3rd POV
Quinella barged into her room, slamming the doors open as  she did. That damn brat of a prince thinks that he can humiliate me like that?! If he weren't rich and good looking I would have killed him on the spot. She thought furiously.
"Bercouli! I am not to be disturbed is that understood?" She snapped earning a silent now from the knight as he closed the doors reverently. Good at least someone around here shows me the proper respect. She thought with a smug smile.

Meanwhile, completely unbeknownst to the queen, as soon as Bercouli finished shutting the doors and locking them he looked down at the key as it sat for a moment in the lock. I can save us all so much trouble if I just break it. I could say it was an accident.... No one would know.... No. No if I did that she'd just behead someone as soon as she got out again.... Too bad, it would be nice to have some peace and quiet around here. He lamented as he withdrew the key and placed it in his pocket. Now to go find that poor kid and warn him to get the hell out of this kingdom while he still has the chance.

The queen, completely unaware of the almost treacherous thoughts of her favorite lackey, made her way into a large walk-in closet with a standing mirror against the wall.
"Mirror mirror on the wall." She blustered as she strode through the mirror, emerging in a large room filled with mirrors.
"Ugh! The nerve of that disgusting king and that ridiculous prince!" She exclaimed sitting down at a vanity in the center of the room.
"Interesting....." a voice said from the mirror behind her. Quinella turned around and glared into the mirror. Standing in it was not her reflection but a young looking girl in scholarly robes.
"And what do you mean by that?!" Quinella spat, glaring at the girl.
"Your response to the situation, two wealthy nobles offer to help you when you're destitute and instead of taking them up on it you accuse them of gall." The girl said, appearing in another mirror closer to the vanity. Quinella tutted and sat back down and fussed over her appearance.
"Well one of said nobles is an absolute creep and I wouldn't be caught dead within five feet of him if I had my way and the other one expects to marry that broken little doll when there is a perfectly good option right in front of him." Quinella scoffed. The girl sighed and said, "Well I can't exactly begrudge you on the first one but I'm afraid that the second issue is out of our hands." Suddenly Quinella's head snapped up and she beamed.
"That's it! I'll just marry the prince! That way I can get rid of that ridiculous king, get the prince to come to terms with the fact that I am the administrator of this kingdom not that pathetic wisp of a girl, and to top it off all of my money problems will be solved! Oh I'm so smart." She raved grinning fondly at her reflection in the vanity. She placed her hand up against the cool glass only to jolt the hand away as the young girl appeared in the glass.
"Well I'm sorry to inform you but the prince came here specifically to marry your stepdaughter on his father's orders, even if he was willing to marry you I doubt he'd disobey him just because he decided he wanted a different option, besides his hearts already set on someone else. Not to mention you don't actually have any claim to the throne, the only reason you've been allowed to rule for this long is because you've been acting as Asuna Yuki's regent. Now that she's of age she is expected to take over the kingdom while you step away." The girl explained in the tone of a parent asking her child to be more reasonable. Unfortunately Quinella didn't seem to hear most of what she said and exclaimed, "I know Cardinal, we'll use that spell we used on the girl's father!" Cardinal stiffened and glared at the queen.
"I wouldn't recommend using magic Quinella, just because everyone has magic doesn't mean that they'll be able to use it wisely. Magic always comes with a price, I would certainly know, after all I am just a reflection of you and your power. Not a perfect reflection mind you, I have no wrinkles." Cardinal said disappearing from the vanity mirror as Quinella launched herself at it to inspect her reflection. That should keep her busy for a while. Cardinal thought as she watched the silver haired woman fuss over her reflection. Let's hope Bercouli has better luck with his mission....

Meanwhile Bercouli finally arrived outside Kazuto's room. Let's hope this kid has some sense. He thought as he knocked at the door. The door opened to reveal Eugeo and Bercouli raised an eyebrow.
"Sir Bercouli! Is there something you need?" Eugeo asked politely and Bercouli couldn't help but smile. 'Sir' huh? It's been ages since anyone's called me that. He thought as he told Eugeo his reason for coming. Eugeo moved to let him into the room but warned, "He's not in a great place right now so don't take anything he says to heart too much." Bercouli gave Eugeo a curious look before turning around and walking into the room. As soon as he entered the room he was surprised to find Kazuto lying on his back on the bed staring up at the canopy vacantly.
"What.... Are you doing?" Bercouli asked feeling incredibly confused.
"I'm mentally preparing for the circle of hell that is a royal gala. I'm also wondering what would happen if I grabbed everything valuable and gaudy in this room and sold it down in the town if it would be good for the economy, though I don't actually think there's that much of actual valuable stuff here so much as just gaudy and ostentatious shit that creates the illusion of affluence." Kazuto said in a bland voice before jolting upright and apologizing profusely.
"I am SO sorry! I didn't realize who I was talking to sir!" He exclaimed looking bashful. Bercouli laughed before shaking his head.
"I think that's one of the first times I've been called 'Sir' by a royal. Look there's nothing to worry about, the parties that the queen throws really are circles of hell in themselves. With that in mind, I'd recommend that you leave while you can." Bercouli said his tone turning serious. Kazuto stared at the integrity knight for a long moment before shaking his head.
"As much as I'd honestly love to just jump out of the nearest window and get the hell out of dodge and as far from that queen as possible I care too much about the state of this kingdom. I can't just leave when I can help the people who live here." He explained his mind drifting back to Asuna and those bandits. If I can help them I can't afford to be a coward. He thought his resolve hardening. Bercouli inspected the prince sitting in front of him. He was sitting hunched forward with his hands clenched together, a serious expression painted across his face. He's pretty young but I can tell he's been through a lot. Okay, I guess I don't have much of a choice, I'll have to let him know what he's getting into but I don't doubt that he'll be a good addition to the kingdom. Even you would have approved of him marrying your daughter... Heathcliff. Bercouli sighed and nodded silently.
"Alright, but bare in mind that the queen isn't going to just let you marry the princess, she's manipulative and cunning and won't just step aside for the princess to take over. The queen has spent years tearing this kingdom, and the princess, apart. If you want to cause change in this kingdom you'd better be ready and able to fight for it." Bercouli paused and looked Kazuto over again before adding "Not to mention the princess, despite the queen's best efforts has the strength and stubbornness of her father and the unstoppable fury and sense of justice of her mother, so I'd be careful about what you say to her. 'Asuna Yuki' might be a delicate sounding name but that girl is more reminiscent of a meteor than a snowflake." Kazuto looked up at the old knight and tentatively asked, "What can you tell me about the late queen? My father was close to the king but barely ever speaks of her." Bercouli smiled fondly and nodded.
"You know the princess asks me about her a lot too. Well the first thing you should know is that queen Kizmel wasn't actually royalty by birth, she was a member of the Pagoda Knights from off in the Lyusula kingdom. The second thing to know is that she was an expert with her rapier, that woman could move faster and with greater deadly accuracy than anyone I know, though her daughter is certainly catching up." He explained. Kazuto blinked in surprise.
"So the late king married a knight and the princess knows how to fight with a rapier?" He asked moving towards the edge of the bed. Bercouli nodded solemnly.
"It took a lot of convincing but Heathcliff finally managed to get her to come back with him after a diplomatic visit. It's not exactly expected or encouraged for young girls to learn how to fight but the princess wanted to feel closer to her late parents so we had been training her in secret, if the queen ever knew...." Bercouli trailed off, giving Kazuto a meaningful look. The prince nodded silently, both because he understood and because he once again found himself absorbed in his own thoughts of a particular fencer. Seeing this Bercouli bid the prince farewell and made his way off to the training room to meet with Asuna upon her return.