Several days passed.
The underground prison beneath the Iron Palace remained quiet.
The cell doors stayed locked.
Guards rotated shifts outside the corridor.
Meals arrived three times a day.
And the three unexpected prisoners remained exactly where they were.
Inside the cell, life had settled into an oddly peaceful routine.
Theresia sat cross-legged on the floor, carefully examining a small crack in the stone wall as if it were a fascinating puzzle.
Rhea sat beside her, reading one of the books the guards had eventually allowed them to borrow.
Nine lay stretched across the stone bench, one arm draped over her face.
"So," Nine muttered.
"We've officially been imprisoned for… what, four days?"
Rhea looked up from the book in her hands.
"Five."
Nine groaned.
"Even worse."
Theresia looked up from where she had been lying on the floor.
"I think it's been interesting."
Nine slowly lowered her arm and stared at her.
"You think everything is interesting."
Theresia smiled.
"Well… this is my first royal prison."
"That's not something most people aim to experience."
Rhea chuckled softly.
"At least they have been polite."
That was true.
Despite the circumstances, the treatment had been surprisingly reasonable.
The guards kept their distance.
No one had attempted torture.
And after the first day of questioning, the nobles had not returned for another interrogation.
Nine sighed and leaned back against the wall.
"Still."
She glanced toward the small barred window.
"…It's been a while."
Rhea closed the book gently.
"Yes."
Theresia tilted her head.
"You think they're worried?"
Nine gave a small shrug.
"If we disappeared for five days without a word?"
She exhaled.
"Someone probably is."
Rhea's voice softened.
"Let's hope they assume we're simply delayed."
Theresia nodded thoughtfully.
"…Or somewhere interesting."
Nine groaned again.
"Please stop making imprisonment sound like sightseeing."
She stretched lazily against the wall.
"They're probably arguing about us right now."
Rhea closed the book gently.
"That seems likely," she said.
Theresia tilted her head.
"…About what?"
Nine snorted.
"Oh, the usual."
"Whether we're dangerous, spies, idiots… or some combination of all three."
Rhea smiled faintly.
"I imagine the debate is quite lively."
Theresia tilted her head.
"Do you think they believe us?"
Nine laughed.
"Of course not."
Rhea closed the book gently.
"They might not believe us."
"But they also cannot prove we are lying."
Theresia nodded thoughtfully.
"That must be frustrating."
Nine smirked.
"I almost feel bad for them."
Rhea raised an eyebrow.
"Almost?"
"Very almost."
For a moment, the cell fell quiet.
The distant sounds of guards shifting in the corridor echoed faintly.
Then Theresia suddenly spoke again.
"What do you think will happen next?"
Nine shrugged.
"Either they eventually release us…"
"Or they decide we're too dangerous and try something dramatic."
Theresia blinked.
"Dramatic?"
"Execution."
"Oh."
Theresia considered that.
"…That would be inconvenient."
Rhea laughed quietly again.
"Yes."
"It would."
Nine glanced toward the iron bars.
"But honestly?"
"I don't think they'll do it."
Theresia tilted her head.
"Why not?"
Nine grinned.
"Because they're curious."
"And curious people are predictable."
Before anyone could respond—
The air inside the prison cell suddenly grew heavy.
Not painful.
Just… strange.
Rhea slowly lowered the book in her hands.
Theresia blinked.
Nine sat up.
"…Did you feel that?"
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a faint pulse rippled through the room.
Like a distant heartbeat passing through the stone walls.
Theresia looked down.
"…What was that?"
Nine frowned slightly.
"I was about to ask the same thing."
The pressure in the air tightened for a brief instant—
Then vanished.
Everything returned to normal.
The torches continued burning.
The guards outside the corridor showed no reaction.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Rhea exhaled slowly.
"That felt… unusual."
Nine rubbed the back of her neck.
"Yeah."
Theresia suddenly tilted her head.
"Um."
The other two looked at her.
She slowly raised her left hand.
"…Was this here before?"
A faint symbol had appeared on the back of her hand.
Thin glowing lines formed a delicate circular sigil, barely visible beneath her skin.
Nine immediately looked at her own hand.
"…Oh."
The same mark was there.
A pale sigil resting on the back of her left hand.
Rhea checked hers as well.
The identical symbol had appeared.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Nine stared at the mark.
"…That's new."
Theresia turned her hand slightly, studying the strange pattern.
"It looks like some kind of magic circle."
Rhea frowned gently.
"But we didn't cast anything."
Nine leaned back against the wall again.
"Well."
"That's probably not a good sign."
Far above them—
Inside the royal palace—
Three heirs of Rovenwale suddenly paused.
Valen Dravenhart stiffened as a strange pulse passed through his chest.
Rowen Ardenveil blinked in confusion.
Lucien Valcere slowed his step.
For a brief moment, something unfamiliar brushed against his senses.
Then it vanished.
Valen frowned slightly.
"…Did either of you feel that?"
Rowen nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Lucien did not answer immediately.
He was looking down at his right hand.
A faint symbol was forming on the back of it.
Thin lines of pale light slowly arranged themselves into a circular sigil beneath the skin.
Rowen noticed his own a moment later.
"…What is that?"
Valen turned his hand over.
The same mark had appeared there as well.
None of them had seen it form.
For a few seconds, the corridor was completely silent.
Lucien's usual polite expression was gone.
He studied the sigil carefully.
Then he flexed his fingers once.
"…Interesting."
Valen looked at him sharply.
"You recognize it?"
Lucien shook his head.
"No."
His eyes remained on the mark.
"But something caused it."
Rowen frowned.
"You think it's magic?"
Lucien answered calmly.
"In this palace?"
"That would be the safest assumption."
Valen's expression hardened.
"We need to inform our fathers."
Lucien finally lifted his gaze.
"Yes."
For once, he wasn't smiling.
"Immediately."