The skies were beginning to darken as the cart rolled past the boundary markers of the dukedom, the golden haze of dusk bleeding into the indigo of approaching night. Lanterns glowed faintly in the distance, marking the road like stars descending to earth.
“So get this,” Robin said, gesturing animatedly as he turned in his seat to face them. “The inquisitors lined up every st one of us—prisoners, outws, heretics—and started asking if we’d abjure our heresy and devote our hearts solemnly to Lumina.”
He paused for dramatic effect, grinning.
“And just as the rest of us were about to nod along and fake a pious tear or two, Alice—Alice—just looks up at the tribunal and says, loud as anything: ‘Who the fuck is Lumina?’”
Estel gasped. “You didn’t.”
Alice raised her hand up proudly. “I did.”
“She did,” Robin said with a ugh. “And the silence afterwards? You could’ve heard a feather drop. Half the crowd went pale. A few actually dropped to their knees and started begging the Temprs to spare her soul.”
“That’s simply suicide, isn’t it?” She turned to look at Alice in a mixture of bewilderment and awe. “How did you walk out of the preceptory alive after spitting such bsphemy in their faces?”
Alice leaned back in the cart, utterly unbothered. “I told you already, I can’t die. And frankly, I thought they were just asking if I knew the Goddess of this world personally. So, naturally, I answered.”
“Well, you certainly left quite the impression on everyone in the preceptory that day,” Robin teased. “The High Inquisitor looked like he aged a decade in that one moment. I honestly thought they were going to burn you on the spot.”
“They tried,” she said with a faint smirk, stretching her arms behind her head. “Didn’t work.”
Estel stared at her, half in awe, half in disbelief. “What did happen to you after that?”
She shrugged. “They thought I must have either received the blessing of Lumina or sold my soul to the Devil. Ran a few purification rites, questioned me about heresy, demonic influence, the usual. Eventually they gave up on torturing me and simply let me rot in a dungeon until I escaped.”
Robin shook his head, his grin softening with something like respect. “I’ve always wondered what befell you after the trial. I’m gd to see you’re still kicking.”
“Hmph.” Alice gnced away, an inexplicable emotion fshing in her eyes. “Well… I’m gd to see you haven’t been beheaded for your antics yet either.”
“You know me. I’m practically Prince Charming,” Robin said with a wink.
“Sure.” She grimaced. “As charming as the rat in Ratatouille, I suppose.”
“Right…you’ve lost me there.”
Their banter carried on all the way to the front gates of the manor, where Robin finally pulled the cart to a stop.
“Fancy pce.” He gave a low whistle, resting his elbow against the sideboard. “I’ll live for the thrill of robbing a pce like this before I die.”
“You’re not allowed to start now,” Estel said, hopping down onto the gravel driveway and flipping her hair over her shoulder with mock disdain. “Especially not after swindling me out of my own coin purse.”
Robin gave her a wounded look. “Swindling? My dear Ladyship, do you think the noble steed and this luxurious cart came to me for free? I’m merely recovering my operational costs.”
He grinned. “But fret not—I’ll make it up to you the next time we meet. Promise.”
Alice leaned in towards Estel and whispered, loud enough for him to hear, “He’s probably said that exact parting line to a dozen unsuspecting dies before you. Don’t trust his words too easily.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied with a soft giggle. “Are you heading back to the woods already? You can stay for dinner if you’d like.”
“As much as I love staying in mansions and wearing frilly dresses, I really need my daily dose of coffee to keep me going,” Alice said, stifling a yawn. “There shouldn’t be much happening from now until the full moon of the harvest, so just eat and sleep to your heart’s content—”
“Hah! Do you really think everyone is as zy as you?” Robin called out from the front.
“—and if anything out of the ordinary happens, you know where to find me,” Alice continued, ignoring him with the poise of a long-suffering friend. “Also, do drop by when the battery of your flip phone runs out, okay?”
She nodded, her heart fluttering in a way she didn’t quite understand.
“Mm, I will.”
“Then, I’ll see y…”
It was instinct more than anything else—Estel realised too te—as she reached up to the cart’s edge, leaned in and pressed a swift, impulsive kiss to the corner of Alice’s mouth. One hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling Alice just a little closer such that their lips melted into each other perfectly.
