Iluna truly seemed to have come only to dance with Shade. By the time Shade emerged from the Hedge Maze, the seventeen-year-old girl had already vanished.
Shade knew she was most likely somewhere around Schluch Lake, but he had no reason to risk being discovered by The Church by going there now, so he gave up on looking for Iluna.
As night deepened, Shade did not remain in the courtyard. Instead, he returned to the manor, intending to retrieve his cat from the resting room.
Snow was still falling. Most of the guests had returned indoors to continue the lively ball, but this winter's First Snow was still being discussed. The dance continued as Shade walked along the edge of the hall, responding to people who greeted him while recalling the dance from earlier.
Before he even reached the corridor, he saw Princess Margaret approaching him with her maid, looking "aggressive." Shade stopped and greeted her respectfully. The Princess had come specifically to find him:
"Yes, Mr. Hamilton, I admit that I cannot answer the question you posed before this banquet ends."
The Princess wearing a silver coronet said this while taking deep breaths. It was naturally not because walking had exhausted her, but because admitting this fact put her under immense pressure:
"Yes, I admit that I cannot figure it out. I spent several hours locked in my room thinking about it, then discussed it with others, and finally even asked your female companion. But I still cannot figure it out. Yes, it is clearly just simple addition and subtraction, and the numbers involved do not even exceed five, yet I simply cannot solve it."
Although her tone remained calm, Shade felt that she seemed slightly unhinged. He understood that feeling very well. During exams in his youth, when