A girl with a long, black, pony-tailed hair ferried a stack of books across various bookshelves, returning each one to where they were before. Her luscious lips curved into a dimpled smile as her deep-set eyes scanned through the shelves. She had a fair complexion that allowed her soft skin to glow under the sunlight.

Approaching a shelf named History, she found that she had trouble reaching the top shelves so she settled in placing the last book in the middle stack. She turned her lean body as she heard the bells to her store ring. It was hot outside, the sun was as bright as it always was for Eins' summers.

Sometimes people liked to rest a bit inside the store while taking a peak at the books. She was beginning to think that it's a good idea to ask a copper coin for every time they borrowed a book to read inside, but for now it was free.

Her name was Emilia Marseille, a daughter of once-wealthy and influential merchants. Unfortunately, she lost both of her parents in the war against Rorldon. After Eins won the war, she drafted a plan to open a bookstore.

She never wanted to be a merchant, but she knew a lot of things. Her parents taught her some subtleties of politics, the world, making connections and arriving at correct decisions. Still after their death, she longed a life where all she worried about was home.

From the small fortune that she got from her parent's will, she commissioned to open a bookstore where she could share her love of reading, and the comfort it brings her, as well as be able to use her mercantile skills.

The store had twelve bookshelves lined up, creating 4 rows and columns, each with their sides adjacent to the entrance. Their positioning made it easy to take a look at an arriving customer anywhere inside her store. As soon as she returned the last book, she made her way to the her desk, close to the door.

In front of the desk, where she's frequently at, stood a tall man with silver unkepmt hair. He was at least two heads taller than her. His hair was a gritty mess, but she had to say that it made the man look mature. A young, chiseled face shaped almost like an inverted triangle. His pouting, full lips slightly parted as he breathed in the scent of books.

Ennui was apparent in his hazy, black large eyes. Still, Emilia couldn't nudge the feeling that she felt entranced for a bit. He was handsome in his muscular frame, and it seemed to give life to his otherwise uninterested expression.

He turned his head towards the girl's direction, startling her trance.

"W-welcome." She managed to greet before clearing her throat.

As she got closer, she couldn't help but wonder why this man seemed to be intriguing, but strange. As if those hazy eyes hide a myriad of thoughts, like he didn't have time for the world. He also felt, familiar in a way.

Finally arriving behind her desk, she redid her welcome.

"Welcome, mister. How can I help?"

The man straightened his leather garment, and revealed a playful smile.

"Must be true what they say. It really does feel safer around the borders." The man looked around the bookstore, gesturing for her to do the same.

Emilia felt almost ignored as he studied the store's immaculate state. He returned his gaze to her, Emilia pouted as he did.

"I didn't know that such a pristine store could exist in a country just a month ago was ravished by selfishness." Emilia snorted at the comment and scowled.

As a storeowner, she's had a lot of people show up in her store; she also knew when she was being made fun of. This man must be a foreigner. He didn't know how sturdy the people of Eins could be.

"Just so you know, the borders are kept relatively safe ever since the brink of the civil war. The very nature of the war drew the pieces closer to the Royal Capital, Lourdes, and the surrounding areas." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Though, unless you go directly to the capital, you're not going to find any indication of a war-torn kingdom. As dumb as the war was, the people in charge made sure to not level our houses to the ground, preferring men to take the toll. So, how can I help you?" She didn't bother to hide her annoyance.

She made sure to be sarcastic in her animated gestures and sing-songy tone. She didn't want to be judged by an unknowing foreigner.

The man almost stifled a laugh, unable to keep a straight face. Emilia frowned, and thought that this man was deliberately trying to get to her nerves. When the man seemed to be able to keep his laughter to himself, he slammed his hand on her desk.

She flinched away as a thud reached her ears, and felt wary of the man. Was this a robbery? Her body was shaking from the possibility, and robbers around these parts were never quite merciful. She didn't know how to defend herself, but she couldn't just wantonly shout for help.

Even if she did, there's no telling what this man could do. If he'd rob her in broad daylight, then the brightness must not faze him.