Estel pulled back just as quickly, her heart hammering so loud it filled her ears like war drums. Her cheeks flushed a vivid rose, and her hands trembled at her sides—but her eyes didn’t waver from Alice’s wide-eyed gaze.
“Woah,” Robin said after a long moment, a rare stupefied look on his face. “I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”
As if a spell had been broken, Estel jerked back a step, blinking furiously. Her hands flew to her mouth, as if trying to shove the memory back in.
No way. No—no, what in Lumina’s name did I just do?!
Alice lifted a hand slowly, brushing her fingertips over the spot where her lips had grazed her mouth.
“Est…”
“I—I—take care!” she blurted, voice cracking mid-flight.
“Wait, I wasn’t—”
Before Alice could finish her sentence, Estel had already turned on her heel and bolted through the manor gates like the Devil himself was at her heels.
-
The next two days passed without any incident.
Because of her impromptu escapade to the viscounty, there was so much work to be done that Estel did not have time to rex in her nightly baths. She even went as far as to ask Adrianne to brew a fresh pot of herbal tea every hour just to stay awake while she dealt with the paperwork piled up high on her office desk. Naturally, the whole incident with Alice was also pushed to the back of her mind.
On the third morning, she had just finished working on a three hundred page-long manuscript sent by the royal chancery and was in the midst of pouring hot wax on the front cover when Adrianne knocked on the door to the study.
“What is it?” Estel asked, pressing her seal into the wax with a weary sigh. “It’s not time to refill the tea yet.”
“My dy,” Adrianne’s calm voice replied from behind the door. “Would you like to peruse the letters that were received this morning?”
“…who sent them?”
A pause, followed by the rustle of paper. “Well, there’s one from the Margrave of Selvern, and another from the Captain—”
Estel straightened immediately. “Bring them in.”
As Adrianne stepped inside with a silver salver bearing a stack of missives, Estel opened a drawer and retrieved her letter opener.
“Thank you…oh, and could you take this manuscript to the document safe? Let the courier know it’s ready to be delivered to the Chancellor by tomorrow morning.”
“Understood, my dy.”
Selecting Marcus’ letter first, Estel slid the small knife under the seal, opening the sheet of neatly-folded paper.
To Lady Estel,
At the witch’s wanton behest, I have arrived safely on the isnd of Meridian with Lieutenant Landrad by my side. The weather here is insufferably warm for the harvest season, and it is hard to sleep in peace when the Temprs are watching your every move.
With that said, I have made an interesting discovery about His Highness’ new fiancée. It appears that the Church has undeniable ties with Miss Seraphina, and should His Highness not elect to address this by the harvest full moon, I believe there will be even less support from the nobility for Miss Seraphina. I foresee that my investigations into the matter will take about a week—which, strangely enough, is the timeline proposed by the witch—and will visit you first thing when I return.
Please also accept my sincere apologies for not being able to obtain permission for you to visit the Duke. I am working on a way for you to write to His Grace.
May Lumina’s blessings be with you.
Marcus Albrecht
Estel stared at the letter long after she had finished reading it, Alice’s words floating back to her mind.
I can’t trust the Captain, at least until he decides where his loyalties lie.
She let out another sigh and leaned back in her chair, picking up the Margrave’s letter next. Although the Margrave had publicly voiced his dissent during the annulment, in reality, he was a cautious man who kept his enemies closer than allies and never wrote to other peers unless strictly necessary—which made the sudden correspondence all the more curious.
To the Lady Estel von Livroche,
I write to extend a formal invitation to visit my estate for the upcoming festival on the full moon, which marks fifteen years of peace since the Crusade.
Although I am cognizant that the timing of this invitation is insensitive to your circumstances, my daughter, Liselotte, is coming of age in a month’s time, and she has expressed a strong desire to make your acquaintance and learn from you.
Should you find the time and inclination, we would be honoured to receive you as our guest.
Karolus von und zu Selvern
“An invitation? And it’s on the full moon of the harvest too…” Estel frowned, noticing a worrying trend. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”
