Chương 472: Chapter 467 - The princess handler

Amy studied the girl for a few seconds, and the girl watched her in return.

"Hel—" Amy finally began, but just as she did, the girl turned. Her white dress trailed behind her as she slipped down the hall and quickly disappeared around the corner, leaving Amy blinking after her for a moment. … Had she scared the girl? Was she going to get help? But Amy didn't look like anything but another attendant at the moment. Would that really be enough to make the princess treat her like a threat? Or had she been seen through?

Amy moved to follow, half-worried she was about to round the corner and run straight into the armoured bulk of one of the empire's Swords, but instead, she found only an empty hallway, with a flicker of white vanishing around another bend at its far end. She paused for another second, surprised by how quickly the princess had covered the distance, then increased her own pace. With a thought, the [Charm of Expeditious Change] shifted the [Garment of Form] beneath her bronze-gold servant's uniform.

She vanished in a cloud of mist, reappearing just before the bend. When she rounded it, the princess was gone again. Only another flash of white marked the next corner. The same thing happened several more times as Amy tried to catch up through the palace corridors, quickly realising that the princess wasn't so much fleeing as maintaining the same distance no matter how quickly Amy crossed the halls.

Every corner she turned offered only the briefest glimpse of the girl ahead, and somehow, Amy simply couldn't close the gap. She was clearly being led. It was mildly frustrating, honestly. But she didn't let that loosen her caution. They were in a portion of the palace that seemed to see basically no foot traffic, but Amy still kept an eye out for passing servants and members of the Royal Guard who would normally be protecting an imperial princess.

The last thing she wanted was to draw the wrong kind of attention and alert half the palace to an 'intruder'. Eventually, after following the princess's trail up a narrow service stair and through another quiet stretch of corridor, Amy heard low voices somewhere ahead. Palace attendants, most likely.

She considered stopping the chase there and relying on Mistress' sphere to keep track of the princess instead, but then she rounded one final corner and, instead of seeing the girl disappearing down another hall, found her standing beside a door. The young princess looked at Amy for just a second. Then she opened the door and stepped through. Amy's eyebrows rose. She glanced down the corridor in the opposite direction towards the voices, then back at the door. Soon, she walked over and inspected it.

There didn't seem to be anything special about this door in particular. From her rough understanding of the palace's layout, this section mostly held storage rooms and other servant-access spaces. There most likely wouldn't be much space to hide. She reached for the handle and slowly pulled it open. The room beyond wasn't lit, but in the dimness, she could make out stacked barrels, covered crates, and shelves lined with folded cloth. Why would the princess have gone in here?

Stepping through, Amy closed the door behind her and was just considering whether she could light the space with her pyrokinesis and pass it off as a basic pyromancy spell when she froze. The room wasn't dark. In fact, it wasn't even the same room she had just peered into. Rather than a cramped storeroom full of barrels and crates, she was now standing in a wide, delicately appointed chamber bathed in a low wash of sunlight from a tall window overlooking the blue sweep of Rellaria Lake.

A canopied bed sat against one wall, half-buried beneath quilts in layered whites and shades of gold. Along the opposite wall, narrow shelves held rows of what looked like… music boxes? That was what Amy assumed they were, at least. There were lacquered birds perched on tiny brass branches, glass dancers poised beneath crystal domes, painted castles no larger than her hand, and silver animals arranged on polished bases.

Her eyes stayed on them for a few seconds before she remembered the more immediate problem of how she had got here in the first place. She looked around, searching for the princess, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. Pulling out Mistress' metal sphere, she channelled a thin thread of mana to activate it and check her location. It confirmed her suspicion that she was no longer in the same part of the palace as before.

She actually seemed to be pretty close to Princess Regina's quarters now, where she'd started her search. Which meant these were likely the second princess's quarters. Out of interest, Amy stepped closer to the shelves of music boxes and examined one shaped like a silver fish, arranged so that it looked as if it would turn in slow circles above a mirrored base meant to resemble Rellaria Lake. A soft click sounded off to the side.

Turning, she saw the princess enter through a concealed side door, closing it behind her with another faint click before crossing the room to place a slender glass of water on a small table beside the bed. Then the girl looked directly at Amy, silently studying her. Once more, the two of them held each other's gazes. Amy searched the girl's face, trying to read her thoughts. But just like every other time she had met the second princess, her expression said very little. It wasn't blank, exactly.

But it simply didn't give Amy much to work with. All she could say for sure was that the girl was far too calm around apparent strangers. But that appeared to have always been the case. Amy was deeply curious about what had allowed the door she'd walked through to lead somewhere it shouldn't have. She hoped to get answers before leaving this room. But first… The princess' eyes stayed on her for several seconds longer before she broke the silence.

