The drab afternoon sunlight labored to shine on a menagerie of Macha’s priestesses that stood huddled around right outside the rectory. Certain whispers traveled among them of a certain pair of siblings that appeared to have stolen into the city streets the night prior. No alert had been given, but suffice it to say the Prioress had been seen as “distraught” and “on edge” early that morning after returning from her chamber duties of the princess’s bedroom. Of course, no concrete evidence had passed the gossiping gaggle of girls, but that never seems to slow down the rumor mill.

“I heard the Princess inexplicably got her vision back and ran off to Kuranes with her brother!” whispered Sister Claudia.

“You mean she eloped with her brother?” sneered Sister Iglesia as she adjusted the glasses she wore over the grey blindfold on her face. “That’s disgusting!”

“No, you idiot!” Sister Gabriela gave her a sidelong glare. “She—Well… maybe? Claudia, where did you even hear a rumor like that? It’s not like we ever see Princess June anyway. She’s probably in her room right now!”

"Wha—?! Are you doubting me? I went out for an early stroll and prayer when I heard her the commotion. The Prioress was screaming her head off all morning. I can’t believe no one else heard it!”

“Sightless Sisters preserve me! So, you didn’t actually see whether the Princess or the Prince were gone or not? You just… assumed?”

“Gabby, what if Claudia is right?” Sister Iglesia fumbled around anxiously, fiddling with the hem of her habit. “Oh, gosh. What if the princess defected? Malachias could soon find itself lying in ruin! How could she do this to us?!”

“Calm down, Iggy, you spazz.” Sister Valentina, who had been leaning against a wall in the shade, suddenly interjected as she walked up. “If the royalty ever abandoned their post, nothing would change. You forget, the Scarlet Church rules this country. We make the rules and we make the decisions that keep us at the top.” The orange eyes hidden behind her blinder lit up with a passionate fury. “That nitwit princess and that impotent prince were nothing but roadblocks standing in the way of our complete conquest of Kuranes. And those so-called visions she has. Have you ever heard anything about that? I think they only keep her around merely as an intimidation tactic. And why did we even have a prince for that matter? Now their mother, Princess Lucina—There was a princess of the people. Not to mention an amazing General. She always worked actively with the Church and got shit done! Why couldn’t she still be around?”

“How would you know?” asked Gabriela. “You were just a baby back then!”

“Shut up! I read books, okay? It’s up to people like me to chronicle the proud history of this country. That position in the Church library will be mine!”

From a balcony high atop one of the looming minarets, the Psycho Superioress watched the young priestesses making conversation from afar. In her mind, a brewing tension had slowly been coming to a boil in her mind. A protocol had to be initiated. One she had wished she would never have to put into motion. There had been a very stringent conversation with Mother Fool after the entire situation unfolded. Without the princess, whose visions were critical to the support of the country’s strategic military decisions as well as the approximate location of various undocumented artifacts of power that were better kept out of their enemies’ hands, they were now flying blind, so to speak. Their next steps needed to be employed carefully and precisely. She had wanted to deploy the Sacred Seven for the recovery mission, but Mother Fool insisted on taking precautionary measures to prevent any of this from leaking out and insisted they hire the country’s top tracker and bounty hunter. Even with a single person from outside, Mother Fool could easily control his mind as well as the narrative to ensure the performance of his duty stayed as private as possible. As for the protocol, it was now up to the Psycho Superioress to find a temporary replacement to fill in for the princess’s public roles. One they could brainwash easily and transform into someone who could easily fool an entire country. Willing or unwilling mattered not, as the individual would be so deeply entranced that they would never even know they had once been someone else. The Psycho Superioress could feel a presence walking up behind her—one of the Church’s scientists, Antoine d’Aulnoy. His glaring white lab coat seemed to almost light up the shadows around him.

“The preparations have begun to install a new figurehead as soon as a subject has been acquired,” spoke Antoine. He was a man in his forties with meticulously combed hair, whose work with the Church had been extensive enough to warrant an entire list of war crimes. A bristling blond mustache hid the unsubtle smirk on his face.

“Have you so little faith in the Church that we won’t find the princess’s whereabouts before then?” replied the saintly woman. “I applaud the speed at which you and your men work. Your lack of empathy to the entire situation is almost commendable, and it serves the quality of your work well.”

“The work will always continue. I'd like to believe Macha appreciates the dedication I’ve shown in her favor and that I’ve earned a rightful place in her afterlife. If extensive measures need be taken while I am still here, then so be it.”

“The Scarlet Church thanks you for your services, Antoine. On an unrelated note, how goes the search for the Knights of the Lost Star? Have you made any progress? I don't need to remind you of the sort of catastrophe they could potentially cause with the artifact they've acquired.”

“We have a few leads. The last couple of bases your lot raided provided some interesting clues as to what they might be up to. Of course, all I really care about is the research they've been working on. Papers on ancient rituals involved in the merging of matter upon the collision of celestial objects among various other subjects. I won't bore you with the details, but I'm as eager as you on finding that artifact.”