Review by Karl Verhoven

Although she’s been lady-in-waiting to Princess Kirsi for years, Lucia is an elf, a race largely reviled within palace circles. This is also unknown to the court Mage, who’s been teaching her magic, at which she’s proving very adept. A recent complication is that a suit of armour has been magically permitted motion and given a duty to protect Lucia, but only she’s aware it’s developed a sentience and now even basic spoken communication. She’s named it Modeus. As Volume Two ended Lucia met a captured elf who told her to seek out someone who’d be able to inform her about how much she held as certainty was actually false. One early revelation is provided on Purpah’s sample art.

It’s a sequence of explanations that with recriminations continues to occupy almost a third of the volume, yet without seeming either too long or an obvious dump of information. This is also despite the sequence contrasting much of the series to date by being dark and horrific as opposed to light fantasy dipping into comedy. The source is intriguing, capable with more than a little arrogance about them. “You may think of me as a villain, my dear”, he states, “but that matters little to me”. Their appearance is as startling as their presence, Purpah presenting them in a design not far removed from an ancient plague mask, but with glowing red lenses.

What Lucia learns upends her entire worldview, making her see friends and surroundings in a different light, now knowing truths kept from the majority of the population. It makes her bristle in the presence of a sinister new addition to the cast. Lord Ricon is superbly created as a bastard utterly secure in his own skin, going out of his way to provoke, not caring who he offends and visually set off by a prosthetic arm designed to draw attention.

Despite all the shocking revelations, Purpah drops hints that there’s more to come likely to undermine Lucia’s world. That occurs anyway before the end.

It’s a brave move on Purpah’s part to take a fair step away from what Suitor Armor has so far been, but it’s one that pays off. Intrigue, surprise and a constant underlying sense of danger and tension make for the best volume to date.

As has been the case for every volume, there’s a bonus tale spotlighting knight Baynard and his squire Peres who have to keep their relationship secret. It’s lighter than the main story and completes a short story trilogy delightfully.