Princess Hilda Stoneworthh walked into the grand hall, and all eyes fell on her. She was a sight to behold in her white gown and golden headband with the Temple of Bance's emblem as she cast aside the Divine Three due to their silence. She looked like an angel, but she knew she was anything but that. She felt her nerves start to grow, but she pushed them down. This was the moment she had been waiting for, and she wasn't going to mess it up, or the Dark Elf would take over the Kingdom with a whimper.

  As she approached the center of the ballroom, she could see the Duchess standing by her throne, surrounded by her dies. Mostly the ones that were most loyal to her, and Hilda was almost taking aback by how many women were able to be in such a party without the presence of men. It was forbidden in the Divine Three to have such gatherings with all these extravagant clothes and foods. There was even wine.

  Hilda took a breath, and the Duchess spoke first, "Welcome, Princess Hilda. Please, come sit next to me. We need to introduce you to all the fine Ladies of the Court."

  Hilda curtsied, and the Duchess smiled, "Thank you, Your Grace. I am pleased to have been invited here. It has been quite some time since I've been outside of the Pace."

  The Duchess's smile grew wider, and she took the young princess's hand. She led her to her side and sat her next to her, and then she gestured to her dies. "Ladies, please meet Princess Hilda Stoneworthh of the Holy Alliance, and worshiper of—Huh? Well, that's strange?"

  Leandra paused once she realized that Hilda wasn't caring around her neckce with the holy symbol of the Divine Three. The pendant was a triangle that looked like the tri-force with a string of beads that lined the neckce. It was the symbol of the Three Gods, Paul, Michael , and Joseph, and was worn by all who served the Divine Three. But the Princess was not wearing it and instead she was wearing a golden headband with the Church of Bance.

  "You don't wear your symbol of the three Gods?," Leandra questioned.

  Hilda hesitated a bit, but she didn't know why. The Divine Three never responded to her prays and the Goddess Iyomelka did, but she couldn't disclose that information for it was guidance that was only meant for her. And if she were to disclose this information to the Duchess, it could disrupt the blessing of the Divine. Then the evil ones can counteract the blessing. So she gave her the excuse, "I have chosen a different path. The church of bance has shown me a better path, and the Divine Three wish to hear men's prays, and they don't answer mine."

  The Duchess was silent.

  'Well, well, well?... Looks like this prudish zealot is going through a phase,' the Duchess thought. 'I guess the girl is finally growing up, and she wants to break free of her religious shackles. This could be a problem if she starts becoming an independent thinker. But I think she'll surfer purpose before that ever happens.'

  Leandra could tell that the Princess was being truthful, but Hilda wasn't telling her the whole truth and the girl was very poor at hiding it. Leandra was a master of deception and knew exactly how to py her cards. The only person who was better at deception over her was her husband. For he was the one who taught her everything she knows.

  She gave Hilda a sympathetic look, and said, "Oh my dear Princess, it must have been hard for you. I mean men think they can do anything they want without are permission. And they think they have the right to rule over us, when in reality, we're the ones who are actually getting this done without any recognition. Am I right, Ladies?"

  The Duchess looked out to her audience and most of the Minor Noblewomen ughed. They knew exactly what Leandra was talking about.

  The Duchess continued, "Men don't know the fury of a woman's scorn. That's why they need to be reminded every once in a while that they can't always have things their way. Because if we don't remind them of this, they can easily get out of line. We are the ones who control the kingdom."

  This statement got the crowd of Minor Noblewomen going while a select few gred at the Duchess from the distance. Namely all the daughters of the High Nobles and a few daughters of the Minors.

  One such daughter was Sara Revelia was furious that her mother has hijacked Lydia's party as it was becoming clearer by the hour that her mother never cared for her younger sister, Lydia. The only thing she cares about is power. And Sara had enough.

  Sara needed to help her aunt, but Rianna wasn't here yet. And the more her mother went on and on about Lydia, the more furious Sara became. She wanted to stop this, but there was nothing she could do. She was married off to a noble from a different country. Her loyalties to her birth country was overwritten. But she was still loyal to her sisters, no matter where she was.

  Hilda was confused and asked, "What do you mean?"

