I let out a soundless sigh as I feel the strain in my eyes from reading through countless documents, and I put the documents down on my desk. I closed my eyes as I leaned in my chair, seeking a moment of respite.

I reminded myself that these were just a fraction of the data I had collected from various regions of the empire. It was crucial for me to monitor how the dukes were managing their assigned territories.

Unfortunately, some are abusing their power, which contradicts my plans for the empire. "My liege, is there anything I can help you with?" Ruford, my attendant, asked.

"I want to hear about the spies I sent to Eurhyia."

"They have returned, forgive me for not telling you sooner. Currently, the new king, Evrart Kan Demitri Edevane, called the kingdom's attention informing that the princess is missing, and whoever finds her will be given a reward – anything as long as it won’t have any political disturbance just to find her,” Ruford paused before continuing his report.

“Secondly, the king also announced the dowager queen's death. Many nobles didn't believe it, because the palace didn't hold a funeral. The spies are unsure if that's the truth because even if the word came from the king, there's no solid evidence about Queen Corianne's death, but there are no traces of her in the palace either. That's all the information we know. We haven't heard from Estelle yet which is strange because she's the one who's personally monitoring the princess' whereabouts."

Estelle. She did mention that she showed herself to Thyra as a horse turning into a person, and was told to send a letter to Thyra's acquaintance. There's a possibility that either Thyra killed her out of trust issues, or she told her acquaintance to kill her. She wouldn't take this long if she's all fine.

As I was lost in my thoughts, a distinct knocking sound resonated from the door, capturing my attention. In response, I instructed Ruford to open the door, revealing the arrival of the second prince, Hervouet.

"You seem to be busy today, Your Highness," he began, and as expected, there's no such thing as sincere formalities coming from him. Though I want us to keep our manners, his words sounded more like a mockery than a greeting.

"I am. What brings you here? It's pretty late." I tried to read what was in his mind with his face. It sure is nothing good.

"Nothing special, but I think it might interest you. I visited your old friend's house four days ago, and they have an interesting guest who happens to be an alexandrite Izavene. You've been looking for her, haven't you?"

A surge of surprise washed over me, instantly dispelling the weariness that had settled in from reading the report. My eyes widened in disbelief as I questioned aloud,

"How did she manage to find her way here?" I furrowed my eyebrows, observing Hervouet's smirking expression, clearly amused by my sudden reaction.

"It was I who stumbled upon her firsthand. She was traveling alone in a carriage when it was suddenly ambushed by bandits," Hervouet explained, his voice filled with a mix of admiration and astonishment. "Despite being severely injured by arrows, she displayed remarkable skill, wielding her sword and summoning lightning to fend off her attackers. I must admit, she possesses far greater power than one would assume. I strongly believe that she is the same individual who nearly decimated our army during the invasion."

Hervouet's willingness to share such information was unusual, but I couldn't help but feel grateful for his openness. Now, my task was to verify the accuracy of his account.

"You're telling me now that you helped an enemy?" Hervouet laughed at my question. "She's like an innocent sheep to me who's pretending to be strong. Why would I take advantage of someone who's too beautiful to be ignored? If she wasn't an enemy, I would give the interest to ask her parents for her hand. She's more valuable than jewels. That's the only way I can describe her. Since she's from an enemy kingdom, I wouldn't bother. You're the one who should deal with her. After all, you've been looking for her for some time now, correct?"

More valuable than jewels. He only meant one thing – he finds her more interesting than any of the ladies in our empire. Technically, she's an Izavene herself so she can still be addressed as a jewel. An alexandrite one.

"I appreciate the information. I'll see what I can do to know further. Thank you, brother," I said. Hervouet lost his composure as he heard me calling him brother. We may look like rivals, but I still see him as family.

Hervouet's loss of words made him storm out of the room without looking back.

"We're going out tomorrow. I want to see the weapons we bought myself," the original plan was only Ruford is responsible to check and claim the weapons from Dante, but now I'm interested to join him.

Was it because I wanted to see the Thyra? She may not know it, but she's the one who made me realize my mistakes after losing the lives of the men I used to see as pawns.

"You had restless nights ever since the battle, and now you're exhausted handling all these reports alone. I suggest for His Highness to rest," Ruford advised.

"It's fine. It only makes me feel lazy to lie on the bed but I can't sleep however hard I try. I think I already know how I can stop the restless nights, and I believe this is the last restless night I'll have." I concluded as I sipped my chamomile tea.