The man chuckled before puffing his chest out. He had this smug look around his face. His lips were curved and he raised a brow.

"Tell me more, will ya?" He bowed slightly, his right arm in front of his chest, but kept on deeply staring at Emilia.

"I am Al, I've returned to this hellhole after quite some time. So I don't really have a first-hand look at things. I thought I'd let you enlighten me!" He beckoned.

For someone asking for help, he didn't forget to sport an arrogant smile and posture. This fact made Emilia feel a bit more relaxed, and she thought that he might just be some bumbling idiot. It was as if he treated himself as the one doing the favor.

Emilia sighed, helping herself to relax. The guy wasn't a robber, at least. Though it freaked her out a bit when he slammed her desk, it didn't lessen her urge to just slap him out of the store.

I want to say I don't care about enlightening him, but there's something off about him. I kind of.. want to find out what.

She decided to squirm her way with words, and find out just what it is about him that puts her off. She knew that she's going to have to answer his questions, but in return she should be able to get a grasp on him.

She shrugged then she pointed at a small table in front of the desk, surrounded by four wooden chairs. She motioned for him to take a seat as she approached a chair on the opposite side of his appointed seat.

As the man sat down, he tapped a finger on the table, and rested his head on his other hand. It seemed like he was waiting for her to start, but she didn't know where she should begin.

"Well, what do you want to find out?"

The man seemed to take his time to think, pouting his mouth and creasing his eyebrows. As if on cue with a realization, his face tensed up then he raised his index finger in front of him.

"I have no idea."

Emilia felt really irritated, and puffed her cheeks then snarled. They just came out of a bloody civil war! Granted, as someone who caters to different book-lovers and intellectuals daily, she's had her fair share of discussion so she's learned quite a bit. Still, it's unfriendly to ask her about things that deserters are not involved with.

If he didn't know anything about the war, then why risk it and come back, just to start asking with no directions?

"You've got some nerve don't you? Coming out here and just saying whatever you want while being so clueless... Whatever.."

She was a bit offended, but his unknown motivations piqued her curiosity, so she chose to patronize him. She can hit the man with a book if he got out of hand with his comments; he seemed harmless enough to deserve it.

She wasn't freaking out anymore, though her blood was boiling. Relaxing her expression, she slammed a finger onto the table, trying to make a point.

"The biggest thing right now is that tomorrow, the decision to crown a King must be finalized. It takes a month after the death of the Royal Line before they're allowed to crown a new one. I'm not sure about the details, but it was placed in the event that the Royal Line dies out with no one as apparent heir. It's speculated that there's a lost, or maybe hidden heir to the throne that King Deukalion kept safe, as a precedent towards that law." Emilia watched as the man observed her as she spoke.

"Of course, I'm not talking about the Foolish Prince." She clarified.

The man perked up at the mention of that Prince. He urged for her to continue by raising an eyebrow. She decided to just go with the flow, and maybe try to work her way through the topic that seemed to interest the man.

"Well, the Foolish Prince has relinquished his right to the throne. So unless there's really a hidden heir, I'd say that tomorrow would be the start of the Massarelli Royal Line. So right now would be a better time to mind your own business." She winced a bit in disgust by her mention of Massarelli, a family of traitors.

If the people could do anything about his crowning, they'd definitely revolt. It was just that everyone was weary, and there was no one lead the way. It pained them that they can only let it go on.

The man continued to just stare at her for a bit. After a few seconds, he pursed his lips.

"I am in here for some business. What? You think I'd just go back to a war-torn and barely alive country just to sightsee?" He claimed.

The man stuck his tongue out for good measure. It took all Emilia had to let it go, and hid a really tight fist just under the table.

"I've got to say though, The House of Massarelli? You seem to hate just talking about them. I wonder why's that?" The man creased his brows as he questioned her.

He watched Emilia's movements, most likely trying to spy for any peculiar body language.

