After that incident, prince Dorian let Aurora leave the palace to let her see her family and get some rest. I heard that her family was very kind and treasured her since she was their only child. In addition, with the help of the Crown Prince, she was assigned to one of the best doctors in Arcadia to help her recover both physically and mentally.

Since I was appointed to be Loyd's guardian, after consulting with Raphael and prince Dorian, we decided to include the boy in the training process in hopes to turn him into one of the palace's knights in the future. I was afraid that Loyd would have some kind of trauma related to the fighting ring, but he was brave and decided to be just like Raphael.

- He already knows how to handle the sword, I think that with some proper guidance and education, he will turn into one fine knight.

Hearing those words from Raphael's second in command, sir Valentine, put my heart at ease. I expected some kind of opposition from the knights, but they all welcomed Loyd gladly and even started joking around that he is Raphael's little brother.

October was coming to an end, the weather was changing fast and became rather unpredictable. Although the training grounds were already covered with an adjustable roof, it was still hard to visit it on some days due to the heavy rains that apparently were quite common for that time of the year in the Empire.

- It's just a transitional period, the rains will stop in the middle of November.

Raphael was the least happy about that inconvenience cause it made his knights a bit lazy, so we decided to leave them to do the in-house training whenever the training grounds were not available.

It was one of those rainy days when nothing was happening and it felt like the whole palace was lethargic, so I made up my mind to visit Luther's library. I was already prepared to depart when I heard a lot of commotion coming from outside the palace. I looked out of the window and saw three carriages at the front gate with the servants lined up under the rain to greet them. Prince Dorian was standing at the door of the first carriage, holding a big umbrella over it. He opened the door and a hand in a white glove was gently placed into his free hand.

The gloved hand was attached to a tall woman with long chestnut hair that went down all the way to her lower back. I could not see well because of the rain, but I could tell right away that she was beautiful - it was in the way she walked, in the way she was holding Dorian's arm, in the way her hair was motionless even against all the rain and wind attacking her from all sides.

The other carriages belonged to the Imperial family - one belonged to the Empress, the other one - to the Crown Prince. They both walked behind Dorian accompanied by their servants.

"Hm, I guess no library for me today. I wonder who that girl is since even Luther is here?"

I left my room in hopes to try and take a better look at the mysterious girl when Raphael popped up right before me.

- Miss Yoona? Are you headed somewhere?

- Uhm, well, I saw that we have some guests in the palace, so I wanted to try and see --

- You're lucky, you're gonna both see and hear. Follow me, please.

Raphael turned around swiftly and started walking with such urgency that I felt like I'm about to be scolded by the principal or something.

- Raphael? Where are we going?

He replied without stopping,

- Lilith Alred is here with her father, and since both the Empress and the Crown Prince are here too, I guess they came to talk about the marriage. I'm gonna be present since I'm prince Dorian's guard, but you were requested to be present as well.

He stopped walking so suddenly that I almost bumped into his mountain-like body. He placed both of his hands on my shoulders and showed a very worried expression for the first time.

- Miss Yoona, the reason his Majesty requested you is that he trusts you and thinks highly of you. He will present you as his second personal guard, so you need to hold yourself with dignity and if possible, try to be quiet, the prince will do most of the talking himself anyway. Alright?

I nodded my head slowly, still surprised by the sudden quick lecture. Raphael smiled at me again and let go of my shoulders.

- From now on you'll be known as an Imperial knight. Good, then let us go.

We entered Dorian's study and the gusts were already waiting for us. There were eight people in total - the Duke, his daughter and their guard, the Empress and Luther, both with the guards standing behind them, and lastly, prince Dorian all stiff, sitting facing Lilith. Raphael and I greeted the guests and stood behind the second prince.

I took a good look at the members of the Alred family - the Duke looked quite young, I thought he was still in his late thirties. He was a tall, handsome man, with dark brown hair carefully styled as if he was your typical CEO in popular dramas. His face was clean and smooth, the only thing that implied his age was a wrinkle between his eyebrows which meant he was frowning quite a lot. He had intense brown eyes placed deeply under the thick eyebrows which made him look very intimidating and even scary. The duke was dressed in a dark blue uniform with golden buttons and chains connecting them at the front, a long black jacket was hanging down from his shoulder casually.

His daughter was indeed quite a beauty. Although she was wearing a puffy dress, I could tell she was slim and elegant. Her hair was long and straight, flowing down like a waterfall. Lilith resembled her father quite a lot, although her face looked more relaxed and her eyes were not dark brown, but rather golden. Her dress, her shoes, and even her scent that was already filling the room were all just a confirmation of her status and power.

"Femme fatale, this is definitely you."

- So, what is SHE doing here?

The Empress threw an angry look in my direction, the other guests followed her example. Dorian sighed and replied calmly,

- Your Majesty, she is my second personal guard from now on, I would appreciate it if you treated her accordingly.

- What?! A woman as a knight?!

Luther chuckled and tried to hide it with a cough, Lilith jumped on her feet as if something stung her in the butt, her eyes were round, she was genuinely surprised. Raphael nodded his head.

- She proved to be an exceptional woman and her abilities made it possible for her to become a knight.

I looked at prince Dorian, he smiled and nodded at me. I opened my mouth to talk.

- It is nice to meet you, Your Grace Duke, lady Lilith. My name is Yoona, I'm honored to be in your presence.

