In the guest part of the Pace, a foreign Princess was on her knees praying to both the Alliance Divine Three and the Fiafyrian Three. Hilda was troubled that she wasn't able to break Quinus free from the Dark Elf's spell. If only she knew that Rya wasn't using a spell on Quinus, then she would have tried something else to win his heart. But she kept praying for Rya to get fat and for guidance on anything she could do to make the dark elf pay.

  "Please, help me," Hilda begged, "I must break Quinus from this Dark Elf's grasp. Help me, please! Show me a sign or give me guidance. It could be anything at all!"

  Hilda was extra desperate as she got two letters yesterday. One from Duchess Leandra, who instructed her on how to get to the party. The other letter was from her half-brother, Prince Zane, who demanded she come to the Prime Minister's Manor. But she knew that he wanted her back in the Prime Minister's manor so that he could punish her for all the sins she'd been committing, and none were worse than her praying to the false goddesses of the Fiafyrian Three.

  Hilda felt a chill run down her spine at the thought of returning to the manor. The dark shadows of its towering walls loomed in her mind, and she knew with dread that if she stepped foot inside, Zane wouldn’t hesitate to end her life. The weight of that truth kept her running, her heart pounding with the fear of what awaited her in that sinister pce.

  And then there was another issue she's been having. Her one strong ally in the Fiafyrian Nobles, Duchess Leandra Revelia, hasn't been seeing her as much anymore. In the beginning, Leandra would show up out of nowhere and help her, in the beginning, to win over Quinus by updating her wardrobe and offering words of advice when Hilda had her private Tea Times with Quinus. But ever since Leandra started pnning the Coming of Age party for her second youngest daughter, Lydia. The Duchess has become more absent.

  Hilda felt like she was alone in this mission.

  "Oh, wise Paul... Please hear my..."

  Hilda stopped because she was tired of praying to the Divine Three for all her life and had never received a response.

  "You know what? I think you haven't listened to a word I've been saying... Haah... Maybe I should try praying to Iyomelka and the twins... At least the Goddess's Idol lit up for me... And my half-brother says that they are false Goddesses when they are the only ones who showed themselves to the masses."

  Hilda changed her strategy and concentrated more of her spirituality towards the Goddesses.

  Normally, she prayed to the foreign Deities out of politeness, but she never gave her whole heart to it. But the silence from the Alliance's Divine Three was deafening, and she began to think that they didn't care.

  And the Goddesses of the Fiafyrian, even though the idol of Iyomelka and the twins would light up for her, they have never appeared before her and told her the answer she seeks. But that could have been her fault for not giving herself fully to them.

  But Hilda knew one thing.

  If the Divine Three were real and truly cared for their followers, then why hasn't Paul shown himself to her?

  "Haah... Zane already says that I'm a heretic. And the only reason I'm still alive is because I'm a guest in the Pace... So, why not lean into the Fiafyrian Three? If I am to become the wife of my Prince, then I should accept all the customs and rituals of the nd."

  Hilda got on her knees and started praying.

  "Oh, great, Iyomelka... please give me guidance. I don't know what I should do. I've been doing the same thing for the st few weeks, and the Dark Elf's charms are stronger than ever... Please show me how to stop her and save the Crown Princ—"

  Hilda paused for a moment as she heard a whisper.

  < Hear me, child... You are walking a very dangerous path... > Whispered a female ethereal voice.

  Hilda's eyes widened in shock, and she stood up.

  'C-Could it be? Could one of the Fiafyrian Goddesses have answered my prayer?!'

  "A-Are you a Goddess of the Fiafyri?"

  < Hehe... I am... >

  Hilda couldn't believe it. After all this time, she had been praying to Paul, Michael, and Joseph, but they had not answered her prayers. But here she was, talking to one of the goddesses of her new nd.

  "I... I don't believe it..."

