The long corridors passed by Thana, but Delilah knew where they were headed. Still, it took too long, far too long for Thana's liking. The girl was certain they must have passed this corridor several times already. Hadn't Delilah said it was urgent? "Afraid I'll find my way back?" she muttered to herself, but there was no response from Delilah. The kindness the girl had shown earlier under the table had vanished, leaving Thana with no choice but to follow her. Even the next corridor seemed like one they had been through before, yet Delilah pushed open one of the doors. Thana had no idea what lay behind it, she hadn't had time to explore the castle. She had been too busy panicking. With wide eyes, she looked around to take in her surroundings. She was almost disappointed to find it was another bedroom, albeit smaller than the one where she had spent her time.

However, Delilah seemed undeterred and walked towards the mirror hanging on the wall. The small table beneath it was empty and had numerous drawers. Despite not opening any of them, Delilah grabbed the mirror and gave it a firm tug, causing it to swing open, leaving Thana gaping. "How cool!" she couldn't help but exclaim as she saw the hole behind the mirror. Delilah climbed onto the table and through the hole hidden behind the mirror. Thana was relieved that she had decided to change into something else and didn't have to crawl through with her stained red dress from earlier. Delilah still hadn't spoken a word, but Thana crawled after her, thankful the table was there. The passage was at least one and a half meters high, and Thana was not the most graceful person. It took her a while before she dropped down on the other side.

Delilah grabbed the lever behind her, and when she pulled it, the mirror slammed shut. Thana watched in amazement as she could see everything that was happening in the room. "A mirror on one side only!" she remarked, but Delilah simply continued down the corridor where the girls had ended up. "Does that hide behind all the mirrors here?" Thana asked curiously as she hurriedly followed the girl. It was already clear that Delilah would not wait for her. Did her mirror also hide such a passage? Was that how Mara had escaped? Why hadn't they just taken that passage? Numerous questions raced through her mind. "Delilah?" she asked, hoping for more explanation about where they actually were.

"No, it's not behind all the mirrors," came a different voice, startling Thana. She was quite certain it wasn't Delilah who had spoken. Delilah stepped aside, allowing Thana to see who was at the end of the corridor. It was the old woman, Thana realized, the woman she had seen speaking with Davion earlier. "Come closer, you there, so I can see you better," said the woman, whom Thana presumed must be Adrienne. She didn't immediately see anyone else in the strange corridor Delilah had brought her to.

"But better that way," Thana heard Delilah say. "You don't want to know what you can see when people don't realize they can be seen." Thana almost asked what Delilah meant but decided to keep it to herself. The tone of Delilah's voice suggested it was something better left unknown. Besides, she also knew what some people were capable of when they thought they were alone. "So, this is Adrienne," Delilah continued, pointing towards the older woman. To Thana's surprise, Delilah made a brief curtsy towards Adrienne. "Milady," she nodded. "Her name is Thana." Should Thana have been so happy to hear someone else addressing her by her real name? She didn't know, but it felt good to just be herself.

Adrienne nodded and beckoned Thana closer once more. Step by step, Thana walked closer, trying to recall if she had heard anything of the woman's earlier conversation with Davion. "The similarities are indeed there," she heard the woman whisper as she observed Thana. It made Thana feel like running away again and disappearing back through the mirror. On the other hand, she also knew she couldn't go anywhere without Delilah. She could only hope she had done the right thing in trusting the girl. "Do you have your necklace and the book with you, Thana?" Adrienne continued, causing Thana to furrow her brow. She pulled out the necklace, which had only grown darker since the last time she had seen the thing.

"This isn't just a reflection of light, is it?" Thana whispered softly. She didn't know why she thought that, but she had lost enough already. She didn't feel like talking to someone and understanding only half without ever getting any answers. Then she shook her head. "I don't have the book. The monster took it when it came to get me out of bed." Thana took a deep breath in an attempt to keep her emotions under control. "Can you help me, please? I don't know anything about what's going on, and I just want to go home. Delilah already told me this wasn't possible, but can't you really do anything? Tell Davion to let me go and that I'm not Mara?" Thana didn't know what she would do first, burst into tears or get angry again. She had so many different feelings swirling inside her, and she was just tired.

Still, Adrienne didn't seem concerned with all her questions. The woman wasn't even looking at Thana but at Delilah! "Delilah? Could you please make sure we get that book back? Once you have it, send a message, and our plan can begin," Delilah nodded and left without even a glance at Thana. Somewhere, Thana wanted to beg the girl to stay; she was one of the few who had treated her normally. She had probably made a fool of herself if Adrienne hadn't turned to her afterwards. "Sit down, Thana. You've been through a lot, and you'll need your energy," Adrienne smiled, but Thana shook her head. She preferred to stand by the exit in case it was needed. Even though Delilah had left, she still didn't completely trust Adrienne. Adrienne nodded and sat down herself.

Thana's eyes were fixed on the necklace in her hand; it was blood-red in color. "The color of the necklace is what holds the power," Thana heard Adrienne explain. "It was crystal clear when you found it?" Thana couldn't do more than nod. "Once love was the power that bound us," Adrienne continued, "Now it may sound like some sweet bedtime story to you, but believe me, fairy tales are not bedtime stories." Vaguely, it reminded Thana of a saying, but she couldn't remember which. "You have lost your beloved; has Delilah informed you of our time?" Thana nodded again as she tried not to burst into tears now that she finally got more explanation. "I don't know who your heart belongs to, but you can do strange things for it, which is why Davion kissed you."

Shocked, Thana looked at the woman as her mouth fell open. "You know?" she responded, startled. Were there people watching her when she thought she was alone? Had others seen how foolish she had been? A flush of embarrassment crept up her cheeks, and Thana quickly looked away from Adrienne. She felt the necklace in her hand prickling but couldn't bring herself to look at it. How much darker could it still get? Did she even want to pay the price any further? The simple answer was no, but Thana couldn't bring herself to say it aloud.

"Your rejection has made Davion quite angry," Adrienne explained as if that answered Thana's question. If Thana hadn't been blushing before, she certainly was now. It felt so uncomfortable to discuss the kiss here; after all, it was her first kiss, right? Who else knew about it? "Easy, child," Adrienne continued calmly. "I convinced him it was because of your shield so we have enough time to get you out of here. It was never Mara's intention to let someone else take her place." The old woman seemed more occupied with herself as she continued speaking. "I don't know what was going on with my son either, but we'll see about that later."

It felt like thunder had struck in Thana's world, and lightning had struck on the spot. "Your son?" Thana repeated Adrienne's words. "Are you going to tell me that Davion is your son? And you're his mother?" With wide eyes, she looked at the woman again and was relieved she hadn't sat down earlier. How could she trust her now? Did anything Adrienne just said make sense at all?