(SHADOW paces in his hut as MADAME MYSTIQUE drills him with questions)
MADAME MYSTIQUE: Has the gift been prepared? Is the plan sure to work? Will Princess Diane cooperate? Will-
SHADOW: Silence! I have spent my time wondering the same things. Princess Diane despises her father's temperament as of late. She has agreed to aid us.
(PRINCESS DIANE walks in dressed in a guard's armor)
PRINCESS DIANE: The lookouts saw me and will probably report to my father. The fool will be furious! How will this help us?
SHADOW: As a token of peace, give him this gift. Tell him it is an artifact from a distant land.
(SHADOW hands over a small velvet bag, then dismisses the woman as he paces the floor, speaking to himself)
SHADOW: Oh, woe has struck! I must break a man to save a kingdom. Irony, why must you be bitter? He was once a kind and just ruler, but the shimmer of gold has corrupted him. He cares only of products, not about the people who make them. God in Heaven, forgive me, for my sins will soon be too great to number...
(Curtain falls)