《The Last Lion Prince: Volume I Crimes and Deals》


 Prologue, The Night Before Everything

    PROLOGUE, THE NIGHT BEFORE EVERYTHING


    The Lion Emperor of Omenmia was dying, and everyone in the court knew it.


    During a grand royal gathering, Emperor Aulsman Sibelius fell ill and was escorted back to his chamber.


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    Rumors of his impending death spread like wildfire through the royal court. Whispers turned to plots as factions moved to secure the Throne of the Lion family.


    Summoning his son from the throne room, the emperor made his final call¡ªbut before the prince could arrive, someone else had already slipped into his chambers.


    It was already too late. A dagger had stabbed right into his heart.

 CHAPTER 1, I FAILED MY LEGACY

    CHAPTER 1, I FAILED MY LEGACY


    Luna, my precious Luna.


    She¡¯s still standing there, dagger in hand. Scared, but satisfied. A grin before death.


    I never thought I¡¯d live to see that face. Or maybe I did. Omenmia, after all, is a nation born from usurping another nation. The cycle was always going to turn. I just didn¡¯t expect it would be my beloved¡¯s hand that kept it spinning.


    My daughter¡­


    Is this what you truly seek? The throne? The power? Or was it just for my death?


    Funny, isn¡¯t it? I spent a lifetime building an empire, and yet here I am, unmade by the one thing I built the empire for: my own blood.


    This bleeding¡­ it feels strange. For a Shin master like me to bleed non-stop, bleed without end¡ªthere¡¯s something on that dagger. Something unnatural. Poison? Magem?


    Who is that witch standing beside her? This must be her doing. She tricked her. It has to be. My precious Luna would never do this alone.


    Is she from the Guild of Soul Seekers? It fits. That obscure cloak. Estin warned me¡ªwhispers of schemes to destabilize the Wizard High Council. But to infiltrate Omenmia itself first?


    Ah¡ª! It hurts.


    Blood spills from my mouth, warm and metallic. I can feel the poison lingering at the edges of my mind, dulling everything.


    The bleeding shows no sign of stopping. My control of Shin energy is fading, and I am flowing into the collective of Shin.


    My hand trembles as I raise it toward them. ¡°Why¡­?¡± My voice is fragile and weak.


    The witch steps closer, tilting her head as if I¡¯m nothing more than an experiment. ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t think this version of the serum is working,¡± she murmurs, studying me like a broken bowl. ¡°His energy flow¡­ it¡¯s losing its center.¡±


    She watches me bleed out like she¡¯s timing it. ¡°This is not working. We need master Elusive¡¯s knowledge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father. This has to be done. It¡¯s your fault for not giving me a chance,¡± Luna says.


    She is not crying but fazed by her own action. ¡°I cannot let you pass down the throne to Brother just because he is older. He is an idiot! He would ruin our legacy.¡±


    ¡°Luna¡­¡± I try to speak, but my body is already too far gone¡ªnumb, hollow, slipping beyond even regret. Maybe¡­ maybe she¡¯s right. Maybe I made the wrong choice, for trusting my own blood.


    Grant might be an idiot, but would breaking the family rule have been better? For thousands of years in Gustan, we never broke the rule. Not once. The rule protected our house from infighting. The eldest rules. That should be the way. Benna was already out of the picture, and the second on the list shall be Grant.


    Or maybe¡­


    It¡¯s my fault for letting her spend time with those Uxiospean princesses. Those Half-Celesus aliens, I never thought they¡¯d rise from seeking diplomatic asylums to becoming actual rivals.


    I still remember when Empress de Nova first came to us¡ª how pathetic she acted! Begging for our protection. And now, she¡¯s the ruler of one of the three strongest empires on the surface. An empire born without foundations¡­ and yet it thrives.


    Luna must¡¯ve seen that. Must¡¯ve felt that. The hunger, the possibility. I shouldn¡¯t have given Luna the chance to even think it was possible. She¡¯s always my favorite of the three children, smart and caring, and always knows the way to soothe my heart. Of course, she would think she deserves it.


