For the next few weeks, Alexiel was very busy, handling most of Princess Annabelle's trivial affairs. However, he was also involved in assisting with relief work for the common people. Envoys from surrounding countries, including an anonymous one from Casadell'arte, visited Terresaine with the purpose of providing relief aid for the famine that so obnoxiously plagued the country's people. And although Princess Annabelle showed no interest in such activities whatsoever, she assigned Alexiel to be a part of the work. Therefore, his mind was mostly occupied until one day."Bernadette!" Alexiel blurted out to himself, "I forgot all about her."Although Alexiel still didn't believe what Bernadette said about Princess Annabelle's doings, he still felt sorry for her to a degree, and in the end, he decided to go to the forest to check in on her, a moment that proved to be not too far away from him.Later on that same afternoon, Alexiel visited the ever so familiar forest of Terresaine, carrying a generous bag of food for Bernadette."I hope she'll appreciate this," Alexiel thought to himself.As he neared the last place he remembered leaving Bernadette before leaving the forest that day, Alexiel suddenly remembered that he never actually got to see exactly where she lived, so he could only continue to walk deeper into the forest and just hope that he would run into her. Thankfully, it wasn't long before he came across a small, modest house in the middle of the forest."This must be where she lives," Alexiel said to himself as he walked closer to the house. He then noticed that the front door was slightly ajar, which seemed a little odd to Alexiel for someone with a temperament like Bernadette's."Um, hello?" Alexiel said, "Bernadette, are you here?"There was no answer, so Alexiel decided to slowly enter the house."Bernadette, are you home?" Alexiel said as he walked into what looked like a small kitchen. It was awfully quiet in the tiny house. There wasn't even any sign of movement at the sound of Alexiel's voice. Therefore, Alexiel concluded that Bernadette was probably out in the forest again, gathering supplies. He was going to put the bag of food he had for her on a nearby table when he noticed something large, sitting in a corner of the kitchen.Curious, Alexiel crept closer to the object until he was close enough to realize that that object was a person, a person who was slumped over in a corner."What on earth," Alexiel whispered to himself before crouching down to the floor to further inspect the mysterious figure. Suddenly, Alexiel stood up, terrified. He slowly backed away from the figure, dropping the bag of food he had on the floor."B-Bernadette...No..." whispered Alexiel, for there Bernadette was, with dried blood on her clothes, a knife clutched in her hands, the mysterious figure slumped on the floor in a corner of the kitchen.The day finally came when the people of Terresaine realized that they've had enough of Princess Annabelle's tyranny. Many people were gathered in front of a church in the village center, voicing their outrage and hatred for the princess, and vowing to repay her for her selfishness.Alexiel soon found himself among this crowd on his way back from the forest, the words he overheard instantly making him nervous for Princess Annabelle. As he continued to walk through the crowd, he noticed its apparent ringleader, a masked man, standing on a raised platform above everyone. There was something oddly familiar about this man to Alexiel, a detail that made Alexiel stop walking and stare up at him. Eventually, the man seemed to notice Alexiel and gave him a long, piercing glare that instantly made him uncomfortable enough to walk away with haste."I need to tell Princess Annabelle about this," said Alexiel, "It's the least I can do to make up for how I already messed up with her."It wasn't too long before Alexiel returned to the castle. He immediately made his way to Princess Annabelle's room. But before he could knock on her door, he heard talking going on from inside the room."Your Highness, please," a man's voice said, "The people are becoming very rowdy. If nothing is done soon to improve their living conditions, a revolution could occur.""They have food now, do they not?" said Princess Annabelle, "Besides, who could possibly be stupid enough to revolt against someone as powerful as me?""But Your Highness. Please understand that power and image aren't everything. The people should come first. Your Highness, I beg of you to please lower the taxes and minimize spending lavishly on yourself. We can't rely on assistance from other countries forever. Do you not think that a ruler as powerful as Your Highness should be able to care for her own people without others' assistance?""