"Watch over Her Majesty with care. She has not been herself in her sleep," the guard warned. As soon as the pair were inside the room, the door was shut behind them, and the click of a lock turning sealed them within. 

A lone woman sat in the tall bed. Though her black hair was let down, Soleil recognized her instantly as Queen Isabella from the portrait in the parlor. Instead of a luxurious dress, the Queen was draped in a frilled, silk nightgown. She turned to the paladin, mustering a weak smile as she welcomed them in. "You must be Sir Tusand's companions. Welcome to my chambers… I do apologize that you have to see me like this." Exhaustion hung heavy under her eyes, and the woman's porcelain skin appeared sickly without the blush of makeup gracing her cheeks. 

"That's us. Soleil Auclair, from the Holy Order." Soleil once again bowed and began inspecting the rest of the room. Aside from the canopy bed, the wall across was composed of tall arched windows that led out to a stone balcony outside. An oil lantern burned on the nightstand next to the bed, and a few portraits of landscapes hung in golden frames decorated the walls. For a temporary holding, it was far more comfortable than any cell.

Sophia took flight from Soleil's shoulder, flapping into the air next to her before turning to shadow and manifesting again as the silver-haired vampiress. She did a curtsy with her flowing, crimson skirt before raising her eyes to the Queen again. "My name is Sophia. I take it you that already know of my nature, so I'll skip the pleasantries."

"You are the first vampire to aid the royal family, I believe." Queen Isabella's smile didn't fade. "At this point, I'm more than happy to accept any help I can get. The court physician could find no issue, and my husband has already had several other doctors examine me. I'm almost certain most of them were quacks, as none of their "remedies" have done anything more than leave a bitter aftertaste in my meals." The woman lay back in her pillows with a sigh. 

"Forgive me for being blunt, but you look as if you haven't slept in days," Soleil noted. "Can you recall anything from that night you attacked the King?" 

Isabella shook her head. "I have forced myself to stay awake since… that night. I'm too afraid to sleep," she murmured and gazed out at the windows. "Before that, I remember having nightmares, but I cannot recall what they were about—only that I couldn't escape or wake from them until morning." Isabella rubbed her eyes, fighting the sleep threatening to claim her again. "By then, I would awaken away from my own bed, not realizing I had sleepwalked into other rooms or into the hallways. The guards prevented me from hurting myself, but even they could not awaken me from this trance," she lamented.

"Hm… It could be a curse. Dare I ask if you've upset any witches or sorcerers lately?" Soleil wondered. "Any demonic pacts that we should know about?"

"H-heavens no! I rarely leave the castle, and my husband is the one who is interested in all that sorcery and alchemy business." Isabella frowned. "I have never dabbled in anything occult in my life."

Sophia listened in silence and finally came close to the Queen's side. "I don't see any bite marks or anything unusual about your physical condition. But that doesn't necessarily rule out the possibility of a vampire being involved either."

"A vampire…? I assure you that I can still bask in the sun like any other human," Isabella insisted. 

"You're still human, don't worry." Sophia placed a hand over her forehead, feeling the slight warmth that meant the Queen was still among the living. "However, some vampires can control those they haven't turned yet. The most powerful ones among our kind are able to puppet humans to their will, even from a distance." She moved her hand back as the Queen shivered from her cold touch. "They can also blend in well among humans, shifting their appearance to hide their vampiric features in some cases." 

Isabella's face paled further. "I-I see. I suppose you and Sir Tusand would know best about vampires, hm?" she forced a small laugh before closing her eyes. "Whatever the cause, I can only pray it ends soon. I know what I did to Charlemagne is unforgivable, but believe me… I truly never wished to harm him." She cast her eyes downwards in guilt.

"We believe you, Your Majesty." Soleil observed the remorseful expression on the Queen's features. She couldn't detect any dishonesty in Isabella's words and shared a nod with Sophia before turning back to the Queen. "It's our duty to watch over you tonight. So rest easy and try to get some sleep." 

