Alexiel and the young woman continued to stare at each other during the awkward silence in the forest, a gentle breeze blowing among them."I-I'm sorry," said the woman, "I really have to go." And with that, the woman ran off, going deeper into the woods."Wait!" shouted Alexiel as he chased after the woman, "Don't leave! I just want you to tell me your name!"Alexiel continued to chase the woman for what felt like a very long time until the woman suddenly stopped running and turned towards Alexiel, stopping him in his tracks and knocking him over on his bottom."Alright, fine!" yelled the woman, "...It's true...I'm...I'm Bernadette, the last mage of Terresaine."After saying this, Bernadette slumped down to the ground and began to sob. Surprised, Alexiel got up from the ground, walked over to Bernadette, and knelt down to try comforting her."What's wrong?" Alexiel asked, "Why are you crying?""...If...I tell you...will you listen to me?" Bernadette asked."Yes, of course.""...Ok...Well...As you already know, all of the other mages of Terresaine were executed years ago, and I'm the only one left. I've been living and hiding here in this forest this entire time, praying and hoping to never be found and killed...Eventually, the hunt for the mages came to an end, of course, when the queen assumed that all of them were successfully killed off. And since then, my life has been rather peaceful, provided I never leave this forest...until one day. The princess of Terresaine somehow found out who I was and where I lived, and she approached me with an offer...She wanted me to provide her with a magical book that would allow her to stay up to date with the events related to the land of Morado and its ruler...If I refused her offer, she would have me executed. If I obeyed her, she would agree to keep my location a secret and spare my life, provided I don't let anyone else see me or find out about my identity...But...now you're here, and...my life is over."Bernadette broke down in the most painful sob Alexiel ever heard, and although he did feel sorry for her, he was a bit confused."Um, sorry," Alexiel began, "But are you sure that the princess threatened you like that? You didn't misunderstand anything?""No, of course not!" yelled Bernadette, "She approached me a little before replacing her mother as the current ruler of Terresaine, and I remember precisely what she said.""...Yes, but...are you sure? I know the princess can be a bit stern sometimes, but she's also very kindhearted. She would never hurt or threaten anyone.""Y-you don't believe me? Why would I make up something like this! That's absurd! And...how do you know how the princess is? It's not like you're close to her.""...""Wait. Don't tell me. Please, don't tell me...You work for her, don't you?! You're a spy!""No! Calm down! I'm not a spy! I-I just wanted to know the truth!""Why?!""Well, you see...I found that book you provided for the princess. I didn't know at the time what kind of book it was, but it caught my eye because of how...different it looked. It even had a glow to it. So I...I stole it.""You what?!""I know, I know. It wasn't a very nice thing to do. But the princess doesn't know that I have it... And how else was I supposed to find out what was going on? As we both know, magic is currently against the law here in Terresaine. So, I wanted to know why a magical book was in the princess's possession...And now I know why."Feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and scared for her life, Bernadette began to sob again, moaning that Alexiel should have just looked the other way and left matters the way they were, and that because he didn't, her life was in danger. Alexiel began to feel very guilty."Shh," Alexiel said, "Listen. Don't worry. Your identity is safe with me. No one besides us will know that our meeting occurred, and you don't have to be scared. To soothe your distress, we can just go our separate ways and pretend that we never met each other.""Child, you must know that it's not that simple," Bernadette said, "The princess could find out about this just as easily as she found out about my very existence in the beginning. She is very powerful, and she could do anything to me. I'm no longer safe here...At this point, it's probably best that I leave the country, something I should have done a long time ago."As much as Alexiel refused to believe that Princess Annabelle was as wicked and dangerous as Bernadette kept implying, he agreed to assist in smuggling her out of the country. Doing so would at least make him feel a little less guilty about causing her distress."Bernadette, don't worry," said Alexiel, "You will be safe. And who knows. Maybe magic will become legal again here, and you can come back. Although magic is outlawed now, that doesn't mean it's particularly bad, in my opinion. Magic could be used in so many positive ways that could benefit people, and even the country...And maybe the princess believes the same thing, hence her utilization of your powers. I trust and believe that the princess will do the right thing.""...""Now you just go home and prepare things, and I'll be on my way. I'll try to come back here as soon as i can to assist with your move...Good day, Ma'am."And with that, the meeting between Alexiel and Bernadette came to an end, with a confident Alexiel leaving the forest, leaving behind an uncertain Bernadette, who was still sitting sullenly on the ground, watching Alexiel's retreating back.Later that day, Alexiel performed his normal duties upon his return to the castle, as if nothing happened. However, the meeting between himself and Bernadette, as well as the feelings and concerns Bernadette had about Princess Annabelle, continued to weigh heavily on his mind. Alexiel really believed that Princess Annabelle was a good person, and practically refused to fully acknowledge everything Bernadette said about her. Alexiel was just contemplating on whether or not he should really follow through with assisting Bernadette in escaping Terresaine when Seraphine appeared in front of him."Greetings, Alexiel," said Seraphine, "How are you today?""Oh. Greetings, Miss Seraphine. I'm doing quite well. Thank you," said Alexiel, "Is there anything I can help you with?"Seraphine stared at Alexiel for a few seconds, a quizzical look on her face, before answering him."Hmm," said Seraphine, "Never