  < Child... Your faith was too weak to reach us. And that is why you didn't receive our help. You need to devote yourself to us. And we will aid you in your quest to get the Crown Prince... >

  A sense of renewed determination filled Hilda's heart, and she got down on her knees.

  "Tell me, oh, Great Iyomelka, what must I do to vanquish the dark elf!?"

  The voice giggled again and gave Hilda an answer.

  < She is far too powerful to defend on your own... And she will bring ruin to those who oppose her... >

  Hilda gritted her teeth in frustration.

  'But there has to be a way...'

  "Is there no way for me to defeat her without help?"

  Hilda waited for a minute before she received an answer.

  < There may be a way... >

  "There is?!?! Please! Tell me, oh, great one!"

  < Listen closely, child... For the path to true happiness will be filled with trials and questionable choices... What may seem like a sin will bring you to your goals... >

  "W-What do you mean?"

  Hilda had an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

  < In order to defeat the dark elf... you must listen to a foul Noblewoman who will try to...you............ >

  The ethereal voice faded into nothingness, leaving Hilda confused and concerned.

  "H-Hello?... My Goddess?..."

  Hilda waited silently for ten minutes, but the Goddess's voice didn't return.

  "Tsk! I must have used up all my faith to talk to Iyomelka. Darn it! Why did I waste it on the Three!? No!... No, I didn't know that they couldn't be trusted. And the goddess did speak to me... And she gave me enough... I think?"

  Hilda stood up and paced around her room, trying to remember what the Goddess had said.

  'She said something about a Foul Noblewoman?... Does she mean the Duchess Leandra? Or perhaps Queen Rianna?'

  Hilda didn't know why her fellow human would betray her, but if it meant getting rid of the dark elf, then she had to do what she must.

  "I just need to keep an eye out for a Foul Noblewoman who might try to use me. Or something?" Hilda said as she tipped her pointer finger to her chin as she was deep in thought.

  "Okay... If a noblewoman asks me to do something questionable, I should accept—Grrr! But what if I get multiple women asking me to do different questionable things?... I should accept all the ones that can help me kill the dark elf?!"

  Hilda clenched her fists in determination and was about to shout out to the goddess one or time when the door to her room opened abruptly.

  "GAH!?! WHO'S HERE!?" Hilda yelled and turned around.

  Dori flinched at her mistress's sudden yell. "Eek! M-My dy! You startled me!"

  "Oh... It's you, Dori... Don't sneak up on me like that. I'm jumpy enough as it is!" Hilda sighed and put her hand over her heart.

  "M-My apologies, my dy. But, I got your tea ready for your daily meeting with the Crown Prince," Dori said nervously and held a tray of hot tea and sandwiches.

  "Huh?" Hilda scanned the room, looking for the grandfather clock. "Oh? Is that the time already? I was so engrossed in my prayers that I lost track of time."

  "Um, my dy?"

  "What is it, Dori?"

  "Are you going to wear a bathrobe to the meeting?..."

  Hilda looked down and noticed that she was still wearing her white bathrobe. "Oh! No. I just find it comfortable when praying for hours."

  Dori gave her mistress a judgemental look.

  "What?"

  "You have been getting zy with your clothes tely, my dy. Your father isn't here to judge you. But don't you think you're dressing more casually than appropriate?"

  "Hey! I'm in my private room, and it's not like showing off my cleavage like that despicable Dark Elf. You worrying over nothing, Dori," Hilda said confidently as she folded her arms under her ample bust.

  "But that robe barely covers your knees. What would the prince think?"

  Hilda gnced down and saw her calves showing, then shrugged her shoulders. "Of course, I won't be wearing a bathrobe in front of him. I'm not a savage."

  "But what if the Crown Prince is peeping on you right now?"

  Hilda looked around her room. She was shy at first, but then she started posing in a way that should have off her lower legs and ankles.

  "Y-Yes... It would be a shame if he could see this~."

