Just that word sets off a thrum in Aster’s veins. Magical.

“The palace’s maze covers a vast part of the main gardens, and is considered one of the best defences the palace has to offer,” Seraphina continues, launching into her customary explanation as Aster pokes her head past the maze’s entrance. Hedge walls flank the pathway that stretches out before her, an untouched layer of snow blanketing the grass. “Legend has it that the maze has been here since the time of Lucrenz’s first king, a gift from the spirits to and a token of their favour for the royal family.”

“It doesn’t feel very magical,” Aster notes, retreating from the entry. “Has anyone ever gotten lost in it?”

“There have been occasions where guests who’ve been invited to the royal palace for events end up stranded within. Usually, the guards have to be dispatched the following morning to rescue them.” Seraphina’s expression turns wry. “It’s for this exact reason that His Majesty never fails to declare the maze being off-limits during events, but I suppose people never learn.”

“How about the castle’s servants?”

Seraphina ponders over it for a second. “Now that you mention it, I don’t think any of the servants have ever ended up lost in the maze.”

“Does the castle make you memorise a map or something?”

Seraphina shakes her head. “No. But I’m sure they would, if they could map out the maze to begin with.”

Aster’s eyebrows furrow. “Are you saying… the maze constantly changes?”

“Not quite…” The faintest of wrinkles appear in Seraphina’s brow. “Forgive me my lady, I’m not quite sure myself of how it works.”

“Ah, that’s fine. We can always find out more from someone who knows better,” Aster says, flapping a hand at her airily. “Don’t sweat it, Fina.”

Seraphina’s gaze lingers over the maze’s entrance. “I may not know the rules that govern it, but… I do have my own experiences with the castle’s maze.”

“You’ve been in it before?” Aster’s voice comes out awed.

“Naturally. All the servants have used it as a shortcut at some point.” An amused smile appears on Seraphina’s face, likely due to the look of wonder that Aster must be sporting now. “There’s a rumor passed around the servants: about how the maze helps out those who are in a hurry and have places to be. I didn’t believe it myself at first, but… well, let’s just say that I too, have been on the receiving end of the maze’s aid more than once.”

Aster turns towards the maze, a new light in her eyes. “A magical maze with a moral compass…” She turns towards Seraphina with a grin. “I wonder if the library has anything that can tell us more about it.”

They end up spending the remainder of the day scouring the library's resources, rooting through its endless rows of shelves for anything they can find about the maze.

Several hours in, Aster shuts the book she’d been poring over with an air of solemnity. She pushes it aside, her forehead thunking onto the table with a disappointed thud. “How is it that we’ve found absolutely nothing on the maze?" She bemoans. "Not in An Extensive History of Lucrenz, not in Roots of the Royal Family, and not even in all 7 volumes of My Royal Rendezvous: Secrets in the Castle?”

“My lady, isn’t My Royal Rendezvous a romance serial?”

Aster’s forehead remains glued to the table. “…So maybe I got side-tracked,” she admits sheepishly.

“Evidently.” Seraphina sounds like she’s trying not to laugh.

“But still-“ Aster presses her palms onto the table to push herself upright. “This is ridiculous! How have we not found any information other than the fact that the maze has been here since Lucrenz was first founded? Shouldn’t that fact alone be enough reason to have more information on it?”

“It is quite strange,” Seraphina admits. She glances outside the window, her lips twisting into a slight frown. “Oh my, I didn’t realise how late it’s gotten. It’s almost dinnertime, my lady.”

Just like that, all thoughts of Florian come flooding back into Aster’s brain. With how preoccupied she’d been while digging for information on the maze, she’d barely had time to fret over him and his string of absences. She imagines herself sitting through dinner, once again seated beside a glaringly empty seat at the dining table. Just the thought has a wave of something roiling through her gut. 

Was it guilt? Nausea? Hale if she knows.

Aster gets to her feet with a sigh. “I just wish we had a better lead. Isn’t there anyone in the palace we can consult?” The castle librarian had been helpful enough to suggest them books on Lucrenz’s history, but that evidently, had ended up with nothing to show.

To be honest, while Aster had been intrigued about the maze to begin with, it wasn’t like she was dying to spill every single secret its walls had to hold. But the lack of information - on such a focal part of the castle at that - had set her curiosity ablaze like never before.

“You’d think they’d keep records on something like a magical maze, of all things,” Aster mutters to herself, as she and Seraphina nod their goodbyes to the librarian as they depart.

A magical maze… A magical…

“That’s it!” Aster turns towards Seraphina abruptly, her maid blinking back at her with wide eyes. “Why didn’t I think of this before- if anyone could tell us more about the maze, it’d be the royal mage!”

“Oh… yes. Yes of course, Sir Han would know best,” Seraphina agrees almost dazedly.

“Where can we find him, Fina?”

“Well, Sir Han is often found at the magic tower, but-“

“Perfect! Then we can visit the magic tower tomorrow morn-“ Aster stops in her tracks. “Wait, what do you mean but?”

“Well… Sir Han isn’t in the castle at the moment, my lady,” Seraphina says. “The magic tower is closed.”