Eve woke up on her own the next morning. Well,not exactly since the rising sun has been bothering her eyes for at least two hours already.But,besides that,there wasnt anything else that could disturb her sleep. No voices outside her room,no noise coming from everyday chores,not even footsteps echoing at the end of the corridor.With that thought in mind she sat abruptly on the bed and listened more carefully.

Nothing. Eve felt shocked and a bit afraid. Despite the fact that it was common knowledge that the Princes despised having many servants and generally living a luxurious life,they still had stuff to run basic everyday chores,like cleaning and cooking. But she should be able to hear them. Right? After all,all the work is usually done in the early morning.

Then she reached another conclusion.She quickly got dressed and left her room in a hurry. When she reached the corridor she started walking it quickly. She also checked a couple rooms. As she had suspected there was no one.Where were the other Shadows?

Normally,there was a big commission in the palace in the mornings because the Shadows were delivering their reports to the Princes and were also receiving their daily assignments. But today,as it seemed,was different. However,it shouldn't be.At least,not in this way.

Haures was absent from his duties for a whole year,despite his attempts not to fall behind on his work,and he is yet to recover completely from that ordeal,Thanos was dead and even now that he has returned,he will not be able to resume his duties for a couple more weeks at least,taking into consideration that it will take another two weeks for him to gather the necessary energy to return to his adult form and Paimon was the only Prince,during the past year, that could still perform,even if his emotional state made it quite difficult

Overall,work must have piled up at this time. She would expect this place to be more crowded than usual,as the Princes struggled to put things back in order,but what sees is quite the opposite. If Paimon hadnt brought her in himself last night,she would have thought that this place has been abandoned,despite its excellent state. In conclusion,she was completely alone with the Princes in an entire palace. It was not a promising beginning.

She must have been wandering while she was thinking because suddenly a bright beam of light blinded her and stooped her train of thought. She had reached the garden. It was not a garden exactly,as it was impossible to grow any kind of plants in this barren planet,but because it was solely built of marble(the tables,the chairs,the ceiling,the floor)which reflected all light that fell on it,in addition to the fact that this planet had three suns,the whole structure was always shining brightly.So when she visited it for the first time when she was a child she called it "A Garden of Light" and so she got used in calling it a garden.

She found Haures sitting on one of the marble chairs and made a move to approach. But suddenly,she decided it would be best if she waited for a while. Haures was holding Thanos in his arms and the baby was in contact with Haures's bare chest making no sound. To anyone else this would seem like a tender hug but Eve knew better.At this moment Thanos was extracting energy from his brother's body. When his energy supplies were large enough he would use them all together to turn into an adult. There would be no stages in his development. One day he would be a baby,the next an adult..

Haures must have sensed her presence because hus shoulders stiffened when she approached but relaxed when she took a step back and made no comment or greeted her.

Eve wasnt sure how long she waited. Couldn't be more than a few minutes. She suspected that Haures made her wait in purpose to remind her that she was the one in need. Finally,he put the baby in the basket,which was located on the chair right beside him,to which Thanos protested but Haures managed to calm him with soothing sounds,buttoned his shirt and tie and signaled Eve to sit right across him.

Eve nodded politely and accepted his request. He didn't say anything at first,no doubt waiting to see if she had anything to say but when Eve remained silent,he sighed and decided it was up to him to lead this conversation.

-So,I imagine my brother wasted no time informing you of the situation.

-Yes. It is the reason I decided to return.

-I wouldnt call it a return. More like a change of hiding spot.

-One that you provided.

-Thanks to Paimon's insistence. When this is over we have business of our own to settle. But that would have to wait. For now.At this time,the pressing matter is the return of Fate to the throne. A most unfortunate development that you bear sole responsibility for. Fate wishes to apply a different kind of foreign policy.And with that,I mean she treats us with hostility and wants to trouble us a much as possible. Unfortunately,she has no interest in being as convenient as you were. You can understand why this poses a problem for us.

-Yes,it is quite obvious.But the solution is also quite clear. The Shadows can simply deny acknowledging her claim on the throne.

-It seems clear to you because,as always,you fail to see the big picture. Our "rebellion",so to speak, would only delay her and not for long. To put it simply,the fact that we dont accept her as Queen,will not prevent her from straightening her position in the council or from gaining the love of your people. It will only change her timetable a bit and in the meantime our relations will continue to worsen.