She nodded in relief. "Thank you. I will." Isabella pulled the covers over herself and relaxed into the mass of feather pillows behind her. Slowly but surely, the Queen allowed herself to slip into a peaceful slumber. 

Sophia joined Soleil on the other side of the bed and leaned in to whisper, "Tell the guards outside to unlock the door. I'd also like to keep the windows unlocked for the night."

Soleil cast her a dubious look. "Is that a good idea? We're dealing with a sleepwalking Monarch here. If she tosses herself off the balcony, we're toast."

"I want to confirm something. If Vynx can't find the one pulling the strings, then the only lead we have will be observing the Queen's behaviour while she's under this spell." Sophia went ahead to unclasp the locks on the windows, letting the frames part to allow a small breeze in from outside. 

"Sounds like an awful plan to me, but alright." The paladin made her way back to the doors, careful not to let the clinks of her armor disturb the resting Queen. She knocked quietly on the wood and whispered to the guards on the other side until the click of the keyhole signaled that the doors were unlocked. With that, Soleil turned to lean against the doors, crossing her arms as she kept her eyes fixed on Isabella. 

"Ah-CHOO!" Vynx's sneeze tore through the silence of the palace hallways. "Ugh, I thought they kept a hundred servants around to keep this place clean." He fanned the dust out of his face as he pushed the attic hatch open, moving the wooden door aside to poke his head up into the dark space. The castle had a number of garrets sitting atop the towers located at each corner of the palace. Checking every attic and cellar in the palace was, unfortunately, a necessary measure. Vynx climbed up the rickety ladder until he could crawl into the room above, dragging his lantern with him as he did. Much like the previous attics, this one had accumulated years of dust and cobwebs within, coating the old sheets that covered various boxes used for storage. But there was one piece of furniture that looked newly placed, with a dark cloth draped over it.

"Bingo." The hunter pulled away the covering and raised his lantern to illuminate the long, wooden trunk polished in black lacquer. It was seven feet in length and nearly up to his hip in height, with brass latches and a keyhole on the side. A coffin, undeniable in its design and function. Vynx gave it a cursory kick on the side, hoping to annoy any dweller within. To his disappointment, the impact felt hollow. With his suspicions confirmed, he threw open the lid and stared at the red satin interior, unsurprised. "Empty. Saw that one coming." Vynx let the coffin lid slam back down and sat on top of the box to think. 

"Size is big enough to fit an adult male. How the hell they managed to lug this thing up here is beyond me, but I'm gonna guess they brought their own servants." Vynx had thought about checking the servants' quarters, but he didn't exactly want to wake up the entire service staff for his private investigation. Where there was a coffin, there was a vampire, and this one seemed a little too nice to belong to any low-ranking thrall. "I should probably check on how the girls are doing." Vynx smacked his hands on his thighs and pulled himself back to his feet. Even with the three of them, the task of tracking down a vampire in the palace was daunting. His best bet would be to lure them out, but using any of the royal family as bait was too risky, and Vynx didn't want to endanger any of the other staff if he could help it. 

As the hunter debated his next move, he made his way down the tower and towards the Queen's bedchambers. Long shadows followed him across the empty hallways until finally converging at the end of the corridor. Five figures dressed in maid and servant uniforms, each with glowing red eyes, stared Vynx down from the shadows. With no warning, the vampires struck—each charging at the hunter from a different direction. He was surrounded, but Vynx was ecstatic. "Well, lucky me. Looks like the rats came out of hiding themselves!" The glint of steel flashed through the air as Vynx swung at the fastest vampire, severing their head from their shoulders. He turned to slash through the vampires closing in from his right before dodging a claw coming from his left. His other hand snapped his pistol backwards over his shoulder and fired several rounds into the undead servant behind him. Before the bodies even fell to the ground, Vynx kicked them out of his way and lunged towards the last stunned vampire. His sword ran through their chest, and he pulled it back just as swiftly, splattering the crimson blood across the clean marble floor.