wedding dress as a cover. His spot by the window gave him the advantage of seeing the room perfectly. To guarantee a chance, he pulled his purple mask over his face, trying to stay still.

A female figure rushed into the room, and only when the door was closed again did she open a side of the lantern she carried, so that the candlelight would light up the room a little. Lex couldn't help but be intrigued, and even a little amused by the situation.

'Uhn, how suspicious. Who will be the spy?'