The night was long for Luana who was only thinking about her father's condition. The fear of failing on her mission devoured her from within. But she still had hope.

Morning finally came. The young girl woke up very early to get prepared for her long journey.

Sitting on her bed, looking out the window, she noticed that the weather was even colder than the day before, and that the sky was covered with gray clouds. A storm was approaching.

'I hope that the weather won't be an obstacle in our mission,' she thought.

She got up from her bed to take a quick bath. Then, she stood in front of her wardrobe to get dressed. She opted for a black turtleneck sweater, black pants, knee-length boots of the same color and a long brown cape to keep her warm. She gathered her hair up into a high ponytail.

The princess stood in front of the mirror to look at her reflection.

She walked over to her dressing table to open one of the drawers. She pulled out a medium-sized wooden box and opened it. The latter contained a magnificent silver dagger decorated with some precious red stones. She took it and put it on a small pocket that was hanging on her waist.

Then, she took one last glance at her room before going out, taking with her her big brown bag which contained the necessities she had prepared the day before.

She locked her room and took the key with her.

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Once arrived at the main entrance of the palace, in the courtyard, Luana saw the imperial knights accompanied by their captain. They were preparing their horses for departure.

Her bodyguard noticed her presence and walked over to her.

he greeted, bowing.

she replied, smiling slightly.

Leo, who was behind Lucas, walked over to Luana and rubbed his nose against her face.

she greeted while smiling and stroking his head gently.

the young knight said.

When she wanted to get on her horse, the doors of the palace opened, revealing Duke Lobelia that was accompanied by his daughter and Lady Taliny.

Luana whispered.

He hurriedly approached the princess and hugged her very tightly in his arms.

he said.

Luana hugged him back tightly.

he reassured, smiling.

she replied, smiling and nodding her head.

Asminah approached the princess in turn.

she asked.

The princess gave a discreet look toward Lucas who nodded at her to assure her that he was wearing it.

she answered, smiling slightly.

she said, showing her an affectionate smile.

Luana shifted her gaze to Azusa who stayed silent since they came out of the building. The young girl kept looking at her friend with sorrowful eyes.

Then, suddenly, she walked over to Luana hastily and hugged her very tightly, bursting into tears.

the princess whispered, on the verge of tears.

Azusa was trembling in her arms.

she whispered between sobs.

the princess reassured her, smiling slightly.

Azusa replied, parting from her friend and drying her tears.

Luana took Azusa's hand and put her room's key in it.

the princess said, smiling affectionately.

The two young girls hugged each other one last time. Then, the princess turned around to get on her brown-coated horse with Lucas's help.

she said to him.

The latter nodded before climbing on his own horse which had a black coat as dark as the night.

Luana said.

they replied in unison.

Luana nodded at them, took the reins of her horse, and walked out of the palace gates with Lucas. The other knights got on their horses and followed them.

As they left, their silhouettes began to fade away little by little until they completely disappeared from the field of view of the people who remained in the palace.

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The knights advanced towards the north of the capital at a normal pace to make sure not to tire the horses and themselves too much.

It had been three hours since they'd been gone. The road was very dangerous. Puddles and mud had formed from the heavy rain that fell a few days ago. That's what made their journey longer and more tiring.

Eric asked.

Lucas explained.

Matthew asked.

The knights continued to advance on their way in silence.

Matthew called out.

Luana replied in a harsh tone.

Eric called worriedly.

she declared, determined.

Matthew began.

she added.

said Eric.

Lucas replied coldly.

Carter said.

Lucas ordered.

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A few minutes later, Luana felt that her horse was starting to behave in a slightly weird way.

she asked while gently stroking its head.

Piper had become slightly unsteady and restless.

she asked worriedly.

Leo started to whimper too.

Lucas remarked.

she said.

Carter said.

Lucas confirmed.

The young captain looked at Leo.

The animal nodded affirmatively before running straight ahead.

the young captain ordered.

The knights' horses galloped through the same path as Leo.

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A few minutes later, they got to a huge field. The sky above them was cloudy, announcing the approach of a heavy rain. The land under them was green and looked very fertile.

said Matthew.

Eric remarked.

concluded Luana.

Lucas ordered.

The knights nodded, got off their horses and scattered across the huge field.

Eric remarked.

Matthew asked.

Luana replied.

As the others continued searching, Leo began to sniff the air and barked loudly while pointing his nose to the east side of the field.

Luana approached him.

The animal continued to stare into space while advancing slowly. Luana did the same, following him.

Suddenly, a very strong hand grabbed her arm from behind and made her stop her mouvements.

Lucas said from behind her.

she asked, confused.

Lucas glanced at Leo and nodded his head at him. The animal walked slowly towards the magical wall, the bags that contained their provisions and things on its back. His body began to gradually disappear with each step he took, until it completely disappeared.

the princess whispered, amazed.

Lucas ordered.

The knights obeyed and gathered near the wall, awaiting orders from their captain.

Lucas put his hand on the magical wall and tried to pass through it. His hand pierced the wall without any difficulty.

exclaimed the knights.

Lucas turned to Luana.

he demanded.

The princess nodded and did the same as him. She raised her hand and walked slowly towards the wall. The result was the same as Lucas's. Her hand pierced the wall easily.

he whispered, smiling at her.

Then he turned around to the other knights.

he ordered.

the knights replied in unison.

He turned around to the princess again and held out his hand for her.

he said.

After a little time of hesitation, she gave him her hand, nodding her head. He squeezed it tightly in his.

Luana's hand was small, soft and white. Quite the opposite of his which was big and covered in his armor. The contrast between the two was flagrant.

he asked.

she replied.

The young princess walked towards the magical wall with her bodyguard, hand in hand. They gradually passed through it until they completely disappeared from the knights' gaze.