Avoid The Lead!

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That evening, Sara arrived with the maids and servants of the other new Palace Mages, and she helped Celia settle into her new room.

"Isn't it great, my Lady! The Palace is so grand! I'm shorter than one of the King statues' feet!" She held a hand above her head. "I checked!"

Celia laughed, enjoying Sara's chatter.

After a while, Sara helped Celia dress for Master Sidian's welcome dinner, and she joined the other Palace Mages for a dinner which managed to be both welcoming, warm, and awkward!

The next day, Sara helped Celia into a simple but beautiful dark blue frock, with an elegant high neck, long sleeves and wide skirts. This was the formal uniform for the female Palace Mages, and though the skirts were wide, they were light, free, and easy to manage. The males wore blue as well, but with a white inner shirt, and then the dark blue formal waistcoat, trousers and black boots.

After everyone was assembled, their duties were assigned.

The Water Mages were led to the four magic water crystals embedded in the palace walls, each bigger than twenty people! These were the Crystals which fed the waterfalls and supplied water throughout the Palace.

The mages were to take it in turns to charge up the crystals, and filter away any magical impurities which tried to harm the crystals.

Same went for the Fire Mages, who were to heat up the dragonheart stone daily, Supplying all the heat the palace needed, while adding an extra layer of fortification to the Palace walls.

The Air and Ice Mages were responsible for feeding magic to, and fortifying the spells around the Massive Crystal on the tallest spire, called the Star Crystal. This crystal was the heart of the Palace, keeping up all its charms and illusions, while being the main source of its protection, and a symbol of strength and hope for the people of Luxia.

The Earth Mages maintained everything that grew within and around the Palace, including the surrounding forest.

There were many other duties for those without elemental magic, and some mages found themselves in several places at once.

Including Celia, who had duties with the Star Crystal, the water crystals, and more in the Palace Infirmary, where she put her healing magic to use, and Larya who worked with both the Water Crystals and the Star Crystal.

Celia often wondered if having Larya so close was a good idea... She might be on the list of Vitav's prospective brides, but she was still a foreigner.

However, after planting a few strategic ice flowers, Celia found herself shaking her head in pity.

Larya was as lovestruck as she had once been, and Larya diligently faced her duties, believing she would be Queen of this Kingdom someday.

Celia could only guess what lies Vitav had fed Larya, but Larya didn't seem bothered about the scandal with Novia, and she firmly believed she was the only one in Vitav's heart!

Meanwhile, Celia had found the work tedious for the first few days... This was largely because she had been set apart for higher levels of work, and her duties were ahead of her peers.

But once she fell into rhythm, it became easier, and she breezed through her daily duties.

She even invented a spell to successfully feed the Star and Water Crystals at the same time, despite the vast distance in their locations, and soon, the other Palace Mages were using the spell as well!

But all Celia's efforts were because she wanted to spend more time in the Infirmary, poring through numerous books, and studying as many symptoms as she could.

She hadn't forgotten, not for a fraction of an instant, what year it was...

The dreaded seventeenth year.

Taze had said not to worry, but she couldn't help but worry!

She hadn't set her eyes on him, and nearly two months had gone by!

In the original life, her relationship with Taze was well-known, so she could pretty much go wherever she wanted in the palace, and it was the same in her past lives, thanks to her relationship with Vitav...

But not this life!

For the first time since she could remember, she couldn't simply wander of wherever she wanted, and as the Palace Mages had no access to the Palace's living quarters...

She couldn't see Taze!

In a desperate move, she had asked Grand Mage Sidian about the 'Crown Prince', but all he said was that the Crown Prince lay ill in the East Wing, and when she pressed for his symptoms, Grand Mage Sidian gravely shook his head.

"There are no symptoms... At least not anymore. But he is constantly asleep, and his body is weak. It's befuddling..." He started, as if realizing too much had been said. "Come now! off to your duties! Don't get ahead of yourself! Even the greatest mages have given up on him!"

