Sorry for typos etc. in advance.
A solid update as always, though, if I have to be honest I was expecting this update to be more focused on coup's aftermath - as in rebuilding the city, dealing with Cass and all the other(s) that has been affected by the coup and the plotters (extensively, not 10 sec execution scenes), affairs of the kingdom, state of the council etc. Yet I can't complain about what we got. Afterall, it is one other way to show the 'aftermath' and more.
Previous updates, I was suspecting of Queen, that she was up to something with Alaina that involves Elves in some way but now I am not so sure, that would be 'too' expected from them I suppouse and therefore would be very simple story line...? Anyway, lets leave it at that and get to the main case here. The most important thing we learned about Alaina in this update is that she was in the court way before the Queen, probably came with the Cass' mother if the past shown by the Mysterious Woman is real. Also one other thing we learned about her is that while others volunteered to travel with MC in his exile, she was ordered by the King, why? Did he simply wanted to drive her away from the court or wanted Prince to be protected from the Elves?
How did she deceive Cass in the first place, did she talk about her mom, but to what end? Only to escape possible execution? I mean, she is a powerful mage, she could have escaped without deceiving her, even with the unconscious Queen beside her. While she was speaking with Cass in the dungeons -in present timeline that M.W shows- she said that ''I've been sharing my most intimate knowledge with you'' , well 'intimate' means many thing while 'intimate knowledge' doesnt. AFAIK it can only mean 'secrets', secret about whom or what? Givin' this is Cass she is talking to its probably about the King or the former Queen.
Anyway, a little heads-up about the foresayings of the game: As of now there is only two that has been told to Prince and both is very alike yet... contradicting at some point. Firstly, both of them agrees on that there are snakes has been strangling us, coiling around us... While M.W says it takes power to cut their heads and hinting us it is the right thing to do, Crone is hinting that it is the easy way and will lead us to ruin. Also, Crone is using Elvish titles of the Prince. This 'Crone' may be the Elven spirit Queen talked about in the last update?