|Micah’s Point Of View| Princess's hand clutches at my sleeve as she stares at the blood pool and the dead body in horror. Her eyes jump from the blood to the slit-opened throat of the lady. "You can't cry," I whisper to Princess, gently holding her upper arm. I don't hug her because people have already gathered around us. And I want Princess to look strong, unshaken by this incident. The crowd parts when Knight James and Knight Henry come in. Knight James looks at the dead body with a raised eyebrow while the other gets down and examines the body, confirming the death and looking for clues. "Micah she- she's dead," Princess whispers to me in disbelief. "I know. But- you can't cry now. Hold on there. Act strong for now." I whisper back. She nods, understanding what I mean. She clutches my sleeve harder and looks at James, who's already looking at us. "I-" Princess clears her shaky voice. "-I want all the witnesses of the body to remain where they are. Knight James will take care

|Princess Zoey’s Point Of View| I look down at Micah with wide eyes. He drops his sword and keeps his palms on the ground. "I know I have... ruined all the plans and put many lives at stake. I admit I am at fault, and I will take all responsibility. I believe there's still a chance- a chance we can get help and mend this. I will- gladly leave if it means Princess's life won't be in danger." he says. "What the hell are you saying?!" I ask Micah who's a shithead! I get down in front of him and shake him by his shoulders. I want to bring him back to his senses and say that he won't leave me, no matter what. "Come back to your damn senses, idiot!" Father leaves amid all that, and tears stream down Micah's eyes. "I just- realised I've a-always been the reason for all this, y-your highness." he pulls me into a hug and cries out. I've never seen him this way that I feel my heart aching at the sight, and I embrace him. "Are you giving up on me?" I ask. I feel him shake his head. "Then

|Princess Zoey’s Point Of View| Winter! What is she doing with my enemies? She walks toward us, and under my watchful eyes, she joins the enemy group. My sword freezes in mid-air as I stare at her in disbelief. Duke Tyler sees my expression and laughs aloud. "Isn't it surprising little Princess? I told you already you are so naive. Winter has been on my side since the beginning. And she worked to lure you-" "He's lying!" Winter yells. "I- I did everything because of my f-father," she says. I clench my sword's grip and continue staring at her. As her eyes meet mine, I remember how she entered my chambers to talk with me today as if she cared. What is this? I don't understand. I want an explanation. If she was always on my enemies' side, why did she bother to help me? Why did she go through all that for me? And she's wearing that colour as well- "Did you kill the Viscountess?" I ask the question that struck my mind the moment I saw her hat. She looks down and doesn't answer. Ins

|Princess Zoey’s Point Of View| I take quick breaths as I sit on a step and keep my sword aside. I clasp my hands together and stretch upwards to relieve the pain after practising sword art with Micah for the third time this week. I lean against the wall and look up at the sky. The clouds move faster as it is windy today. I take a deep breath and feel the fresh wind running through my nostrils. A peaceful palace is the best. And it feels rather strange to have this much peace after what happened two months ago. It took me one week to wake up after being assaulted by Duke Tyler. When I did, I had no physical strength, and my whole lower half was purple. Still, the scar hasn't left. When I heard that we'd defeated the enemy, I couldn't be happier. My father asked me to take some rest, and he dealt with punishing the ones who were responsible for the treason. Well... almost all were killed by us. But still, their families got banished and executed. Then the alive ones got imprisoned, i

|Princess Zoey’s Point Of View| A few weeks passed after my birthday celebrations, and everyone was preparing for my coronation. I was in a good mood the whole day, but some rumours made me feel nostalgic and moody. So while in my bath, I splash around the water in frustration. I hear footsteps after a while, and Micah walks inside. "So? What did you find out?" I ask. "It turns out the rumours aren't just rumours. Viscountess Tessa has given birth to a child downtown before death, and the father is a peasant. Other details are unknown to us." he reports to me. "Oh my goodness." I cry out. "What did her parents say?" "They were unaware of the pregnancy." "That means... she left the kingdom a few months back when she got pregnant. She gave birth to her child secretly. Then came back and..." I ponder. "Yeah... Her highness assumes she kept it a secret because the father is a peasant." I stand up in my bathtub, "Micah, we must find out where her baby is! That's the least we can do