    But she just stabbed me. Were all those just an act? Maybe being my favorite is just not enough. But working with the Guild, something I warned her about? Maybe she is not that smart after all. Or maybe she is the one that should lead Omenmia to his glory. I still don¡¯t believe I won¡¯t be able to see a unified Gustan, a true Omenmia.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go. Prince Grant is coming,¡± the witch says.


    ¡°Goodbye, Father.¡±


    I use my last breath to call out to her again as the witch summoning magic circumancy. ¡°LUNA!¡±


    Teleportation, I recognize the blue aura of that hex, Unidnian magic¡­ Did the Guild already take over the Wizard High Council? Or are they working with the Uxiospean? No, it couldn¡¯t be. They are more anti-Guild than us. But what does it matter? My fate is already decided.


    The dagger is still here. Why?


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    BANG! Grant is here. I called him an hour ago. He is late again. He must be gambling with Colonel. ¡°Father! I was trying to bring Luna here as well, but she was not¡­¡± he says while crashing into the throne room.


    His face twists in shock.


    ¡°Father! What happened?¡±


    He rushes to me without a second thought. He touches me and tries to hold me up. ¡°Father! What is happening? Did you fight against someone? Where is the assassin? I should have brought Luna here, too. Father, I am here.¡±


    Ah, yeah, he is the dumb one in the family. He already ruined the crime scene. After all these years of prince training, he never paid attention. At least he knows I¡¯m dying. At least he cares about my death.


    His personal maid, Felicia, is also here, a blond woman seeing the death of the Emperor, but still unfazed, a perfect ¡°shadow soldier¡± created by my trusted Lord Protector, Estin. Soldiers like her never talk. They are mindless, like Estin said.


    I can feel some of my energy flowing to her.


    I remember Estin told me years ago that they were a bunch of orphans, collected through the Civil War, all emotionally hurt and numb.


    ¡°As you told me before, a simple-minded person is best suited for Shin training.¡± Estin continued, ¡°I used magic circumancies to suppress these broken minds, reaching the ¡®No Self¡¯ state of mind. The result is phenomenal. After training for five years, they all reach energy rank around three of Shin mastery as kids.¡±


    I noticed there were no visible circumancies on these soldiers. I asked, ¡°Is the effect long-term?¡±


    ¡°Great insight, Your Grace.¡± Estin smiled for the question. ¡°All the circumancies are hidden within their bodies, on the organs.¡±


    ¡°Impressive,¡± I replied. From my knowledge, Estin was formerly a Guild of Soul Seekers member who betrayed them to work for me.


    Estin tried to save my first daughter, Benna¡¯s life. She was hurt by a demon lord who kidnapped Grant. The result was somewhat similar to the shadow soldiers. Instead of punishing them, I¡¯ve been intrigued by how powerful my daughter had become. I sponsored this experiment to continue.


    Am I too heartless to other humans? Is this what brings my downfall?


    We¡¯re at war. There¡¯s nothing unfair if it was for the nation.


    ¡°With enough of them, no enemies can stand against us anymore.¡± Estin was proud of their work. They continued, ¡°No matter if it is the Shen Zhun Empire or the Uxiospean Empire, they will all fall behind us.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep one of them for Grant. He stumbled on Shin training.¡± I sighed. ¡°I thought simple-minded people were supposed to be proficient at it.¡±


    I paused for a few seconds and said, ¡°He will need better protection in the future.¡±


    ¡°As your wish, Your Grace,¡± Estin replied.


    Felicia still doesn¡¯t flinch, even with my blood dripping at her feet. No words. No fear. Just watching, waiting, like a weapon without a sheath.


    ¡°Father, why is your blood glowing? Is this some protection hex?¡± Grant¡¯s question interrupts my self-loathing. What hex is this? How many circumancies have been secretly enchanted within my throne room?


    This must have been planned for a while.


