"Mamma..." I kept on repeating as I tried to catch up to her. She was now walking away from me and I desperately ran after her.

"Mamma..." For some reason, I was screaming for her but I felt like my voice wasn't loud enough.

"Ath, wake up." I heard that voice but I tried to ignore it as I continued running after my mother. Then, just like magic, my surroundings slowly changed into something different. Everything became white and my mother disappeared.

"Mamma..."

I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing that I saw was my sister Amelia. She looked so worried while staring down at me.

"Thank goodness, you're finally awake." She said emotionally and then hugged me. I looked around but I didn't see my mother. My siblings and our grandma were the only ones that were there inside the room with me. I smiled bitterly. Of course, she wouldn't be here. Everything was just a dream.

Then, what happened before I lose my consciousness came back to me. That man who attempted to kill me and that woman who came to my rescue...

"W-Where is the woman t-that was with me?" Amelia pulled away from me with a confused look on her face.

"Woman? The hospital staff told us that a passerby was the one who took you here to the hospital and it was an old man." I shook my head.

"No. I-I'm sure that there was a woman who came to my rescue and she sounded like..."

"She sounded like who, Ath?" Antonius asked with furrowed eyebrows as he approached me. Everyone did the same, curious of what I would say next.

"Her voice was so similar to...mamma's."" I answered with an almost inaudible voice and everyone looked surprised except my grandma who remained quiet and calm.

"Don't joke around, Ath. You know very well that mamma is not here with us anymore." Aria said sternly.

"Why would I joke around of something like this?" I couldn't help but to raise my voice an octave.

"Ah!" I winced and clutched my forehead when I felt my head ache because of my sudden outburst. I realized that there was a bandage that wrapped around my head. I also had some scratches but aside from that, everything looked okay with me.

"Are you okay, Ath? Are you in pain? Do you want me to call the doctor?" Aris asked worriedly. I didn't answer right away as I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to go away.

"Aris, call the doctor." I heard my grandma instructed my brother and he obliged. He did so through the intercom. Later on, the doctor came in.

"How's my granddaughter, doctor?" My nonna asked worriedly.

"You don't have anything to worry about, Your Majesty. The results of all the tests that we initially did were all okay. Now that Her Royal Highness Athena is finally awake, we can rest assured. But if her headache persists, we will conduct another series of tests." I almost sighed in relief when I heard what the doctor said.

"Thank you, doctor." Then, the doctor left. I closed my eyes, feeling so tired all of a sudden.

"How long have I been sleeping?" I asked after a couple of seconds.

"You've been out for two whole days. We were so worried, you know?" It was Amelia.

"Was I? I'm sorry for worrying you all." I bit my lower lip.

"You don't have to say sorry because it's not your fault." Nonna answered. She looked like she aged for a couple of years because of worry.

"Did the police catch who were responsible of what happened to me?"

"The police found five dead men on the site."

My lips parted. "Dead men?"

"Yes. Apparently, everyone of them has gunshot wound." My heartbeat became fast.

"E-Everything was real then. I wasn't just imagining things." I mumbled to myself.

"What do you mean, passerotta?"

"Before I lose consciousness, a woman came to my rescue. I overhead the man she was with tell her that everyone was dead and they should get out of there as soon as possible because the police were surely on their way. But she refused to leave me there.

"She called me by my name while holding me in her arms and crying. Before I passed out, I heard another series of gunshots. I really thought, everything was just a dream because...she really sounded like mamma. Yes, I know that it's impossible but I can't help but to wish that it was really her." I uttered the last sentence with an almost inaudible voice.

No one answered for a couple of seconds as if they didn't know how to react. The silence was deafening. Until now, talking about our mother wasn't easy for everyone so I decided to change the topic by asking about the question that I've been wanting to ask since a while ago.

"H-How about Maximus? Did he happen to come visit me here?" I was hoping that he came to visit me the moment he heard the news that I was in the hospital.

