The next morning, at the palace, Azusa went to the emperor's office early, before her father arrived, to take charge of reading certain documents which had to be signed as soon as possible.

After Luana left, she and her family moved to the palace so that they could take better care of Arthur and complete their daily duties more easily.

Once she entered the room, she was surprised to see her father already seated in the armchair behind the desk, his elbows resting on the hard surface and his hands crossed under his chin, deep in thought.

she greeted, smiling.

He jumped slightly in surprise when he heard her.

he replied in a small voice.

The girl walked over to him and sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk.

she asked, examining the paperwork in front of her.

he repliee, a blank look on his face.

The girl widened her eyes in surprise.

she asked, worried.

The duke sighed heavily, resting his back on the back of the chair.

she asked, a lump in her throat.

Angus stayed silent.

he replied with a dejected tone.

Azusa's face turned white as a sheet of pure shock.

she asked, shaking slightly.

she exclaimed, putting her hands in front of her mouth in horror.

he exclaimed bitterly.

he said, clenching his fist very hard until it turned white.

The duke rose abruptly from his desk.

he answered angrily.

As he walked towards the door, his vision blurred and he lost his balance.

Azusa rushed over to him and caught him just in time before he fell. The latter growled in pain.

he says.

Angus laughed slightly at his daughter's stubbornness.

she replied, smiling slightly.

Once the duke left the office, Azusa took his place and sat on the armchair and began to filter the piles of documents that were in front of her.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Meanwhile, in the Neldor Forest, Luana and Lucas were advancing more and more in the woods.

Luana remarked.

he added, smiling slightly.

The two young people continued to advance. They passed by a beautiful little stream where they stopped to regain their strength.

Luana said, dazzled.

The princess took her jar of water and drank some of its contents. After that, she leaned against a tree and looked up at the blue sky that was covered with small, white clouds. As for Lucas, he did the same thing and leaned against another tree in front of her.

he asked suddenly.

the princess asked back, a little bit confused.

she answered uncertainly.

she replied nervously.

Luana's eyes widened in surprise. She lowered her head and remained silent.

she answered in a small voice.

he said, smiling affectionately at her.

The young princess felt her little heart leap in her chest which made her cheeks turn slightly pink.

she added in a small voice.

Luana looked down at the ground, a sad expression on her face.

The young knight stood up and walked towards her. He knelt in front of her and put his hand on hers.

he said determinedly.

The girl looked him straight in the eyes and then she nodded her head, smiling slightly.

Hearing her words, Lucas felt a joy spread through his whole being. His heart was beating very fast and he turned red up to the ears.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Around noon, Azusa heard someone knocking on the office door.

she ordered.

It was Matthew Carter who appeared, dressed in his usual armor. He was surprised to see the young girl in the duke's place.

he greeted, bowing to her.

he asked, confused.

Matthew looked at the documents that Azusa had in her hands. Then, he directed his gaze to the other remaining piles of paperwork.

he asked.

Matthew walked silently to the desk, sat down on a seat and picked up a stack and began to leaf through the documents.

Azusa asked, confused.

he answered casually.

he replied, smiling.

she retorted.

The young knight laughed slightly.

he added, smiling slightly.

Azusa's cheeks flushed and her heart rate quickened.

she replied in a whisper.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

At the end of the day, Angus woke up from his sleep. He returned to the office after visiting Arthur to check on his condition.

When he entered the room, he saw his daughter and Sir Carter sitting down, putting away the documents that they had finished working on.

The young knight stood up when he saw the duke and bowed to him.

he greeted.

Angus replied, smiling.

Angus walked over to his desk and glanced at the documents.

he asked, surprised.

Azusa replied, chuckling lightly.

Angus looked at Matthew and smiled sincerely at him.

he replied.

Angus added.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

the duke ordered.

It was Ruth Lander, a middle-aged widowed maid who entered.

She was one of the oldest in the palace. She lost her husband, two years ago, due to an illness when her son was only 4 years old.

Unlike her habit, she looked disoriented and scared. Her skin was very pale as if she had seen a ghost. Her shoulder-length, ash blonde hair was poorly combed and her hazel eyes were puffy as if she had cried all the tears in her body.

She slowly walked over to Angus and bowed to him.

she greeted with a trembling voice.

asked Angus.

she continued, shaking like a leaf.

he asked softly, approaching her.

The maid fell to the floor on her knees in front of him, in tears.

she cried loudly.

Angus remained standing there, confused at the scene that presented itself before his eyes.

he asked.