──•~❉᯽❉~•──

I woke up when the sun was already at its peak. I overslept. It was almost noon, and Ruford was waiting outside my room when I opened the door.

"Good morning, my liege. I hope you had a good sleep. Do you feel like eating?"

"I don't feel like it. I surprisingly had a good sleep, so I feel energized enough. Tell the ones who'll come with us that we'll leave in 20 minutes." I instructed as I closed the door to change my clothes.

After an hour of travel, we finally reached our destination - the forest where Dante and Hermine resided. The group came to a halt beside Dante's tree house, dismounting from our horses and following my lead. As we stepped onto the forest ground, I couldn't help but notice a subtle change in the air. The wind felt lighter, unlike before when the weight of betrayal burdened my chest, reminding me of the mercy I had shown to my friend.

"Praise be to the wings of the Ruivenfiere Empire, the sole successor to its everlasting glories. It's an honor to have you here, Your Highness." Dante greeted, his head lowered, and showed no hints of looking up.

"Lead my men to your workshop. They'll check the weapons and test their quality if they're satisfied," I paused as I weigh my options: if I'll talk to him about our friendship, or not.

"Let's talk some other time," I added, only loud enough for him to hear. Dante nodded without question, and my men followed him the moment I gave them the order to follow Dante.

As I observed the group walking away, my attention was drawn to a woman emerging from the tree house, making her way into the depths of the forest. Could that be her? I had only caught a fleeting glimpse of her appearance and hardly had the chance to truly see what she looked like.

"Ruford, I'll leave this to you. I don't intend to stay here for too long. I'll go ahead," I declared, swiftly mounting my horse. I caught a glimpse of worry in Ruford's eyes as I glanced at him, understanding that he was concerned about my encounter with Dante.

However, my reasons for leaving were not related to that, and I didn't have the luxury of time to explain. With determination, I guided my horse in the opposite direction and ventured deeper into the forest to follow her.

A couple of minutes later, I managed to catch up with the lady with wavy mahogany hair, porcelain skin, and a mole under her left eye – just like how Estelle described her. I can't be wrong that she's the person I've been looking for.

As soon as my horse approached, the woman turned around, alerted by the sound. There was an undeniable intensity in her eyes as she locked her gaze with mine. In that moment of silence, it felt as if she was peering into the depths of my soul, reading me with a profound understanding.

"Milady, it's quite dangerous for a woman to walk through the forest like this. Not to mention, you seem to be injured, considering your speed of walking. Will you allow me to escort you to wherever you're going?"

"You're offering help to a stranger? We don't know each other, or what both of us are capable of. I appreciate the generosity, but I believe introductions are necessary." her facial expression is blank as she spoke, and I felt a bead of sweat trickle on the side of my face.

"Oh, I apologize. I forgot that you're not from here," I responded, and her left eyebrow lifted in my response. God, how can a woman be this intimidating? She's not even trying!

"How did you know that I'm not a local?" she asked, admitting it with confidence. Normally a person would hide their identity and lie when asked questions like this, but she's doing the opposite.

"My brother was here a few days ago, and he told me that Hermine has a guest. I went here today to see the weapons I ordered from Dante. Since I saw you coming from their house, I suppose it was you."

"Oh, so you're the crown prince," she commented and lowered her head a bit. "Forgive me for my rudeness, Your Highness. I wasn't expecting to meet you this way."

"Don't worry about it, it's fine. You're not from here, therefore it's normal that you don't know me. You can call me Azriel."

"My name is Thyra. But may I ask you again – why would you offer help? I'm a fugitive, and you're royalty." She's truly stubborn, isn't she? Now I understand why Estelle mentioned that she's not a gullible person. I can tell that she's doing this to be sure that she'll be safe.

"I'm not trying to impress you, but even if I'm royalty, I help people personally when needed. So, I hope you won't think that I'll take advantage of you or anything. That'll be against my sense of values," I assured her, and she smiled a bit. I didn't see that coming, but her gentle smile immediately eased the tension between us.

"You're a people person. I can't refuse the offer, but I won't call you by your name. I'm not judging you, but it seems to me like you've forgotten that you're a prince. Your words are always meant to be orders, not requests. Moreover, it's a standard for a commoner not to address His Highness by name alone," I can feel my face warming, quite embarrassed with her correction. She sure knows a lot about the manners of people in high society.

I sighed as I offered my hand to her.

"Well then, let's not waste your precious time. Let me help you get on." I offered my hand and she held it, and I helped her hop on.