...Are you insulting me...?""N-no, Your Highness...""Oh, really? Well, then. I dare you to challenge the way I rule again. I'll have you sent to the guillotine in a moment's notice!"Alexiel couldn't believe what he was hearing."Is Princess Annabelle really responsible for everyone's suffering?" Alexiel asked himself, "I thought that maybe she was having a hard time allocating expenses because of having a lot to do as a new ruler...But this...Is she really that selfish and cruel?"Alexiel couldn't take it. He truly cared about Princess Annabelle enough to go out of his way to protect her from harm's way. He truly believed that she was a sweet, innocent, and docile person. But after everything he heard just now in the princess's room, he wasn't so sure."Has everything I thought I knew been a lie?" Alexiel asked, "Is everything people keep saying about the princess...true?"Alexiel then had flashbacks from the sight of Bernadette's dead body in the forest earlier that day. He began to question whether or not she really did kill herself. This, combined with everything else that was going through Alexiel's mind all at once began to stress him out immensely, prompting him to step backwards in fear and denial, sweat dripping from his face.During the chaos that inhabited Alexiel's mind, he forgot about the wall behind him in the corridor, so as he continued to take steps backwards, he accidentally, yet loudly struck the wall, an action that caught Princess Annabelle's attention."Who's that?" Alexiel heard Princess Annabelle ask. And before anyone could open the door to find him there, he ran off. In fact, that's all Alexiel felt like doing. He wanted to run away from the problems, lies, and fear that unknowingly surrounded him the moment he started working for Princess Annabelle."I can't believe this," Alexiel said, crying, "I can't believe this is happening...And I can't believe I let a person die...This-this is all my fault."Alexiel continued to run through the castle, passing every servant and staff who came his way, until he arrived at the great hall. Alexiel was immediately disgusted with his presence there, but he didn't know where else to run to. He wanted to go somewhere secluded and lonely, somewhere he could wallow alone in his shame. In the end, Alexiel decided to just leave the castle altogether, unsure of when to return.On his way out, Alexiel walked past a lot of the servants and staff he ran past previously. They all looked at him with concern, especially now that he was walking with his head slightly bowed, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Moreover, anyone who tried to speak to Alexiel was simply ignored.Eventually, Alexiel came across Seraphine, who also looked at him with a bit of concern."Greetings, Alexiel," said Seraphine, "Leaving so soon?"Alexiel stopped walking at the sound of Seraphine's voice and gave her a glare so intense that not only did it make her uncomfortable, but it also confused her."Now, Alexiel. Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Seraphine. Like all the other servants, she wasn't given an answer. Alexiel simply resumed his walk towards the castle's exit.When Alexiel was finally outside, someone called his name. And when he looked up to see who it was, he recognized the figure as one of his uncle's house staff."Huh? What are you doing here?" Alexiel asked."I...I came to deliver a special letter from your uncle...It's his last one, actually," said the young man."...His last one? What do you mean by that?""Unfortunately, your uncle perished in Terresaine's attack on Friedens...I am the only one from his estate who made it out alive.""Wait. Friedens was attacked by Terresaine soldiers? When?""...You haven't heard about that?""No! Although I am close to the princess, she keeps Terresaine's most important affairs from me. So, I never heard of any news about Friedens being under attack by Terresaine. Do you know why it happened?""...Well, yes. You see, the princess of Terresaine wanted the prince of Casadell'arte's lover to be found and murdered. However, since her exact description is unknown, the princess ordered that Friedens be destroyed, along with its women, until the prince's lover was confirmed to be dead.""...What?"Alexiel immediately recalled the moment when he informed Princess Annabelle of when he saw the prince of Casadell'arte with a young girl when he visited Friedens. He merely thought that doing so would compel the princess to rightfully call off her engagement to the prince. He didn't think that she would go so far as to destroy a whole country because of him."...If...I would have known this before, I would have never told her," Alexiel mumbled to himself."...Um...what?" asked the young man."...Nothing. Anyway, you said that you had a letter for me from my uncle?""Oh! Yes, of course."The young man quickly produced the letter and handed it over to Alexiel, with him snatching it and reading it immediately. What he read nearly brought him to tears."Dear, Alexiel," it read, "Times have become rather difficult here, and I don't know when we'll see each other again. But I want you to know that I will always consider you my nephew, no matter what happens. In this letter, I included the hiding place of your parents. At your discretion, do not tell anyone else where they are for the time being. It's best for both, theirs, and your safety. I love you, my nephew. And I hope to see you soon. Yours truly, Uncle.""...You-you said that my uncle is dead now...right?" asked Alexiel."Unfortunately, yes," replied the young man. Alexiel immediately threw the letter onto the ground and started sobbing. He knew that he would never see the likes of his uncle again, and regretted that his last encounter with him ended in an argument. He never realized just how much his uncle cared for him, and still considered him family, despite how his usual demeanor is.Once Alexiel's sobbing was finished, he finally composed himself, picked up the letter, and tucked it safely in his vest pocket."Princess Annabelle," began Alexiel, "You will pay. You will pay dearly for everything you've done. Just wait for it."