Emilia felt that he was seizing her up with his gaze, trying to read her body language. Though, she wasn't trying to hide her hate. She knew she wasn't able to keep her disdain from showing in her gestures and expression when talking about traitors.

She paused to think about the one thing she couldn't figure out about the succession law she mentioned. The Massarelli line didn't have to follow it. It just doesn't add up that those traitors could wait a month before seizing the throne. It's like they couldn't, like something's in their way.

"For someone who came back to do some business, it's suspicious that you have no idea about the state of affairs, or about the people in here." She scoffed.

"If I'd have to guess: you left before you were barely a child, or you're just plain ignorant." She speculated before pulling in some air to her lungs.

This was going to be a painful discussion.

"Before anything, mister, I advise you don't talk about this with anyone else. I'm walking a fence here just speaking about it to some stranger."

The man just gave a blank, almost questioning expression. She threw her arms up in resignation. The man then smiled in response, and she felt that it was because she looked funny.

She sighed, and dropped her head on the flesh of her right palm. She warned him, but it's more to protect herself. She didn't want to get tangled with anything to do with a potential Lese Majeste. It was better to keep their mouths shut.

"Then why speak of it?" The man inquired as he fixed his sitting posture.

Indeed, why? She didn't know. It was as if the moment this man entered, she was going with the flow. It wasn't like her. Sure, she had to speak with newcomers on a daily basis, but it was all small talk and mostly about books. If she'd talk about the news around Eins, she'd be speaking with people she knew and trusted.

Majority of the people learned to just accept things as they were, and not talking about what's happening helped them through the struggle. It was unusual for anyone to speak about anything, especially with a stranger.

She closed her eyes, resigned to just deal with it when it comes.

"I don't know. Honestly, there's something weird about you that I just can't put my finger on. I love to read books, but it's always been because of my curiosity." She smiled a bit.

"I've never had the courage to explore beyond my little store though, so I'm most likely just going with the urge of an unpleasant opportunity." She spoke a bit more forceful this time, a hint of nostalgia here and there.

She shrugged, as she turned to take a look at the various books lined up along the shelves.

"I guess you could say, it's been a while since anyone's walked in here and casually asked about our state of affairs." She chuckled a bit with a little self-mocking of her own.

"Though, if they really crown the Massarreli House, we might be able to put this all behind. Still, it does not change the fact that a lot of people, including me, consider them as traitors, and they stole the Kingdom from the people. They would do anything to keep a hold of that kind of power once they grab it." She felt as if she was trying to justify her inaction.

The man seemed satisfied as he returned a nod. Glad that she was able to convince him, she continued.

"In my opinion, unless we have an heir from the Eins line, we shouldn't stage a coup or try to overthrow the Massarreli's incoming rule. We won't be able to deal with the backlash of such a decision." Emilia concluded while she fixed her gaze unto the man's.

The man smirked. Seeing that, Emilia suddenly felt a cold creep into her skin. There was this look on him, as if he was testing her. She was starting to regret her decision to probe the man.

"You seem loose-lipped about it anyway, so I guess I'll pry deeper. What do you think should happen if you find out that the Foolish Prince did not relinquish his rights?" The man threw an inquisitive look as Emilia's mouth hung agape.

That was impossible.

For heirs to a bloodline, and especially the throne, they had a special curse that designated the lines of succession. The only reason Massarreli could become a Royal Line was because in the event of the death of the House of Eins, there was a mandate the Nobles were instructed to follow.

Julien Massarreli, former adviser to King Deukalion, would succeed as per King Deukalion's wishes if the Royal Line does die out. Once the curse has been set, without the consent of the concerned party it may never be revoked. Unless of course, under special circumstances. Unfortunately, the King was not priveleged such options.

That was also the reason why the people didn't want to topple Julien Massarreli's ascent. He was the only one who was placed as a legitimate heir apart from the Eins bloodline. There was no other personality to fill that role.

In the case of the Foolish Prince, he stated the oath to relinquish his title, removing the curse. This meant that the death of his father and brother meant the end of their line.

