Her body shook uncontrollably—the tears – unstoppable.

“… Callisto, what did you do with Mileia’s… body?” The pain in her voice was acute.

“If you leave her alone, she’ll be humiliated.”

“I had to take advantage and get you out of there. It was impossible to carry her.”

“What about Prince Luciano?”

“I don’t know. I can’t find him anywhere. I don’t know where he is. Hey, let’s stop, please? What do we care about this country? It’s someone else’s country. I care about you more.”

Alana tried to breathe in, but even breathing hurt. “You have to find him. I’m not going back to my country until I find Prince Luciano …. I’ll stay here.”

“You can’t, …, you can’t save yourself in this upheaval. You’ll die.”

“Callisto, I can’t find him with this body even if I wanted to. I can only rely on … you and Gustavo. But please, look for him. Please?”

“…. I am your confidant. I have no choice but to follow your wishes. I’ll look again,” he said and left.

Alana stared blankly at the ceiling. She did not know where she was now and there was no sign of anyone around her. She thought that she would be able to see with time, but it was still blurry. But it didn’t matter. She felt that she deserved not to be able to see things.

The only sign of noise that permeated the surroundings was the faint buzz of activity in the distance and the penetrating sound of her breathing.

A thought crossed her mind. Perhaps, everything was fine now; she could openly cry. But she denied herself.

Naivety.

That’s what it was. Alana could not cry; she could not be sad. And so, she sealed her lips tightly.

“That’s a terrible expression. Let me introduce myself. I want to ask you something.”

The voice that broke the silence was from a young man. It was a language native to the south.

There was no sign of him, but there was a black shadow.

“Do you understand my words? They say that the wise emperor Lorenzo speaks all the world’s languages.”

“… I understand.”

“Is that so? I was sceptical initially, but it’s as it says in the book. But you seem to have been beaten in the face too often. The way you look at me – you can’t see me can you.”

She affirmed with a flutter of her eyes.

“You’ll feel better after a while,” the man said. “I will ask you a question. I was gathering herbs in the Garnica River, and the knights working nearby were talking about you. They said that you were the second coming of Lorenzo. By the way, you have ordered the river to be worked. They say that you intend to resist the State of Teges. I’ve read that the Second Coming is also an astounding warrior. It is interesting to see how he uses people. I was listening to the conversation earlier, and it seems that you want to save Prince Luciano. If he survives, he will most likely try to kill you. Do you still want to find and save him?”

“I still want to find him. I have to find him.”

“Then I’ll make you a deal. I want to see what Lorenzo’s return will be like with my own eyes. I want to see for myself, like what the second coming of Lorenzo will be. Instead of being on standby, I will take you to the prince,” he said.

Alana raised her head. “Do you know where Prince Luciano is? I have been looking for him all over the castle.”

“He is now being r*ped by your brother’s whores. He must have put up a fierce fight. They broke his arms and legs to prevent him from escaping. I am not familiar with human emotions, but I assume he would still hold a grudge.”

The man lifted her. He was an unknown person, and there was no sign of his presence before. Elusive – was the perfect adjective to describe him and his obscure words.

But Alana was okay with that, as long as she could go to Prince Luciano.

“The prince will die if he were left alone, in any case. If you want him to live, there is a good ointment and medicine for him to take. You are to apply the cream to his affected parts and treat him. I will give you the ointment and the medicine if you accept the deal. I will also graft his bones. It’s up to you to save him or let him die.”