The room adjoining the balcony was spacious, with white stone walls and decorated with several paintings and somewhat pretentious ornaments.

There were several pieces of furniture, a long sofa against one of the walls, a table with chairs, and a full-length mirror that someone had brought and placed next to the door leading to the balcony.

And in front of that mirror stood Emilia.

The queen had changed her dress. She no longer wore the white one with gold embroidery from before but a dark green one with silver details that gave her a more formal and authoritative appearance.

Her silver crown with the green gem remained in place and her light green hair was pulled back, leaving her pointed ears completely exposed with all her earrings.

Rose stood behind her with a clipboard in one hand and her other hand on Emilia’s shoulder as she looked at her through the mirror’s reflection.

"Remember, straight back, chin up, and firm voice," Rose said as she reviewed her notes. "No stuttering, no unnecessary pauses, and especially no crying."

"Understood..." said Emilia, nodding her head.

"Did you memorize what you need to say?"

"Yes, I went over the lines several times while I was changing."

"All three parts?"

"That’s right," confirmed Emilia, finishing arranging her hair. "The council conspired to start a war of extermination against the other races. My loyal subordinates discovered it and acted to stop them, and from today on, the council is dissolved and power returns to the crown."

"Very good," said Rose, nodding satisfied. "Just don’t forget that if the atmosphere becomes tense or you notice people starting to doubt..."

"I say more details will be given in the coming days and I cut the speech short before things get worse."

"Perfect."

Then Rose turned toward the armored elf who stood by the door with his polished silver armor and sword sheathed at his side.

"And you," said Rose, pointing at him with the clipboard. "Don’t open your mouth."

The elf looked at her.

"Just stay next to her," continued Rose, looking at him with a frown. "Straight back, eyes forward, serious expression. Let the people see a strong warrior loyal to their queen. Can you do that, right?"

"Of course I can," responded the elf, nodding once with a rigidity that made it clear he was also nervous even if he wouldn’t admit it.

Meanwhile, Mark observed the scene from the back of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Emilia was visibly nervous. Her hands trembled slightly when she lowered them from the mirror’s surface and her eyes went from her own reflection to the notes Rose was holding and back to the mirror in an endless cycle.

Every so often she breathed deeply, smoothed her dress, touched her crown to make sure it was in place, and breathed again.

And he had an amused expression that he didn’t even attempt to hide.

However, it wasn’t long before he noticed that Emilia had spotted him through the mirror’s reflection, and for an instant, the queen’s green eyes met his in the glass.

Mark didn’t look away, and Emilia, not quite sure how to react, gave him a small awkward smile. Then, as if nothing had happened, she refocused on her own reflection.

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open and the druid entered with hurried steps.

"Your Majesty," said the druid with a brief bow. "It’s time. The plaza is full and the people await your arrival."

Emilia turned quickly toward him.

"So soon?" she asked, her voice slightly higher than intended.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he confirmed. "Are you ready?"

"...Yes, let’s go," she responded, nervously swallowing.

She didn’t sound ready at all.

Alice, who was standing by the window, took a step forward.

"Try to relax," said Alice in a firm but kind tone. "As long as you follow Rose’s instructions, everything should go well."

"...I hope so."

Emilia walked toward the door, but before she could cross it, Mark raised a hand to say goodbye.

"Good luck," he said, giving her a thumbs up with a smile.

She stopped dead in her tracks and for a second stood looking at him, as if she hadn’t understood his words correctly.

"Huh?" she said with a surprised expression. "Aren’t you coming with me?"

Mark tilted his head slightly, confused by the question.

"I wasn’t planning to... after all, I have no reason to be there."

"Well..." responded Emilia, lowering her gaze slightly as her fingers played with the fabric of her dress at her hip. "It’s just that I’d feel less nervous if you were nearby while I give the speech."

"..."

Mark looked at her for a moment before exchanging a glance with the others. They simply shrugged.

"Alright," he said, letting out a sigh. "I’ll go with you. If it’s just to give you some confidence, there shouldn’t be any problem."

Emilia’s face lit up instantly.

"Thank you!"

And before Mark could say anything else, she grabbed his hand and practically dragged him out of the room, closing the door behind them.

After both of them left, the room fell silent for a few seconds. Then Ely spoke.

"Do you think everything will go well?" she asked, walking to the sofa and dropping herself on it.

"As long as the queen doesn’t do anything stupid," responded Rose, setting the clipboard on the table and sitting down as well, "there shouldn’t be any problem."

"Hmm..." was all Ely said.

Alice took a seat in one of the chairs across from the sofa and crossed her arms. Aria, on the other hand, remained standing, looking at the door with her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Aria?" asked Ely, noticing the way she was looking at the door. "Is something wrong?"

Aria didn’t respond immediately.

"I don’t know..." she said finally, turning toward the others. "There’s something about the elven queen that doesn’t quite convince me."

"Something like what?" asked Rose, raising an eyebrow.

"I don’t know how to explain it..." admitted Aria, frowning slightly. "Maybe it’s just my imagination."