She organized her thoughts for a moment, as she hung her head down and wrapped her fingers around her chin. The man chuckled, eliciting a glare from Emilia.

"If the Foolish Prince is still in fact a legitimate heir, then maybe that's why King Deukalion put this month-long wait into motion. To buy time." Emilia shrugged.

"If the prince comes back to take his throne, then the people would have a reason to rally under his banner. He'll have enough support and just cause to have a chance to expel the Massarreli House away from Eins." She felt her tone gain conviction as she considered that prospect.

The man leaned in closer, supporting his weight by placing his arms on the table. Emilia moved away a bit before she continued.

"Unfortunately, the Massarreli won't go down without a fight. They too fought hard and lost many, but they have the resolve to lose some more. They have no reason to back away from conflict now of all times, and if it's just against one foolish heir who left his country to pursue other ideals, I don't think they've much to lose." Still, she felt that it was very unlikely.

"However, there are eyewitness reports and court documents that confirms that the Prince, the former prince, did in fact relinquish his title. There's no point in talking about it. What would you know about that anyway?" She asked accusingly.

I'm definitely revealing that I know a lot about this for a bookstore owner. I can't help it, that's what bookstore owners do!

At the back of her mind, she knew that for her it would be the best case scenario for that prince to return and take the throne. She'd much rather endure another war if it was for the sake of this country, but that was only if they had someone to lead them. If she really wanted to get her hopes up, perhaps this man himself was the Foolish Prince.

Though that's a stupid idea. If this man was the prince, he'd spend his time better to travel back to the Royal Castle. Not interrogating a librarian.

Or maybe he's really the prince, it's just that the rumours about his foolishness were true.

She managed to hold in her laugh to just a weak chuckle. The man raised his brow in response.

"Well, I think that the Eins line had it coming." The man retorted, a sense of mocking in his voice.

Emilia was shocked, she wanted to pretend she didn't hear what he said. She paused her thoughts and regained her calm.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

There was no point in suddenly becoming full-blown hostile, so she carefully spat her question. She was one of the people who loved their King and his family, so unless this man just wants to get thrown the hell out of here, he needs to clear up some misunderstanding on his part.

"Think about it. On the surface, Eins and its people were happy and satisfied. It seemed that the Kingdom could only grow more prosperous through the years. But they forgot that they could only control what happens inside the country when the exterior factors ignore you, or you have control on these outside elements." The man leaned back on his chair as he argued.

He then raised his arms and shook his head in false defeat. Emilia thought that he must be referring to Rorldon as the external factor. It's true that they previously ignored Eins as it was protected by the Great Arm - but when the Empire discovered that there is a mage with an ability to teleport massive numbers of people, they decided to take the chance.

According to what she's heard from her more privy customers, that mage was speculated as a member of the underground group Madea, but the Empire and the Kingdom's own noble courts deny the possibility. She's noticed long ago that there were a lot of factors that didn't add up, but maybe this man had an idea.

It was especially curious that this same mage was said to have died as the embers of the invasion weakened.

"King Deukalion was wise in that he continued to ignore Rorldon, trying to avoid riling them up. Besides, an ability to teleport massive numbers beyond Pas? It's unheard of, as much as teleportation in itself. Still, that was an oversight that could have been avoided had he played his cards right." The man then paused for a bit, allowing Emilia to mull on his argument.

Rorldon was a powerful empire: they had the men and the resources to take over Eins, a Kingdom half as large as their domain. But the Pas Range creates a wide stretch of uninhabitable terrain surrounded by thick, foggy forests filled with dangerous wildlife. The Great Arm, as they called it, is a natural border that impeded threats from Rorldon since the founding of Eins.

The man smiled, and his eyes changed to a dangerous glint. An air of superiority danced around his hands, as he meticulously closed it into a fist, like grasping the very space it hovered in. He watched his very own hands tighten up, as if he saw the air succumb to its force.

Emilia started to think that maybe this man knew more about what's happening than he's letting on.

"Had he considered to expand Eins and conquer the countries behind the Great Arm, he'd have enough resources, men, and power to conquer the sea-fearing Rorldon." As he talked, he twisted his fist and continued to stare at it.

