Mikhail hurried down the deserted hallway of the palace as he made his way to where he remembered the library to be. He briefly recalled William telling him to head over after lunch.However, seeing as he had dedicated most of his time swinging his blade, he completely missed lunch having lost track of time. Hence, he was frantically looking for the library in hopes of making it in time by peeking through the keyholes in the ocean of doors.Although the hallway was regal and well adorned with intricate patterns, the doors remained similar and devoid of variety. Pinpointing the exact room the library was certainly became no easy task."Ugh... Where was it? They all look the same..." Mikhail sighed in a frustrated tone as he peeked into a keyhole and noticed a stack of books.Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had equated a large amount of books to being the library. Therefore Mikhail opened the door with little to no hesitation and lowered his head as h

"Good morning to you, bumpkin. Slept well?" William asked as Mikhail shuffled stiffly to the training ground."N... not really. My body felt heavy today. Stiff as well... Everything feels sore...""Which was why I told you to pace yourself. Now that you've learned the hard way, I'm certain you won't repeat it again." William said as he lifted his gaze from the shoelace he had been tightening."I guess...""Anything you want to share? Like the story crafted by those people from yesterday?" William asked as he got up from the bench and stretched his limbs."How did you know?""I told you to head straight back to your room and not to dawdle around. Other than strategy planning, they aren't useful in much situations. Love to run their mouths then blame others for their transgressions.""...""Well, get ready. I'm not going to give you a break today. I want to watch you swing your blade. Test it out on the dummy here." William said

A shriek resounded throughout the corridors as maids and knights find themselves searching for the source. When their eyes fell upon the doors of the ballroom they shrugged it off and went about their day. Of course, the same could not be said of the people within said room. "Mikhail! What were you thinking?! My sincerest apologies Lady Aria. Did you injure yourself?" William asked as he hurried towards Aria and held her hands, holding her steady. "Eh? Uh... I thought it was fine to do so... I got advice from someone who told me they were well versed in dancing." Mikhail scratched his cheeks flusteredly as he watched William attending to Aria. "Well versed in dancing?! Unlikely given your performance. Who was it? Name the person who said it was fine to continuously spin your partner at every chance you get?! There's a reason why men twirl their partners occasionally during a waltz rather than constantly." William barked

Xander held his gaze on Susie as they shared a glance in silence. The look in his eyes were intense as Susie nonchalantly sat back in her seat, studying his profile."Anything you want to say?""... Was that an underlying statement that you will bring destruction to our country?" Xander asked as he finally shifted from his thinking pose to lean forward and question Susie."Who knows." Susie replied with a similar nonchalant expression earning her a narrower gaze from Xander."... Honestly, assuming that was your life story... I just couldn't help but ask... What does the mark on that man's face mean to you?""... That man... Hah. To think I had wandered blindly thinking you knew anything when it was a story most likely thought up by a random stranger." Susie scoffed as she realised that Xander had tricked her into telling him what he needed to know."Not necessarily. Meeting him was something of a coincidence. He wouldn't have convinced me o

"My goodness me, it has been quite a long time since someone brought me around the palace without a clear direction as to where they are going." Lilith shrugged, dabbing her handkerchief on her forehead to wipe off her perspiration as she sat on a bench beside a thoroughly exhausted Mikhail."Sorry... For dragging Your Majesty along with me... If I had memorised the layout properly I..." Mikhail sighed as he briefly glanced at Lilith who was watching him intently."I would assume you held my hand and hurried off because it was something of urgency?" Lilith asked as she studied the landscape of their surroundings whilst awaiting his response."... It is as you said. I know it was due to my ignorance of the palace layout that I have no idea where we are but... I need your help to take care of her." Mikhail pleaded as he clasped Lilith's hand yet again with a panicked expression."... I could easily help you but... please calm yourself and recount the story