  The Duchess answered, "We're the ones who give birth to the heirs, we're the ones who raise the heirs, and we're the ones who educate them on how the kingdom works. While men are off doing whatever they want, it's we who have the real power. It's us who keep the Kingdom running. So, the next time you're faced with a situation where the man in charge tries to take advantage of you, just remember. It's your body and your choice."

  Leandra turned her back to the audience and faced the Princess, she leaned in and whispered, "Just remember, Princess. It's all about the choices. You have a lot of choices to make if you wish to save my nephew from damnation."

  Hilda felt at odds with Leandra after the duchess seemed to be avoiding her these past few weeks, but she knew she was acting like she hadn't ignored her. It was clear that the Duchess was pying a game that reminded her of her stepmother. But instead of being the target, she was the one being buttered up to do her dirty work.

  'What is she after? Wait!... The Goddess said that I must trust a foul noblewoman. But is Leandra a Foul Woman? She did help me in the beginning... But then she was getting impatient with me when I questioned some of her decisions. And now, she's trying to warm up to me again... I know I must save my Prince, but I don't know if that is what the Duchess truly wants.' Princess Hilda didn't respond but simply stared at the Duchess, who gave her a wink.

  'Is she the Foul Woman? If she is, then I must py along with her games until I save Quinus... And once I do, then I need to find out what her true aim is.' Hilda thought as she nodded her head and smiled at the Duchess, who patted her head like she was a child.

  Hilda knew she needed to find out what the Duchess was after and why. But at the same time, she wanted to help her Prince. Her Prince. Quinus was a very good person who wanted to be a good king, and she admired his dedication and loyalty to his kingdom and his people with all these strange concepts she had never heard of before. It's like he didn't need the Gods' guidance to do right by his people.

  'I can't let that Dark Elf lead him astray; he's mine. My Prince.'

  She looked back at the Duchess with a confidence in her eyes and said, "Don't worry, my dy. I will find a way to save your nephew and bring him back to you. I will be sure of that."

  Leandra had to hide her surprise. She thought it would take more coercing to get this zealot back on her side. But she didn't let it show and instead gave a warm smile and hugged the princess, "Oh, thank you, dear. You are destined to do great things for our Kingdom. Now, let's introduce you to the Ladies of the Court. For we know who would make a great Queen and who would not."

  Hilda had no idea that Leandra was setting her up to become the Queen and a pawn to her ambitions. But the Duchess didn't care; she only wanted to make sure that the future ruler of the Fiafyr Kingdom was a pawn of hers and not Rya's.

  "I-I'm fttered, your grace. I will do everything in my power to be a worthy candidate."

  "Of course, you will, dear. You were born to be the Queen of Fiafyr. Come, I will introduce you to the dies who will vouch for your right to the throne."

  And so, the two women stood up and began introducing Hilda to the kingdom's nobility.

  ***

  The Minor Noblewomen begin to part a way as Leandra guides Hilda towards the group of Major Noblewomen. The dies had been gossiping about each other's lives, with some of them trying to outdo the other and some just being friendly. But when they saw the Duchess approaching, they all went silent and put on their best smiles.

  "Lady Leandra! That was quite a speech you said. Aren't you worried that your husband will find out about your feelings?" Baroness Evelina Dravenhart asked with a bit of worry.

  "Hahahaha! Lady Evelina, if he does find out then I will make sure to satisfy him in a way to make him forget."

  "My, my. You are more a vixen than I thought, Duchess," Marchioness Isabel Wrightwood said with a smirk.

  "It's good exercise. But that's another topic for a ter date," Duchess Leandra said with a dismissive wave. Then she turned her attention to the Ladies before her, "Allow me to introduce you, Ladies. This is Princess Hilda Stoneworthh of the Holy Alliance. The second daughter of Prince Dreyand Stoneworthh l, also known as the Third Son."

  All the dies bowed their heads and curtsied to the princess.

  "It's good to see you again, Prince Hilda," Isabel Wrightwood greeted.

  "You as well, Lady Wrightwood," the princess replied. "I-I hope my half-brother isn't causing any problems at your manor."

  "Well, he and his men are a little rude once in awhile. But they aren't permanent residents, so we can bear with it for a few months," the Marchioness said with a chuckle.