Rorldon's shores have always been filled with perilious waters and ravenous storms, not giving them a chance to create a stable port, and ships to circumvent the Great Arm. However, for Eins, had they taken a chance, they might've been able to find a window where it was a relatively calm season, and insert their military at key positions around Rorldon. That is, as long as they had the men and resources.

Even with a seemingly solid argument, Emilia eyed the man with suspicion. She reminded herself to be patient and see where this man wanted to take his point.

King Deukalion and the First Prince were never warmongerers, and were never conquerors. The people respected them for that. Yet, this man felt like he should make fun of that resolve. But she held her anger in, knowing well that it was useless to rage about it.

"He also had enough time before the invasion. The Kingdom was only growing in power then." He shrugged.

"He could only stabilize a growing power by stretching this across larger lands." He circled his hands wide and around the surface of the table.

"At least, that's what the Massarreli believed. But the King wanted to hold the reins while only worrying about the internal factors of the Kingdom." He reasoned.

That is in fact, true. There was too much power in Eins' hands at one point that the Massarreli started to discretely petition a conquest. This formed a rift in the political structure of Eins, and created the first two factions. The Massarreli line demanded to put this power into use, but Deukalion wouldn't have it.

The King, wise as he was, managed to hold off any thoughts or embers of conquest from fully taking root for ten years, and he was barely able to solidify his reign on the kingdom's policies, and Eins' by then weakening power.

"Then the war came. Personally, I believe that the Massarreli's are right in this case, that Deukalion should've taken the fight to Rorldon 5 years before they invaded, and that we needed to take control of our side of the continent to accomplish that." He then tapped on the table to emphasize his point.

His ideas were heavy, but to Emilia it felt like he didn't take things seriously. After he tapped a finger on the table, he proceeded to slouch on his chair. He fiddled with his hair, curling them around his fingers. She wondered about his twisted view for a moment, but she knew that for all its good points, it didn't matter because what she believed in was right.

To the man's credit, Emilia was inclined to agree if not for two reasons. First, Eins was allied within all the Kingdoms east of the Great Arm. By waging a war of conquest, they'd have to cut ties with all of these countries, making enemies of a large alliance.

As a result of this circumstance, in order to invade Rorldon without getting the east of the continent under active control, he'd have to directly ask for the Alliance's help - but it was impossible.

Eins' allies would never be convinced to even use the sea to get around Pas just to attack Rorldon. It left the King's choices with only conquest, or the status quo.

Second, she was glad the King chose the peaceful approach, and aimed to just stabilize his power. Emilia hated the idea that they had to wage war like the Rorldon Empire in order to survive.

The blood that's been shed to expand the Empire's power, and the freedom they've taken from other people is what's made them an enemy to many nations. It was very unlikely for the people of Eins to follow and believe in that line of thinking, even in the face of that very same power.

"As much as I believe that we have to live with realities, I am still very much interested in fantasies." Emilia said as she stood up.

She was surprised that she mocked herself, and in realization felt her anger reach a boiling point. She walked angrily towards a bookshelf and took out a clean, brown book. It wasn't thick, maybe a few hundred pages. She examined it for a while before walking back to the table to place the book in front of the man.

"I'll give you this for free." Emilia offered.

The book, titled The Kind Road, was inspected by him. He flipped through a few pages and read a bit before shutting the book, then placing it on his lap.

"I see, an idealist. Basically, you believe that cruelty should be called upon only when in dire need. That too much bloodshed is only a meaningless and selfish demand. It's what this book is about isn't it?" The man suspected.

Emilia nodded in response.

"So you're saying that the King had the leeway to do it peacefully, things just got complicated in time." He concluded but not really looking to her for a response.

He stood up and took a look at the door. Was he going to leave? Emilia thought.

Though, even after a few seconds he only continued to stare, like he expected something.

"I don't think you're wrong." The man smiled as he said so.