mind. The princess wants to see you."With that, Seraphine walked away briskly as Alexiel looked at her with a bit of confusion. After taking a deep breath and regaining his composure, Alexiel made his way to Princess Annabelle's room."Greetings, Your Highness," Alexiel said to Princess Annabelle upon entering her room, "You wanted to see me?"Princess Annabelle was standing near her favorite window, her back to Alexiel."Yes, that is true," said Princess Annabelle to Alexiel before turning towards him. She then walked slowly towards him before stopping right in front of him, a serious expression on her face that made Alexiel slightly uncomfortable until suddenly, the serious expression turned into her signature, warm smile."I found the very important thing I told you I was looking for, Alexiel," Princess Annabelle said, "I am really quite pleased."Alexiel's heart nearly stopped, as he was sure that the lost thing Princess Annabelle was looking for was her enchanted book. However, he assumed that the princess had no idea that he was the one who had it, so his confusion was quickly replaced with relief."Really?" said Alexiel, "That's wonderful. I'm glad.""...Would you like to see it?" asked Princess Annabelle."...Yes. I would be honored."Princess Annabelle walked to her desk, pulling something out of one of its drawers, before returning to Alexiel. She suddenly held up the object she was so desperately looking for all this time: her enchanted, purple book.The color nearly drained from Alexiel's face as he looked at the book, the smile he previously had having disappeared."Hmm," said Princess Annabelle, "You don't look very happy to see this, Alexiel. Now why could that be?"Alexiel was nearly at a loss for words."N-No," Alexiel stammered, "That's not true at all. I'm...very happy that you found what you were looking for, Your Highness.""Ha ha," Princess Annabelle laughed, "Is that so? Even though you knew where this was the entire time?""...No, that's-""Alexiel, stop lying to me this instant!""...""I have something else to ask you, Alexiel. You may answer me however you like but do know that if you lie to me again, I will have to punish you severely. I cannot have dishonest servants in my company, Alexiel.""...Yes, Your Highness. I understand.""Good. Now, who did you go to meet today on your 'business', Alexiel?""Well, I...I went to go meet Terresaine's last mage...Bernadette.""Hmm...""Yes, Your Highness. And...I'm really sorry for stealing your book. Truly. I just...I didn't understand why a wonderful, sweet person like Your Highness would go against the law and use magic. I didn't understand why and how you had that book in your possession if all of Terresaine's mages are supposed to be dead. I...I wanted answers, so I did a bit of research, and in that research, I found out about Bernadette. However, unlike the other mages I read about, there was no information confirming that Bernadette was dead, so I decided to try to go look for her. I assumed that if she was still alive, she was probably hiding somewhere here in Terresaine. So, I went to the forest to begin my search. And surely, there is where I found her. She wouldn't tell me at first, but eventually, she confirmed that she was indeed Terresaine's last surviving mage, and that she was the one who provided your enchanted book...I was a bit surprised at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized something. Maybe you saw the good in magic, and maybe you would one day reverse the decision to outlaw it in our country. So, I don't blame Your Highness for using it in secret.""...Well, you're absolutely right, Alexiel. I love magic. I think it's wonderful, and unfair for it to be outlawed. There are so many benefits of magic that could be of good use to the people of Terresaine...But no one understands that right now, of course.""...Your Highness, I actually have another concern.""What is it?""...When I met Bernadette, she was very scared and reluctant to tell me her identity because she was afraid of losing her life. She said that if she told anyone...you would kill her.""...Is that so?""Yes, Your Highness. But of course, that's not true. Right, Your Highness?""Why of course not. I would never do such a thing. Bernadette has always been a rather...paranoid sort, which is understandable because she's been that way ever since the mass execution of Terresaine's mages.""I see.""In fact, she's so paranoid, I wouldn't be surprised if she one day committed suicide just to put herself out of her misery. Anyway, thank you for telling me all this, Alexiel. But I want you to know something. When I found out what you've done, it nearly broke me because...I thought I finally had someone close to me who I could trust. The stealing and lying you've done disappointed me greatly, and it was quite difficult for me to not punish you."An immense wave of guilt suddenly overtook Alexiel at the princess's words."But," Princess Annabelle continued, "I will spare you this time and give you another chance. But you must swear to me that you will never disappoint me ever again, Alexiel."Alexiel suddenly knelt to the floor on one knee, grabbing Princess Annabelle's hand."I swear, Your Highness," Alexiel said, "I swear on my life that I will never betray Your Highness's trust ever again, and I apologize immensely for my mistake. I will never doubt Your Highness again.""Good," said Princess Annabelle, "You may leave, now.""Yes, Your Highness."After standing up from the floor and bowing one last time to the princess, Alexiel took his leave from Princess Annabelle's room. Soon after he left, Princess Annabelle summoned Seraphine to her room."You called me, Your Highness?" said Seraphine."Yes," said Princess Annabelle, "I want you to return to the forest and find Bernadette. And when you do...kill her. But make it look like a suicide.""Yes, Your Highness."As Alexiel walked down the corridor to the servants' quarters, he just couldn't help the continued guilt he felt after lying and stealing from the princess, the very person he continued to defend against the many allegations people kept making against her. Although he did genuinely resolve to never do such awful things to her ever again, out of curiosity, he did begin to wonder how Princess Annabelle even found him out. It wasn't too long before Seraphine's image suddenly appeared in his head.