    The glow links to the dagger. A circumancy turns on around the dagger, summoning it. Then it flies straight into Grant¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Grant asks. ¡°Father, are you trying to tell me something?¡±


    The Inspector Sector arrives as well, with their leader, my sister, Ovivica Sibelius.


    ¡°Prince Grant killed the Emperor!¡± Gustaff, Vivi¡¯s second-in-command, yells. His red eyes react in anger.


    A young man from the ghetto, he was personally raised up by my sister. I can always tell he holds animosity toward Grant, either because Grant is incompetent or because he just hates nobles, a useful lapdog. His eyes are always sharp when he investigates court scandals.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t me,¡± Grant explains fiercely.


    ¡°Then why are you holding the knife, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a setup! Yes, it¡¯s a setup!¡± Grant yells.


    For once, his instincts aren¡¯t clouded by arrogance. A fleeting triumph, perhaps, but even fools stumble upon the truth.


    I turn my fading attention to Felicia. She stands firm in her defense stance, bracing herself to stop them. Such a loyal servant¡­ Admirable, indeed. I feel her pulling in Shin energy, gathering strength for the incoming battle.


    But why¡­ why does it feel like she¡¯s also draining mine?


    Is it because I¡¯m dying that my energy is fading?


    ¡°You¡¯re such a lousy liar.¡± Vivi sneers, her voice slicing through the tension. ¡°I never thought highly of you, but Grant¡ªthis is just pathetic. You killed your father for that island? Do you really want that war?¡±


    ¡°No! I didn¡¯t do it!¡± Grant shouts back.


    ¡°Arrest him!¡± Vivi¡¯s command is cold and sharp.


    ¡°As your wish,¡± Gustaff replies, his grin spreading, disturbingly wide, disturbingly pleased.


    That¡¯s when I saw it. A flicker in Grant¡¯s eyes, his mind racing to connect the dots, to grasp at some version of the truth. ¡°It was you, Aunt Ovivica,¡± he blurts. ¡°You always hated me. You¡¯re trying to take the throne for yourself!¡±


    As expected, it¡¯s a wrong conclusion but with a certain accuracy. Why can¡¯t you ever assess the situation properly? I sigh at heart as they seize him. My idiot son, cuffed by his own incompetence.


    Then it happens¡ªa sudden tug. A second, a faint force dragged me out of my body. Felicia¡¯s Shin mastery.


    My consciousness¡­ It¡¯s still here. Still flickering. There¡¯s a chance. If she is as mindless as suggested, I could¡ªno, I will¡ªtake over. When she absorbs my Shin, I¡¯ll ride the current straight into her.


    Maybe I am not done.


    I focus, pushing what remains of my energy toward Felicia. It feels like flying¡ªweightless, fleeting¡ªlike a dying bird¡¯s last desperate flight.


    Then¡ªa jolt.


    A violent suction, an energy blast, rips through me. And everything goes dark.


    Did it work?


    Or this is death?


    I drift in emptiness¡ªnobody, no pain, just hollow silence.


    Is this the end?


    What a death!


    Betrayed by Luna. Grant, framed and too blind to see past his bias, but I didn¡¯t see it either. Like father like son. My legacy¡ªreduced to ash.


    I led armies and conquered kingdoms¡­ but couldn¡¯t rule my own home. Couldn¡¯t protect the empire my father built. What a life!

 PREFACE MESSAGE, TO READERS

    PREFACE MESSAGE, TO READERS


    Oh, hello there.


    I am the Lord of Chronicles. A demon lord.


    And before you start panicking¡ªno, I¡¯m not here to devour your soul.


    My job is much more boring:


    I keep history.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    There was a time they called me the Lord of Pain¡ªa fitting title, back when I ruled among the seven demon houses.


    But those days are behind me.


    Now, I stand as a neutral historian.


    A collector of voices.


    A keeper of Valantasia¡¯s past.