"He didn't come." My nonna answered and surprisingly, no one had a violent reaction. I thought, they would get mad at me again. Aria was quiet and that surprised me the most. Normally, she would've exploded by now but she actually didn't.

"But that's understandable because he went to Nuevo Imperio." I gasped as I looked back at my grandma.

"Nuevo Imperio?"

"Yes, Ath, and what happened there went viral two days ago until now. King Giuseppe is now wanted by the law while Prince Franco is already dead." My eyes went wide, shocked of what I've just heard.

"W-What?! How come? What happened?"

"The confrontation of King Giuseppe, Prince Franco and Mr. Vázquez was broadcasted live and because of that, everyone saw and heard what really happened in the past. King Giuseppe and Prince Franco admitted all the crimes that they've committed in the past until now without knowing that everything that was happening in that room was being broadcasted live. Now, looks like everyone knows who Mr. Vázquez really is and that he never committed those crimes." Antonius informed me and gasped against my palm.

Suddenly, my eyes brimmed with tears as happiness grew within me for Maximus. I couldn't believe that he really succeeded. He didn't tell me that he would go to Nuevo Imperio but I'm glad he did. Now, he finally cleared his name.

"At last, dolce metà..." I wiped my tears. "Where is he now then? Is there any news about him?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have any news about him. According to the news, after the exchange of bullets between Mr. Vázquez against Giuseppe and Franco, they haven't heard anything about him again." It was Amelia.

My heart throbbed in fear and so much worry. What if something bad has happened to him? I shook my head and tried to get up.

"What are you doing, Ath?! You can't just get up yet!" Amelia rebuked and tried to stop me from what I was planning on doing.

"I need to see Maximus."

"But you can't get out of the hospital yet. You're still weak!" I shook my head vigorously, determined to see Maximus and know what happened to him.

"I can't stay here knowing that something bad might've had happened to him! I want to see him!" I insisted and sat up. I was about to get off the bed when my nonna spoke.

"Athena, listen to your sister. You're still not in shape to go out of the hospital. Don't worry, I'll send someone to know what happened to him. Stay here in the hospital for now and recuperate. I'm sure, he wouldn't like knowing that you went out of the hospital in this state."

"But—"

"—No, buts, passerotta. Don't worry because I'm sure, he's doing fine. He won't let anything bad happen to him because he knows that you will get hurt." I looked at her with parted lips. She sounded so sure.

"Come on, lay down in your bed." I bit my lower lip and then nodded my head. I couldn't stop thinking about negative things but I chose to trust Maximus. He promised to me and I'm sure that he would keep his promise.

Then, we heard a knock at the door. Aris went to see who it was and after a couple of seconds, he came back.

"Ath, the Royal Police are here. They want to get your statement. Do you think you could do it now or later?"

"Let them in." He nodded his head and then let the Royal Police came in. They greeted us accordingly before they took my statement.

"Looks like the ones who did this to Prince Iñigo were the same group who did this to you, Your Royal Highness." Captain Colombo said after that and it didn't even surprise me anymore.

"I know." I answered and he looked surprised.

"What do you mean, Your Royal Highness? Do you have an idea who those people were?"

"I don't know them personally but I'm certain that they attacked Iñigo in order to make me come out and go home. I don't know why they tried to kill me but I'm sure that this has got something to do with my fiancé's enemies."

"Fiancé? What fiancé are you talking about, Ath? Are you referring to Franco? He's already dead." It was Amelia.

"No. I'm talking about the rightful heir to the throne of Nuevo Imperio, Maximus Zorion Santana Vázquez." I answered with my chin held high and everyone looked shocked except Aria.

"But he's the—"

"—Stop right there, Captain Colombo. Maximus already cleared his name. Yes, it's not official yet but now that everyone finally knows the truth, I can finally shout to the world that he's the man I love." I looked at my nonna. She looked serious.

