Shakky and Ameria looked toward the palace and began walking. Ameria followed closely behind Shakky, matching her pace. Noticing the gloomy expression on Shakky face, Ameria said,
"Princess, you should smile."
Shakky immediately put on an exaggerated, wide smile.
"Like this?"
Ameria raised her voice in frustration.
"No, Princess! You need to smile properly. You have to show good manners, and you may have to interact with the nobles. So you need to behave elegantly."
Shakky glanced at her and gave a slight smirk.
"Those high nobles? No matter how much power they flaunt, they will always remain our servants. We don't work for them. They work for us."
Ameria sighed at Shakky's attitude.
The two soon reached the palace entrance. A magnificent golden door stood before them, its polished surface gleaming under the light.
Ameria stepped ahead of Shakky and continued,
"No, you need to show a little more compassion. If you're going to stay with His Majesty, you'll have to spend time among the higher nobles. And who knows? You might even receive a marriage proposal from a good family."
Shakky laughed at the thought.
"Are you joking? Who would marry me? Once they find out that this girl has a disease that could take her life at any moment, would they really still accept me?"
Ameria lowered her gaze.
Shakky continued,
"And even if I somehow met someone who would accept me despite all that... I'd be the one to reject him. I don't want him crying over me after I'm gone. Someone that kind deserves someone better than me."
Ameria still tried to persuade her.
"But, Princess... how long are you going to keep giving up on your own life like this? You'll soon be ten years old, and I want to see you happy for as long as possible."
Shakky fell silent for a moment.
"Happy...?"
Her voice became quieter.
"Do you even know how many attempts have been made on my life over the years? You know it too. Someone benefits from my death, and whoever that person is will probably be happy once I'm gone."
She then shook her head.
"Forget all that. We're already late."
Shakky placed her hand against the golden door.
The moment her hand touched it, the massive door slowly opened.
Both of them looked ahead.
A large group of maids stood waiting for them.
Beyond them stretched a path made of spotless, shining white marble. Expensive paintings decorated the walls, adding even more grandeur to the already magnificent palace.
As Shakky and Ameria stepped forward, the maids bowed respectfully.
"Welcome."
The two walked through the line of maids.
Shakky continued forward with her usual heavy, confident steps. Then she noticed the head maid standing ahead of them.
The woman had grown noticeably older over the years.
The moment she saw Shakky, her face brightened.
"Oh my... Princess! It's been such a long time since I've seen you!"
Shakky smiled at her.
"Oh, Head Maid Sirina. It really has been a long time. I thought you would've died by now."
Ameria immediately stepped forward.
"My apologies, Lady Sirina. What the Princess means is that you've been working here for such a long time that she thought you might have retired by now."
Sirina smiled.
"Oh, Miss Ameria. So you've become a maid now? It seems the Princess still has quite a lot of manners to learn."
Ameria bowed her head apologetically.
Behind her, Shakky simply watched the exchange in silence.
Sirina then waved the matter away.
"Let's forget about that for now. His Majesty should be arriving soon. Please, follow me to the dining hall."
Shakky and Ameria followed Sirina toward the dining hall.
Inside was a massive dining table surrounded by ten chairs. Each chair was decorated in black and gold, giving the entire room a luxurious appearance.
The table was covered with an incredible variety of food. Dish after dish had been prepared, each one looking more extravagant than the last.
Two guards stood beside the entrance, silently watching over the room.
Ameria pulled out a chair for Shakky and gestured for her to sit.
Shakky took her seat.
Across from her sat her brother, Aerstrone.
He wore a white leather shirt, with a long golden chain hanging from his collar all the way down to his waist.
Shakky smiled when she saw him, but Aerstrone simply ignored her and looked away.
Shakky then shifted her gaze toward the chair in the middle.
Benjin was sitting there.
He wore elegant golden clothes, and his blond hair fell slightly below his shoulders, styled neatly. His sharp yellow eyes and clean, masculine face gave him an imposing appearance despite his calm expression.
Benjin also noticed Shakky.
He raised his hand and waved at her.
Shakky smiled and waved back.
Just then, the doors opened.
King Aureline entered the dining hall.
The moment they saw him, everyone immediately stood from their seats.
Aureline walked toward his chair and sat down.
Only then did everyone sit again.
Ameria remained standing behind Shakky as the maids stepped forward and began serving the food.
Once everything had been served, everyone began eating.
No one spoke.
The awkward silence made the situation especially difficult for Shakky. She liked talking while eating, but with everyone sitting so quietly, she didn't know what to say.
Eventually, she ignored the atmosphere and focused on the meat in front of her.
She picked up the fork and tried to cut it.