  "Oh, dear," Dori shook her head at the young girl's antics.

  "What? If he can see me right now, then he must have an interest in me," Hilda smirked at her own cleverness.

  "Or he would think you are a shameless woman."

  Hilda gasped. "He wouldn't! Or he wouldn't be captivated by that harlot's allure and take her as a wife. No, Dori! I must fight fire with fire!" The foreign Princess decred while taking a power pose, with her hands on her hip, holding her chin high, and straightening up her back, which made her ample bosoms look bigger.

  Dori didn't know what to make of her mistress's bolder behavior tely. Even since Hilda came to the Kingdom of Fiafyr, she's been more outgoing, less formal, and has started showing her real self without the priests' watchful eye. Dori thought Hilda might be getting corrupted by the Dark Elf's influence, but after talking to her about it, the maid realized that the foreign princess was simply expressing herself.

  Hilda was never like this when she was younger. It's like the Hilda she knew was just an act. She was raised to be the perfect Princess of the Stoneworthh family. To be poised, graceful, and, most of all, obedient to men. But that Hilda was changing into someone more confident and outgoing. Dori worried about what would happen to her Mistress if she ever went back to the Alliance. Women who acted like Hilda were either shamed, locked away, or sent to the Temple of the Holy Three to repent and change their ways.

  Dori hoped Hilda's father would not find out about this and send her back home. She enjoyed working with the foreign princess, who treated her as an equal, not as a lowly servant.

  Hilda looked at Dori with a confidence she'd never seen before, "Dori!? It's time to try... the dress..."

  "You don't mean THE dress!?" Dori gasped.

  Hilda nodded.

  "But, Mistress, you'll be showing off your shoulders... And... And..."

  "A little bit of cleavage? Yes! It will! And let's make sure that the side of the skirt is open up to the mid part of my shin," Hilda grinned mischievously.

  Dori almost dropped her tray. "But you said you wouldn't show off your ankle until marriage."

  "And I can't get married until that Dark Elf is out of the way, Dori... These tea times with Quinus have helped me connect with him on a personal level. But the Dark Elf has him at night. Does terrible things to him with that sinful body of hers... I need the Prince's eyes on my body. Not hers."

  "But your father, Mistress... If he finds out..."

  "This is bigger than keeping the Peace Treaty. The human race is at stake here. The Dark Elf has the Prince and his men wrapped around her fingers. We can't afford to waste time worrying about Three Gods that refused to hear my prayers. It's clear to me now. That they never answered them in the first pce. I will be the one to save humanity. With or without the help of the Three."

  Dori nearly stumbled when Hilda said bsphemous things.

  "Are you insane!? If one of the Three were to hear you, you would—"

  "They will do nothing like they always have... I've prayed to them all my life, and never once have they answered. My family has been following their commandments, but all it's done is cause more problems... They may have told the Prophet that I was the one to marry Crown Prince Quinus, but they refuse to aid me in our desperate time of need," Hilda said, crossing her arms and frowning.

  Dori put the tray of tea down and bowed, "Forgive me, Mistress, but... Who will you pray to for guidance? Without the Divine to guide us, we are no better than monsters."

  "But we do have Deities that listen to us, Dori... And they have been the only ones that have shown any signs to me," Hilda replied.

  Dori's head snapped up, and she gasped, "You aren't talking about praying to the false—"

  "There's nothing false about the Fiafyrian Goddesses. They are Deities like the Three, and all Iyomelka has done is guide her followers in creating the strongest Kingdom in Agon. We need to stop listening to jealous Gods who must be stricken with envy when she comes to me," Hilda replied.

  Dori was about to argue, but her mistress's st words struck her nerves.

  "Came to you?... Iyomelka has sent you messages, Mistress?"

  "Yes, Dori. That's why I was jumpy when you came into the room. I decided to put all my faith into my prayers, and Iyomelka spoke to me," Hilda replied.