Emilia shook her head quizically. It was confusing her how contradictory this man was being. Holding her thoughts, she waited for him to continue.

"What you don't realize though, is that there's no better time to be crueller than now." The man perked up as they both heard the noise of hooves growing louder.

Just outside, a number of horses seemed to home in on her store. The horses stopped just in front, two of them pulling an elegant white carriage in tow. There were ten other horses, and each had Knights in red armor riding them. The Knights dismounted and hurried to their stations, some lining up in front of her door to guard it, and some surrounding the carriage.

The carriage doors opened, and through her windows, she saw a large man in the same red armor dismount. He held his helmet in between his right arm and his waist, and he wore a distinct coat that bore the crest of the Royal Guard Captain, leader of the King's personal Knights.

He quickly made his way to the entrance then burst open the store's door, revealing an excitement almost unfit for a knight. He had stiff, brown hair, and he appeared to be a man in his forties. Wrinkles revealed his experience and stress, along with a small stubble on his chin. Those plagued what seems like a once-was handsome visage.

Still, his large build added on to the strength of his features, underlining his square, broad face and steady gait.

That's the captain of the Royal Guards, Laurin Haeusl.

Emilia did her best to hide her surprise, biting her lips secretly. Laurin took notice of her before shifting his view towards the man beside her. Laurin gazed at the man expectantly, his narrow eyes gleaming from excitement, and then took a deep breath.

The Knight slowly approached both of them, the clanging of his sword and armor creating a rhythm of anticipation. He knelt down a few paces away; his head hung low and staring at the ground, his fist around his heart.

Emilia's jaws dropped at the scene, her eyes wide in surprise. Don't tell me, the reason he seems off is...

She turned her head and studied the young man's face beside her. It only took a while before she started to notice the resemblance.

"My Prince, we welcome you back. I apologize for not preparing any better accommodations for your return, our-" The young man raised his hands, cutting the Knight off.

The silver-haired man then began to walk towards the door, touching the Knight's shoulders as he passed by. The Knight, in understanding, stood up, and followed quickly behind the young man. Just before they could exit the store, the man looked back at Emilia, studying her every move.

She was still shocked, and the aftermath was written all over her face and her unmoving posture. The Prince didn't wait for her to speak.

"I had fun Ms. Bookstore Owner. Though I could say that you hold a bit too much of an ideal, I found it interesting regardless. Could I ask for your name?" There was his playful tone again, but this time it seemed to make her relax.

"E..Emilia. Emilia Marseille... Your Highness."

Remembering her position, she abruptly got down to her knees, in the best way she knew how to prostrate properly to royalty, almost emulating the way the Captain did, but with her right hand on her knee.

Though, in her rush, she forgot that she had to keep her head down until told otherwise.

This is unfair... How could I have known? Damn it.

She regretted that she had to be a bit hostile in the way she spoke, but there was nothingthat warned her about him.

The prince smiled, this time a soft, charming smile that made her somewhat calm down again, letting her momentarily forget the absurdity of it all.

"I am Aleuas Eins, the Foolish Prince. We had a very interesting talk, Emilia. Though you are pretty loose-lipped. Still, I don't think you meant any harm. I hope we meet again." He then grinned.

She barely hid her scrunching face at the Prince's mention of her talkativeness. He laughed loudly before finally turning to leave, entering the carriage along with Sir Haeusl.

The carriage and the men around it quickly went back to formation and sped to a run, in what she assumes as a race against time to reach the capital.

She stood up timidly, eyeing the table beside her. She found no traces of the book she showed him.

I guess he took the offer.

She slumped back into her chair, defeated. She was worried about Lese Majeste, but it seems that she's unwittingly committed it anyway.

"I can't believe I just tried to talk trash to a Prince." She sank her face into her palms, remembering her regret.

Still, she wondered about what the Prince had told her today and from what she could glean was his weird thought process. Apart from that, she also ran his reappearance and what that meant for the Kingdom in her mind. If he returned, then it must be true. He must still be an heir.

It seemed that she wasn't going to get any sleep that night. There was a lot to think about.