Not to her surprise, The Priestess had no trouble getting past the guards in front of the large gates that protected the castle. They ushered her in without a word spoken, like she belonged there at that time. Perhaps they thought she was there to do some priestly work. That would make sense as anyone with minimal spiritual training could see the dark cloud looming over the whole palace. 

Upon entering, Hanami could only see the backs of the women that had arrived before her. She took her place beside no one in particular, noting how strongly it smelled of blood. [i]These women must have seen a lot of bloodshed.[/i] She thought with a straight face, it was to be expected with what the Emperor was requesting.

A few moments passed before the Emperor emerged with his children to give his speech. Hanami kept quiet, even after he was done and his children came to inspect the warriors. She was the only Priestess there that she could see, and wondered if that would count against her. 

When the two siblings passed her, she got a strangely familiar feeling from the Princess. Once again, she kept a straight face, but what was that? Her aura seemed tainted, and she looked to be hiding something.