  Dori was fbbergasted by this. She's never heard of any of the Three talking to nobles, let alone commoners. But the false Goddess reached out to Hilda.

  "I... I'm not sure what to say, Mistress," Dori said as her mind took in the information. "What was the fals—I mean, the Goddess's message?"

  Hilda sighed in frustration, "I only got the beginning half of her message before my faith ran out... Luckily, I think I have enough to know what to look out for."

  "Mistress, how can you be so sure that it was Iyomelka? It could have been a demon posing as a God. They can take many forms and—"

  "That's enough, Dori! I know what I heard and felt. There is no doubt in my mind that it was Iyomelka's voice and her power," Hilda said, gring at Dori.

  The maid sighed before she looked up at Hilda again, "What was the message... Mistress?"

  Hilda saw that Dori was finally listening to reason. So, she started telling her about the message.

  "She said that the path I am going on is dangerous and for me to achieve my goals of happiness, I must listen to a foul Noblewoman who will try to do something. It was cut off, but I think she was saying that it was someone who would try to use me... Who this Noblewoman is, is a mystery though," Hilda said, scratching her chin.

  Dori nodded her head as her mind tried to wrap itself around the warning that her mistress had received. She was a bit concerned about the idea of trusting the false Goddess, but if Hilda was convinced that she was real, then it was hard to ignore.

  "Well, at least we know what to look out for, Mistr—"

  *Knock! Knock! Knock!*

  Both women flinched at the sudden rapping on the door, their hearts pounding.

  "I'll see who it is," Dori asked, walking over to the door.

  Hilda sighed, trying to calm her racing heart. She looked up and watched Dori open the door only to sm it quickly and look at Hilda with worry.

  "It's the Crown Prince!"

  Hilda ran to her wardrobe and opened it in a hurry, looking for her dress.

  "By the Gods! Dori, help me get dressed quickly!" Hilda demanded.

  The maid nodded and slowly opened the door to see a confused man standing outside the Princess's door.

  "Why did you sm the door on my face,

  Miss Dori?" He asked, frowning.

  "F-Forgive me, Your Highness. Her Ladyship was walking around naked after taking a bath, and I panicked," Dori said, blushing.

  Quinus looked unsure for a moment, and instinctively he tried to look inside Hilda's room.

  "Th-The Princess isn't presentable, your Highness!" Dori said, smming the door shut and turning back to help her mistress.

  Quinus stood there, blinking as he tried to understand what just happened.

  "I guess that's what I get for trying to peek on a girl...," He sighed while waiting outside the door.

  ***

  Hilda was wrestling with her new, daring white dress, its sheer fabric shimmering under the soft light of her room. Frustration bubbled up as she struggled to navigate the intricate design. “Gah! How can a dress with less fabric be more difficult to put on?!” she growled, exasperation cing her voice.

  Dori hurried over, concern etched across her face, as the two hadn't yet tackled this particur garment. The dress had caught Hilda's eye in a quaint boutique nestled in the bustling noble marketpce on South Street. Its elegance was impossible to resist, and her Mistress had indulged her in a spontaneous purchase without a second thought.

  “We don’t have time to wrestle with this dress, My Lady!” Dori urged, her hands reaching for one of Hilda's simpler white dresses.

  “But! But—!” Hilda protested.

  “But nothing!” Dori interrupted with a determined grunt, deftly yanking the troublesome dress off Hilda’s shoulders. “We’ll try that one next time. Now, hold still!”

  Hilda groaned as she was forced to stand still as her maid helped her get dressed in her usual conservative dress so that Dori could get ready in seconds.

  "Dori, is he still out there?" Hilda whispered, biting her lip.

  "Y-Yes, your Highness. But we don't have time to waste. Now hurry and put on your shoes."

  Hilda nodded as she slipped her shoes on while Dori fixed the princess's hair in a simple bun.

  "Okay! My shoes are on," Hilda said.

