The icy atmosphere hanging in the air seemed to pierce to the bone.

  One look from this man, colder than an iceberg, was enough to make the arrogant heir of the ducal family lose all his swagger. A moment ago, Michel was screaming and spewing curses like a madman, but now he obediently froze. Even Hannes was surprised by such a sudden change and slowly lowered him to the ground.

  Sapphire eyes, just like Remesis's, instantly took in the whole scene. Then, in an even voice, Duke Carter said:

  "I asked, what is happening here?"

  Without exaggeration, all the council members had rushed to the commotion in the Imperial Garden. The frozen stone faces of respected persons stared at the children who had just been mercilessly beating each other. Despite each of them possessing no less influence, it was the Grand Duke who was truly to be feared.

  His tightly pressed lips and fierce gaze said it all without words. Michael Carter was furious.

  "F-f-father," Michel pronounced one letter after another, as if he had forgotten how to speak.

  Remesis, lying on the ground in a semi-conscious state, also froze. Although she was on the verge of losing consciousness, the pain shock temporarily dulled. The man with dark hair the color of the night sky and eyes like precious stones waited a long time for an answer to his question. But both his children were afraid to open their mouths.

  Finally, restraining his emotions, the Grand Duke of the Nadal Empire slowly turned to the Chancellor.

  "Chancellor, there is no excuse for this incident. I offer my deepest apologies for my son's unworthy behavior."

  Gregory Ardelio clicked his tongue. Spreading the flaps of his exquisitely embroidered garment, the First Minister of the empire was not afraid to look this cold man directly in the face.

  "Your Grace, are you aware that such behavior is unacceptable?" the official said angrily. "In your opinion, is the Imperial Palace some kind of orphanage street where one can start fights? Is this how you raised your son?"

  Listening to the Chancellor's admonitions, Michael pressed his lips even tighter. Meanwhile, Michel grew paler and paler, blending into one color with the column supporting the greenhouse structure.

  "My son is in the palace for the first time and still doesn't know how to behave properly," the Duke replied restrainedly. "Although I familiarized him with the rules of conduct in the palace beforehand, I did not think anything like this would happen. This is my mistake. Michel will certainly receive appropriate punishment for his misdeed." But the First Minister was hardly satisfied with such an assurance.

  A fight on the grounds of the Imperial Palace, especially in the very heart of the central block, where order and discipline were always strictly monitored, was simply an outrageous case. Not only that, these children had dared to raise a ruckus and attract general attention. If the offspring of ordinary nobles had done this, they and their parents would face serious consequences. Up to criminal punishment.

  But the Chancellor was held back from immediately passing judgment by the fact that, by an incredible coincidence, the participants in the fight were not ordinary children. The youth, heir to a powerful ducal family, and the girl, who had recently received a royal title. Even if in reality it meant nothing, the Chancellor still could not punish a royal person on his own initiative, without the Emperor's permission. And Gregory Ardelio did not wish such vile news to reach the sovereign, who was already in poor health.

  Consequently, they would have to turn a blind eye to this incident one way or another. They couldn't continue to prolong the pause and waste precious time. All council members couldn't return to their duties and were watching what was happening.

  It was quite awkward.

  But most of all, Duke Carter was chagrined, whose son had caused such embarrassment. Although his daughter had gone to another family and he was no longer responsible for her, Michel was still under his care. And his actions reflected on the entire family.

  "......"

  The man cleared his throat.

  "Michel Carter."

  Remesis glanced covertly at her brother; he shuddered and slowly took a step in that direction. Once beside his father, the Duke indifferently ordered:

  "Apologize immediately to the council members and Chancellor Ardelio."

  "…"

  "Kneel. Now!"

  No one noticed, but the boy's eyes literally became moist for a moment. Nevertheless, he quickly managed his emotions and slowly knelt as his father ordered.

  "Michel Carter offers his deepest apologies to the great lords and the great Chancellor," the teenager's voice trembled. "I am very... Very sorry!"

  Michel pressed his forehead to the ground.

  Silence reigned, during which those gathered exchanged silent glances.

  "…"

  "Alright, what's done is done," finally spoke the head of the Astrological Order after a short pause. "Everyone makes mistakes at that age. We should be more lenient. The boy stumbled; it happens to anyone."