After I answered Captain Colombo's questions, they left. But before that, my nonna talked to Captain Colombo in private first.

"Aren't you going to scold me about what I've said to Captain Colombo just now?" I asked my siblings when we were the only ones left there.

"I want to get mad because he's your fiancé now but you never mentioned about that to us. We're family and we shouldn't keep things like these a secret. If everything that happened didn't happen and until now, Mr. Vázquez was still a criminal in the eyes of everyone, I would never accept him as your soon-to-be husband. But it turns out that there's a possibility that he's innocent. If he really didn't do anything of the crimes that we initially thought he did, then there's no reason for us to get mad." Aris voiced out while wearing a serious face and that surprised me.

I met his gaze. "He didn't kill anyone, fratello. He's the one who suffered the most in all of these because of Giuseppe and Franco. They took everything from him and I'm glad that everyone finally discovered the truth."

"I'm sorry for letting you almost marry Franco, Ath. If something bad had happened to you because of him, I would never forgive myself. I was so busy with my own problems that I neglected you. I knew that he would never let you marry that guy but still, I should've done something for you too and didn't just focus on solving my own problem." Antonius said apologetically.

"Who's 'he' that you're talking about?"

"Maximus." My jaw fell slacked open.

"You know him personally?" He was about to answer when our nonna came back.

"That's enough for now, Ath. You need to rest so that you would get better. We need to do now. We'll come visit again tomorrow morning." She said and I heaved a sigh.

"Okay." I agreed. Just when they were about to leave, I spoke again.

"Please inform me if you have news about Maximus."

"Don't worry, Ath. We'll do. Don't worry too much. I'm sure, he's just fine." Nonna kissed my forehead before they headed out.

I took my phone and tried calling Maximus' number but it didn't even ring. I bit my lower lip.

"Where are you, dolce metà? Please, don't make me worry too much. Come back to me already."

I pulled a smoke into my mouth, held the smoke for a moment before blowing it out while staring at that certain place from a far. While staring at it, I felt like my rage was getting stronger with each passing second.

"Just a little bit more and I'll surely find you." I mumbled full of wrath. Then, all my senses went active when I felt a presence behind me. It was Manuel.

"Prince Z..." I gritted my teeth.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, Manuel? We can't afford other people discovering who I really am."

"I'm sorry, boss. I just can't seem to get use of not calling you that even though it has been years." I pulled some smoke into my mouth once again without looking at him as my gaze focused on that particular place again.

"What do you want to tell me?"

"Everything is ready now, boss. We can start tonight." I smirked as my eyes turned darker, reflecting that overwhelming rage within me.

"Good. You can go now." He bowed his head and was about to leave when he looked at my direction again as if he wanted to say something.

"What is it, Manuel?" I asked. He heaved a sigh.

"Are you sure that you're going to do this, boss? We're not sure if he's indeed the one who was behind Her Majesty's death. I refuse to believe Giuseppe's words. He might just be misleading us." My jaw flexed tightly.

"I don't care about the validity of everything that I've heard from Giuseppe and the Commissioner when I was young. All I want to do right now is to find the truth and if that man was the indeed the one who did it, I will not spare him. I'm going to kill him and if his family is really hiding him, I won't spare them too. I will do anything to make him pay." I noticed Manuel's eyes become sad.

"You really changed. Far from the sweet boy that you used to be." He voiced out with an almost inaudible voice.

"That boy is already dead, Manuel. Being a good person is not always the right thing to do in order to survive the cruelty of this world. You need to have a conscience and stomach of steel just to achieve the justice that you deserve. If you let your heart decide for you, you'll end up nothing but dirt that being stepped on on the streets. That's what I learned when the organization took me in." He slowly nodded his head.

"I just hope that after this, you will finally find what you're looking for."

"I know that you're not in favor of what I've been doing these past few years but you still chose to be here for me until now. I need your help again this time, Manuel. I hope, you won't abandon me." He shook his head.

