A deafening silence descended in the area where Marina Victor and Finne stood. Their eyes went straight toward the now empty space, the place Silvia had earlier stood and Jin.
"Wha!?".
Marina snapped wide from her daze, and her blue eyes shrank in a dangerous state. Her crimson hair lifted as if defying gravity itself while an orange aura enveloped her body.
She glared at Finne as flickering sparks of flame generated from her breath. "What did you do?".
At this moment, Marina had long abandoned the thought of a noble, nor the person before her who was having higher status than her.
The images that were still fresh in her eyes about the disappearance of her son and Lady Silvia pushed her sanity to the brink of collapse.
Sparks crackled under her raging aura, turning into swirling fire that scorched away the surrounding flower and ground alike, reducing them to ash as the two youngsters from Magna's faction sucked a hot breath.
A bright orange flame burst forth, mirroring Marina's emotion as she glared at the girl and her own son. The oppressive heat pinned them in place, refusing even to speak a single word of the undulating heat that burned their skin.
The sudden change in temperature affected everyone inside the ballroom, forcing them to move toward the balcony to see the commotion.
From all of them, Duke Sullivan and Ryan Midnight were present, their brow raised, filled with dumbfounded questions.
"What happened?".
"Is that Viscountess Midnight?".
"Woah, that magic sure is terrifying".
"As expected from a former Mithril-Rank adventurer".
Murmurs of doubt, fear, and awe spread around the balcony.
Under everyone's eyes, Ryan jumped from the balcony and ran through the swirling flames that created a barrier around the three of them. His face tightened, seeing Victor and Lady Finne's pale complexion.
Both of them were in critical condition with shallow breathing due to the lack of oxygen, bodies drenched in a cold sweat that instantly vaporized upon making contact with the heat that spread in the area.
Ryan himself got the brunt of it; as he felt a searing agony burn his skin, he noticed the skin on his raised right hand turning red as he reached for Marina before her.
He inhaled, puffing off a large amount of oxygen through his lungs, and it almost broke his ribs, "Marina, calm down!".
The entire area reverberated in shock. All the people who had witnessed the commotion were clogging their throbbing ears, and some of them had eyes rolled on the back while foaming in their mouths.
Behind them, they could hear a clattering humm from the vibrating glass around them, caused by the waves that came from Ryan's roar.
A stifling silence enveloped the entire field, and Ryan exhaled sharply and pulled his wife closer, tightening his grip on her shoulder. "What happened?".
Ryan's clear and gentle voice resonated in the place. It shook Marina's dilated pupils, turning them into her usual large and bright ones.
"D-Dear," A whisper escapes Marina's quivering lips. Her vision slightly darts, and then light begins to return. "Dear, Jin was...!? "
From her tone and pale complexion, this must be related to their son, Jin. No wonder, as Marina once was distraught by Jin's nature, that seemingly attracted something bigger, something that Mortal couldn't possibly grasp.
A fate that significantly terrified them.
"Alright, I'm here; you need to calm down for a moment".
He pulled his wife closer. His eyes shifted to his side, and he found Victor holding Lady Finne, who had no strength in her legs. On the floor, a shining blue jewel from a pendant caught his eyes, but he put his thoughts aside and focused on the front.
"What happened here!?".
A dignified voice rang through the entire garden, drawing all eyes to it. A man stood undeterred under the sky, scanning his surroundings with sharp eyes and watching the situation unfold with a calm expression.
Everyone's body jerked, and unknowingly, they bent one of their knees and lowered their gaze before the presence of the mighty and regal one.
Ryan, who was in an awkward position, scanned his surroundings, and unfortunately, his gaze met with the King.
Both eyes met briefly, but they understood what each other meant. They nodded to each other as Ryan saw the King twist his neck, implying that he must follow him.
The King inhaled and clearly stated, "It seemed there was a small event here. Don't worry; all of this was part of my plan to entertain the guest by asking Lady Midnight to showcase her control over the flame, which is true to her name as Crimson Witch."
An exclamation spread to the kneeling people as they stiffly exchanged some cramped glances toward each other.
