An unforeseen sight made Remesis stop.
Turning her head, she saw a child standing out among the Imperial cityscape with her silver hair. Blinking her eyes quickly, the girl made sure that she really wasn't imagining it. It really was a little boy and he had silver hair. What the hell was going on?
Remesis watched as he slipped easily between the bushes and out of sight around the corner of the next building. Her heart pounded much faster than usual, and the princess of the north, against all sense, decided to follow this boy.
She felt that at all costs, she had to find out what was going on and who this child was. Could it be that he had something to do with the imperial family? But how could that be possible? Were there any other young children in the current Ashelot lineage? At least, Remesis hadn't heard anything about it before.
Remesis tried to follow him stealthily, lest the child inadvertently discover her presence, and occasionally hid behind trees and pillars that came her way. Eventually, after passing through several courtyards, Remesis found herself in a place she had never been before.
The western outer wall contained a storage area and a living area. It was a remote area of the imperial city where only servants sometimes passed through. However, unexpectedly, this abandoned part of the imperial city contained a palace.
The structure was so small and dilapidated that Remesis thought it was about as shabby as the palace she had to live in the imperial city the first time.
But still, why had the child come to this particular place?
Before stepping inside, the boy looked around cautiously. And after making sure that no one was around, he soon disappeared into this dilapidated palace. Remesis, who before had only calmly watched him, now hesitated as to what she should do. Should she go back now, or should she continue watching?
While the girl was pondering this, she didn't immediately sense something amiss. And when she finally did, it was too late.
— Who are you?
A sharp voice suddenly cut through the quiet area.
At that moment, Remesis slowly raised her head and saw a woman in front of her who was wearing light-coloured trousers and carrying a sword as if she was a knight, but at the same time, she was not wearing any armour. The sword-wearing woman quickly took out her sword and spoke loudly:
— I ask, who are you?
It was a woman with sharp facial features, somewhat resembling a bird of prey in appearance. Her brown hair was gathered into a tight ponytail, and her brown eyes glittered dangerously, a malevolent glint towards the stranger could be caught in them. Even though the sword was pointed directly at her at this moment, Remesis suppressed her inner turmoil and straightened up calmly.
— Excuse me, so this is your palace? — She asked.
The hawk-like woman looking at her gave a cold chuckle.
— Only I have the right to ask questions here. So how dare you invade someone else's territory?
Remesis hesitated. Although she didn't know who the woman in front of her was, but since the sword blade was still pointed threateningly at her and she was unarmed, the princess decided to be humble.
— I'm sorry, I didn't know this palace belonged to you, ' she said slowly, 'In fact, I originally had no intention of coming here...
However, even after her explanation, the woman's firm gaze did not soften in the slightest.
— No, more importantly, why were you following that child? — she asked with obvious hostility.
— Do you know him?
— Are you asking me questions again?
The expression on the woman's face contorted stiffly. Remesis glared back at her defiantly. She thought about the fact that even if this woman was carrying a cold weapon, but not everyone would dare to spill blood in the imperial palace. Primarily because of the possible repercussions.
— That child... I've already seen him anyway and now I know of his existence, ' the girl said more confidently, 'So even if you wanted to, you won't be able to gag me.
The woman grinned contemptuously.
— And what are you trying to achieve?
— I... I'd like to meet him in person, if possible.
— What?! ' The puzzlement on the woman's face quickly turned to outright indignation.
— This palace, ' Remesis continued, 'I don't know who owns it, or who lives there. Meanwhile, I definitely saw a child with silver hair enter it. I have certain suspicions about what's going on here, and in particular the That child's identity.
As Remesis continued to speak, the atmosphere around her became more and more cold. The woman looked at her as if she was actually going to kill her.
— Are you trying to threaten me now? — she said through clenched teeth.
— Not at all. I'm just trying to warn you. Since I'm in an Imperial city and can walk around freely, you should have realised by now that I'm not an ordinary person. And if you don't let me in now, I will have no choice but to go to the inspection department and ask for a search warrant for this palace. Thus, I'm still going to come back here.