  The words of such an authoritative figure as Halias Alseid had a magical effect on those around him. Many joined his opinion. The cult head was tall and outwardly somewhat resembled a hawk. He also never once glanced at Remesis. As if his eyes deliberately ignored her.

  However, such a not entirely benevolent attitude did not faze the girl. What did it matter what a man thought of her who would die anyway?

  "You're right. No need to waste further time. Let's return!" the bank manager was the first to speak aloud.

  The Chancellor cast a searching glance first at Remesis, then at Michel, after which he sighed discontentedly. After all, a children's fight was not a significant enough reason to make so many respected people wait. For once, he was ready to turn a blind eye to such an escapade.

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  "In that case, let's return," he finally agreed.

  Those present whispered approvingly. Many cast unflattering glances at the girl, who now resembled a tattered rag doll.

  Duke Carter ruthlessly turned and left first, not even glancing at his son. The boy, who had become like a lifeless corpse in the last ten minutes, rose from his knees and rushed after his father. The rest of the council members followed. Before returning to the hall, the Chancellor paused for a moment and threw out:

  "Your Highness, you can take a break from today's session. Heal your wounds."

  He left. But Remesis doubted that there was really any concern in his offer. Rather, he simply didn't want to stain the majestic meeting hall with her blood. The girl snorted as she tried to get up.

  Bam!

  She fell back, feeling severe dizziness. Hannes immediately appeared next to her and easily lifted her into his arms.

  "Your Highness, allow me to help you," he said worriedly as the tiny body limply went limp in his arms. "That idiot..." the knight hissed. "How dare he raise his hand against you! If I get my hands on that spoiled boy, I'll..."

  The knight continued to vilify the Duke's successor, regretting that he couldn't punch him properly despite him being a child. But Remesis didn't have the strength to listen to this. Although she was glad that at least Hannes had stood up for her.

  "Let's just go back..." she murmured weakly, laying her head on his broad shoulder. "I want to sleep..."

  The commander had to obey, and he reluctantly trudged towards their palace. He couldn't even look at his little mistress, he felt so sorry for her. The knight, who had never before encountered children of aristocrats, wondered if they were all so rotten? Or was it just the princess who was unlucky with her relatives? In any case, he knew one thing for sure: that boy was a complete scoundrel!

  Remesis, listening to his discontented grumbling, smiled.

  Soon she fell asleep in his arms, and it seemed to her that from the knight's sincere concern, her pain lessened a little.

  That same evening, Iliana Alseid visited her palace.

  Remesis received the guest lying in bed, as it was difficult for her to stand. But the order's heiress wasn't bothered by this, and she quietly entered the room, pulling a chair closer to the bed. She had brought a first-aid kit with many medicines with her.

  Remesis, who by the end of the day was feeling a little better, at least could see clearly, looked skeptically at her only visitor. Before her was the delicate profile of Iliana Alseid, who had somewhat inherited her father's hawkish features. The girl looked serene as she cut an apple for her.

  "The medicine may be bitter, but if you eat this with it, it won't be so bad," she advised.

  "…"

  "I know what I'm talking about," the noblewoman continued imperturbably. "My sister also eats apples with medicine better when she's sick."

  Remesis frowned.

  "What do I have to do with your sister?"

  "Well... You're about the same age. And children that age usually like sweets, don't they?"

  Remesis squinted, not understanding where in this chain of apples, Gardenia, and children who love sweets, her place was.

  "In that case, take care of your sister. Why did you come here?" the girl inquired, who on such a day least wanted to waste energy on the company of this person.

  "Well, you looked pretty bad," Iliana smiled. "Why shouldn't I visit you, since we're acquainted?"

  "So you came because I'm your acquaintance?"

  "Not only that. We're practically relatives."

  Remesis wanted to laugh at the absurdity of these words. Right before her eyes, her elder brother had tried to shred her to pieces, completely unconcerned that they came from the same womb. And Katrina, in his place, for the most part, would also not have cared about their family connection. Only Iliana kept talking about the so-called "family."

  "In that case, why didn't you visit Michel instead of me? He's also your brother-in-law." While slicing the apple into neat slices, Iliana Alseid didn't hesitate in her answer. "I assume your brother has someone to take care of him. But about you, I'm not sure." "I have Hannes," the girl stubbornly objected.