  "And your hair and makeup are good, Your Highness. You are ready."

  Hilda smiled, stood next to the table with the Tea Set, looked at her reflection in the mirror, and nodded.

  "I'm ready. I hope."

  Dori opened the door and bowed her head.

  "My apologies for keeping you waiting, your Highness."

  "Ah, no. It's fine," Quinus said as he stepped inside.

  Hilda felt her breath hitch as she stared at the Crown Prince.

  'Why does he look better each time I see him?' She thought, biting her lip.

  She was brought out of her musings by Dori closing the door.

  "Your Highness," Hilda curtsied.

  "Princess," Quinus said with a bow.

  Hilda smiled and motioned for him to sit down, and she sat across from him.

  "Shall I pour the tea?"

  "No, I got it this time, Hilda," Quinus said, and Hilda smiled.

  "Alright. Let me know if you need any help," She said as she watched him pour the tea into her cup.

  He did the same for himself and set the pot down.

  "There. We're all set," Quinus said as he smiled at Hilda, who gave him a bright smile.

  "Now, let's drink some tea," Hilda said.

  The two spent their time drinking and conversing.

  "So, are you nervous about meeting the Ladies of the Court? They can be rather...unpleasant at times," Quinus said.

  "Unpleasant, how?" Hilda asked, tilting her head.

  "Just the usual noble games and such," Quinus said with a shake of his head.

  "Ah, well, I have your aunt to help me," Hilda said, smiling.

  Quinus' smile faltered for a moment, and concern was written in his eyes. "So, you are still fond of my aunt..." He murmured, taking a sip from his cup.

  "I am," Hilda said, and the Prince sighed.

  "I'm afraid she has a lot of enemies," Quinus said, looking into his teacup.

  Hilda was surprised by this as she had had very few conversations with other nobles while she'd been staying at the pace. Only Dori had heard rumors about the Revelia's duplicitous deeds.

  "Really?... But she's only ever been kind to me," Hilda said, feeling doubt creeping into her thoughts.

  Quinus was quiet for a few moments. "It is because she wants something from you," Quinus said.

  Hilda was told never to tell anyone in the pace of all the times Leandra came to speak to her. Hilda found it peculiar how Leandra seemed to pop up out of nowhere and vanished just as quickly. Surely, the Duchess had to be cleared to enter the pace, so Hilda paid no mind to it.

  "What do you mean? And how would you know?" Hilda asked, staring intently at Quinus.

  "Let's just say she's used other nobles to do her dirty work for her," Quinus said.

  Hilda thought for a moment, but then she recalled the Goddess's guidance about accepting a questionable noblewoman's offer that would help her defeat the Dark Elf and give her happiness.

  'So, I must accept a pn from Leandra that I might not like, but the Goddess said that if I did that, I'd get rid of the Dark Elf. This better not be as bad as the goddess says it is,' Hilda thought as she gripped her teacup tightly.

  "Are you alright, Hilda?" Quinus asked.

  "Yes, I'm fine, thank you," Hilda replied with a smile. She was grateful to the Prince for narrowing down her search for the wicked Noblewoman.

  Quinus smiled. "Just be careful with my Aunt. I don't want you to get hurt," he said, reaching out to grasp her hand. Hilda was pleasantly tickled by this moment. Quinus had become bolder with her the longer they'd spent time together, and she saw this as a sign that things were going her way.

  'Oh, if only we could be closer... I'd like to share the bed with him,' Hilda thought as she felt a pleasant warmth pool in her groin.

  "I will... I promise," Hilda said, holding back the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl.

  Quinus and Hilda sat for a while longer, enjoying each other's company and discussing various things during their mandatory hour of tea time together. Quinus wasn't sure if Duval's measure was going to be enforced anymore once he loses his position as Prime Minister in a week, but he would still like to spend time with her as she was very fun to be around, and her beauty wasn't hurt either.