Three days later, the order of the Imperial Knights returned to the palace victorious. Upon their arrival in the courtyard of the palace, they were greeted by the emperor himself, Duke Lobelia, Count Taliny and their friends.

Dismounting from their horses, they advanced and bowed to Arthur while the servants took care of bringing the animals back to the stables to wash and feed them.

Arthur said with a very big smile.

the knights answered together in synchronization.

he continued.

With these words, he ordered the servants to prepare the baths for the young men and to begin preparations for the banquet of the evening. Then, he turned to the young captain and his comrades.

he called out.

they replied, looking him straight in the eye.

he said as he turned to re-enter the palace.

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A few minutes later, the three knights went to the emperor's office together. They knocked on the door softly before entering.

they greeted with a bow.

The emperor was sitting behind his desk, deep in thought as he looked at some of the documents that were placed in front of him, without even reading them.

he ordered.

The young men obeyed and sat down in the armchairs which were in front of the desk.

he asked impatiently.

Lucas replied.

Eric added.

Arthur concluded.

ago..." Lucas said.

Matthew wondered.

replied the young captain.

The emperor sighed heavily before leaning back in his chair and massaging his temples.

he began.

Arthur explained.

Matthew answered.

Eric remarked.

Arthur asserted.

retorted Lucas.

wondered the emperor.

the young captain explained.

retorted Eric.

Matthew said, massaging his head painfully.

With these words, Arthur heaved a very long sigh before sitting up upright in his chair.

he said.

Lucas muttered, nodding affirmatively.

continued the emperor.

they all replied in synchronisation.

On those words, the three knights left the office to go to their respective rooms to rest from their hard mission.

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After lunch, Matthew decided to take a walk in the palace's huge garden. So, he had dressed in a light casual outfit consisting of a white shirt with dark brown pants and boots of the same colour.

As he walked slowly through the bushes, his thoughts couldn't help but drift to a certain young girl with long brown hair and beautiful eyes of the same color.

he thought.

a female voice called out to him from behind.

The young man turned around abruptly to find himself in front of the young girl who occupied all his thoughts. She walked towards him, a big smile on her lips which made the young man's cheeks become as red as his hair.

she greeted.

he replied with a bow which made the girl chuckle.

she asked shyly.

he answered, excited with joy.

With these words, the young girl stood next to him and they began to walk together while talking.

she started.

he replied, smiling at her.

she added, chuckling.

The young man stopped walking which surprised Azusa. Suddenly, he got down on one knee and took both her hands in his, looking her straight in the eyes with a look full of love and affection.

he confessed nervously with a face as red as a tomato.

The young girl remained frozen on the spot, not believing neither her eyes nor her ears. She felt tears welling up in her eyes from how happy she was. She nodded her head vigorously with a smile.

she answered.

Listening to her answer, the young knight stood up and took her in his arms, hugging her very tightly.

Azusa sulked, causing the young man to laugh loudly.

he whispered.

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As night fell, the knights gathered in the great hall. They all sat down in their places around the large tables awaiting the arrival of the emperor.

Once the latter made his entrance, he walked to his place and sat there before raising his hand towards the young heroes

he declared, a small smile on his lips.

With these words, the chefs entered the room while carrying delicious food on the carts before serving everyone. The gaze of the young knights shone with greed and hunger as they admired the marvels that had been carefully prepared for the occasion.

The emperor dined with Duke Lobelia on his right, Count Taliny beside him. To his left sat Azusa, Mina, and Emery. As for the place of the young princess, it remained empty throughout the dinner. A thing that didn't go unnoticed by the young captain.

The latter leaned gently towards Eric who was on his right before whispering in his ear.

he remarked.

his friend teased with a smirk.

replied the young knight, his cheeks slightly flushed.

Matthew interjected from the captain's left.

Lucas asked worriedly.

he replied nervously.

Eric teased even more.

said Elion who was sitting next to Eric.

retorted the young Lobelia.

Matthew asked, confused.

Elion replied sarcastically.

Eric added, a teasing expression on his face.

Lucas sighed heavily before bursting out laughing, followed by the other three knights.

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After dinner, the young captain went to the young princess's room and stood in front of her door. He was a little nervous to see her again. So, he took a deep breath before knocking softly.

she ordered from inside with a soft voice.

The young man obeyed and entered the room to find the young girl in front of him, dressed in a simple beige dress with long sleeves and a pair of black ankle boots. The latter had her back turned to him, looking at the landscape outside through her window.

he greeted with a bow.

There was no answer from the princess as she didn't move an inch while continuing to turn her back on him which surprised the captain.

he asked worriedly.

He still had no answer which worried him even more and made him move slightly towards her.

she stated dryly.

The young man froze in place. He felt an excruciating pain in his heart, as if it had just been pierced with a sword. He never felt so distant from the girl as he did right now. Especially after she used his last name instead of his first name like she usually did.

The young girl turned around to him, an expression of contempt and disappointment on her face.