    Through magic, I have gathered echoes of the past¡ªmemories, whispers, truths and half-truths, like the one you just saw.


    My duty is to shape them into something that resembles a story worth remembering.


    Because my world is dying.


    And if no one preserves our history, we will vanish¡ªas if we never existed at all.


    What follows is an oral history of one of Valantasia¡¯s most fabled figures¡ªthe prince who shaped the fate of Valantasia, the Prince of Omenmia.


    Listen well.


    And please¡ª


    Continue and enjoy.

 CHAPTER 2, A NEW DAY

    CHAPTER 2, A NEW DAY


    ¡°Please wake up, Your Grace!¡± A woman says, reverb.


    I sit up to see what happened and try to pull my sword. My sword is gone. Wait, wasn¡¯t I dead?


    I scan through my body. There¡¯s no mistake I¡¯m in a woman¡¯s body. Last night¡¯s attempt worked. So this is Felicia¡¯s body. The dark blond hair color matches hers. This is the most probable explanation.


    Wait, who is the woman that woke me up? I assess my surroundings, but I can¡¯t find a woman in the cell with me. Am I dreaming?


    There¡¯s a golden blond man at the corner. Those clothes¡­ It¡¯s Grant, still sleeping. How does he sleep so soundly after last night¡¯s chaos? Perhaps ignorance is his greatest armor¡ªor his gravest flaw.


    I walk up to him to wake him up. As I open my mouth, a sudden feeling of emptiness strikes me, like thousands of hands pulling my voice back. I cannot speak!


    Why? I try to speak again. The same feeling strikes again. I cannot voice out anything. No sound, no breath of command. Only silence, cold and hollow, pressing against my throat like an invisible hand. I¡¯m muted!


    I touch my throat and try to force any sound out. All it did is make me cough. Even my cough has no sound except for the slight air friction. This is caused by magic hex. Does this mean that shadow soldiers are quiet because they are magically muted, not because they are mindless?


    The thought of myself agreeing for this to be done to my daughter Benna and all those orphans comes to me. A disgusting feeling rises up. I hold my mouth to avoid anything coming out.


    Calm down! What has been done is already done. I cannot change that.


    If this is what happened after last night, Grant is in trouble. He needs help. Colonel Gao won¡¯t be able to turn the tide. I just demoted Secretary Baz out of the court. He can¡¯t do anything, either. Did I force Grant into this corner?


    Who can I still trust if even Estin lied to me about Shadow soldiers? I can¡¯t believe I married Benna to Estin. Estin was always obsessed with Benna. There may be a chance they are loyal to me because Benna is my daughter.


    Did I let a monster into my court? And now my daughter is going to lead another group of monsters into the court. The only way to stop this country from falling is to get Grant back onto the court with my guidance. Can I even do that as a mute?


    I turn to Grant with concern and realize he is smiling.


    ¡°Good¡­ wine¡­ Hehehe¡­¡± he murmurs. Is he drunk? His face¡¯s red, and his breath stinks.


    I check outside the cell only to find a drunk guard, a blond woman holding bottles of wine. Did she always feed prisoners with wine and get drunk on duty? Who is this imbecile? How dare you humiliate my country?


    I crash toward the guard and attempt to yell at her. This is a disgrace! Wake up! Of course, no sound at all.


    This frustrates me. I hit the bar, trying to wake her up.


    Unfortunately, the other prisoners wake up first. A ramble of people waking up in bad moods spreads through the cells like a disease.


    ¡°Be quiet! I¡®m still sobering,¡± the prisoner whines.


    Wine for all prisoners? This is how empires crumble¡ªnot with war but with incompetence. How long has this been happening under my nose?


    ¡°Huh¡­ Grant, I don¡¯t have any¡­ more here¡­¡± the drunk guard mumbles.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­ Benica¡­¡± Grant replies. Both are still drunk.


    I look at Grant¡¯s smiling face. Disappointment! I cannot contain my anger. I scream but in silence. Then, I kick toward him in frustration. A streak of energy stops me from doing that. I feel like I¡¯m struck by lightning and fall to the ground. Is this another protection circumancy for royalties?


