Shade had originally planned to visit Margaret in the study before she made her formal appearance. But Miss Sylvia stopped him and told him to have a little faith in Margaret.
Thus, Shade continued chatting on the sofa with the two Great Witches and Miss Lathers. During this time, Miss Sylvia curiously wondered whether the badge on Shade's chest would directly burn his skin when four Great Witches appeared together.
Shade answered based on the contents of Feliana's Notebook:
"The badge's main function is merely to detect whether there are Witches nearby. For Witches of the Fifth Epoch, it is a supplementary means of strengthening their own perception. Perhaps one Witch nearby and three Witches nearby produce different amounts of heat, but once the number exceeds three, there is no significant difference."
In other words, even if Shade wore that badge while entering the Council to observe the Witches holding a meeting someday, it would not turn into a firestarter.
The idle chatter did not last long. When Margaret's personal maid first appeared at the top of the golden staircase that spiraled upward at the far end of the banquet hall, the clamor in the hall gradually quieted.
The band stopped playing, and everyone who had been seated, including Shade's group, rose to their feet.
The maid and attendants led the way, and Margaret soon descended from upstairs alongside Prince William. Shade knew this Princess of the Southern Kingdom well enough to notice a trace of annoyance on her face. Her brother, the kingdom's Prince, wore an expression of triumphant satisfaction and even descended the stairs ahead of Margaret.
There were three representatives from the Stone Masons Association, though Shade only knew Chairman Pigman among them. Behind the representatives stood lawyers in formal black attire. Margaret's lawyer was Marquis Berkeley,