This did nothing to reassure Celia, and she dove into studying with a vengeance. But much like Grand Mage Sidian had said, she couldn't find any such illness... At least, not one they didn't already know.

So one afternoon, she went to find Grand Mage Sidian again...

"Mage Scarlett, you're my favourite Palace Mage, but don't push your luck. I will become suspicious if you keep asking after His Highness..."

Celia sighed in resignation. "Grand Mage Sidian, I didn't want to say anything, but the Crown Prince and I are in love with each other."

Almost a full minute passed with Grand Mage Sidian staring at Celia with pity, as if she were addled.

"Hmmmmm. Child, I'm not sure who deceived you, but the Crown Prince has not left the palace since he was eleven... To whom have you been giving you affections?"

Celia held back an urge to laugh at his grave and worried expression, but she reminded herself of what was at stake.

"Grand Mage Sidian, the Crown Prince has been in Elfsworth Academy this past year. He and I are- "

"Nonsense! He doesn't even leave the East Wing!"

"Then I permit you to read my memory. I will project a small piece of my memory, and I will back off if the one in my mind is not the Crown Prince!"

That got Grand Mage Sidian's attention, and his curiosity got the better of him.

With a brief spell, he found himself at Elfsworth's Winter Ball, and he watched the scene unfold from when Vitav arrived, to Taze's arrival, to the first part of their dance...

"How is this possible?!" Grand Mage Sidian cancelled the spell, and found himself back in his study, facing Celia.

It was impossible for her to trick him, which somehow meant...

"Astounding!" He said. "No wonder he's grounded! His majesty must feel betrayed!

"Why is no one talking about this?!"

"The Principal made all students and servants forget with a spell. I'm the only exception, and the teachers won't say anything. But you must believe me..." She stepped forward. "I'd never harm Taze! If we don't act quickly, he might die!"

"Hmmmm. But he seemed so energetic at the ball! We all thought he was fading away in the East wing, and I haven't seen him so lively in years!"

Grand Mage Sidian was suddenly animated, as he hurried to his shelf and took out a journal.

"Back then, the young Prince showed clear symptoms. It was a disease found in the outskirts, which made the bone brittle, and the blood thin. The victims get a high fever, fall into a coma, and then die after a few years."

"Bone Rot Disease!" Celia rightly guessed.

"Exactly! There's no easy cure, but with a great healing mage, it could have been handled."

He was right. The Bone Rot Disease shouldn't be a problem for someone on Grand Mage Sidian's level.

Celia herself had cured the bone rot disease in the original life, and in that life, she wasn't as strong as Grand Mage Sidian.

So why was Taze still ill?

And besides, the bone rot disease was easy to diagnose, but she hadn't sensed a trace of it on Taze...

Her thoughts rolled around as Grand Mage Sidian flipped through the pages, till he got to a page where there were notes and diagrams.

"We tried curing him, but we overlooked something. Prince Tazeus's fairy blood! Fairies are immune to both the disease and the cure, but somehow the Prince's elf half had been infected, and his fairy half was resisting the cure!

"Through the years, he woke up and the symptoms vanished, but he constantly gets a high fever and slips out of consciousness. Eventually, the East Wing was sealed off to all but his personal servants, the King and I...

"But each time I visit, his condition remains the same! So you can understand why I'm surprised to see him so lively in your memories!"

Celia was as confused as Grand Mage Sidian... What exactly was wrong with Taze?! Why was he sickly in the Palace, but so strong in Elfsworth...?

"I can't believe it! There's hope!" Grand Mage Sidian was joyfully saying.

It was clear that Grand Mage Sidian didn't want Taze to die either, and Celia was happy. They could use all the help they could get.

"Grand Mage Sidian, may I ask why you're so hopeful?" She asked, feeling immensely better.

"I will tell you, if you truthfully tell me something first!" He replied, and he seemed suspicious again.

"Grand Mage Sidian, what could you possibly want to know?!" She curiously asked.

"Tell me child. Why were you so afraid of Prince Vitav...?"

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