But she couldn't.
The blisters covering her hands made it difficult for her to properly grip the fork.
Across the table, Aerstrone noticed her struggle and smirked.
Shakky's expression tightened.
(Damn it... I can swing a sword without any problem, but I can't even cut this meat with a fork. Should I use my power?)
Seeing Shakky struggle, Ameria couldn't bear watching anymore.
She stepped forward and sat beside Shakky.
Everyone simply watched her do it without saying anything, as though this wasn't the first time they had seen Ameria do something like this.
Ameria gently took the fork from Shakky's hand and began feeding her.
After dinner was finished, the maids cleared the table.
Aureline then looked toward Shakky.
"By the way, Shakky..."
Shakky turned her gaze toward him.
"Yes, Father?"
Aureline continued.
"I heard that you killed some monsters today."
Shakky nodded.
"Yes, Father. Uncle Derland and I were investigating the area when a group of monsters suddenly attacked us. We had no choice but to fight them."
Benjin immediately clapped his hands.
"I had no idea our little princess had grown up so much. She can even fight now."
Aerstrone scoffed.
"Hmph. Monsters? You shouldn't have gone there in the first place. You're already causing Father enough trouble."
Shakky lowered her gaze.
Aureline noticed her saddened expression and smiled.
"You really did take after your mother."
Shakky looked up.
"She loved fighting too. She was always looking for an excuse to fight. If you don't believe me, ask Benjin."
Benjin laughed.
"That's right, brother. The Queen never took herself too seriously. Even after becoming Queen, that fighting spirit of hers never disappeared."
The two brothers laughed softly.
A small smile also appeared on Shakky's face.
Just then—
Bang!
The dining hall doors suddenly opened as a knight hurried inside.
He quickly approached the king and bowed.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I have two messages."
King Aureline nodded.
The knight handed him the two messages before bowing again and leaving the room.
Aureline opened the first message.
He read it briefly before setting it aside.
Then he opened the second.
As he read it, his expression gradually became troubled.
He placed a hand against his forehead.
Benjin noticed immediately.
"What happened, brother?"
Aureline looked toward him.
"Bad news. Undead attacked Lord Manice's territory in the north."
Everyone's expression became serious.
"No one was injured, but their food supplies have disappeared. Lord Manice is requesting assistance."
Benjin smiled.
"Undead? They're attacking now too? Is Lord Manice's force really so weak that they couldn't stop them?"
Aureline shook his head.
"It's not like that. Lord Manice specifically stated that these undead were different. Even after being killed, they stood back up again. Their movements were also completely different from ordinary undead."
Benjin still laughed.
"You're overthinking it, brother. Monsters are one thing, but undead are usually weak. Perhaps I should go there and see for myself."
Aureline raised a hand.
"No. You won't."
Benjin looked confused.
"Why not?"
"I'll send Derland instead. He'll take the food supplies there and report everything he discovers back to me."
Benjin clapped his hands with a grin.
"I knew it, brother. You really do care about him. You even gave him the title of Lord of Knights. But he still can't compare to me."
Aureline calmly replied,
"Derland reached that position because of his own talent, not because he's my younger brother."
He paused.
"And besides, I'm sending you somewhere else."
Benjin raised an eyebrow.
"Where?"
"The second message."
Aureline looked toward him.
"There was a government laboratory near the middle of the forest. A massive explosion occurred there, and everyone inside was killed."
Benjin's expression became more serious.
"Government officials are going there to investigate the incident. I want you and Aerstrone to go there."
Benjin glanced toward Aerstrone.
Aerstrone gave a small nod.
Benjin then looked back at Aureline.
"Alright. As you command, big brother."
Shakky had been silently listening to everything.
She thought for a moment before standing from her chair.
"Father, can I go north with Uncle Derland too?"
Aureline looked at her.
"You just returned from the east, and now you suddenly want to go north?"
Shakky placed a hand against her chest, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"Father, I want to see those undead up close. If I can observe the changes in them, I might be able to learn something."
Aureline fell silent, thinking about her request.
Shakky noticed his hesitation.
She immediately made a slightly cute expression.
"Please, Father."
Aureline couldn't help but smile.
"Alright. You can go."
Shakky's face immediately brightened.
But Aureline raised one finger.
"However, there's one condition."
Shakky looked at him.
"What is it?"
Aureline smiled.
"You have to stay in the palace tonight."
Shakky thought about it for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, Father. But I'll stay in Mom's room."
The king said nothing.
But Aerstrone's expression instantly changed.
He slammed both hands onto the table and stood up.
"DON'T JOKE AROUND!"
Everyone immediately turned toward him.