"I will never do that, boss. I gave my word to Her Majesty and I will keep my word until the day I die."

"Thank you, Manuel." He nodded his head and then left. I looked at the place that I was staring at since a while ago. The palace of Costavia. My fists tightened. I've been preparing for this day for how many years so I shouldn't mess everything up...

Then, the night came and we were now on our way to the palace.

"Our men were already there, boss. They're just waiting for your signal." Manuel informed me.

"Good. Step on it, Manuel. We need to be there as soon as possible."

"Yes, boss." He was about to add speed when we noticed two black cars overtook us with such speed and just one glance at them, I already knew who those cars belong too.

"Manuel, follow those motherf*ckers." He did what he was told without asking any question and shortly after that, we caught up to them just to be surprise when we heard gunshots followed by a squeaking of tires. I looked ahead of us and noticed another car.

I couldn't be wrong. That was the state limousine of the Queen of Costavia. Looked like they wanted to assassinate the Queen. We didn't have a choice but to pull over.

While watching what was happening, an idea suddenly popped up on my mind.

"We're going to change plans, Manuel." I said as I took my gun and cocked it.

"What do you mean, boss?"

"Get out of here and tell our men to retreat." I instructed and then got out of the car when I saw that the men on the two cars go out of their cars as they continued shooting the Queen's bodyguards on the two vehicles. One in front of the limousine and another one behind it.

When they managed to take down the bodyguards, one of them was about to open the door of the limousine but that was my cue.

I shot that guy before diving behind the limousine to take a cover when his comrades rained bullets at my direction. I saw Manuel shooting the enemies as he reversed the car to get out of there. The attention of those men went to Manuel.

They shot him as he drove away from there and I used that as an opportunity to shot them until everyone of them were already dropped dead on the ground.

I then rushed to the state limousine and opened it. The Queen was indeed inside. I was so sure that she was terrified and already in a state of panic but I was wrong. She looked okay as if she was used of these kinds of thing already.

"Are you okay, Your Majesty?" I asked and she nodded her head before releasing a breath.

"I'm fine, young man. Thank you for saving me." She answered while staring at me intently. I tried to figure out what she might be thinking, but failed. Being in this kind of world for many years already, I've mastered the art of reading people in just one look in their eyes but with her, it was difficult.

I decided to play it cool. I should get her trust to enter their world...

"It's my pleasure, Your Majesty. I'm glad, I saved you." I then called the police and they got our statement. The Queen was about to leave when she said something that was music to my ears.

"Why did you save me, young man?"

"Because that was the right thing to do, Your Majesty. I just happened to be in the area."

"I don't want to owe anything to anyone so I always pay back. What do you want in return for saving me, young man?"

"A job, Your Majesty. I graduated from the Royal Military Academy of Costavia." She nodded her head.

"I'll see what I can do." She took my number before leaving. I smirked while watching the car slowly disappearing from my sight. I knew for sure that she would contact me and all I needed to do was to patiently wait.

But a month has passed by and I was beginning to grow impatient.

"Hey, what's with that look on your face again? You look so problematic and angry. Why? What happened?" I looked at the one who spoke. It was Daniella, my cousin. Her whole family has been living in Monaco but she's been staying here in Costavia since she was in University.

"Nothing."

She tsked. "Why don't you come bar hopping with me? I rented the whole place. It's an early birthday celebration for me because my other friends will be leaving the country next week. I'm sure, your mood will change if you met my friends."

"Bar hopping even on your birthday celebration? I want to see these so called friends of yours to give them a piece of my mind." She chuckled.

"Don't worry, my dear cousin. My friends are harmless especially that one of our friends is a princess." That caught my attention.

"Princess?"

"Yes, Max. She's Athena, one of the princesses of Costavia. She's my best friend, by the way." One of the princesses of Costavia, huh?