I bowed down and looked to my left, where Raphael was standing. The knight was holding his right thumb up, I almost lost it. I turned back into a straight standing position, my gaze fixed in front of me. Everyone was silent. The Duke talked first,

- So, we came here today to confirm the date of the wedding and plan the engagement party.

- I want a summer wedding, so we will have to postpone the ceremony till then!

Lilith pouted her lips and crossed her arms on her chest. She looked like a little girl who was about to throw a tantrum.

"So what, is she a spoiled daughter of a rich parent? This manner of talking does not suit her at all."

- Lady Lilith, the second prince is going to the battlefield at the end of May, so it means the wedding will only be possible after his return.

The Empress threw a sarcastic look at Dorian and smiled with the left corner of her mouth. Lilith leaned at the back of the sofa dramatically and sighed loudly.

- What can I do? I cannot b-a-r-e to have a depressing winter wedding and my Dorian will be busy preparing for war the whole spring. Father, what do you think?

She leaned on the Duke's shoulder and looked up at his chin, smiling all coquettishly. The Duke rubbed his forehead and smiled back at his daughter.

- As much as I want this wedding to be arranged as soon as possible, I guess I should honor my daughter's desires as well. I believe in prince Dorian's victory, so I'm fine with waiting for his return. In addition, we're already a family anyway, the ceremony is just a formality.

Lilith clasped her hands happily and turned to face the Empress.

- Oh, Your Majesty, please! Let's wait till the next summer, I beg of you!

The Empress sighed and nodded her head reluctantly. The Crown Prince grinned and took his mother's hands in his.

- So, mother, since we do not have to worry about the wedding for now, what should we do about the engagement ceremony? I think holding the ceremony right before Dorian's departure will be a good political move.

He looked at Dorian as if trying to evaluate his reaction, the second prince seemed not at all interested. Luther shrugged his shoulders and turned to the Duke.

- What do you think, Your Grace?

The Duke cleared his throat and fixed his jacket that was already sliding down his arm.

- I agree with prince Luther, it will rise the spirits of the nation if we show them that our hopes for victory are so high.

Their discussion continued for more than two hours. They talked about the ceremony, the Duke's military aid, the Empress's upcoming birthday and also the recent trial of the noblemen that caused great damage on multiple political levels. I learned that Luther was not present at the previous meeting about that case which made it look weird but no one else seemed to be bothered by that.

"I knew that the Crown Prince was not interested but is it still okay for him to be so negligent?"

When the meeting was over, I decided to wait for Dorian to hear more about his relationship with lady Alred, however, when the door to his study closed, I realized that he stayed inside along with Luther. I was about to leave when I heard Dorian's voice from inside the study.

- I see you're no longer hiding your face.

- Why? Are you scared lady Lilith will fall for me instead?

- Were you the one behind the swords fighting operation?

- I have no idea what you're talking about?

There was a couple of minutes of silence before Dorian spoke again.

- What are you doing? Are you trying to sabotage your coronation?

- I'm trying to help YOU.

I did not have the chance to eavesdrop on the whole conversation because someone pulled me away from the door with such force that it almost felt as if I had no weight in me at all. It happened so fast and suddenly, that I could not tell who was dragging me away or why, until the moment we stopped. That person was Lilith.

- So? What did you do to become Dorian's knight?

- What?

Lilith's expression was dark and serious, it felt like all the light was sucked from the palace and everything drowned in the shadow. The childish, spoiled lady turned into a strong and furious beast.

- Don't act like you're oblivious. There is not a single woman in this Empire that can hold a sword, let alone become the Imperial knight! What did you do? Tell me!

- Why are you acting like I've committed a crime? It just turned out like that, nothing more.

All of a sudden I felt dizzy as if the floor beneath my feet started moving. Lady Alred was saying something, but her words were all muffled and incoherent.

"Ugh, what is happening? Am I falling?"

- Na Ri? Can you hear me?

- It was not my fault, I don't know why she's like that!

- Na Ri, it's not the time yet, you are still needed here. Wake up.

- Wake up!

I heard several voices, but I did not know if they were talking to me. I did not know whose voices they were and if they were real or not.

- Miss Yoona? Wake up! What happened?!

- Wake up, Na Ri, they need you.

When I opened my eyes, I was laying in the bed in y room. My head was throbbing, I tried to move my body but it felt stiff like a boulder.

- Miss Yoona, are you awake? How are you feeling?

I heard Loyd's worried voice and turned my head to look at him. My vision was blurry and I felt like throwing up, the doctor's voice was ringing in my ears - "You have a tumor. Cancer has already spread. You're going to feel symptoms of intoxication. All kinds of hallucinations."

- Ugh, crap. I cannot believe it.

I rubbed my eyes hoping to clear my vision but it only got worse.

- Miss Yoona, I'm going to call somebody! Please stay put.

I grabbed Loyd by his hand and said quietly,

- No. Just leave. Tell them that I woke up but I still need some rest, so ask them not to bother me, alright?

Loyd nodded silently and left the room. I tried to sit up on the bed but the headache was hitting me with its hammer every time I tried to move. I finally managed to get to the bookshelf where I hid my pills and started throwing the books on the floor one by one trying to get to the bottles. I took two pills from the first bottle I found and swallowed them without water, they tasted bitter and almost made me vomit. I took many deep breaths before I managed to reduce nausea, fell down on the floor and let out a long and loud exhale.

"I'm dying. I'm going to die."