While Emma and Rio were being taken away to a different part of the palace, Kaleigh was abducted directly to Sariel's office. With begrudging steps, she follows the guards to the place that triggers the most traumatic part - but also somehow enjoyable - of her time in the palace.

Oh how she misses studying several different languages to pass the entrance exam to be a diplomat of the palace. Studying with her was Nokto and Clavis, both of whom having very different goals. While Nokto actually wanted to pursue diplomacy as a way of helping Rhodolite, as he wasn't to adept at swordsmanship as his other brothers, Clavis only wanted to defeat Chevalier's feat of being a polyglot. Chevalier, being the genius he was, mastered around 20 languages at that time.

"Did he learn even more of them...?" - Kaleigh ponders. In all seriousness, the number could have gone up to 30. The young lady silently wishes for Clavis - if they ever meet again, he will have already defeated Chevalier.

"We're here. Get in." The guard states coldly and ushers Kaleigh into the room without any further word. Standing inside is Sariel. His amethyst eyes are still as imposing and commanding as ever...

"H-hey, can you explain to me what's going on?" Kaleigh asks, feeling relieved she can finally speak after so many inner monologues. "If there's nothing serious at all, lemme return home for dinner. My roommate is waiting..." Kaleigh scratches her cheek, waiting for a response from Sariel.

"Eek! Why does he keep staring at me so scarily like that...?" - Kaleigh feels weirded out and a bit estranged. She hasn't met him for a long time and their last meeting wasn't anything happy or worth recalling.

The element of shock back then outdid every other emotions that could register to Kaleigh. Her family was exiled and stripped off their royal title because they directly and openly criticize the king for doing nothing while his sons had to go into battle. Normally, the king is always the object of admiration, and little criticism of him is publicized to avoid foreign power from seeing Rhodolite as a potential prey for having a weak leader.

Yet, the Moran's family, which had a 200 years tradition of serving and being the king's right hand man, was enraged, especially Kaleigh's father. He couldn't stand serving such a spineless and despicable king. Letting the princes rode into the battlefield alone during the Bloodstained Rose Day was his last straw. For the first time in the grand history of Rhodolite, a grand hearing was issued, and for once, every sin and wrongdoings the king has committed was brought into light. Despite being right, the Moran family had to be punished to become a precedent, an example of what it would be like to question the absolute authority of the king. That historical hearing was only recorded in the most confidential documents of Rhodolite.

Kaleigh can still remember the words Sariel told her in their last meeting, before she had to travel out of the country...

"Kaleigh, you must remember that good or bad, benevolent or despicable, a king is still a king. There's only one man who can sit in that position. Anyone can die but not him - he is the spirit of Rhodolite - he who will maintain the balance of power within this land by existing alone. Your family wasn't wrong, Kaleigh, but there is always a price you have to pay for following your ideals of just and rights."

"Kaleigh." Sariel's low, baritone voice shakes Kaleigh out of her line of thoughts. "Since you asked, I'll answer. Apparently...your family's exile only lasts so long as the previous king's life, and he's now dead. A generation has ended, and even without the royal verdict which ruled that your family ought to return once the king's passed away, I would still summon your family back to the capital."

"Oh, then perhaps Emma was captured to be Belle, huh? Poor lady."

"You're right, I'd say she's quite miserable to have been caught in my grasp too, aha."

Kaleigh huffs and crosses her arms. Believe it or not, her parents have found themselves enjoying the life of commoners after safely settling down in Benitoite. Using the knowledge and advantages they acquired as a noble, Kaleigh's parents are now pretty well off. It's like a second honeymoon...

"As if we'd want to ever return again after this country so gracefully kicked us out." She retorts with a frown on her face, her thin brows scrunching together.

"Ohoho, is that so? From the report I got...your parents are in Benitoite, and your older brother is in Achroite to complete his study, huh...so that means you're the only representative of the family left."

"So? As long as I don't agree, the Moran family will still cease to exist within the entries of nobles in Rhodolite's record."

Sariel stalks closer to Kaleigh and all of a sudden, pulls her closer by her waist.

"But I have you within my clutches, little swan. Even if you don't agree, you have to return. The king is dead, and the new king needs a helping hand from one of the former powerful families."

"But why our family!? It could have been any other family's head to serve under the newly selected king a month later!"

"You're smart enough to recognize it, Kaleigh. Right now, your family has lost all of its original influence on the court, yet that also means every of your words and decisions can be as frank as possible and it won't necessarily offend any other third party. You can assist the king without being a weakness to him. You won't betray him, since you don't have the usual motive of trying to benefit your family and collateral family alike."

"So I'm useful because I'm useless!?"

"Yes, you could say so, little swan."

Kaleigh deadpans. It is his straight admission that made her so shocked, because damn is he frank about it. He produces a long paper scroll, seemingly a contract with the amount of words enough to make Kaleigh dizzy. Oof, and she'll have to read every single one of those words to ensure she's not tricked too! Sariel is very cunning!

"Sariel...seriously? You have thought long and hard about this, haven't you? And I thought that you captured me today on a spur of the moment."

"Aha, little swan, have I ever done anything on a spur?"

"...touché."

...

"Wait, can I still go home for dinner though-"

"No. I have terminated your rental contract already."

"What!?"

-end of chapter 3-