When his stomach growls and the sun has risen high enough to require all the dungeons to be present for lunch, Terrant reluctantly folds the parchment and reaches for the envelope. Raising it, he blinks at the thickness. And maybe ... is it a little harder than it should be?Putting the letter aside, Terrant explores the inexplicable uniqueness of the envelope. His fingers find and carefully take out a card from thick paper and, turning it over, he almost suffocates. His breathing stops in his throat, causing his chest to hurt. There, in his hands is Alice. Much less than it should be, but it's Alice!
The portrait is breathtaking. His Alice is standing on a strange balcony. He can see a hint of heaven and the kingdom behind her. She smiles at him, a simple smile and stands with her hand raised: “This is the left!” - laid on the pillar. Alice poses in a traditional Shuchish dress: a short top that does not quite reach her belly and a long straight skirt. A thin scarf was thrown over her shoulder of the correct length, covering most of her body, but not all! His eyes follow the curve of her waist, her open belly, and then ...He will close his eyes and breathe, if that does not deprive him of this vision! The Terrant enjoys the sight of his line of heart, masterfully captured by the Royal artisan. Blue lines wrap around her arm, her bare shoulder and lines curl over her chest. There, above her heart, Terrant finds a sign that has just begun to appear. There, a thin blue knot contrasts sharply with her skin. Where the dark red Terrant sign is a four-pointed star, Alice has an intriguing oval. And even in this performance of her image, he can see a hint of an intricate design that he knows so well.
"Alice…"
His Alice!Terrant ignores his grumbling, rumbling stomach and spends the day in a bathrobe, slippers and pajama pants, sitting with his Alice and smiling like a poor, in love fool.And he hopes for three completely different things:First, that Alice will return on the sixteenth day, safe and sound, as was promised.Secondly, that she will be allowed to take this charming clothes with her!And thirdly, that this Royal artisan is not a man!On the morning of the eighth day, Alice wakes up just like she woke up every morning after leaving Mramoria, where she left Terrant, without ever looking backe.
Panting, Alice grabs her nightgown and tries to control her pounding heart. She takes one deep breath, and then another, but, like everyone else in the morning, her heart beats for almost fifteen minutes before it calms down. However, Alice does not get up. She is waiting. And there! After a minute or so, it starts again: it hurts, rushes, pounds! It is almost as if she was terrified or furious or in a panic, but Alice does not feel any emotions.
This is all very ... strange.
She waits a little longer, just to make sure another attack does not happen.
The first time this happened, he was very worried: “Is it normal for a person of my age to experience a fast heartbeat?” She wondered. It was very strange when the panic lasted so long, and then, after a short pause, it started again and again and again! The first time this happened when they stopped at the Underground Crossroads, and Alice was worried, and the second time, here in the palace, she almost spotted the Royal Doctor! But she hesitated, as the Queen's Warrior Warrior, she should not seem weak in a foreign land! Therefore, she decided to wait and see if these events would become painful or more intense.They have never been.
It happens every morning, only time changes, and that’s it. And Alice did not bother to mention this Mirana.When her heart remains silent for several minutes in a row, Alice dares to hang her legs and get out of bed. She just dresses when she feels a slight tinge of inexplicable excitement, as if she responded favorably to some desperate hope.“Curious and curious,” she mutters, massaging the flesh over her heart, then with one last beat she calms down.
Sighing in relief, Alice fastens the sword belt to her waist and turns to the Queen's bed. They shared this room from the moment they arrived, and Alice is glad of it. She would be constantly worried if she had not seen Mirana all night. Of course, Mirana protested, “Alice, you don’t need to be on your guard here!” We are among friends! And besides, I'm afraid that I have a very bad habit of snoring before I can fall asleep ... - but Alice insisted, and listened to the Queen snoring softly every night for thirty minutes before finally subsiding.She checks to make sure that Mirana is still sound asleep, and then Alice walks to the window and balcony overlooking the capital. She takes Orash and enjoys a calm breakfast, letting her mind wander.