  Hilda grimaced at the thought of Zane taking his frustrations out on all the servants and staff in the Ecros Manor.

  "Oh, don't fret too much about him, dear. If anything, I feel pity for them," Lady Alexandria Ingham said.

  "Y-you do?"

  "Yes... They are full of so much anger and they can't do anything about it. They'll die of stress at this rate," the Countess expined.

  "That is one way to look at it," Lady Lucinda Montcir said with a wry smile.

  Hilda couldn't help but sigh, "It doesn't make it, right. Zane has gone to far with displeasure of me and since he can't punish me for my sins, he's taking it out on you and your family."

  Isabel was pleasantly surprised by the princess' words. Frankly, the Marchioness thought the girl was meek and craven when she first met her over two months ago. Hilda only stayed in Isabel's home for two weeks before staying at the pace. Leaving Hilda's half-brother at the Ecros Manor.

  However, this girl wasn't the same person who left the manor. This Hilda was a lot stronger and more determined than the one who entered her home.

  "Huh... You've matured more than I thought," the Marchioness mused.

  Hilda was genuinely surprised by her compliment. She was about to thank Isabel when Leandra cut in.

  "Of course she's matured, Isabel. She's had to keep her wits about her ever since she's been in the pace. Wondering if she was going to perish at the hands of that vile elf. It takes a courageous soul to stay there when everyone has already turned their backs on you," Leandra said, praising the young woman.

  The Duchess got all the Major Noblewomen to look at Hilda in a new light. One that made them think that she truly was worthy of their respect. But for Hilda, the way Leandra spoke about her made her feel gross. Maybe Hilda was worried about Rya trying to kill her the first week she stayed in the same pace as the Dark Elf, but visions of Rya came to mind the first time she met her. Rya had a shawl over her ears and she was nice to her, until Sir Darius showed up looking for Hilda. She probably would have considered Rya as a friend.

  'M-Maybe the Dark Elf was right about the Divine Three... But she's still evil and—'

  Then the memories of Rya coming in to stop her half-brother from striking her came back to the front of her mind. Hilda thought it was Quinus' doing as he was escorting Rya to the courtyard. She made sure to thank him during their next mandatory tea time, but that's when he told her that it was Rya who took a detour through the pace halls before finding Hilda.

  'F-Fine! I can't deny that the Dark Elf is honorable for such a traitorous creature. She wishes to beat me on a level pying field... But... But—Grrr! I just can't lie! It's not right! She's my enemy, but I can't stoop so low and say she's out to kill me. I don't believe that for a moment. So why am I still saying it? Why?'

  Hilda wanted to get rid of the guilt in her chest. She wanted the lies Leandra had been telling people to be true and if she didn't correct her then she wouldn't be any better than Rya. She might be worse in Hilda book.

  She looked at the Duchess, seeing that the older woman had a smug grin on her face. Like she had won, but Hilda didn't want to win on deceit. She would not compromise her morals just to defeat Rya. Not today and not any other day.

  "I'm sorry, Leandra, but I can't let you say that."

  The Duchess' smile fell, "Excuse me?"

  All the Noblewomen looked intrigued when Leandra's smile dropped. It was a rare slip of the mask from the duchess. Hilda swallowed hard, knowing this was going to be difficult, but she had to say something. She couldn't lie.

  "I'm sorry, Leandra, but I can't let you snder a young woman's name like that." Hilda's voice was calm and collected. "Sure I was nervous at first, the Dark Elf isn't trying to kill me. She hasn't threatened me once since we've met... I'm sure if she wanted she could have ended my life without breaking a sweat, but she doesn't... D-Don't get me wrong, she is evil and aims to use the Crown Prince for her own bidding... I think... But she seems to have a sense of honor," Hilda paused for a moment. "I-I am her enemy, but I oddly enjoy confronting her. I will defeat her, but not by lying. Not by making her look like a monster, but a noblewoman in her own right... She's a dark elf and she has some sort of power over men... But... That doesn't mean I'm afraid of her. I will beat her, no matter what... B-But not by being a deceitful..."

  All the dies around her gnced at the Duchess to see what she had to say.

  The Duchess' lips were twitching for a split second. 'Dammit! I ignore this girl for a couple of weeks—No! She's a pure hearted fool. I should have pnned that she would do this. She's just too trusting of others.'