    I¡¯m paralyzed.


    The shock spreads through my body.


    After a few moments, I eventually gained back my control. I sit up again and meditate.


    I thought this body would be a perfect host, a body already trained in Shin, but this is too many restrictions. I need to break these hexes so I can guide Grant and lead Omenmia back to greatness. How can I know which one? I need Estin.


    I try to concentrate on Shin, but there is something blocking my energy flow. The magem shackles.


    Five years ago, when the three princesses of Uxiospea came to the celebration of the end of the Civil War of Gustan. Their ethereal appearances and pointed ears astonished the younger court officials. It was quite an amusing scene to witness. I already met their mother before, I knew their beauty was not even on par with hers.


    They came to present those shackles to the court.


    ¡°Your Grace,¡± the white-haired princess Titania said. She was the oldest of the three. Not the most astonishing looking, but the smartest.


    I remember seeing the twin babies in now Empress de Nova¡¯s refugee camp. Maybe I should have proposed to the empress when I first met her. Then, my empire would still be in good care.


    ¡°I believe you still remember the infamous reaper Yang Si Na who caused the Civil War years ago,¡± she continues.


    ¡°I did.¡± It was a bit of an exaggeration, but I¡¯d let it slip.


    ¡°Shin masters¡¯ containment has been a problem for all nations throughout decades. Normal prison cannot hold against their martial strength.¡± She continued, ¡°And there is no guarantee that a Shin master will always work within the boundary of laws.¡±


    The court officials all seemed to agree, especially Vivi. After all these war years, this might be the first I saw her smile again. She had been trying to round up some Shin master rebels, only ended up with their escape.


    Titania continued, ¡°With Shin mastery becomes more and more common across the globe. We need a better solution. This is why we want to present our invention to you, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°Why do we need that? Just execute them like we always did. Prisons are for commoners,¡± Grant interrupted her.


    ¡°Prince Grant, not all crimes deserve capital punishment,¡± the twin white-haired princess, ¨¦ponine, replied.


    Her sapphire eyes were sharp and cold.


    ¡°Then they shouldn¡¯t have escaped,¡± Grant argued.


    ¡°Prince Grant, not all of them will escape.¡±


    ¡°Then just execute the one that escaped. You Salamandian have no wits,¡± Grant taunted.


    ¡°Our hex-enhanced magem shackles can block Shin masters from opening their energy portals,¡± Titania continued as if Grant didn¡¯t matter.


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    ¡°We, Omenmia, don¡¯t need your inventions! We are greater than you,¡± Grant bragged.


    ¡°Then why is your city so full of underground Shin mobs? Too great to handle them?¡± the only silver-blond princess, Ellina, argued back. Her presence was the strongest. The elegant emerald eyes. The stable energy flow. A master of Shin. Furthermore, she had gained more beauty from her mother than all the other two.


    ¡°Ellina!¡± Titania tried to stop her.


    She was not wrong. We could not just execute every suspect with Shin mastery. We also could not execute every Shin master who broke from the jail. We would destroy our foundation as a society.


    There are already too many deaths during the war. I need the country to heal before enforcing strict laws. This had been an issue on my mind since I succeeded to the throne. My only solution was to send them to the front line.


    ¡°You think we cannot do that? I¡¯ll show you what we can do.¡± Grant got angry and picked out his rifle. It¡¯s gold-gilded with a big lion sigil. House Sibelius¡¯s sigil. Magem glowed as he turned it on. Fully-charged


    ¡°Interesting, Lion Prince. You¡¯re using a design from our Uxiospean forge,¡± Ellina continued to taunt.


    Grant was embarrassed for bragging so much and not realizing he had been using their invention. I could see Luna smile awkwardly. Now that I think about it, this proves her point, too.


    ¡°Brother, let¡¯s just let them finish,¡± Luna tried to mediate.


