The Princess suddenly shifted her tone.
"Let us leave the demons for now. There will be time enough to deal with them later. Tonight we should enjoy ourselves—this ball was held in honor of the Hero. Tell me, who will you dance with? I'll warn you now, I won't be dancing with you, since I'll be dancing with Eris."
"My condolences, Eris," Andras said dryly.
"What was that?!" the Princess exclaimed, while Eris laughed aloud.
"But seriously," Anabella continued, "who will you dance with? Christina? Is there something between you two?"
Andras smiled.
"Hmm… I'm certain I'll be dancing with a few people's nerves tonight."
"I was serious!" the Princess burst out.
"And I answered seriously," Andras replied calmly.
"What was serious about that?" Anabella demanded, her tone sharp.
"If you are even half as brave as Eris," Andras said evenly, "then ask Christina if we have a relationship."
"You think I wouldn't dare?"
"No. I'm certain you wouldn't," Andras answered coolly.
"Do you want to wager on it?" the Princess shot back.
"And what would be the stake?" Andras asked.
"Anything you want. I am the Princess. I can arrange anything."
"Then let the stake be Eris's kiss," Andras replied without hesitation.
"Forget it! I won't bet with you!" Anabella protested.
Andras laughed.
"My apologies, Eris—our kiss will have to wait."
"What? I never—" Eris began, but the Princess cut her off.
"Don't listen to him, Eris. He's just a Wolf. He barks but doesn't bite."
"Um, Princess… isn't that something you say about dogs?" Eris asked awkwardly.
"Wolf, dog, same thing!" Anabella waved dismissively.
"Not exactly… wolves—" Eris began, but Andras interrupted.
"Enough, Princess. Though I would gladly spend the evening talking with you both, as a nobleman I must converse with many others. Reluctantly, I must leave you now."
"Ah, fine, I'll let you go. Go on then," Anabella replied, a touch offended.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Young Wolf," Eris said sincerely.
"Then pray you don't face my Wolf Knights in the group stage," Andras answered grimly.
"Ha! Eris will defeat them easily!" the Princess retorted.
"Break a leg," Andras said dryly, before turning to leave.
"Enjoy the rest of the evening," Eris called after him, while the Princess's eyes still flashed with indignation at the Young Wolf's words.
As the Young Wolf made his way toward Master Florian to check on the progress of their secret plan, at the King's table the Princess and Eris began speaking about him.
"What do you think of the Young Wolf?" the Princess asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Eris answered thoughtfully:
"He has a personality much like my father's. I would gladly take him into my company."
"And what about the elves?" Anabella pressed.
"What makes you think we would truly find a better mage among the elves than him?" Eris countered.
"But he himself said so," the Princess protested.
Eris shook her head with a smile.
"My father also told me I would one day find a swordsman better than him. Yet he remains the only one I have never defeated. If I win the Knightly Tournament, it will prove he is the greatest swordsman in the Kingdom."
The Princess narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Do you think the Young Wolf is hiding something?"
"I felt no malice from him," Eris replied calmly.
"Your Hero's instincts…" Anabella sighed. "So he truly is a trustworthy ally."
"You doubted him?" Eris asked, a little surprised.
"I only worry for you," the Princess admitted. "That he might steal you away from me."
Eris laughed.
"It didn't seem to me that he was courting us."
"It's that half‑elf girl!" Anabella burst out. "If she hadn't been dressed as a maid, I would have thought her the Princess of the Elves."
"So he isn't involved with Christina after all?" Eris asked curiously.
"How should I know?" the Princess shrugged. "Perhaps with both."
Eris laughed aloud.
"Hahaha! Impossible."
Andras slowly approached Master Florian, who was merrily drinking and laughing with his old friend, Master Albert. The hearty laughter of the two elder magi filled the space around the King's table, as if they were young men once again.
"I see you're enjoying yourself, Master Florian," Andras remarked as he stepped beside them.
Florian turned to him with a broad smile.
"Young Wolf! We were just speaking of you with my old friend Albert."
Master Albert's eyes flashed with seriousness, though his tone remained playful.
