A few hours later...

The incessant beeping woke the young Karin. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw a ceiling as white as snow. She tried to look around at the whitewashed walls, which were lined with various machines connected to them.

They made a strange, irritating, high-pitched sound. The machine beside her seemed to be measuring something she couldn't identify. In front of her sat Alice, along with another person—an old gentleman examining her heartbeat.

"Princess, everything seems to be in order... Rest for just a few more minutes, and we'll release you."

"Thank you very much, sir. I don't intend to leave just yet. I'd still like to talk to the young lady behind me."

"Make yourself at home."

The young woman beside the stretcher analyzed the apparatuses connected to the girl. She stood up, wiping her fist across her forehead and puffing in exhaustion.

"Karin, your test results show you'll be fully recovered within a few hours, but you need rest. You were in terrible condition... I'm glad everything turned out well."

"Thank you, miss..." — She looked down, sat up, became pensive, and took a deep breath.

"Who is Ryukuro...?" — Karin asked rhetorically, disheartened.

...

Yunna, the Shogun's wife, sat in a wooden chair. Across from her sat the Land Lord, Hunter Rutherford.

The man picked up a golden pocket watch from the corner of his desk, which lay disassembled alongside a compass. He quickly organized the mess and placed it in his drawer. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on the table.

"Shingetsu Yunna! I need to clarify some information. Is that alright?"

"What do you want?"

Hunter interlaced his fingers and opened his eyes, staring firmly into her emerald-green eyes.

"Madam, does your daughter have any connection to that prophecy of the 'Cursed Blood' lineage?"

Yunna bowed her head, almost shrinking into herself. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists on the chair's armrests as the Land Lord continued.

"The one who holds the divine blood of Ryukuro..."

In a swift gust, the corner of his desk was shattered by her fist. She stood up, breathing heavily, panting several times. Yunna stared into his eyes with fervor.

"You people from this country are going to do that too?! Are you going to belittle our lineage because of that banished god?!"

"Calm down, Yunna! I need his power to do something against my brother, Robert! He invaded Tsugaki two years ago, and he..."

With an icy gust, he was hurled against the bookshelf behind him, cornered. An enormous pressure was exerted against him, keeping his hands pinned behind his back, completely immobilizing him. She held the lapel of his brown suit with the edge of her blade pressed close to the veins in his neck.

The lady's face twisted, her eyes blazing with tears, making it perfectly clear she was absolutely furious.

"Shut up if you don't want to die, Hunter Rutherford!" — her voice trembled with rage. Keeping him pinned, she closed her eyes, stammering between words. — "I believed in you! I... wanted to believe we were together... but damn it! How naive... that's what they call it..."

The sound of the office door opening echoed—slow and warm. A short-haired girl with pink hair entered. Horrified, she frowned in terror. In a swift change of posture, she assumed a martial stance, trembling.

"Take that sword off!" — she screamed, extremely nervous, almost stuttering.

"Why?! He's an ally of that bastard Robert, who killed—"

Punching the door, she opened a hole in it, stomping the ground hard, making the floor shake, and stared at her with defiance.

"Shut up! Take that sword off now! Or do you want me to kill Karin?!"

Turning her head, Yunna looked at her, trembling, her entire body going cold. She weakened, gritted her teeth, and let go of the sword, which clattered to the floor.

Hunter looked at Alice, stunned, slightly blushing. He walked a few steps forward and looked at the lady on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Yunna. It was insensitive of me to ask about that. Rest for today. We'll continue this conversation tomorrow."

With that, his arms dropped, leaving the young girl crestfallen. She began to run down the corridor. Hunter left the lady there and went after the princess, gasping as he advanced through the north sector of his mansion.

"Alice! Alice! Please, Alice! Let me talk to you!" — he shouted desperately.

She stopped, kept her head down, and let him approach. He looked around as he ran.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I know you were worried about me... But—"

She spun around quickly, delivering a heavy slap that sent him to the floor. Her face was washed with tears and sobs.

"Never do that again! Do you have any idea what could have happened?! That woman and her daughter—I want to think of them as friends for the first time, and you nearly got yourself killed?!"

"I'm sorry... Alice... Forgive me..." — He stood up and hugged her tightly.

She clung to him and stayed there. Those brief minutes in his arms were warm and comforting. Alice then cupped his face and kissed his cheek.

"Please, don't do that again!" — said the princess, smiling with closed eyes as she wiped her tears with her hand.

"Alright! Princess!" — he said, blushing.

He looked out the great window to his right and saw the red of the horizon. He pulled back his suit sleeve, checked his watch, and realized it was already 6:49 PM.

"Yikes, it's time to eat. Alice, can you take Karin and Yunna to the VIP dining hall?"

"Does it have to be me?"

"I have some things to take care of with the king, and my reputation with that lady isn't exactly great right now... I'm sorry, it'll have to be you..."

"What can I do? Patience..." — she said, shrugging.

As Alice walked down the corridor, she thought about how the high walls were imposing and full of curves, adorned with countless ornaments. She thought to herself: Why don't they just install a horizontal elevator, huh...

"Princess! I can help!" — said a very familiar voice in her mind.

"Innova? What do you mean? Help?"

A tall woman materialized in front of her, with long braided orange hair.

"Did you forget I can teleport around the mansion?"

"No... but... can you take someone with you?"

"Yes, yes! I gained that ability recently with the arrival of new faithful to the Rutherine Temple."

"Can you use it on me and my two friends?"

"I can only manage it for Lady Karin. The other one... her spirit is disturbed, in a state of shock, and unfortunately, I can't use it on her."

"Hmm... Can you bring Lady Karin with me to where Yunna is?"

"Yes. She's outside the mansion, though. You'll have to run to her. Is that alright?"

"Alright. If you can come with me, I'd like some help getting to the dining hall afterward, okay?"

"As you wish, Princess!"

The tall woman named Innova then closed her eyes, levitating for a few seconds. She pressed the tips of her fingers against her other hand in a symbol and conjured.

"System Activation, Multi-Instant Teleport."

In the blink of an eye, the young lady and Alice were together at the mansion's entrance. Karin was confused by the sudden appearance.

"What happened... Alice?! What—"

"Sorry about that, young lady. I am the Goddess Innova. I'm the one who brought you and the princess here. And pay close attention to what she's about to say—it's important."

"Karin, I need to talk to your mother. Hunter and I just had a falling out with her, and we need to calm her down. Could you help me with that?"

"Geez... hmm... You've really poked the bear on this one... When my mother gets angry, even I don't want to be around her... Depending on what it is, it's better to just leave her alone."

"Mr. Hunter touched on a sensitive subject, and he almost ended up in the morgue."

"Yeah... Are you sure you want to talk to her? I'm serious. Just wait for the day to pass. It'll be worse..."

"I can't let Hunter's action go unpunished. I need to apologize for myself and for him."

Karin stared at her with a blank look, thinking: Does she really want to drag me into this?

"Do I have to come along?"

"Yes..."

Realizing the conversation was truly that serious and that Alice was deeply remorseful, Karin placed her hand on her shoulder.

"I'll help this time. Next time, learn and do it yourself."

Adjusting her glasses, Alice replied, with the sunset before her.

"Thank you!"