When the carriage stopped, Remesis felt slightly nauseous.

  Following the heiress of the order's cortege, they were able to quickly get into the city itself, and then into the Imperial Palace. Seeing the Triune Moon on the coat of arms, many guards let them through — sometimes without even asking for entry documents. For the first time, Remesis had to so clearly observe "servility to rank" in all its glory. It evoked mixed emotions in her, bordering on disgust.

  However, she had never been a staunch adherent of moral principles, so she silently waited for everything to be done for her. To avoid standing in line for two days, the girl was ready to temporarily forget her pride.

  Since the capital was a huge city, they had to spend another few hours to get to the bronze gates. All this time, sitting in the stuffy cart, Remesis began to nod off.

  How long had it been? An hour? Two?

  But all fatigue vanished when Hannes helpfully opened the door for her. The landscape revealed outside the door of the wide open carriage captivated her. She saw a beautiful garden and magnificent buildings she had never seen before. A fountain, from which water rose, babbled refreshingly. And the variety of natural plants was astounding. After all, Remesis saw rose trees for the first time.

  Stepping out of the carriage, the girl looked around.

  "Where are we?"

  Iliana Alseid, who had quickly appeared beside her, gave a simple answer:

  "In a palace specially provided for the members of the Small Council for the duration of the session."

  "A palace?"

  "This is one of the small palaces adjacent to the Imperial Palace. Mine is also nearby." Remesis stared with wide eyes at the spectacle before her.

  The territory of the Imperial Palace could be compared in size to a small town. The central palace, where the Emperor himself resided, was adjoined by many others, smaller ones. And the more important the owner of the palace was, the closer it was located to the central one.

  The palace assigned to Remesis was on the very outskirts of the square. And, despite the servants offering assistance in accompanying her, the Supreme Astrologer's heiress volunteered to do it herself. The girl justified her decision by saying they were going the same way.

  Although Remesis clearly doubted the fairness of these words. Given the status of the Alseid family, their residence with her father should have been located directly in the central part, if not right next to the Emperor himself. But Iliana for some reason decided to spend time and go with her into this wilderness. And that's exactly how this place could be described in comparison with the other palaces. It was small and much more modest than the others. There weren't even servants here.

  Nevertheless, it never occurred to Remesis to complain. After all, she hadn't believed until the very end that she would be provided with any decent housing at all. Considering the insignificance of her position, the girl wouldn't have been surprised if they had lodged her in the same building as the servants. But apparently, her position as a guest invited to the Council played some role.

  Visitors to the palace were forbidden to bring their own guards inside. This rule, like many others, Remesis had only recently learned about. So the small detachment of guards accompanying the girl had to stop at a separate territory where temporary barracks were assigned to them. Remesis managed to get permission to take only Hannes with her. And that was on the condition that the knight would not bring any weapons.

  At least the fact that she wouldn't be completely alone here was a relief.

  The girl sent the knight off to scout the surroundings, while she herself intended to rest a bit in the palace. But before doing that, she needed to take care of one thing.

  Since they had already arrived at their destination, Remesis intended to get rid of her bothersome companion's company in the most tactful way. She said:

  "Lady Alseid, thank you for taking your time to escort me. I won't detain you any further."

  But the girl shook her head.

  "We are practically relatives. It is my duty to help you in a difficult moment. Don't say that."

  Remesis pressed her lips together. "Who said I want to be your family? Your affairs with Katrina have nothing to do with me."

  "In any case, you must be tired," the girl made another attempt to hint thickly. "You should rest in your palace and not burden yourself with being here." Iliana smiled mockingly.

  "I am indeed tired. But I think I'll find the strength to escort you."

  "Huh?"

  Remesis involuntarily blinked.

  The courtyard adjacent to her palace was quite small. The main entrance could be reached in five minutes. What could she possibly need an escort for here?

  "It's your first time in the palace, and you might get lost," she explained. "There are no servants here, so... That could be quite difficult for you."

  The girl stared at her.

  "Get lost? How could I do that among three trees and two bushes?"

