Chapter 236 - Sins to Confess, a Heart to Find

Alexa woke up with a door opening, and half sleepily remembered that she was sleeping in Father Agnello's bed. It had been where Alexander had left her the night before, when he had brought her back to the castle.

"I bet you have sins to confess," Alexander had said as a justification for bringing her to the confessor's quarters, but Alexa figured it was a joke. At least, she hoped it was.

It would be impossible to get the horrible scene from the previous night out of her mind so easily, she knew. 

The priest made a tired gesture in her direction,

"I can't imagine what could have made you imagine that my bed is more comfortable than yours, but please help yourself, Your Highness."

"The ... Second Prince has already left with the army?" she asked, and Blue Eyes nodded,

"At daybreak. It was a beautiful scene to see... But since you're awake, you can tell me what's going on. Alexander was too busy to tell me."

Alexa jumped out of the priest's bed, feeling wronged,

"And am I not busy? I've been busy all this time and have always been able to report! Why can't he?!" Of course she knew why, Alexander was not going to tell Blue Eyes everything that happened. "And I have the impression that you left me out of the picture when talking to the Prior!"

The Florentine Father twirled the ring on his finger, "I don't know what you're talking about. Now, as for the fact you are pregnant ... I expect your confessions."

"H-how do you know that?" She gasped, not out of fear, but out of outrage.

"Before he left Alexander said that you needed special care."

They faced each other, and Alexa for a moment wanted to tell her tutor everything. But incredibly, Alexander's request to keep a secret was filled with kindness rather than selfishness. Father Agnello had come to Holstein on a personal mission, and at least in Magnus's case, he was decisive in keeping the Prince with a sane mind and a sense of right and wrong. Alexander was also fond of him and his effort. How would he feel when he learned what Alexander really was?

"You have guilty eyes, Alexa of Holstein. Sit right there and get ready to open your heart to God."

Alexa made a face, but it was better that way. She needed to tell God and Father Agnello about her marriage to Magnus.

ººº

Your brother entered the room and found Alexa by the window, fervently wishing to be out there under the weak sun instead of twirling that rosary infinitely in her hands. 

She absently murmured her pity, thinking about the smile of her beloved Magnus, and the little chick that moved when he grimaced at Alexa. How much longer would it take to arrive?

"Excuse me for coming without warning, Father Agnello. Sis, how are you?"

"I'm good, Narses, how about you?" She was going to put the rosary aside, but Father Agnelo's reproachful look fell directly into her hands, and Alexa grabbed the rosary willingly again. 

Narses handed the priest an envelope without a word, and Blue Eyes went over to the window to read. Even though his face was as impassive as possible, his brow furrowed in concern and shock.

Alexa had not told him about last night, of course, and supposed that he was being communicated about the bishop's death at this time.

"Brother Narses, can you keep Your Highness company, please? I think I need to go to the Episcopal house."

Narses nodded, and she and her brother retired to the princess's quarters. As soon as the door closed, Alexa whispered,

"We can't waste any time, Narses. Soon Volos must call our brother back, and as if it's not enough that he's an enslaved upir, I can hardly imagine what kind of punishment he will receive for everything that happened!"

"Do you believe that Volos's heart could be in Holstein?"

"It's my best bet." She had many more things to tell her brother, but she dared not say anything inside the castle that could be taken as a betrayal against Alexander. Whatever the forces that obeyed him, she didn't know what could happen.

Together, after breakfast, they went to the castle library.

The help of Mestre Valerius to find ancient records unfortunately did not result in much, as both Alexa and Narses could barely read on those darkened scrolls, even more so to understand the very archaic language.

Alexa drew what resembled the tapestry, and the writings, and showed it to the library keeper.

After scratching his head for a moment, and narrowing his eyes at Alexa's childish drawing, the scholar exclaimed, "Ah, yes! There was a famous tapestry recorded in a book. With a figure more or less like this. A catalog of the works of art that existed in the castle. It is actually made up of several volumes. However, this drawing I believe is registered in the first volume."

