The season of spring had passed slowly yet suddenly in Laydel — as time continued onwards toward the grand banquet, a celebration for the nation's victory in war. The last few months had been eventful for House Cherliann.

The threat of dark magic had quietened but not diminished, as River's meticulous investigation discovered the existence of a secret guild — one Ms Cather was very familiar with. With Snow's help, they looked into the deceased maid's past, but found little to no information about the organisation.

Cunning beyond all expectation, they had managed to cut all their ties to places and people to keep their identities a secret, leaving River and his private investigative crew at a loss. All they knew, was that the guild had an unusual crest - displaying a bird shot by an arrow, with an upturned beak.

But they didn't let that stop them. In the end, both River and Snow had their hands full trying to discover more about this secret guild. Not a single word of their research had been spoken of to anyone other than Rudien, or those working on the case.

On top of that, the mage and phoenix also had a certain lion spirit to find. The two certainly had their work cut out for them.

Meanwhile, Rudien ensured Prince Mikael was safe from further harm, taking it upon himself to train and teach the boy to defend himself like a veteran knight. And since his newly-awakened affinity for magic was so powerful, the duke saw to it that Mikael also received lessons from another mage adept in combat magic.

Two months had already gone by, and the manor was a buzz of activity. The knights of Laydel who had been recovering and cleaning up the aftermath of war, were to return home to Laydel in a week. The victory banquet was only days away from now, and as Irene collapsed onto her bed after another arduous dance lesson, she couldn't help but wonder about how things would go.

Inevitably, the banquet was a central plot point in Irene's original novel, and in order for it to be a success, she would have to ensure Prince Daniel and Isabella talked to each other somehow. After all, it was because of the heroine's words that he finally received the push he needed into becoming a brave ruler. Not to mention — it was the fated first meeting between the leading couple of the story.

This event was one thing Irene wanted to happen the same way it did originally, opposed to letting it change.

The victory banquet would also be the first time Mikael would see his brother in a while, so she was curious about how they'd react to meeting again, in front of all of the aristocrats who would be eyeing them like hawks. But as long as the Cherlianns displayed their strong support for Mikael, no one would be able to insult him.

Not to mention, word of his potent affinity for ice magic spread throughout the empire like a wildfire — and changed many of the noble's opinions on him. After all, magic was a favoured trait and having stronger powers would receive people's praise. Irene remembered hearing Rudien say to some of his vassals during a meeting, that the second prince was likely going to be gaining some support for running as emperor.

As Irene rummaged through the drawers in her bedroom, she pulled out her lilac diary where all her notes on the original story were written. Flicking through the pages carefully, she stopped at the part where everything about the victory banquet was mentioned.

The returning soldiers were due to arrive in about six days, and they would be welcomed back in a parade through the main streets of Laydel, before dispersing outside the new imperial palace. They would be led by Rudien — sporting a red cloak to reflect his leadership and prowess. And in the end, the knights would return to their homes to spend time with family and friends, taking their winnings with them.

The ball for the aristocrats to celebrate would be hosted by the Atlans in their palace the next day — since they were the current figureheads of Laydel, and also the first prince's family. Mikael would be attending alongside House Cherliann, while Daniel would reveal himself as the first prince. Despite the imperial army having been led by House Cherliann in the recent war, the ceremony would be under the Atlan's control, to reaffirm the first prince's power.

This was partially why Irene wasn't too fond of House Atlan — they were calculative when it came to ensuring Daniel would receive all the empire's attention.

But most importantly, Isabella's conversation with Daniel would ensure the cogs of the story would continue to work in a good way. In order for Laydel to prosper, Daniel needed to become emperor. And his eyes would open only during this event. Not to mention, the first encounter between male and female lead was surely something to look forward to.

My main mission for now, should be to make sure Daniel and Isabella get to talk... She thought, gently closing her notebook with a small sigh. A part of her couldn't help but wonder what the first prince would be like, considering this was also going to be her own first time meeting him. He was the male lead she adored and wrote about with care and love, after all.

But as much as she wanted to know, she refrained from reading too much into it. Daniel was a dangerous character to Irene, and although things would likely be different now, she didn't want to risk getting involved with the crown prince. At this point, all she could do was prepare herself mentally and wait until he and Isabella safely fell in love, so that she could support them actively and prevent her own demise.

Just as she pondered about this, a knock resonated from the door of her bedroom. She glanced over to see Rudien entering, his crimson eyes fixing on her as his silver hair shimmered under the light.

"Papa? What brings you here?" Irene asked, setting aside her notebook as her father closed the door behind him, and came to sit by her.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about, Irene." He began, sighing softly as he planted himself on her bed and gently placed a slender hand on her head. Irene blinked at the rather serious expression on his face, and she wondered what it was that he wanted to say.

"How would you feel about taking lessons on the sword?" Rudien asked rather straightforwardly, and the question elicited a look of surprise from Irene. "I thought about it for a while, and I realised that I won't always be able to protect you from dangerous situations, like that dark magician incident."

"I want to train you to at least be able to protect yourself from harm." Rudien's scarlet irises locked onto her's with a strong resolve, and Irene could tell he was serious when deciding this.

She hadn't expected him to ever propose something like that. But then again — Rudien was the strongest living weapon the empire had. It wouldn't be a bad idea to learn combat skills from someone like him. And although Irene summoned Snow as a spirit to protect her, there was no longer a guarantee for her safety now that dark magicians were known to exist.

"I'll do it!" She nodded, agreeing almost immediately which left her father quite surprised.

Rudien blinked, gently brushing his fingers against her soft cheek. "Are you sure, Irene? It's not going to be easy."

Irene nodded vigorously, offering him a smile brimming with motivation. "I'm a Cherliann too, so it would only be right for me to learn. I want to be strong like you and Rayvis, and even Mikael."

The duke hesitated for a moment, before smiling softly. He gently ruffled his daughter's hair while scolding himself for being so worried that she wouldn't want to go through with it. Irene was someone who took pride in being a Cherliann, of course there was no way she'd deny his request.

Although to his obliviousness, she mostly agreed to learning because being able to use a sword was cool in her eyes.

"In that case, we'll get you started as soon as the victory banquet ends," Rudien leaned forward, gently planting a small kiss on her head. And as he pulled away, there was a rather stern yet playful look in his eyes. "I hope you know I won't be going easy on you just because you're my daughter."

She nodded her head, laughing softly. It seems he's a fair player even when he's usually so biased toward me.

After Rudien took his leave, Irene smiled to herself as she gazed out of the window. Outside, the azure sky was decorated by floating castles for clouds — and the spring flowers growing on the trees were starting to make way for emerald leaves.

The season is changing again... She thought, a feeling of apprehension mixed with excitement in her chest. I wonder what the future holds.