The outfit the Princess donned was nothing like April's ethereal blues and silver. After all, the Princess was not a soft and gentle thing. Her outfit was blazing red, accented gold. A large crown sat upon her head with dangling rubies. She was not a star, no, she was the sun. A light brighter than all else and commanded all attention. Her gown was a special red velvet that shimmered under the light with pink, gold and violet hues.
And all who set their eyes upon her were bewitched by her glowing beauty. Some could barely resist the instinct to kneel. She was a being so uttering terrifying one could not help but tremble.
Treize kept her face lowered, making sure that she did not chance meeting eyes with the Princess and risk enchantment. She didn't want to be recognized either. In a simple maid's outfit, she was able to sneak into the castle walls. With the Festival of Remembrance and magic rampant in the air, no one particularly paid attention to new faces that entered and exited the castle.
June and November were both months and thus had a particular aura about them. They were unsuited for this kind of operation. And Huit…well. That kid was a special case. Treize chuckled inwardly at the thought as she made her way out of the courtyard and back into the castle.
June had provided them with an old blueprint of the castle. But it was from a time before theirs and he warned her that they layout may have since changed. Still, it was better than going in completely blind.
The infirmary was said to be located on the south wing so she made her way there. Her head was lowered and she was sure to pay respects to any lords and ladies she might happen upon.
But Treize had underestimated the castle's cunning nature. When she had turned a hall, she couldn't help but feel things twist and shift.
Was it anxiety getting the better of her? Treize stopped in her tracks and took a careful peek behind her. There were still people walking to and fro the halls, undisturbed in their chattering and laughter, each and every one of them spoke about the Festival.
Surely her imagination was running amuck. Treize took a deep breath and continued forward.
It was only after two more additional turns did she find herself in a bind.
See, Treize was not an idiot and prided herself in her sense of direction. She spent hours studying that old blueprint and there was no way that she wasn't at least headed in the general direction of the infirmary.
Which really begged the question, where in the world was she now?
The light coming from the windows was unusually bright and she wasn't even able to pinpoint the direction of sunlight. A chill crawled down her back and made her nauseous. There were rows of armors standing vigil in this strange hall.
They wore outfits and designs not found anywhere in Arcadia or the city's history.
Just what was this place?
Her footsteps echoed ominously and Treize could hardly stop herself from trembling. Hesitantly she was already reaching into her pocket, fingers wrapping around a small Insomnium ore. She didn't want to use magic this early on but she was starting to fear that she didn't have much of a choice.
One of the doors was just slightly ajar. Treize gulped down her fear and steeled herself. Slowly she crept up to the door and tried to peek inside.
All she saw were gaudy decorations, flares of red and gold spattered around, and patterns that did not match any local tastes. She debated her approach but in her prying, she was able to make out a pair of feet at the end of a bed.
Treize gulped. It was better not to attract attention. She should really just move on. And try to reorientate herself to find the damned infirmary like she was supposed to.
But just when she was about to take a step back, a low chuckle stopped her in her escape.
Her heart dropped.
"Hey, where do you think you're going? Come in! I'm so damn bored over here."
Treize froze and thought about all the appropriate ways she could answer this question. Eventually, she settled with, "I'm sorry, it seems that I've gotten lost. I'm new here."
"New?" The voice was contemplative, "We haven't had someone new in the castle for ages!"
Treize paused, it was then she thought that the voice sounded mighty familiar. Where had she heard it before?
But the answer was simple. It was no doubt one of the times she had spent in the bar singing as the Lioness. She heard all sorts of voices then and had met all sorts of people.
If only she could remember them.
"I was hired for the occasion of the Festival. Since it's quite busy around this time." It was a silly excuse but not a faulty one. The castle did, in fact, have a more vibrant staff at this time. June had scouted things in advance and prepared Treize's cover carefully.
"Ah, I see. Did we still do things like that?" But the voice was still doubtful. Slowly, the memory of a lackadaisical man was slowly appearing in Treize's memory. Long black hair, dark eyes, tanned skin. A scar on his hand. He looked foreign but spoke fluently.
"Yes…I only started yesterday," Treize replied calmly, still standing at the door.
"Say. Have we met before? I feel like I know your voice."
"...I can't say that we have."
"Hm, why don't you come inside?"
Treize knew better than to accept a man's offer so readily. She chuckled, "I'll have to say no this time."
"This time huh?"
Seeing that the voice was a little more distracted and calm, Treize changed up the subject, "Do you happen to know where the infirmary is?"
"Hm? Why do you want to go to the infirmary?"
"...Lady April was asking for something."
"Oh, did she? Wait! She's in the infirmary? What happened?"
Treize heard shuffling on the other side and cursed under her tongue. She should have used a different excuse but it was too late in her blunder. She could only step back and lament over her mistake as the door swung open wide.
Oh. This was the man she brazenly kissed that other night. Treize wanted to laugh at this odd twist of fate but she kept her expression calm. Surely, he won't be able to recognize her, right?
"Hey!" He laughed but she didn't miss the low hiss of pain beneath his breath, "I'll take you there and save you the trouble."
Dumbly, she nodded.
She was going to have to back up her excuse when she arrived at the infirmary. And the man that was now her guide was obviously no ordinary person. Reality was slowly dawning on her.
Here, Treize was no Lioness. Instead, she was a mere child being walking into a den of beasts.
Treize took note of how the man retraced her steps and how the castle seemed to snap back into place. When he rounded the corner, the halls were normal and soon they were there in the south wing.
The man knocked violently against the door, "Hey open up, it's me!" He called and didn't give them any chance to answer before throwing the door open himself and stomping through the threshold. "What's going on! April, are you alright!?"
Three pairs of eyes stared at him, stunned.
Treize took a very quick glance inside and counted the figures. She cursed herself for adding to the count and debated the pros and cons of making a swift retreat now.
"March…" the Royal Doctor sighed, "Just what are you doing out of bed…? Did I tell you to stay put…?"
The blonde gardener shook his head, "We need to tie him to his bed it seems. This man does not know the definition of rest."
A soft feminine laughed, a bit strained, "You're right. That's March for you."
"Sister April! Are you okay? What about the festival?"
"I'm okay, just a little bit dizzy."
"Oh…that's good to hear."
A sigh, "Don't tell me you rush here just because of that? March…I'm grateful for your concern but you need to stop acting so hastily. Your injuries still haven't finished healing." It was the Gardener
Treize listened quietly. March, if she wasn't mistaken, was the Princess's Knight. So the Knight was injured? That was a bit weird and off-script. But she supposed that it was to their favor so she shouldn't be complaining.
"Ah, I'm fine! Can't you tell that I'm fine?"
It was then the person in the doctor's gown notice Treize's presence. She sense a chill crawl down her spine when he said, "And who are you…? What are you doing here…?"
Her palms grew damp as she looked around the room. They were all Months, unlike her, and wielded terrifying powers. But she kept her cool, "Lady April was asking for something," she went with the same story.
But Lady April was there in bed and furrowed her brows as I said, "Did I?"
No, she didn't but Treize kept on insisting, "I was told to bring this to you." From her pocket, she fished out two giant, dazzling crystal earrings and brought them to April.
She opened her palm, her mouth turning into a small 'o' as she received the items. "I thought I had lost these! Thank you!"
Treize could almost let out her sigh of relief. "No problem, Lady April." She curtsied and was about to make her retreat but again it was that damned Knight that stopped her in her tracks.
"Wait."
Her heart thumped wildly while Treize to keep her expression steady, "Yes?"
"I'm certain I know you from somewhere!"