  "So, your knight knows how to care for the sick? Does he know how to treat wounds?" the girl began attacking her with arguments that were impossible to refute. Hannes was indeed not the best candidate for the role of nurse.

  Remesis sighed heavily. It seemed to her that she was wasting her strength continuing this argument. The girl silently opened and closed her mouth like a fish, realizing she couldn't wriggle out of it anyway.

  Just then, Iliana finished all preparations and scooped up a teaspoon of the bluish-black medicine, which looked more like poison than a healing potion. Iliana smiled her snowwhite smile, putting her at a loss.

  "Come on, say 'ah'."

  The girl groaned softly.

  In the end, she had to swallow the sludge and eat it with apple. After that, the girl began applying ointment to her bruises. Incidentally, despite the initial terrible sight, it turned out not so bad. After all, the physical strength of a twelve-year-old teenager and the adult woman who had beaten her in Araken village last time were clearly different.

  Thinking about this, Remesis snorted. "I've been beaten twice recently... I wonder if I'll live to twenty this time?" No matter how you looked at it, both of her lives now had fundamental changes. The girl could only hope that this wouldn't lead to anything bad.

  When Iliana treated her abrasions with alcohol, Remesis stoically endured the pain and didn't even squeak once. The order's heiress was involuntarily surprised, as an ordinary child in her place would have been sobbing long ago. But not a muscle moved on the girl's face.

  "Doesn't it hurt?" she inquired.

  The girl shook her head.

  "Why would it hurt? I finally managed to teach that jerk a lesson. I hope at least a couple of scars remain from my bites..."

  Remesis truly felt this. All the pain from the fight's consequences was compensated by the triumph of finally managing to give her elder brother his first real resistance. Perhaps all her current pain was worth it. The girl was quite satisfied with today.

  But at the same time, she was a bit surprised. Duke Carter had behaved unusually strictly with Michel today. Although he usually allowed his beloved heir everything, and Remesis had never seen him scold him even once. Perhaps because this time the incident involving him occurred on the palace grounds? It turned out that even the boundless patience of such a cold-blooded man as Michael Carter had its limits.

  When Remesis got distracted by her thoughts, an unexpected action from Iliana Alseid brought her back to reality. The girl's emerald eyes suddenly became a little closer to her.

  Remesis involuntarily tensed, not understanding what this was about.

  "Forgive me for not approaching you immediately," she apologized sincerely.

  Remesis stared at her.

  "It's all because of my father," the girl said. "If I had helped you in front of everyone, I'm afraid we wouldn't have seen each other again."

  The girl shrugged. She was surprised: why was Iliana even justifying herself to her for this? The Supreme Astrologer's dislike for her was certainly no revelation. Generally speaking, Remesis didn't care.

  "His Eminence may be right," she uttered. "For the common good, it's better if we don't cross paths anymore."

  Remesis said this half sincerely. After all, Iliana was the heiress of the Astrological Order, and associating with someone like Remesis clearly promised her nothing good. Even in her previous life, she had heard that Halias Alseid was a man of extremely categorical worldview. And towards those whom the stars did not favor, he had a very definite attitude. So the man would certainly not leave such contacts of his daughter just like that.

  But hearing her words, Iliana smiled ruefully.

  "So you're chasing me away after I helped you?"

  "I am sincerely grateful for your help, Lady Alseid," the girl grumbled. "So, accepting my gratitude, you may leave. I have nothing else to give you."

  The girl chuckled softly.

  "Actually, there is."

  "What?"

  "If you are truly grateful, you can do something for me. You haven't forgotten, have you? For that day in the city, you also owe me."

  Remesis gritted her teeth. "Just as expected from this bunch of cosmic charlatans. Complete hypocrites!" the girl thought angrily. Iliana Alseid had said she did everything from the heart, but in reality, she chalked it up as a debt. Remesis was angry, because she hadn't asked for this, but there was nowhere to go now.

  "Well, what do you need? I have no money," she warned immediately.

  Iliana Alseid smirked as she suddenly placed her hand on the headboard and thus loomed over her. Remesis, not expecting such a turn, became agitated.

  "And I'm eight years old," she additionally squeaked just in case.

  Iliana burst out laughing.

  "What are you thinking?" the girl inquired innocently. "Neither money nor anything else from you do I need. Only your time," she added with a smile.

  "…"

  At these words, Remesis became even more wary.