  But Iliana's determination on this matter seemed unshakable. Remesis had to give in and yield to her. Especially since she had already started walking ahead of her without even waiting for an answer. The girl sighed and reluctantly followed.

  "What are you doing? Walk next to me. You're not a servant."

  "Alright..."

  Remesis had to quicken her pace to keep up with her. And with the girl's long legs, that became quite a difficult task.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Walking in silence was awkward, and Remesis, to distract herself, examined the mix of flowers and trees next to her. Iliana looked at her and unexpectedly asked a question: "What are you going to do?"

  "Hmm?"

  "I'm talking about your stay in the capital. This is a rather rare opportunity for you to come here, and I'm asking if you have any plans."

  Remesis frowned.

  "What plans? I'm here to participate in the work of the Council."

  "And what will you do on the other days?"

  "The other...?"

  "Well. You're here for at least two weeks."

  The girl abruptly stopped in the middle of the road.

  "What?!" she involuntarily cried out, and the birds sitting on the neighboring branches flew away.

  Iliana, watching her reaction, laughed.

  "Didn't you know?" she inquired curiously. "The Small Council is a rather lengthy event."

  "But I heard it only lasts three days!"

  "Formally — yes. But..." the girl coughed. "After each working day, there is a day for a break. So the session will last about a week. Besides, after the meeting ends, there will be a banquet at the palace which you absolutely must attend."

  After receiving this information, Remesis had a strong feeling she had been "tricked." Initially, setting off on a journey for just a couple of days, she hadn't planned for such a long delay. At the thought that Asil would be alone in the castle all this time, she got a bit nervous. Would she really be okay?

  "A banquet?" Remesis asked again. "Can't one ask to be excused from it?"

  "Of course not," the other objected. "All Council members must attend. It's the ceremonial closing of the event. I'm afraid there are no valid reasons for refusal."

  Remesis bit her lip. All her plans were disrupted by this unexpected turn of events.

  A shadow of dejection fell upon her face, and this did not escape Iliana's attentive gaze. When the girl became upset upon hearing the news, the order's heiress couldn't suppress a smirk.

  "Your Highness, honestly, you amaze me."

  "What?" Remesis lifted her head.

  "Many people dream, but will never in their lives be able to attend such an event... So why aren't you happy about it?"

  In Iliana's opinion, for a girl who had lived her whole life as an outcast, such a rare opportunity to go out into society should have been a real celebration. But Remesis only twisted her lips.

  What had been the greatest value in her previous life was now no more precious to her than dust under her feet.

  A banquet at the Imperial Palace? High society? The last thing the girl wanted was to see those hypocritical and ugly faces. In a world of beautiful decorations, where everyone played their assigned roles, she didn't want to take any part.

  "Because it's not for me," Remesis answered in simple words. "I'm not interested in social life."

  Hearing such an answer, Iliana's emerald eyes widened.

  "Are you serious...?"

  "Actually, the northern castle is much more beautiful than the imperial palace." "…"

  Needless to say, this statement was said more for effect. How could one compare the most majestic residence of the empire with a backwoods fortress? But Remesis suddenly felt the urge to say it. Perhaps this could be attributed to what people usually meant when they said there was nothing more beautiful than home.

  But Iliana, hearing something like this for the first time in her life, was puzzled. The spark of interest that flared up in her gaze grew a little stronger.

  "Princess Rania, you really are... A unique person," she remarked with a laugh.

  By then, they had passed through the garden and stopped at the threshold of the palace. Remesis hoped that at least she wouldn't go inside with her. But, fortunately, it was here that the girl intended to take her leave. She smiled, looking down at the little lady.

  "Have a good rest, Princess."

  "Thank you."

  As last time, before saying goodbye, she was about to touch her lips to her hand. And it happened so quickly that even if she had wanted to, the girl wouldn't have had time to prevent the action. But now Iliana unexpectedly stopped herself.

  Her gaze fell upon the ring that Remesis wore on her ring finger.

  A short pause ensued, during which the girl examined the jewelry with a frozen expression. The ring on Remesis's finger was so simple that even one button on Iliana's costume cost many times more. The order's heiress tensed at first, and then, as if understanding something, nodded.