    ¡°And let them humiliate us?¡± Grant argued fiercely. He turned back to Ellina. ¡°I can defeat you easily without a magem rifle.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I¡¯d love to see you try, the great Lion Prince,¡± Ellina taunted back.


    Grant was physically fit and agile, but his Shin mastery was just embarrassing. He might see Ellina as just a slim woman, without considering she was a Shin master.


    He dropped his rifle and got ready to dash toward her.


    ¡°Stop,¡± I finally paused the fiasco.


    As amusing as it might have been, based on my knowledge, he would lose miserably. Princess Ellina was the youngest of the three but the strongest in Shin mastery. She even received the title Warrior Princess of the West when she was just fifteen years old. She was eighteen during the visit. One year younger than Grant.


    If she got serious, Grant might die or suffer badly. Maybe that would make Luna feel better, and I would still be alive in my old body. Nothing to reminisce on; after all, we couldn¡¯t change the past.


    I accepted Uxiospean¡¯s offer in the end. After the shackles were imported, most of the Shin masters were jailed again. Our country then started to heal again and got ready for the next conquest.


    But what should I do now? I¡¯m not strong enough to break it, nor am I knowledgeable enough to bypass it.


    I turn back to Grant, who is still sleeping. I remember when his mother passed away due to obstructed labor. I spent time sleeping with Grant and Benna to calm them down.


    ¡°I love you, Father,¡± Grant would always say.


    Since the Civil War started, I never really had enough time with my children. Benna sacrificed to save Grant. Grant grew up to be incompetent. Luna worked with someone with ill intent. I failed them once. I will not fail them this time.


    I move closer to Grant to shake him up. He slowly opens his eyes to look.


    ¡°Felicia?¡±


    He looks around and gains his memory back. He hugs me suddenly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Felicia. I¡¯m not a good master, but I will get us out and prove my innocence.¡±


    His sincerity toward a mere servant catches me off guard. Is that how he is to others? I only ever saw him as an arrogant brute.


    Grant stands up and throws a wine bottle next to the guard to wake her up.


    The sudden sound blasting next to her ear wakes her up in terror.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know where they go!¡± she yells as if this is the default response.


    ¡°Benica,¡± Grant calls.


    ¡°Oh, right. Grant?¡±


    ¡°Quick, get me out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± she responds, opening the cell gate, and unlocking my shackles.


    I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m impressed by the fact that Grant successfully convinced a guard or shocked by how incompetent the guard is.


    ¡°Right, I forgot to introduce you two. Benica, this is my loyal servant, Felicia. Felicia, this is Benica, my cousin¡ªthe warden.¡±


    Benica wobbles slightly, giving me a sloppy wave with a wine bottle still in hand. I narrow my eyes. Cousin? Warden? Grant, you witless fool. I know the bloodlines of this empire better than I know my own heartbeat. She is no cousin of ours.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Grant orders.


    We move out toward the entrance with ease. Where are the guards? We open the door and what we see explains everything and also it doesn¡¯t!


    We see Baz, the demoted secretary, two young women, and all the defeated guards.


    The first woman with purple hair is Sharon, the merchant¡¯s daughter who had been at Grant¡¯s side for years, always making sure he wasn¡¯t completely useless¡ªwithout her, he¡¯d probably never have even held a gun.


    She has a special condition that her pupils are in different colors, green and yellow. People always joke about her eyes give her the ability to be a sharpshooter. Some guards here were taken down by her magem pistol.


    And a white-haired girl¡­ who? She looks so clueless, but it is apparent that most of the guards are defeated by her with just her hands. She has so much blood on her hand. Who is she to Grant? I never knew of her existence.


    Both Baz and Sharon see Grant immediately, eyes swelling.


    Baz sees Grant, and without a doubt, he hugs him. Sharon joins their circle of hugs right after.


    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m fine, Baz. Why are you here? And why did you bring Sharon here?¡±


    ¡°Relax, Grant. You boys are always making a mess, who else can fix your problem other than me,¡± Sharon says with joy.


