Upon returning to the northern fortress, Remesis felt a bit dejected.

  She couldn't understand herself what this feeling was connected with. After all, nothing particularly bad had happened. Things in the castle were going their usual way. The impressions from the trip to the capital were slowly fading. And at the same time, an anxious foreboding did not leave her. The girl often held in her hands the handkerchief given to her by Esther, and this strangely calmed her.

  "I'm probably just too tired these days."

  Remesis decided she didn't need rest and returned to her duties immediately upon arrival. The last few days, she had been sorting through the reports that had accumulated over the month and required her direct attention. Fortunately, thanks to Master Luven's help, there weren't that many. The old master was unspeakably glad of the girl's return.

  They talked all evening long. Remesis told the master about what had been in the capital and how the Small Council had gone. Not to upset the old man, the princess deliberately omitted some details. Instead, she said that everything had gone well.

  Luven Iter sighed.

  "Well, I'm glad to hear that."

  They drank hot tea in the master's study, and the room was filled with the pungent aroma of ginger. Remesis took another sip.

  "His Majesty... How did he treat you?" he asked cautiously.

  Remesis hesitated for a moment. Overall, nothing special had happened. Apart from the first one-time audience, they had not met in person again. So, it could be said, she was lucky.

  "Hm... His Majesty was feeling unwell and rarely left his chambers. I didn't have the opportunity to see him often."

  Hearing this, the master tensed slightly. His eyes gleamed.

  "The Emperor was unwell?" the old man interjected.

  "Probably so. But I don't know the reason..." the girl doubted.

  Upon receiving news of the Emperor's condition, Master Luven withdrew into himself for a while. As if pondering something in his head, he practically stopped paying attention to his surroundings. The cup of tea had long gone cold. Remesis had to call out to him to get his attention.

  "Huh? What?" the old man came to himself.

  "What's the matter?" Remesis grew worried. "Maybe you know something about this?"

  After all, Luven had worked at the palace for decades and was well acquainted with the imperial family. But in response to Remesis's question, he smiled thinly and shook his head.

  "Of course not. I was just a teacher. How would I know such information? The secrets of the imperial family are tantamount to state secrets. That's not something accessible to outsiders."

  Remesis bit her lip.

  "I just remembered something from the past," he continued. "The previous Emperor had two sons. I was their tutor. And, as far as I remember, the current ruler was a rather robust youth. I was surprised that he could fall ill."

  Something else in the master's words interested the girl.

  "You said the Emperor had two sons," she asked again. "But where is the second? I've never heard of him."

  The biography of the imperial family was known to every educated citizen of the empire. Down to distant relatives and ancient ancestors. There was even a special glossary describing the family tree of the Ashelot dynasty from the founder of the empire to the current Emperor. Therefore, such information came as a surprise to Remesis.

  Previously, she only knew that Alexis Cezar Ashelot had a younger sister. Asil's aunt. A reclusive woman who did not participate in palace affairs, and therefore almost no one remembered her existence. But the girl heard about the presence of another brother for the first time.

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  Looking at the girl in surprise, Master Luven quickly shook his head.

  "Did I say that? You must have misheard."

  "Huh?"

  "I mean, I'm old and might have stupidly blurted out some nonsense."

  "…"

  Soon the old man quickly changed the subject. Remesis didn't try to insist. Either Master Luven really said it by accident, or he simply didn't want to tell. In any case, discussing the imperial dynasty was not the best and even dangerous topic for speculation. So the girl decided to just leave things as they were.

  They chatted casually about current affairs until late at night. The cup of ginger tea and strong fatigue did their job, and the girl quickly fell asleep. But the next morning, the apathetic mood returned to Remesis. An inexplicable state of anxiety, as if something was supposed to happen, but you didn't know about it yet. Maybe this is what is called a "sixth sense"?

  Watching the girl sigh heavily while sitting at her desk, the maid cleaning the study couldn't help but ask:

  "Have you visited Her Highness today?"

  "What?" Remesis suddenly lifted her head. "Why would I?"

  "Just..."

