The huge room of the crown prince palace gets lit up brightly by the sunlight coming in through the big windows. By the sound outside, Crown Prince Lucian De Conlaed Alastair guessed that all the staff and servants were back. Of course, nothing good came from them as all of them worked for Empress Roxanna, Lucian never allowed them to serve him. For not being able to kill them, Lucian requested that all the people who work on the crown prince palace will only be there during the day-light hours. Once the sun-sets all the servants must leave.

Considering how Lucian stays out most of the nights, the Empress allowed. Trying to sit up, he noticed he was feeling no pain oddly. He noticed his body wrapped in bandages but it was sloppily done.

Getting up from his bed, he stood in front of the full length mirror. Pulling the bandages off his body, all the wounds were healed. Some of them left scars, while others healed without living a trace. Rolling his red eyes, he walked back towards his bed. Noticing a note placed on his bed side table he quickly took it and opened it.

Hello,

I hope you are feeling well now. This is Matriarch of Illusions, Evanora Esmeray. I ran into you in the forest, after my meeting with her Majesty, Empress Roxanna. I used potions from the Tower of Magic to heal you. Please take rest.

E. Esmeray

"Please don't die on me!"

"Men quiver before me! This is nothing! I will get it done!"

"Jeez! Look at him killing people in his sleep!"

"Sleep well, your highness."

Lucian chuckled, as he tried to remember the hazy memories of last night.

"So it wasn't a hallucination, huh?" He asked, but only silence answered him.

Lucian stared at the piece of paper, the messy handwriting in the paper which was written in a hurry. He smiled at the paper, hoping to meet his saviour with purple eyes again soon.

...

"I use teleportation coins to get back to the capital as quickly as possible, and you look all fine without a scratch!? Do you have any idea how worried I was!?" Derek De Conlaed Alastair, the second Prince and the small sun of the empire lectured his elder brother who seemed to be fine, where he reported that his brother was facing a life and death situation last night.

"It's not my fault that you hate teleporting." Lucian muttered as Derek hissed at him again.

"We are not supposed to talk about this!!" Prince Derek hissed and sighed as he flopped down on the bed beside his brother. Grabbing the papers about the Hico estate. With his long black hair pushed back into a curtain fringe hairstyle, which his shining red eyes glued to the papers in his hands. Sunlight fell on his fair skin coming in through the window from the morning sun. His perfect jawline was firmly tight as his eyes scanned the papers carefully, not to miss a single word. The 19 year old prince was very serious in three matters, 1. His brother, 2. His fiance, and 3. The Hico estate. The calm and kind second prince loses his cool if anything happens that concerns these three matters.

"Why do you shine more in the sun than I do when you are the exact copy of me?" Lucian tried to mess with his brother to make sure the grumpy mood of his goes away.

"Rather than that, mind telling me who patched you up and fixed you so you don't die?" Derek asked as his eyes burned into his brother.

"Matriarch of Illusion." Lucian answered simply.

"Matriarch?" Derek looked at his brother confused before he remembered a specific young lady who goes by that title. "You mean Evanora Esmeray?"

"Yes." Lucian replied as he ran his hand through his hair, pushing away the strands which were over his ruby red eyes.

"What brought her to the palace?" Derek asked, surprised.

"Apparently she had an appointment with the Empress." Lucian replied as he moved from his room to his office with Derek and his personal aide following him close behind.

His aide handed him papers related to the army as Derek just gawked at his older brother.

"Isn't Duke Esmeray in your faction? Then why is the Empress calling for his daughter." Derek took his place across Lucian as they both sat down in Lucian's study.

"Well, I caught wind that she is trying to get Lady Esmeray into her faction for quite some time. Lady Esmeray has been quite the social icon ever since her debut in the society, but it's safe to say even after the Empress' constant pampering, she didn't join the Empress." Lucian said as he dropped the papers on the table.

"Well. that's quite basic." Derek said. "But why is she chasing after a losing game?"

"That..." Lucian trailed. "I haven't figured it out."

Derek stayed for a while longer as he spoke about how he has steady progress of work in Hico and how Asterin has been writing to him often even if he finds himself baffled about how to reply to her letters related to books, but still does it anyways because he doesn't wanna leave her hanging.

"This reminds me, Asterin wrote about Lady Esmeray a couple of times, they seem to be good friends." Derek said, "Should I ask Asterin about this matter?"

"No Derek, leave Asterin out of this. After all, both the current Dukes of those ducal families are friends so it's not uncommon for their children to be friends." He replied.

"But maybe ask Asterin when she might meet her friend next time, I would love to give them a visit." Lucian chuckled.

"Visit Lady Esmeray?" Derek gave him a sceptic stare.

"Well, she did save my life. The least I can do is say thank you." he replied.

"You can just write her a letter and call her to the palace!" Derek exclaimed.

"But where is the fun in that?" Lucian laughed as Derek rubbed his face.

"I feel like I am going crazy the more time I am spending with you, I am returning to Hico." Derek announced as he walked to the door.

"Take a rest and visit the glass house you were making outside your palace. It's nearly done now." With those last words Derek walked out of the study and left the royal place.

Lucian stood at the window of his study as he walked the glass house outside. It was a small glass house with a piano inside. Pain distorted his face as turned away from the window and walked back to his desk.

"It's been six months." He sighed. "And I still can't get used to this world."