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to rescue you. But why are you out already?¡±


    ¡°My cousin helped me.¡± He points to Benica. ¡°I¡¯m innocent anyway.¡±


    ¡°Cousin?¡± Baz asks.


    A guard tries to crawl toward the alarm. The white-haired girl quickly dashes over and snaps his arm.


    ¡°Bugs,¡± she says.


    ¡°Mop! Don¡¯t kill them!¡± Baz yells.


    Sharon looks away from the blood, disgusted.


    ¡°The sky is not blue!¡± Mop the white-haired girl answers like we are talking about something else while her head turns to the sky.


    Where did they find this girl? I wouldn¡¯t think Baz goes this far to recruit a maniac. Well, he got demoted for being disillusioned by a prophecy¡ªthe end of Omenmia. Wait, based on what has occurred recently, it might be true. I shouldn¡¯t have ignored the sign.


    As I am observing the scene, Mop notices me and comes to hold my hand in quiet. She is struggling to clean up the blood on herself, especially her hair.


    I didn¡¯t give too much thought to that, except that some blood on her hand is now on me, too.


    ¡°Anyway, Your Highness, we have to go now. Colonel Gao has prepared a carriage for your escape,¡± Baz says urgently.


    ¡°Why am I escaping?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Baz asks, worried.


    ¡°This is my country. Why should I escape?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Grant, we need to go now. Gustaff¡¯s people will be here any minute,¡± Sharon counters.


    ¡°Your Highness, we need time to regroup to prove your innocence. You cannot just stay here. Ovivica will execute you.¡±


    ¡°That evil old woman, I knew she was up to no good.¡±


    Why are you so sure that it was her? I would have asked if I could.


    ¡°We have to go,¡± Baz insists.


    ¡°No, tell Gao to gather the army. We¡¯ll take back the throne for our family.¡±


    ¡°Grant, I don¡¯t think that will work,¡± Sharon replies.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°They already swore allegiance to the new empress,¡± Sharon says.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to kill her now!¡±


    ¡°Ovivica¡¯s not the empress,¡± Baz says.


    ¡°Then who?¡±


    ¡°It was Princess Luna who took the throne,¡± Sharon says.


    Grant is shocked.


    ¡°Luna¡­?¡±


    He loves Luna, but losing the throne to her because of a scheme definitely hurts him more.


    ¡°But¡­ the throne¡­¡± Grant¡¯s voice cracks, softer than I¡¯ve ever heard it. His fists clench, trembling with rage rather than grief. ¡°It¡¯s her¡­ Ovivica. She¡¯s behind this. Luna¡ªLuna¡¯s just being used. She¡¯d never do this on her own.¡±


    The trembling takes over his body.


    ¡°She¡¯s too smart to be tricked, but¡­ she¡¯s not like that. She loves me. Ovivica poisoned her mind. She¡¯s the real traitor!¡± His voice grows louder, more brittle with every word as if volume alone could distract the doubt from creeping into his heart.


    I grab his collar¡ªnot gently¡ªand yank him toward me. His wide, tear-filled eyes meet mine. I need to tell him it¡¯s not Ovivica.


    I open my mouth, but there¡¯s still nothing. Just empty air. So I do the only thing left¡ªI pull him into my arms. I shake my head slowly to tell him: ¡°No.¡±


    I really want to tell him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my son.¡± However, all I can do is pat his back while he is crying.


    For a second, he stiffens like he¡¯s too proud to accept it. Then he breaks, his grip tightening around me. ¡°Father, I failed you,¡± Grant sobs, tears soaking through my clothes.


    Even though he is not talking to me¡ªFelicia, but the already dead Aulsman, I want him to know: No, my son. It¡¯s I who failed you.


    After he finally settles down, he lets go of me. I give him a firm nod, and he turns to Baz and Sharon again. ¡°We shall go. For Omenmia.¡±