The room where Princess Iris was standing was aly decorated chamber within the church, reserved only for royalty and high-ranking dignitaries.

  The walls were adorned with finely embroidered tapestries depig ses of miracles and historical events of the kingdom, and the floor was covered by a soft red carpet with goldeails.

  In the ter, a dark wooden table rested uhe soft light of the deliers, casting long, flickering shadows throughout the room.

  The decoration was simple but regal, and the religious symbols carved into the marble ns made it clear that this was a room where important matters were discussed.

  In the middle of the room, standing beside the princess, was Hestia’s assistant healer, the same one who had treated Non the first time he came to the churbsp;

  She looked uneasy, her hands csped in front of her and her expression serious as she listeo Iris.

  “So, is it true that eveia couldn’t identify the type of core Non has?” the princess asked in a firm voice, though her eyes reflected a shadow of .

  The healer nodded cautiously.

  “Yes, Yhness. Not even the Great Healer Hestia could determihe exact type of core. It’s... strange. None of us had ever seen anything like it before.”

  Iris’s lips tightened, aeeth ground together slightly.

  This... was frustrating.

  From the moment Non had been brought to the church, she had wao learn more about him, about the source of his power, but despite all the efforts from her fa’s people to uhe truth, they were now stu something as basic as a magical core that no one could identify.

  “This is uable,” Iris muttered irritably. “I ’t just stand by and do nothing. If eveia couldn’t figure it ht away, then... I at least want to see the state of those fragments with my own eyes. I think we’ll reach a clusion faster that way...”

  With a decisive movement, Iris stood up from her seat.

  The healer followed closely behind, and both quickly left the room, walking briskly through the church’s hallways.

  Finally, they arrived at the room where Non was resting. The entrance was guarded by twe, armored men with expressionless faces. But Iris came to a sudden halt when she saw someone else at the door.

  “Cedric,” she murmured, her eyes fshing with surprise.

  In front of the guards, quietly talking, stood her brother Cedric, apanied by two women dressed in healer robes, clearly from his fa.

  Her brother’s expression softened when he saw her, and a smile spread across his lips.

  It was a smile Princess Iris knew well.

  It was the same smile he wore when ag like a hypocrite.

  “Dear sister,” Cedric greeted her with a slight nod of his head. “What brings you here?”

  Iris responded with her own smile, though it was a bit tense.

  “The same as you, it seems.”

  As they spoke, Iris noticed something strange.

  The guards standing at the door weren’t the ones she had assigned.

  Normally, as the daughter of the king, she had full trol over who was responsible for security iain areas, and at this moment, she had total priority in managing the matters involving Non.

  But these faces... were unfamiliar.

  “Brother,” Iris tinued in a soft voice. “May I ask what you’re doing here with your... panions?” Her tone olite, but there was a hidden warning behind every word.

  Cedric smiled, leaning slightly forward.

  “Oh, you know, I just wao make sure Non is well for my dear sister’s birthday party,” he replied in a casual tohough his eyes gleamed with a mog glint. “After all, he’s your special guest, isn’t he?”

  Iris frowned, reizing the sarcasm in Cedric’s voibsp;

  “You didn’t o worry so much. I’m already handling his treatment personally. There’s more healers.”

  Her words were sharp, and the implied accusation was clear: he was meddling where he didn’t belong.

  “You should step away from him,” she tinued, keeping her voice low so only he could hear. “If people see more healers around Non, they might start suspeg that he’s gravely ill. I’ve been handling this discreetly, ensuring that he’s treated privately. Otherwise, there will be rumors... and you know how quickly they spread.”

  Cedric let out a small ugh.

  “Rumors, rumors... isn’t it funny how everything around us tely is rumors?” He shrugged. “I just wao make sure our dear friend is in good shape for the big day tomorrow.”

  “I appreciate the , Cedric, but everything is under trol,” she replied, casting a suspicious g the guards.

  Something wasn’t right.

  Iris ched her hands at her sides, maintaining her posure.

  “So, will you let me through?” she asked firmly.

  But the guards exged unfortable looks before speaking.

  “Apologies, Yhness. No one is allowed to ehe room.”

  Iris raised an eyebrow, her patience slowly fading.

  “Who gave that order?”

  “They were orders from the king,” one of the guards replied firmly.

  The words made Iris’s heart pound.

  Her father?

  He had assigned Non under her direct supervision.

  Why would he ge his mind without telling her?

  Something was terribly wrong.

  “That’s impossible,” Iris muttered, her voice low but dangerous. “The king gave that order without inf me?”

  Suspi turned into a cold sensation iomabsp;

  Cedric remaio the side, watg with an inscrutable expression, though his eyes betrayed i.

  “Sister, I’ve been asking them the same thing for a while, and they won’t let me iher,” Cedriterjected with a frustrated grimace. “This is strange, even for our father.”

  Iris nodded slowly.

  Normally, her father was clear about important decisions, especially those that had already been delegated.

  And now that something like this was happening, her intuition told her that this wasn’t just a precautionary measure.

  *‘Seriously... why didn’t this idiot do something earlier?’* Iris thought, realizing that these people could be part of the group of traitors who had tried to ambush Non during his previous outing.

  “Guards!” Iris called authoritatively, turning toward a nearby hallway to summon reinforts.

  But before she could act, a loud crash came from inside Non’s room.

  The sound made her flinch, her eyes widening as she looked toward the door.

  “What was that?” Cedric murmured, drawing his sword in one swift, fluid motion.

  The two healers apanying him instinctively stepped babsp;

  The guards at the door took a defeance, gripping their ons tightly as if expeg the worst.

  “Cedric!” Iris excimed, her voice filled with arm.

  But her brother was already moving, his swleaming in his hand as he kept his eyes fixed on the closed door.

  Another his time louder, reverberated from the room.

  Something was happening inside, something that shouldn’t be happening.