Serrana had expected Ada's play to work, as she trusted the woman's judgement. The fact that they basically waltzed in as if they owned the place, however - that both surprised and amused her. She wondered if this was just the case during waking hours, or at all times... and if it was at all times, exactly how dangerous that could be. She'd heard rumors that the duke was powerful indeed, but everyone had moments of vulnerability. The duke had to sleep after all, did he not?
The young mage did her level best to not get carried away with sightseeing, this being the first time she'd been to visit the palace. She marveled at the statues and the level of workmanship on the keep as a whole that bordered on obsessive, and strode through with a mixture of purpose and wonder. Idly, the sorceress wondered if they'd encounter Morella here as well, or if the duke's daughter was lodged in her room, or on some subtle exploit that her father was none the wiser of.
As they arrived at the ballroom, Serrana gave a playful smirk as she looked sideways and the doughy man who, though resplendent, looked well out of place in many ways, the least of which was his fashion. A slightly arched brow was the remainder of response that he garnered from her as Ada addressed him, the sorceress knowing that there was no way he was a match for the matron of the White Sands. Her gaze snapped forward though when she heard the sharp voice of the duke pierce through.
Serrana watched the duke carefully, for a moment thinking little of their suddenly granted audience, until she saw that flicker of recognition from the duke - the slight changing in the eyes that belies such things, no matter how placid the expression. That surprised her a little. She only recalled meeting the duke once at the glassworks, not long before the abduction, during the minor incident where the faulty glass had been left on the shelves, and she didn't believe she'd made that much of an impression. That such a commoner stuck in the mind of nobility stuck out as rather unusual...
When she was called by name, though, formality wasn't lost on the glazier, as she bowed respectfully to Aridefort's leader, a single nod accompanying it, acknowledging her listed identity before falling in line beside Ada and behind the duke as they all moved toward the stairs, and was halfway up before she realized something very important:
The duke had sent everyone away.
"Why?" she thought, "there was no need to do that, unless he expected secrecy. He can't be expecting us to embarrass him, so that can't be it... And why is he in armor? He wasn't when he came to the glassworks... what is going on?" Her thoughts didn't have time to work their way through all the possibilities, even though a few were torn away and discarded by the time they'd reached the top of the stairs.
Once there, with the rotund prince's voice hiding a fatigue from the ascent, the sorceress hid another smirk from the prince's view, particularly with the duke's quite-true response. Few of Aridefort's citizens were what one would call idle hands, and that wasn't an unearned reputation. Serrana herself managed two jobs and still studied magic on the side, after all... well, when she wasn't being kidnapped by goblins, that is.
When the duke spoke however in the span of only a few seconds, her expression changed - more than once.
The duke clearly and concisely described the pair of visitors, which caught Serrana's attention. The way he answered the prince showed that Aridefort's ruler also did not suffer idleness. The way he described the pair of them was equal parts informed and confident - the kind of thing one would say when asserting dominance in a conversation with a sort of smug surety. Serrana was legitimately impressed - to the point that smirk of hers returned... until she realized exactly what the duke had said.
Her smirk had a lifespan of about an eighth of a second.
The duke knew. Already. He may have lacked specifics of everything Serrana did and what secrets she had, but he already knew everything. And that Ada was up to something in addition. The instinct that something was indeed "up" had been confirmed, and though she hid it well, the back of her mind told her that her own look of recognition at all of that would betray her. Thankfully, Ada spoke first, pressing her request and allowing the glazier a moment to gather her thoughts - one she knew she would desperately need. In the meantime, Serrana's eyes darted about, watching both Prince Brahm and the general (who she didn't recognize) for their own reactions - a little relieved to see that they were even more stunned than she was about Ada's level of knowledge. Those brown eyes widened, however, at the news that they were, in effect, surrounded, and by a superior foe, no less. The republic was never not a threat, in truth, but if they now seemed fit - and set - to attack and invade... this was grim news indeed, especially with the color leaving the general's face like it had. That was why the duke had his armor on, and why there was a dignitary here, as well as his general; she and Ada had walked into an impromptu war council of sorts, the sorceress was near sure of it.
When Duke Brightcloud elaborated on what he knew of his unexpected guests, after mentioning goblins and their lack of threatening status at present, Serrana knew that she wasn't going to be dodging questions much longer. Briefly, the sorceress considered being cagey about things. The secrets she held were significant, and she herself lacked the means to properly elaborate on them in the first place. Plus, she had a different perspective on the goblin behaviors than most, given her unusual treatment at their hands (she was, for example, still surprised that they'd been more respectful towards her than her initial human captors). And then there was the threat to the country at large... the goblins were a boogeyman - one used to scare children; and while they were always a slight threat, on a large scale, there was no region truly threatened by them. The republic though? Thousands of lives - as well as their entire way of life - would be threatened by that.
No, deception was not the play to be had here. There was a greater responsibility to be had. Not to mention that throwing cards down on the table would not only give her the best path to future answers, but also was the most likely to keep her out of prison - where she would be no good to anyone: Ada, Gionni, Oran... and especially herself.
The sorceress looked Duke Achille Brightcloud right back in the eye, before bowing (and taking a deep breath, using the bow to hide it - and the nerves associated therein), then speaking in an even, convicted tone.
"What would you ask of me, Your Grace?"
