Chapter 32

                                        

                                              
Seven days to the wedding and two days to Clara's expiration date, and Emberlee was suffering for the efforts required to function during the day while her reflection wreaked havoc on the Empress. It was similar to when she'd eavesdropped on Ludwig's amputation while also talking to Titania and Aerig, and yet so much more consuming. Midnight didn't shatter it like an illusion, because she'd cleaved her reflection to set it free, but now Emberlee existed without its presence. She could sit in front of a Mirror and see no trace of it at all, a fact she had to warn Prince Damien of. As she tried to focus on the events at hand, her attention was endlessly pulled to being aware of what her reflection did as it used all the surfaces around Clara to pantomime the Empress killing Emberlee in different ways, even while she slept her Fairy self stalked the Empress relentlessly. 
Food had no taste and Emberlee had no appetite, the grey tinge of fatigue staining every aspect of her life after only two days. Her only respite was when Clara slept and her reflection would hold still, alas she couldn't match the Empress' sleep schedule to rest then and had to instead attend to Vivian's excited expertise. 
So it was unexpected to be sitting for afternoon tea only to have her steadfast maid, Leah, suddenly drop dead. 
Lady Nimue sat on Emberlee's right, pouring the served tea into the cups for Princess Vivian, Emberlee, and herself. She wore a pair of light gray trousers with the lace exposed calf in green to honour her Abeita family colours, and her matching top suited her. But the blood that splattered across her in a mockery of her freckles didn't suit her at all, nor did the horrified expression twisting her face. Imperial Princess Vivian had resisted the trend of trousers and wore a Stussican-style dress and skirt with a hand-painted mountain in autumnal colouring providing modesty over the parts the translucent fabric left exposed. She was spared the blood splatter as she'd been on the couch opposite Emberlee, though her expression was equally terrified. 
Unfortunately, Emberlee had worn one of her Adaban robes, its pristine white all but ruined as Leah bent to fix one of her hair bows and inadvertently saved her life. A crossbow bolt passed through her throat, a fountain of blood spray as it tore its way free, and Leah was dead even as Emberlee flinched; face and body hotly wet. Lady Nimue hauled her to the floor as Vivian's screaming summoned the Knights and Guards, Emberlee's focus finally snapping entirely to the moment as her Lady-in-waiting tried to cover her as a human shield. 
Ludwig charged in, frantically looking to see if she was alright even as other Imperial Guards swarmed to chase after the sniper. Her useless Knight looked bloodless in his all-consuming, drug-fuelled terror, and he eagerly helped Lady Nimue up only so he could all but carry Emberlee to safety. And despite the sticky mess that was drying on her and the repulsive feel of Ludwig's almost feverish body clinging to her as a shield, Emberlee couldn't summon Need to help protect herself; as if her schism internally had rendered the Relic inert. There was a chance the energy required to exist her in her body and as her reflection left nothing for the Relic to use; a fact that should alarm her but Emberlee's grey fatigue blunted even that. 
Her room was swept clear, and the balcony closed and shuttered so no repeat attack could occur. Around her, the Imperial castle almost clanked as if entirely armoured like the Knights that swarmed it, and Emberlee felt... nothing. The only benefit to Ludwig's obsessive obedience in this instant was that he far outpaced the others and had gotten her to the room with neither Vivian nor Nimue along to witness her reaction to the death of her maid. The poor girl had accompanied her to the capital from Ortega after all, and had been a trusted confidante; Emberlee should burn with rage and yet she didn't. 
On her behalf, she felt her reflection move, all but blacking her out with the effort it took for her reflection to press against Clara's Mirror and swallow the maid cleaning its surface in. Not the head maid, unfortunately, but one of Clara's Stussican expatriates, and the reflection could only intertwine their fingers together before the Mirror in Clara's room shattered; claiming the maid's hands with it even as the pieces fell on the reflection had to flee.