Dispersing the Darkness

Chapter 4

As soon as Sophie managed to get out of bed and put herself together, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, she saw a man in uniform handing her a letter. It was an official summons to the prince's office, the kind of letter that couldn't be ignored.

— Now? — Sophie asked in surprise, looking at the man still standing at the gate.

— You have some time to prepare, my lady, but I would ask you to hurry, it is urgent. I will wait in the carriage and take you to the location.

Sophie hurried, unsure of what might have caused this official summons. It was probably related to last night's incident. She decided not to change, thinking that her usual attire would be appropriate enough, took a few ripe plums from the garden, put them in a small canvas bag, and rushed out to the carriage.

The prince's office was located in the very center of the city, a small white building with a green roof. At the entrance, Sophie gave her name, and she was let in. After going up one floor, the girl found herself in a small waiting room, followed by Mikhail's office. The girl timidly knocked on the heavy dark door.

— Come in, — came the voice from behind the door.

Mikhail was sitting in a small office, his desk covered with numerous papers, which, nonetheless, were sorted and neatly arranged in separate stacks. Around the perimeter of the room were many cabinets with various documents and papers bound together. Mikhail's secretary was nowhere to be seen. Sophie closed the door behind her, and Mikhail pointed to one of the chairs by the desk:

— Have a seat, Lady Blackthorn.

This was an official invitation, and the conversation was supposed to take place in a formal setting. Despite their friendship, Sophie knew this well, knowing not to cross boundaries. First, she made a light curtsy, greeting the prince, and then sat down in the chair.

— I need to ask you: do you know who could have summoned the demon yesterday? He's asking her again about this, it's not a good sign.

— No, I don't know anything about it.

Mikhail looked at her closely, then asked:

— Could Stephanie Castle have been the one who attempted to summon the demon?

— Anyone could try to summon a demon, you only need to know the words of the summoning.

— And have a black thread with black beads. Of course. But considering how the demons reacted yesterday, in your opinion, could Stephanie Castle have been the one who started the summoning but stopped it?

— I repeat, I know nothing about this, and therefore see no point in discussing possibilities, wrongly accusing or defending someone without reason.

— You didn't notice anything strange about her last night?

Mikhail was looking at some papers, not focusing his gaze on her, but Sophie still felt uneasy from his questioning. Why was he asking her specifically? Did he know something? Mikhail raised his eyes from the papers:

— Lady Blackthorn?

Sophie realized she had been silent for longer than necessary.

— I'm sorry, I was trying to remember. Maybe I drank too much wine last night, I can't recall anything.

— Three glasses, I believe, — the prince suddenly remarked. Sophie stared at him in surprise, wanting to ask, "You were counting?" but that would have been unnecessary. That was exactly how much Sophie had drunk the night before.

— I'm not sure, — was all she managed to reply.

— Very well. I apologize for summoning you so hastily; it was an urgent matter. You're free to go.