"Don't worry. Let's continue our party. We still have an hour before we can experience a new year. Start the music."
Thanks to the King's spirited voice, which echoed throughout the whole castle, and the professional artist who soon played bold and epic music that broke the stifling silence in the place.
"Come! We still have room for this joyous night".
***
After the commotion that shifted due to the King's charisma, all the parties mentioned were now staying in one of the rooms within the castles.
The place has a calm and luxurious air, given by the intricate decoration of sophisticated art and items. In the middle, seven people sat idly on the sofa, facing each other, surrounding a rectangular table.
The King and his Daughter Lucya. On the right, Duke Sullivan sits alone, and next to him, Ryan and Marina, whose blue eyes are vacantly staring at the floor.
Lastly, Count Magna's family consists of himself, Finne, and Victor, who stand behind them.
Lucya looked in front of her, where the Viscount Midnight families sat. Her eyes flashed, and her heart pounded loudly after finally meeting the legendary Crimson Witch face to face, which tales was deeply ingrained in her heart.
One of them was the story of her flame that annihilated an entire battalion of monster waves alone. That story was deeply ingrained in her heart, which is currently pounding so hard.
However, the heavy atmosphere that shrouded the entire room prompted her mind to flip a switch and play her role as a Princess.
"Finally, would you care to tell me what happened?".
Her father's clear and solemn voice shook the entire place, and Lucya could see that the people from Count Magna's faction flinched.
They exchanged glances before Lady Finne lifted her swollen red eyes to gaze at her father.
"I-I was…". The girl bit her lips, her fingers curled the fabric on her skirt, holding back the sob that could leak any time.
"Are you okay, Finne?" Count Magna patted his daughter's back, his face crumpled in grief about his daughter's situation.
"Pardon my insolence!".
From that voice, all eyes centred on the man behind Count Magna. He was clenching his fist tight on the chest. Although his face was stiff, his voice was clear, which became his redeeming point.
'If I recall, he was Viscount Midnight's second son'. Lucya knitted her brows in deep thought, trying to recall her memories, but soon shook her head and pried open her ears to hear what had happened back then.
"May I have the permission to speak of what happened earlier?".
Her father, slightly, glanced at Count Magna, who nodded his head.
"Go on".
After hearing her father's inquiry, the man deeply bowed his head and started to explain the details from the moment they met this noon that led them to now.
The story goes for the man named Victor, who happened to incur the wrath of Lady Silvia. Then he asked her lady how to apologize.
"From then, Milady asked me to buy some presents, which come in a pair of accessories I bought from a travelling Merchant". The man gazes toward Lady Finne's direction before continuing, "However, I swear in the name of Olympian Gods that I am deliberately trying to harm Lady Silvia or rather my own brother".
Lucya turned toward the wooden box on the table, inside which was one of the mentioned items. She swept her gaze around and found Duke Sullivan, her uncle. His face hardened in a deep frown, the same as Viscount Midnight's.
'This is quite difficult'. Her brows joined together as Lucya bit her lips and could only be a bystander.
A heavy silence loomed over the people present, who could only swallow their anger for the unintentional incident, which swallowed two victims whose whereabouts were unknown.
Lucya heard her father exhale softly. He looked around the room and said, "Lucya, can our mage corps appraise the item in that box?"
"Hmm, I don't know about that, but maybe I can bring it to someone I know". Lucya reached toward the box and shifted to her father, "With that person, I am sure that this kind of item could be appraised easily".
"Do you mean that person who is always lending you a grimoire?".
"Yes, if it's Granny, I believe she could crack the magic item and even pinpoint Lady Silvia and Jin's whereabouts."
The room starts to buzz, hearing Lucya's confident voice. Her uncle, Viscount Families and Count Magna, their widened eyes, stared at the girl.
Light started to return toward Marina's eyes as her wilted body flinched and slowly lifted her empty gaze forward, meeting Lucya's bright eyes.
"C-Can you, please?".
Lucya nodded her head. Her large blue eyes radiated a light that soothed away the darkness that gnawed at Marina's heart as she replied, "Leave it to me."