A few days before the war began, the entire Wonderveil Palace felt strangely quiet, even though it was filled with people rushing about their duties.
With battle fast approaching, the knights trained with great determination in the training grounds. They practiced relentlessly with wooden swords, the sound of hard wood clashing against hard wood echoing all around. Sweat soaked through their uniforms even though the morning air was still cool and crisp.
Celestia and Alice walked together toward the training field. As soon as the Captain of the Knights caught sight of them, he immediately bowed low in respect.
"Your Highness! How may I serve you today?" the Captain asked.
"I would like to introduce you to Alice," Celestia said, gesturing toward the woman beside her. "She will be the one assisting us and leading our forces in the coming battle."
"My name is Alice," she said calmly. "I am fully prepared to serve and help you all."
The Captain looked Alice up and down carefully for a moment before nodding slowly. "Very well. She shall act as our chief commander during the campaign. Have you decided exactly when we shall march, Your Highness?"
"I have left all such arrangements entirely to Alice," Celestia replied. "You know very well that I have never stepped onto a battlefield myself."
"Ah, yes… of course. I quite forgot for a moment," the Captain said, scratching his head awkwardly.
He stepped forward and stood tall, turning to face all the knights still practicing with their wooden weapons.
"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" he shouted loudly.
At once, every knight froze and stopped moving.
"I have an important announcement to make!"
They set down their wooden swords onto the ground and quickly gathered in front of their Captain, listening without question or hesitation. Many of them noticed Princess Celestia standing there, and the unknown woman beside her.
Some of the knights exchanged curious glances as they looked at Alice.
"Princess Celestia has brought our new commander here today," the Captain said. "Your Highness, please speak to the men regarding what we discussed."
"I am very pleased to stand before all of you," Celestia began, her voice clear and steady. "I know you are all anxious about the war ahead. I am certain you feel nervous and afraid—there is no shame in that. But you need not worry any longer, because I have brought you someone capable and strong who will guide you: Alice."
Alice bowed respectfully. When she straightened up, she looked slowly across the crowd of knights, meeting each of their eyes one by one. Unseen by anyone, a dark, sinister glint flashed deep within her eyes for a split second.
The group fell silent as Alice's gaze passed over them.
"I am sure Alice is more than capable of leading us, Your Highness," one knight spoke up confidently.
"Absolutely. She looks impressive and truly powerful," another agreed.
"We want Alice to be our leader!" called out a third.
Many others nodded and murmured their agreement.
Alice curved her lips into a faint, mysterious smile—one that was hard to read, neither truly warm nor openly cold.
From that very day onward, she would hold full control over every single plan and decision for the coming war.
The next day, Alice arrived at the training grounds clad in full iron armor. The dark plates covered almost every inch of her body, making her look fierce, imposing, and hard to approach. The knights stared at her in shock as she walked among them.
"Alice… why are you wearing full battle armor here?" one knight asked in confusion.
"Let me make something very clear to all of you," Alice replied sternly. "You are going to fight a dragon. Do you honestly think that will be an easy thing to do?"
Silence fell across the grounds. The knights exchanged uneasy glances; they finally realized this would be no ordinary war.
"So… what exactly should we do to prepare?" another asked.
"You must train harder than you ever have before," Alice commanded. "War is near, and you need every bit of strength and stamina you can build."
"Will you be the one training us?"
"Of course I will," she said firmly. "But remember: my training will be harsh and unforgiving. I will also be giving you all battle plans and strategies once we are on the battlefield."
The knights nodded in full trust, accepting her leadership without hesitation.
Alice put them through grueling, almost impossible exercises. They had to run at full speed for five full minutes without stopping—and were strictly forbidden from drinking water or resting afterwards. The sound of heavy footsteps filled the training ground. Breath came in ragged gasps, but no one dared to slow down or stop in Alice's presence.
They were also made to climb smooth, slippery wooden walls to build upper-body strength and agility. Many knights lost their grip and fell hard onto the ground, but Alice watched on with absolutely no sympathy or mercy.
"Get back up at once," she said coldly and calmly. "If you fall on the real battlefield, the dragon will not stand around and wait for you to recover."
No one argued or complained. They accepted every harsh lesson and every demand she made of them.
Meanwhile, inside her office, Celestia sat writing official documents. She held her quill steadily, eyes fixed intently on the paper before her. Her long white hair fell softly over her shoulders as she pored over piles of war reports and plans stacked high across her desk.
Tap… Tap…
Someone knocked gently on the heavy wooden door. Celestia looked up.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Ryan stepped inside. He walked straight toward her desk.
"Princess Celestia… is there anything I might help you with?"
"There certainly is," Celestia replied, tired but grateful.
Ryan sat opposite her and looked over her unfinished work. The entire desk was covered in paperwork: supply lists, maps of battle zones, and reports from the training ground.