"Who are you?" Amy allowed one brow to arch just slightly, then tried easing her expression and offered a small smile.

"I'm Amy," she said.

"Hello." There were questions she was burning to ask. Topics to broach and answers she needed to find. But before any of that, there was one thing she had promised. Today, that would come first.

"Did you know?" she asked, reaching towards her [Pouch of Holding].

"I'm a friend of your sister." The princess blinked.

"You are?"

"It might be more accurate to call us acquaintances, but your sister is close to someone who is close to me. I also met with her recently, and she mentioned you." This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"…She did?" The girl's voice came out quieter this time.

"Yes. I heard that it is your birthday soon." The room fell silent.

"Your sister asked me for a favour." Amy brought out a single object from the pouch.

"She wanted me to deliver this to you." It was a music box, like the ones arranged along the shelves. This one was shaped like a small white pavilion set beside a lake of polished glass. Tiny gold filigree curled along the pillars and the roof made of polished ivory, and beneath the clear surface of the lake, little silver fish gleamed almost as if caught mid-swim. At the centre of the pavilion stood two girls, no taller than Amy's thumb, one with gold hair and one with dark. They were holding hands.

Princess Regina had approached her about this before they left for Dimfrost to handle Fynn's questline. Scarlett hadn't been expecting the request at the time, and she had nearly declined. She hadn't been sure how she was supposed to deliver a present to the second princess without drawing attention to herself, or to her connection with Regina. In the end, however, she had accepted anyway. And she had used her more inconspicuous contacts to arrange a very expedited commission with a well-known artisan.

The second princess' eyes settled on the music box. Amy extended it slightly towards her, but she didn't try moving closer. The girl stayed where she was for a while, saying nothing. A sliver of hesitation passed through Amy. She drew the music box back slightly.

"If you don't want it, or you're worried that I'm lying—""No," the princess interrupted quietly. She crossed the room in soft, measured steps, stopping in front of Amy before slowly reaching up for the music box.

"Mother has one of these," she mumbled after a few seconds.

"That is what your sister told me as well." The commission had been made by an artisan here in Elystead who was apparently known for once having crafted several pieces for the late empress. This design, in particular, was one Regina had given Amy herself and said would mean a great deal to her sister. The second princess touched a small latch on the side of the box. There was a click, and the glass lake began to turn.

The silver fish moved beneath its surface in slow circles while the pavilion roof unfolded like a flower opening under sunlight. A gentle tune filled the room as the two little girls at the centre started turning as well, revolving together beneath the white pavilion. More than a minute passed. The princess didn't take her eyes off it. Finally, once the tune had played to its end, the pavilion folded closed again, and the glass lake stilled with another small click. The princess' eyes moved up to Amy.

"Thank you," she said. Amy gave a small nod.

"You're welcome." The girl's attention stayed on her, and Amy wondered if there was anything more she wanted to say. Then the princess turned slightly and lifted one arm, pointing towards the glass of water beside the bed.

"That is for you. If you're thirsty." Amy's eyes widened slightly.

"Thank you." The princess lowered her head, almost as if nodding to herself, then returned her focus to the music box in her hands. She crossed the room towards the shelves, starting to carefully make space among the other boxes. Then she spent some time arranging everything, like there was some unseen order to them. Amy observed, walking over to pick up the glass of water. She glanced at it for a moment before taking a sip.

She wasn't sure if it was the older-sister part of her that always seemed to surface whenever she was around the second princess, but she would almost have felt guilty refusing the offer. And it wasn't as if she was likely to get poisoned here. The girl continued arranging the music boxes for a while longer, and Amy waited patiently. Eventually, though, the girl turned back to her. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking.

"Is my sister…okay?"

"She is," Amy said.

"Or she was when I last met with her. Her current circumstances are somewhat complicated, and I can't tell you where she is, but I can promise you that she will be fine." It was a small white lie of sorts. Amy couldn't make any promises like that. Especially not when Regina was in the Unresting Steppes. But she had done what she could to ensure Regina and Skyler's safety while they were there. If something happened, she could only hope they would use the emergency measure she had provided and return to her.

The princess seemed to process her words, gaze lowering, and there might have been some relief on her face. Tracing a finger along the rim of the glass of water, Amy watched the girl for a few seconds longer before speaking again.

"Would it be okay if I asked you a few questions?" The princess glanced up again, then nodded slightly.

"Mm." Amy gestured towards the main entrance she had come through.

"Were you the one who connected that door to the other door in the hall earlier?" The princess looked to the door, then gave another small nod.

"How did you do that?" The girl was silent for a while.

"I don't know…" she finally answered. Amy frowned, but smoothed the expression away almost instantly.