  "It seems you and your wife have a good relationship," she remarked with a smile.

  "We get along," the girl confirmed.

  "In that case, I can congratulate you. In our world, a happy marriage is one of the most important values. It's just a pity not everyone is so lucky..."

  Remesis was silent for a moment, not quite understanding where this conversation was going.

  "I have no doubt that things will also go well for you and my sister," she finally assured her.

  Iliana smiled thinly. She let go of her hand without kissing it. Remesis breathed a sigh of relief.

  "In that case, see you tomorrow at the council. Until soon, Your Highness."

  Remesis nodded. She followed the girl's silhouette with her gaze until she soon disappeared behind the trees. Only then did she finally enter her palace.

  What Remesis hated most of all were people who liked to meddle in others' affairs. And Iliana Alseid, apparently, was one of them. At the thought that she would involuntarily have to spend the next two weeks in her company, the girl became dejected. "And why does she keep hovering around? Maybe it's some sophisticated way to humiliate me?"

  Although the cult head's heiress didn't seem like a person who would so overtly use her superiority over others, who knows? In any case, the girl couldn't find any other reasons for such ambiguous behavior. For Iliana, associating with a harbinger of misfortune, which Remesis was in the eyes of the entire empire, was not at all advantageous.

  Could it really be because she was Katrina's sister?

  In the end, this topic proved too troublesome for speculation. Remesis shook her head to drive away unnecessary thoughts. She began to inspect her new chambers.

  Inside, the palace was quite modest. There were only two large rooms here — a bedroom and a guest room. Many pieces of furniture were old and worn, and there was also no balcony like the other palaces. But having her own bed was enough.

  Since Hannes still hadn't returned from her errand, the girl decided to take a short nap. She lay down on the large bed, and in an instant, her eyes closed.

  Knock. Knock.

  But she wasn't allowed to rest properly. Only half an hour had passed when one of the chamberlains from the central palace arrived. This man was in the Emperor's service.

  "Your Highness, according to the rules, you must greet His Imperial Majesty upon arrival."

  Remesis, who had barely lifted her head from the pillow, muttered weakly:

  "Can't the meeting be postponed until tomorrow...? I've been on the road for almost two weeks and am very... very tired."

  The chamberlain was silent for quite a while.

  "Very well, I will convey your words to His Majesty."

  Remesis exhaled tensely. The servant looked at her with an impassive expression, but the girl understood his unspoken reproach even without that. After a long journey, she was tired, hungry, and irritated. However, insulting the Emperor by refusing was impossible. They would clearly not get away with that. Remesis, still standing with halfclosed eyes, was forced to say:

  "I will visit His Imperial Majesty. Just give me time to change."

  "Yes, Your Highness," he replied, already more relaxed.

  Remesis had to very quickly unpack her luggage and change into a somewhat decent outfit. And there were very few of them. After about ten minutes, she reappeared on the porch with obvious displeasure on her face.

  "Please follow me, Your Highness. I will escort you."

  Remesis followed the servant through countless courtyards, heading towards the central palace. Although the girl was still sleepy and hardly capable of contemplating the surrounding beauty, she noticed with the naked eye how, as they approached, the buildings became more and more luxurious and larger. After twenty minutes, Remesis felt as if she was in a completely different place.

  They walked and walked and walked.

  When they finally reached the inner domain, Remesis paused. It was midday, and many of the nobles invited to the palace were strolling around the grounds. The chamberlain, hearing the sudden cessation of steps behind him, also froze in place. At first, he didn't understand what was wrong until he noticed a stranger opposite them.

  Following etiquette, the chamberlain immediately bowed.

  "This servant greets the young Master Carter," he uttered respectfully.

  The fair-haired young man silently moved his lips. The gaze of his brown eyes fixed on the little girl.

  "Of course, who else could it be?"

  With an inscrutable expression, Remesis lifted the hem of her skirt and said cheerfully:

  "I greet you, elder brother. Long time no see."