Alexander awoke with a long yawn.
He stretched his limbs, the crackle of his joints echoing in the quiet room.
Next to him was Elizabeth, her head resting on his chest.
She stirred awake, her eyes fluttering as they met his.
"Morning…"
Alexander chuckled, bringing her closer.
"Morning to you too."
Elizabeth's eyes further opened as she crawled closer.
"Did you sleep well?"
She asked, her breath tickling his lips.
Alexander nodded.
"Yeah."
There was a comfortable silence between the two, the sunlight peaking through the curtains.
Elizabeth closed her eyes before pressing her lips against Alexander's.
The kiss was gentle.
Alexander pulled her closer as her arms found their way around his neck.
The moment was perfect…
Almost.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Alexander, your highness, Raphael has started the team's strategy meeting without you."
The voice was calm and professional.
Elizabeth sighed against Alexander's lips, pulling away.
"We'll be down in a minute."
Alexander attempted to let Elizabeth go, but she stopped him.
"Not yet…" she whispered, cuddling against him.
Alexander chuckled, stroking her silky white hair.
"Raphael will kill me if I'm late."
Elizabeth groaned, slowly rising.
"Oh, fine."
The two slid out of bed.
While Alexander began to dress, Elizabeth headed towards the bathroom.
"Are you going to bathe?"
Elizabeth paused at the door, smiling.
"I am."
"Should I… bathe too?"
Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder.
"Do you want to?"
Alexander averted his gaze with a blush.
"Uh, I'll take mine later."
He answered, stepping towards the door.
Stepping out of the room Alexander bumped into Hinata.
"Hello, Alex."
Hinata teased, "Did you miss me?"
Alexander chuckled, looking up and hugging her.
She smelled of gunpowder and ink.
"Yeah, I always miss you."
Hinata returned Alexander's hug.
"Good, your team is waiting on you by the way."
Alexander stepped back, adjusting his tunic.
"See you."
He jogged down the hall as Hinata watched.
She waved as he entered the elevator.
"See you."
As the elevator descended Hinata stepped into the room.
"Your highness, are you here?"
"I'm running a bath."
Elizabeth called.
Hinata closed the door behind herself and stepped towards the bathroom.
Inside, Elizabeth was sitting beside the tub, running a hand in the water.
"Did you find anything?"
She asked, looking up.
Hinata nodded.
"Indeed, though there were some gaps in the information."
Elizabeth's hand slipped from the water, droplets dripping across the surface.
Hinata continued, her voice low.
"From what I've gathered she made her first appearance a few months after the war. Most believed her to be an orphaned child, with her family killed."
Elizabeth crossed her legs.
"Family? Is she related to Alexander?"
Hinata shook her head.
"Her family is unknown, but I'm certain it wasn't Alexander's. The Daname family had only four children, three sons and one daughter."
"Alexander had siblings?"
"Has."
Hinata corrected.
"His brothers serve under the royal pathfinder core, and his sister resides in Tora with her mother and a woman named Elise."
Elizabeth's eyes widened.
"He still has family, does he know?"
Hinata shook her head, crossing her arms.
"No, he's under the impression that they're dead or lost, and the same applies in reverse."
Hinata's words lingered in the steamy chamber, heavier than the mist.
Elizabeth hummed thoughtfully.
"I'd like to keep it that way for now, Alexander has too much on his mind as is."
She shook her head, "That aside, does this masked empress have any known connection to the Daname family?"
Hinata frowned with hesitation.
"No, definitely not a direct connection. But…"
She trailed off.
"But?" Elizabeth pressed.
"There's little evidence of this, but I'm almost certain she was a friend of his. Or to be more precise, a close confidante."
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed.
"Now it makes sense, she wasn't here to visit a friend… she was here to reclaim her lover."
"Why do you say that?"
Elizabeth gripped her hand into a fist.
"Because, she didn't waste a second in coming here. She was willing to die for him. Everything she did, from ignoring your warnings to pulling the knife. It screamed devotion."
She leaned back, letting out a sharp breath.
"If it wasn't for that girl…"
"…she would've attacked."
Hinata finished, her voice cold and crisp.
Elizabeth's gaze softened.
"She's more dangerous than I anticipated, it's even possible she knows Alexander better than I do."
A moment of tense silence passed.
"I don't want Alexander near her, at all."
Hinata glanced at the water, then back at Elizabeth.
"As you wish, your highness."
— — —
Alexander's team had gone over Stuttgart's strategy for hours.
And what he learned was that they relied solely on the masked empress.
She would lead the charge, taking down opponents and leaving her team to man the flags.
And she was quick.
Most of her matches lasted mere minutes.
Raphael had a plan to counter however.
He and Aloïs would meet her head-on, with Lucie acting as a pin.
The rest of the team was to stand back, only intervening if Stuttgart's remaining players did.
It was simply on paper, and Raphael wasn't one to lose matches.
But still, Alexander felt uneasy.
The masked empress had beaten him before.
And though Raphael wasn't the captain at the time, could his skills have really improved enough to beat her?
As Alexander sat in thought, Hinata had pulled Raphael aside.
They stood in an empty room.
"Do not let the masked empress and Alexander clash, under any circumstances."
Her voice was a sharp whisper.
Raphael crossed his arms.
"Why not? He's one of our strongest. Besides, he'll need to face her eventually if he's gonna replace me."
He smirked with a proud glint in his eyes.
But Hinata's expression remained unchanged.
"Alexander won't replace you, after this game, he'll be done with the sport entirely. Second, if he's to face her in the match tomorrow it won't end in a point, it'll end in bloodshed."
Raphael shivered with a hard swallow, his stance tense.
"What are you talking about?"
Hinata's gaze sharpened.
"I've told you all you need, it's up to you how this ends."
With that, she turned on her heel and exited the room.
Leaving Raphael at a standstill.
He stood there for what felt like hours.
Knock. Knock.
A figure slipped into the room, her face etched with concern.
"What did she say?"
It was Lucie.
Raphael pressed a hand against his face, sighing.
"N-nothing, just… fuck."