"Florian has told me everything about you. So you possess two elements… even I could die of envy for that."
Andras nodded calmly.
"It is indeed a fine thing, having two magical elements. When you use them together, you can craft techniques that—"
Albert suddenly raised his hand, as if to halt the words.
"Say no more! I need a strong drink for this."
Florian roared with laughter.
"If we drink enough of this potent brew, perhaps a second element will awaken in us too!"
Albert lifted his glass, his eyes already gleaming a little hazily.
"Well, I already see two of you, Florian!" he burst out laughing.
Andras shook his head with a smile.
"What are you drinking? Aren't you too old for this?"
Florian waved dismissively.
"Rather, you're too young for it! Go on, dance with Noelle—or whomever you wish. Leave the old fools to their fun."
Albert winked.
"Ah, but be careful with the Princess… she bites harder than the Hero herself!" he bellowed, before breaking into another fit of laughter.
"Enjoy yourselves then," Andras replied curtly, turning away from them.
As he walked off, his thoughts grew dark:
"Master Florian has given the signal. I'll inform Noelle, and then the game begins. This was easier than I expected. We shall see, dear Master Albert, if you will still be laughing when your Magic Book vanishes…"
The Young Wolf returned to the Wolfwood table, then leaned close to whisper instructions into Noelle's ear. The half‑elf girl had been waiting for the signal, fully prepared for the secret mission.
"The dance begins in fifteen minutes," Andras said quietly. "Come, Noelle. We'll slip into a secluded empty room and activate the magical technique."
"Understood," Noelle replied briefly, her eyes gleaming with determination.
She rose from the table and, together with the Young Wolf, stepped out of the brightly lit ballroom. Along the corridor they moved slowly, alert to every sound and shadow, searching for the right place where they could cast their spell unseen.
"There's no presence from this room," Andras noted, his hand on the latch. "No one is watching. Let's go in."
"No one here," Noelle whispered as she glanced around. "Whose room could this be?"
"That doesn't matter now," Andras answered firmly. "We'll activate the technique and leave. Five minutes remain until the dance begins. You can return to the ballroom in two minutes, so we'll wait three, and begin the spell two minutes before the dance starts."
His voice grew more serious as he repeated the plan:
"This magical technique lasts for one full hour, and the dance will last exactly that long. Worst case, I return to the ballroom five minutes before the end in your form, and together we'll slip away to a quiet place where the spell can fade. You will take my form and dance in my stead at the royal ball. Whoever you must dance with, I cannot say—but it won't matter. You dance better than I do, and you know both the male and female steps. While you wear my guise, everyone will see that I was present throughout the ball."
"And I will take your form," he continued, "then scout the castle—at least the areas where guests are permitted. After that, I'll assume the guise of a maid and slip into Master Albert's chamber. I'll seize the Magic Book and return as quickly as I can. If I fail to return within the hour, five minutes before the dance ends, go to the side chamber as if you needed it, and wait there for the spell to fade. If I return in time, we'll both come back here, to this room, and change back to our true selves."
Andras's eyes flashed with gravity.
"The most important thing is that no one must see us switch places. Do you understand everything?"
Noelle nodded, a determined smile on her lips.
"Crystal clear. Let the fun begin!"
"It's time! Water magic, slime form, transformation!" Andras whispered, the words of the spell vibrating in the air.
"Water magic, slime form, transformation!" Noelle repeated, and the two magical forces merged together.
Bathed in the glow of the spell, their forms slowly distorted and reshaped: Andras now bore Noelle's features, while the half‑elf girl perfectly assumed the guise of the Young Wolf.
"This magical technique is astonishingly useful," Andras remarked, now wearing Noelle's face. "It truly feels as though I am you, and you are truly me."
"I'm heading to the dance!" Noelle declared, stepping out of the room in Andras's form.
The half‑elf girl, now appearing as the Young Wolf, hurried back into the ballroom just as the royal dance began. The guests' attention was fixed upon the ceremony, none suspecting that the heir of Wolfwood was not who he seemed to be.