Watching as the flames in her hand consumed the letter from her father, Ivalyn stood behind the dressing screen and released a long sigh of relief. Burning the letter with her own magical fire was better than using a candle as she could memorise the words better. It had its risks of being discovered, but Danny was loyal, and Ellie was in the dressing room looking for the gown she had asked for.
The next steps in Duke Everglow's plan took its time to reach her, almost missing her appointment with the crown prince. She promised she'll have news by the first day of the harvest festival, thinking that the letter which was burned to ashes would have come much sooner.
From her memories, she knew the next phase was put in motion before the hunt in the fall, but the exact date was still unknown until then. The worst part was that it didn't provide much more information than she already knew. In the very least, his fatherly love could have helped her at least a bit more.