  The same maid who had all these days carried full trays of food away from the princess's door hesitated a bit.

  "...the princess missed you very much."

  "…"

  Remesis involuntarily froze.

  "Asil missed me? Me?"

  "While you were away, she waited for you every day," the girl continued. "She refused to eat and leave her room. We were even afraid that if you didn't return soon, Her

  Highness might die from hunger or exhaustion."

  The girl stared with wide eyes at the maid who suddenly spoke of this.

  Of course, she had no idea that things could be so serious.

  "And also..." the maid hesitated for a moment before saying this, but still decided. "I want to say that Her Highness truly cares about you a lot! Actually, all this time, our castle was constantly under attack. Assassins tried to kill you and Her Highness every night. But the princess dealt with them herself, so as not to disturb your peace."

  "…"

  Remesis couldn't believe her ears and was silent.

  "Every morning, before you woke up, we would carry bodies out of your chambers and clean them up. All so you wouldn't notice anything."

  As the maid continued speaking, expressing everything that had built up in her, Remesis involuntarily dropped the pen from her hand. She was so taken aback that she didn't know what to think. Of course, the news about the assassins didn't shock her. On the contrary, the girl was even surprised why everything had been so quiet in this life. Not once during the night had she woken up with a knife at her throat, being asked to reveal the whereabouts of the deposed princess.

  As it turned out, Asil simply hadn't told her about it...

  She dealt with everything on her own, just so Remesis wouldn't worry. Previously, the girl thought that the princess got up with such difficulty every morning only because she was sleepy and loved to sleep. But, as it turned out, she simply didn't have the opportunity to get a proper night's rest.

  Remesis never thought Asil would do something like that for her, and therefore was stunned. She even felt a slight pang of guilt.

  "At least I should say 'thank you' to her..."

  The girl sincerely thanked the worried maid for sharing these revelations with her. Then, taking a break from her duties in the middle of the day, Remesis headed to their chambers. She wanted to personally thank Asil for what she had done for her. After all, given the status of their relationship, this was not at all necessary. Nevertheless, the princess still cared for her in her own way.

  Remesis quickly opened the door, but at that same moment froze on the threshold. Asil was sleeping, curled up in a ball on the bed. Just like a puppy. Seeing this sight, Remesis was first surprised, but soon smiled and closed the door behind her.

  She quietly approached and sat on the edge of the bed.

  The peaceful expression on the princess's sleeping face was so sweet that the girl didn't dare wake her and simply watched her. Asil must have been very tired after such a long period without rest.

  "She waited for me for a whole month..." — this thought involuntarily stung her.

  Remesis carefully brushed a silver strand away from her face, revealing her forehead. If one didn't know the true nature of this wolf cub, one might think this child was a real angel. But in reality, it was only a fleeting illusion.

  Remesis sighed and decided to spend some time with her wife like this.

  At some point, she noticed that Asil was clutching some object in her hands. She held it very tightly, even in sleep, so Remesis couldn't take it away. But she could see that it was a small black stone. It was the very flint Remesis had used to light a fire in the cave during their wanderings through the north, and then given to her. The girl hadn't expected the princess to still keep it.

  It was just a stone. But the princess treasured it like the greatest jewel in the world.

  "…"

  Remesis pressed her lips tightly together.

  "I even feel a bit sorry..." she muttered to herself. "Because soon she will grow up and stop being like this."

  At the thought that very little time would pass, and Remesis would again have to face her cold spouse, she felt a little uneasy. Little Asil and the adult one now seemed to her completely different people. Now the princess behaved like this only because she was still a child. But very soon...

  "You will leave the North only if you die."

  Remesis shuddered, and a painfully familiar chill ran down her spine. She looked again at the peacefully sleeping girl.

  A heavy sigh cut through the silence of the room.

  Remesis smiled weakly and tucked another strand of Asil's hair behind her ear. A slightly sad thought lurked in her head. But, in the end, she should already be resigned to this. Nothing lasts forever. And her little animal, which she had once tamed, would not always remain this way.

  "My little wolf cub... Will soon stop being so cute."