"Did it say what was written on the tapestry?"

"Possibly, Your Highness. They were very detailed records. Each figurative tapestry, stained glass, fresco, painting and sculpture, and even smaller objects that were given as gifts or produced here. If it ever belonged to one of Holstein's noble families, it should be registered in those volumes," the librarian spoke proudly.

His assistant consulted a tome of registry, and pointed out.

"I lent the record of the works of art to His Highness Prince Alexander, the previous year, His Highness ..." 

This made Master Valerius's eyes widen as he remembered, "Oh, V.i.r.g.i.n Mary! The fire in the Prince's chambers! Did the precious books get burned?!"

Alexa and her brother looked at each other, both wishing it hadn't happened. She realized that Alexander had actually done research recently, as he himself confessed. He suspected that something was happening and sought to discover Holstein's secrets, as well as who he was. 

She couldn't help but feel her heart sink when she imagined a confused creature like him, feeling very different and knowing that Magnus had killed and resurrected him somehow.

The brothers had never talked openly about it, Alexa believed. Both spent years thinking about what happened and without understanding in depth, haunted by their mothers' past and the witch hunt.

Mestre Valerius left them for a moment to check the logbook, and Alexa whispered, "I believe Father Agnello was after this information, I remember reading something like that. The priest may have read the book or seen it elsewhere. If we cannot find the book, we will have to talk to him..."

Narses held his breath, uncertain as to trust anyone. Alexa would understand her brother. He had become very suspicious after everything that happened. She was going to say that Agnello was a good man, but Master Valerius returned, with a smile,

"If you are not here in the castle, perhaps you are in Ashgraufelsen! In fact, there is a record of the departure of one of our aides to help the prince at Ashgraufelsen. He certainly took the packages to his country residence, but he could have brought them when he came to the castle before Christmas ..."

Alexa stood up, happy,

"Well, this is something that fills me with hope! You must go to Ashgraufelsen, brother!"

"But how could I look for such precious objects in a prince's house?" Her brother asked promptly, as she spoke of an official visit. 

Alexa made a snort, realizing that her brother would risk his life to look for a needle in a haystack, if he went to Ashgraufelsen in stealth mode. And it was a fact that, coming as an official envoy of the Princess, they would not even let the princess's brother walk wherever he wanted. Let alone fumble around with the prince's objects, in his absence.

In the back of his mind, Alexander's words, about his safety outside the castle not being guaranteed, echoed.

But she had to take a chance. 

Iacintho needed to be freed from the lich, and if the whereabouts of Volos's heart were in a book was outside the castle, she would have to go to Ashgraufelsen again.

ººº

"So this is Ashgraufelsen?" Narses asked, looking into the distance at the imposing building perched on top of the rocks. 

They had hurriedly built a rope bridge and wooden planks to temporarily connect the mansion to the road. 

Alexa had arrived with her brother and a small escort, imagining that she would have to enter the gorge, but that was much faster. The horses had to stay on the other side, however. Looking at the bridge, memories of what happened there and the moment when she and Alexander came together to close the portal came to mind. 'Could it be that at that moment there was still something from the old Alexander?' she wondered, knowing she would never have an exact answer. The great supernatural event had indelibly marked the place. She felt the cold and saw, in the very structure of the stone mansion, that the Shades that were lost there still suffered.

"Brother, if you can do something for this place," she murmured, "many souls must leave."

Narses looked at her, puzzled, and also spoke between his teeth, since they didn't want to be heard by the guards, "Why are you talking like this, as if you can't help me do this?"

"I lost the Light here, Narses."

He looked at her in disbelief. And then, angry, taking her arm as soon as she got off the horse.

"What did you do?!"

Alexa shook her arm, angry, and did not answer her brother, going to the rope bridge before all.