"How long have you been able to do it?" Was this an ability the princess had always had, or was it something recent?

"I don't know," the girl said.

"You don't?" Amy asked.

"Are you sure? What is the earliest time you remember doing it?" The princess's forehead creased in thought as she seemed to actually, seriously consider the question. Then she shook her head.

"I don't know." Amy kept her eyes on the girl. Did she simply not want to share? That would be understandable, with Amy being an apparent stranger and all. But it didn't feel as if the princess was lying. If she wasn't, though, then what would explain her not even knowing how long she had been able to do this? There was definitely something strange about that.

"Can you control it?"

"A little." The princess walked across the room, passing Amy and heading towards the concealed side door she had entered through. It was built into the wall close to the bed, and its outline was seamless enough that Amy wouldn't have realised it was there if she hadn't already seen it open. The princess pressed a small ornament beside it, and the door clicked open by a narrow fraction. Then she turned back to Amy and gestured for her to come closer.

Amy did, stopping behind the girl to look over her shoulder as the princess pulled the door open just enough to reveal what lay beyond. It was one of the palace corridors, warmly lit by gilded wall lamps, and at its far end stood the towering figure of a Royal Guard in white-gold plate. He was stationed in front of a lacquered door. It didn't take a genius to recognise that figure as Holdger 'the Mammoth'.

The man's armoured head turned in their direction, but the princess closed the door before his gaze landed on them. Then she slipped past Amy and silently motioned for her to follow again as she crossed to the room's main entrance, which she pushed open just a sliver. Through the narrow gap, Amy caught another glimpse of white-gold plate. This time, from behind. There was a flicker of concern as Holdger shifted and started to turn back towards them, but the princess didn't seem worried in the slightest.

She simply closed the door and turned to face Amy. Amy gave the girl a long, measured look. The princess gave her a somewhat puzzled one in response.

"Don't you think he might consider it a threat that there is a stranger in your quarters?" Amy asked. A brief flicker of confusion passed over the princess' face, followed by something more serious, before she shook her head.

"No. Holdger is nice. He listens to me." Amy's brows lifted. Everything she'd heard did seem to confirm that, to be fair. Although, honestly, to her it felt like a dereliction of duty for a member of the Royal Guard to prioritise his charge's wishes over her apparent safety. But Amy didn't know the specifics of Holdger's relationship with the second princess, so perhaps she was missing something.

"Princess," she began, pushing down the Scarlett part of herself that wanted to address the girl as 'Your Highness', "why aren't you afraid of me? Or wary, at the very least? Do you even know my intentions?" The princess tilted her head, and the motion reminded Amy of Slate.

"It doesn't feel like you will hurt me."

"And why is that?"

"I don't know."

"So it is simply intuition?"

"…Mm."

"I see." Amy turned the pieces over in her head.

"Princess, have you ever heard of Eidolon?"

"No."

"You haven't?" Amy's brow furrowed slightly. Had Ittar been wrong, pointing her in this direction? It felt unlikely that she had misunderstood what he meant when he told her to 'seek the star', though. Evidently, the princess did possess some sort of mysterious power. Things pointed towards it being tied to Eidolon somehow, but the girl genuinely didn't seem to understand it herself, which made it hard to confirm anything.

As Amy kept going over it, she noticed the princess' gaze on her growing more intent, as if some quiet curiosity were starting to surface. Amy paused, and a more familiar part of her placed those thoughts on hold for now.

"Is there something you would like to ask me?" The girl blinked, but after a moment of thought, she seemed to have decided on something.

"What is that door?" she asked.

"That door?"

"The one I saw you exit before." Oh. She was referring to the door leading to the space Mistress was working on. Amy considered her response.

"Before I answer that," she said, "could you tell me what you know about that door?"

"It's special," the princess replied.

"Lady Blackwood often goes there, but I'm not allowed to."

"You have seen her enter?"

"I have." That was curious. Amy wouldn't have thought Mistress would allow herself to be seen like that.

"It leads to a ballroom of sorts," she explained.

"As you said, it's special. Do you know why?"

"No."

"But you can tell it's special?"

"Mm."

"Hmm." Amy folded her arms, studying the princess.

"Have you told your father about it?" The princess shook her head.

"Why not?" The girl was silent for a moment before answering.

"He wouldn't listen." Amy's expression tightened slightly. She didn't know the emperor personally, nor was she overly familiar with him from the game, but he had never struck her as the unreasonable or dismissive sort.

"Are you sure he wouldn't listen?" She supposed it was possible that he was already aware of what Mistress was working on in some manner. That would explain how the woman was getting away with it. But Amy didn't quite understand why he would be okay with—"Mm. He only listens to that stupid book," the princess said. Amy froze.

"…That book?"