"Here, let me take care of some of this for you," Ryan offered kindly. He picked up a document, read through it quickly, and began writing neat, thoughtful suggestions and notes in the margins. Within just a few minutes, he finished and handed the paper back to her.
Celestia read through his additions carefully, a pleased smile forming on her face. "Ryan… these are truly excellent ideas. I very much like how you think."
"Thank you," Ryan replied modestly, smiling back. "I am only doing whatever small part I can to be of service."
"Are you hungry yet? Let us go and have lunch together," Celestia invited him warmly.
"That is exactly why I came to find you," Ryan said with a soft chuckle. "It is already well past midday, and I knew you would be too busy to remember to eat."
Celestia smiled, touched by his thoughtfulness. Together they left the office, talking comfortably the whole way. Ryan's calm, mature way of speaking and his gentle humor made Celestia laugh more than once.
From a distance, Charles watched them walking together. He felt a sharp pang of jealousy seeing how close and at ease Celestia was with Ryan. But he knew he could never be by her side—not only because of their difference in rank, but also because Nyx would certainly scold and humiliate him again.
He still had his duties here: to bring laughter and joy to the people of the palace, whether asked or not. With a heavy heart, he turned and walked away, gripping his jester's mask tightly in his hand as he left the corridor.
Celestia and Ryan only grew closer with every passing day. Their relationship was openly supported and praised by all the nobles, who all agreed they were truly the perfect match.
..........
Late at night, when everyone in the palace was fast asleep in their rooms and beds, one person stood on a balcony gazing out into the night.
The sky was dark, with only faint moonlight casting a soft glow over the palace grounds. A gentle night breeze made the white curtains sway slowly back and forth. Alice sat comfortably in a chair on the balcony, sipping tea. Her expression was calm and unruffled, as if she felt no pressure or worry at all about the war approaching quickly.
Fin, a small squirrel, scampered up to her.
"Alice… now that you have fully entered the palace and taken your place, has my duty here ended?" Fin asked quietly.
"Not at all," Alice replied smoothly. "You must continue to befriend all the other animals living here. Gather every bit of information you can from them and bring it all to me."
Fin nodded obediently. His little tail twitched slowly as he looked out over the quiet palace gardens.
Moments later, another furry creature approached them. Alice turned to look at the animal that had been secretly working alongside her all this time.
"Thank you for giving me such clever, useful advice," the creature said.
"Are you referring to my suggestion to push Charles aside and get him out of the way?" Alice asked coolly. "That was only one small part of the whole plan."
The creature chuckled softly at her answer.
"War will be here very soon. Are you truly ready for everything that is coming?"
"Absolutely," Alice answered without hesitation. "While I am away leading the army, Fin will stay behind and watch over everything happening inside the palace. And as for you…" She pointed directly at the creature.
"I know exactly what I must do," the creature said with a wicked glint in its eyes. "I will remove everyone else who stands close to her, so that Princess Celestia will rely on me and trust only me completely."
"Are you trying to manipulate and control her feelings and mind?" Alice asked, tilting her head.
"Of course I am," the creature replied without shame. "She is kind, soft‑hearted, and gentle by nature. Someone like her is very easy to deceive with sweet words and false affection."
Alice simply smiled faintly as she set her teacup down on the small table.
"By the way… did you send the letter to Qas as I told you?"
"Yes, I did. Don't worry about him or the letters—he suspects absolutely nothing. He really is nothing more than a stupid, obedient wolf," the creature said dismissively.
"Good. That is all for now. I hope your plan goes exactly as you want it to," Alice said. In the next moment, she vanished right before their eyes like a wisp of smoke.
Fin quickly climbed up a nearby tree and slipped away into the shadows, while the other creature headed toward the back of the palace to find Qas.
It walked through the dark grounds carrying an envelope in its mouth. The only sounds came from crickets chirping loudly in the tall grass and bushes all around. The area was completely silent and empty of people.
When it reached the small shelter specially built for Qas, it found the great grey wolf lying on the thick, soft sofa provided for him. He was quietly grooming and licking his thick fur.
Qas looked up sharply as the creature drew near. "Have you come to give me another letter to deliver?"
"I have. You are the only one I can trust with this task. Besides… would you ever dare refuse a direct order from Princess Celestia herself?" the creature asked slyly.
"I know I am strong and capable," Qas grumbled, standing up and stretching his massive body. "But this is becoming too much. You can't expect me to run back and forth every single day like this."
He walked slowly over to the creature and took the heavy envelope firmly in his strong jaws.
"Be careful, Qas," the creature said in a false, sweet voice.
Qas paid it no attention at all. He turned and ran swiftly out of the palace grounds, carrying out a mission that would eventually lead to his own ruin and downfall.
His large, powerful form slowly disappeared into the deep darkness of the night. He had absolutely no idea that he was nothing more than a useful pawn, being used and manipulated by others for their own cruel plans.