  "My, my... It seems I was... mistaken," Leandra forced a fake chuckle, "Please forgive me, Prince Hilda. Gossip can be a dangerous thing and I just wanted to be sure that you were safe... I will make sure to correct others when they question your safety and well-being."

  Hilda smiled, feeling a lot better about the whole situation. The Duchess was still smiling, but there was a hidden fury that was behind it.

  'So much for the perfect pn—huh?'

  Leandra noticed that Isabel, Alexandria, Cassandra, and Lucinda all looked at Hilda with admiration. Even Leandra's own allies, Baroness Evelina, Cecelia, Medalia, and Nysara all gave the Princess a nod of respect.

  'She... She's actually winning them over?... This could be a problem—No! It will make my short term goals easier. But I can't let her win over my own allies by her kindness. That will make things complicated when the time comes.'

  The Duchess decided to switch gears and py along for now.

  Baroness Elizabeth Dule was watching the Princess closely. She thought the Dark Elf tried to her brother. Surely that was an act of evil. She never got an answer from her husband as he was recovering from a hangover and he seems depressed when he came to. Something about their son having a common level Mana Vein.

  Elizabeth was going to confront the Dark Elf about it, but her son and husband said they didn't want her involved. Elizabeth didn't like it one bit. She wanted to help her husband and son, but they seemed adamant that she shouldn't get involved. She needed answers and this foreign Princess seemed far more trustworthy than any of the other dies who attended.

  So, Elizabeth straightened up and walked up to the Princess, "It's nice to meet you, my name is Elizabeth Dule. I've heard so much about you but never had the pleasure of meeting you."

  Leandra was annoyed that Elizabeth cut right in front of her to talk to Hilda. She had pns on making herself look good next to the Princess and the lowly Baroness was in the way.

  "It's very nice to meet you, Baroness Elizabeth," Hilda bowed, "It's hard to keep track of who is who in such a big Kingdom."

  All the Ladies ughing light-heartedly. As most of them understood the feeling. Leandra had to force out a fake ugh to not stick out.

  "I'm just gd you're alright, Princess Hilda," Elizabeth said.

  "Alright? Why wouldn't I?" Hilda asked.

  "Well, I heard rumors that the Dark Elf attacked your brother and his men. It must be frightening to have that thing so close," Elizabeth said.

  Hilda grimaced and waved both her hands in front of her.

  "I... Um... My half-brother... Ugh?... He was the one who tried to attack me," Hilda said.

  Elizabeth and the other Ladies were shocked, except for Leandra and her group.

  "He did what!?" Elizabeth asked.

  "You see..." Hilda tapped her fingers repeatedly while looking off to the side. "He was trying to punish me for my sins..."

  "Your sins, Princess Hilda?" Viscountess Cassandra asked, "What sin did you commit to get attacked by your half-brother?"

  Hilda sighed, "My... My sins of praying to the Goddess... It's punishable by death."

  The dies around Hilda went quiet.

  "No! That can't be!" Baroness Evelina shouted.

  "That's outrageous," Countess Alexandria added.

  "He was going to punish you for praying to Iyomelka? Who does he think he is?" Cassandra Bckwood asked.

  "I was wondering why he's been in a terrible mood. My husband didn't mention any of this," Marchioness Isabel Wrightwood shook her head.

  "What happened?" Baroness Lucinda Montcir asked.

  "Huh?... Didn't Baroness Ysandra tell you? She was in the Emergency Session when the Prime Minister accused the Dark Elf of attacking my half-brother," Hilda said.

  Leandra's mood turned foul at the thought that Ysandra showing up to her party—Um, her daughter's party. She was a Baroness, but she held more sway over both the House of Lords and the Ladies of the Court due to her family only giving birth to girls. Leandra should have more sway because she's a duchess, but it wasn't fair.

  "Well, the Baroness likes to be—"

  "Be what, Duchess?" said the familiar voice of Ysandra coming from behind Leandra.

  Everyone turned to see the Baroness standing there with her sister Saffron Fairchild, Countess Seraphina Valerian, Baroness Elowen Windermere, and Baroness Isolde Stirling.