After saying those words, the hawk-eyed woman stared at her in silence for a moment. It was a mixture of confusion and anger. Until, in the end, a deep sigh was heard.
— Tz.
Eventually, the woman had to put her sword back into its scabbard. After which Remesis exhaled more relieved. At that moment, the woman looked at her intently.
— I do not know what you are trying to achieve with this. However, regardless of your intentions, if it harms the palace owner... — a clear threat flashed through her words.
Remesis hastened to assure her.
— That will not be the case. If there is a problem, I will take responsibility.
'.....'
The woman pondered her words for a moment before she turned around with a grim face and followed towards the palace without saying a word.
The princess of the north quietly followed the woman, still clearly feeling the hostile aura from her side. Although Remesis still didn't know where all of this would lead her, it was nevertheless too late to retreat.
When they entered the palace, which was quite small and had only a few rooms, it didn't take long before the woman led her to a wide carved door. Exhaling deeply, the woman knocked softly.
— Jilia, is that you? Come in.
A light voice sounded from the other side.
The woman then turned the knob and pushed the door forward slightly. The sight that appeared before Remesis afterwards stunned her almost instantly.
It was a bedroom as pale as the rest of the palace. In the middle of which stood an old bed with an expensive red canopy. The woman who sat on that bed caught Remesis' attention at first sight. It was like a diamond lost in a handful of dust.
The woman looked weak and haggard, but she was also incredibly beautiful. She held the hands of the child, whom Remesis had been following all this time, in her slender arms.
The woman and child looked very much alike — her long silver hair and beautiful facial features matched the characteristics of the description of the Imperial family's appearance. Golden eyes that resembled shards of sunshine. Remesis became a little uneasy. For a while, she simply froze in place from shock, unable to move.
'.....'
When their eyes met, the silver-haired woman's expression flickered with surprise. Obviously, there was no way she expected to see a guest in this forgotten and abandoned palace.
Suddenly, one thought crept into Remesis' head at that moment.
'Could it be that she...'
However, at that moment, the princess of the north was distracted from her thoughts. The woman let go of the child's hands and spoke.
— Jilia, would you introduce this lady to me?
It was then that Remesis realised that she still hadn't introduced herself. The woman who had brought her here also quickly turned and stared at Remesis.
— Whoever you are, but you must be polite in front of the royal family. She is the eldest princess of Castreja.
Remesis held her breath at that moment.
'Princess?' So that means her main suspicion was confirmed after all. Unconsciously, the girl took a step forward, but the hawkish-looking woman immediately stepped in and blocked her path.
— Do not approach, but bow on the spot, ' she said warily.
'.....'
At those words, Remesis tilted her head slightly to look in that direction, then dropped to one knee and bowed her head in acceptance. It was the simplest example of courtesy towards royalty.
— Please forgive me for failing to properly greet your highness.
There was quite a bit of surprise in the silver-haired woman's eyes looking down at her, but once her eyes met Remesis's, they simply stared at each other uninterruptedly for a while.
At this point, the sword-wielding woman was about to intervene again, as it was rude to look a member of the royal family in the eyes for so long, but before she did, the princess stopped her first.
— Jilia, don't be too rude. This girl is the first person to come visit me in all this time.
— I am sorry for disturbing your peace, ' Remesis said quickly.
The princess turned her head slowly and gracefully and said warm words to Remesis:
— You may rise now.
— Thank you, your highness.
As soon as Remesis stood up and looked at her again, she was confronted with the woman's bright smile.
— I'm sorry. This place is far away from the central palace, so I didn't even anticipate that a guest would come to see me. I apologise if my consort was rude to you.
'.....'
Remesis looked at the woman and had conflicting feelings. It was due to the fact that she was definitely not prepared for this encounter.
However, even though it was an incredible coincidence, it was definitely her. Princess Castreya Revena Ashelot, the younger sister of the current emperor who had suddenly disappeared from high society at some point.