"Lastly, tell your Son that even if he values the lives of the people, it doesn't mean that they're alive. Others may look alive on the outside but deep inside they're dying, painfully."  Mathias was about to open the door when suddenly he heard the words from the little girl he just saved.  "because even if you saved that one person, if living means dying to them....then it's useless." He closed his eyes firmly and turn his head on his mother who heard it as well. He shrugged off his thoughts and opened the door witnessing the empty seat of Finesia and Jake's emotionless face.  "Where is she?" he asked.  Jake didn't respond, he stood up for a moment before looking at Mathias's direction.  "She left, " he simply answered.  Mathias surprisingly gritted his teeth and clenched his fists before attacking his father. He couldn't believe that she just left without telling him, he knows that he was a bit

"Finesia?" I turn my gaze on Griselda who just came out from the house carrying a bag of herbs. She looks worried when her eyes darted on me, I was cleaning the barn. It's already been a month since I stayed here with them. Jake doesn't look like he was bothered by my presence, it doesn't mean that he trust me though. They are humans so I understand him very much because I am threat myself, it was hard for me to trust them too not until I was convinced that they aren't harm to me. "I told you not to clean the barn, you'll get dirty and your hands will get rough." She pulled me up and shook my clothes that got dirty because of the dirt from the horses. Mathias came out from the house with his annoying expression, but it calmed when his eyes moved on my direction. "I'll go hunt, wanna come?" he asked making me burst an excitement. I ran towards him and followed his back. I was getti

"Come on, show me."Griselda shuddered with horror thinking that there's no way she can escape the mountain alive especially in the hands of the Emperor, the ruthless among the rulers.Jake tried to fight them, but even his sword couldn't go against the knights. There's no escape for them, they can only pray for themselves to be saved by the God."Hmm? Don't wanna tell? It's just a simple question though, where is she? Where's Finesia? How come you're trembling when I'm just asking a question?" he asked with his baritone tone."Your majesty, have mercy on us. Please kill me instead of killing my wife, she doesn't have to do with this. I was at fault," Mariano pleads.The Emperor looked down on him like he was seeing a rat begging for a leftovers."That's too sweet, I wanna be like that too. Saving your love from death, but how could I even grasp such romance when you

 Leonardo woke up with Finesia on his arms, he stared at her with his thought of 'was it a dream?' and remembered that it wasn't because he felt how numb his arm was because of Finesia's head resting on his arm. He stared longer until he decided to get up. The Butler came with his startled face moving his eyes on Finesia who was in her deep sleep. "Your Majesty?" he asked with his mouth left opened. Leonardo grinned. "Prepare the dining area, I would like to have my breakfast with her." The Butler who wasn't even able to analyze his thoughts nodded and left with his face unable to figure out what sort of emotion he would make. Upon arriving at the kitchen, his thoughts combined and realized that the Emperor who doesn't have any concubines for about two hundred years has a woman and worst, the woman was sleeping on the Emperor's bed without worries. He shook of his worries and ordered the

━14 years before...    "Mathias let me ride on your back please," I said while pouting.My feet looks swollen since we've been walking in this forest for about three hours.He stopped before he turned around wearing a bored expression. "You're becoming a child now Finesia." He turned his back from me before lowering down his body.I smiled and ride on his back. My arms were wrapped around his neck while I rest my head on his left shoulder."Where are we going?" I asked.He started walking while carrying me on his back. "We're going to find a shelter, it's getting dark," he answered.We've been like this since then, moving in each and every destination to find our food and shelter.It was for our survival, to strive hard to earn our surviv