"One sweet potato, please." I eye the menu board a few more times before my attention rests on the man before me whilst my hand ruffling my pocket to find my wallet. Taking it out, I hand him 2,300 zenes*.

"Alright. Be right on, Sir." The seller smiles, holding a hand up for us to wait before turning his head down.

I return the same gesture then glance sidelong. Mylene is looking around with great enthusiasm and the desire to participate the active market. Her mouth often stretches, one side remains straight and one curls up, creating a half-smile on her oval face. Her unbelievably long blond braid falls to her ankles with the messy tips stick out of her brown cloak. Her beautiful, yet dangerous eyes were hidden in the shadow that's cast by her hood.

I sigh at her carelessness and place a hand on her shoulder, grabbing her and pulling her close to me.

"Hey! Wait! What are you doing?" she yells out of surprise, staggering backward, her hood jumping.

"Your Highness, must I need to remind you the deal I would. You have to stick close to me," I hiss quietly.

She turns around and faces me with a dissatisfied pout, fixing her messed hood.

"I know," she groans. "It's just that it's so active today so I'm pretty hyper, you know." She grins widely and rotates around in her spot, spreading her arms wide open.

"In any case, you need to follow my orders. It was the deal when we went out. Otherwise, I won't take you out again."

Despite my advice, she ignores me. She has her eyes closed the entire time with a relax expression, enjoying the fresh air. Mylene takes in a deep breath while keeping a huge smile. "Mm! It's been such a long time since I'm chained in the castle that I almost forgot what 'fresh air' truly feels like! Sitting in a big room facing four walls every day is exhausting and boring, don't you agree?"

Hearing no reply, she peeks open an eye and narrows it at me. "But, you don't look so happy..."

For her saying so, she must has noticed my grumpy expression which I tried my best to conceal.

"Give me a good reason why I should be after I... watched you cruelly slaughter an animal and dirtied yourself," I reply bluntly. "If Her Grace knows what I did, I'll lose my position and become a vagrant. Or worse, my head will be hung on the wall before brunch."

"Why?" she asks, blinking her eyes innocently.

"You know why! She hates seeing you holding a weapon! She hates war, and weapons remind her of war!"

"But it's so unfair! Anybody can hold them, but not me!" She pouts.

"Because you're different. You're her little sister. She just doesn't want you to take the wrong path, and neither do I."

"...Or perhaps it's just because of who I am," Mylene says in a low voice, then inhales heavily at my lecture. "Look. I'm sorry that I stabbed that Dogeac. The soldiers were doubting while you fought because you protected me instead of letting me join the battle. I had to show them that I can do something."

"Even so... It isn't a Pri- a lady's duty. It's men's job. You could've given a signal or something for me to step in. I could explain to my subordinates later." Despite what she said, I keep staring at her agitatedly. I open my mouth, about to continue but is cut off.

"Here it is."

I turn around at the voice. The man spreads out his arm with a plastic rectangular bag and a smile on his face. The sweet, mouth-watering aroma of the baked potato mingles in the air. I gently receive the bag.

"Thank you." I blast my best, friendly smile.

And with that, he returns the same facial expression. "You're welcome, good Sir."

"Ah~"

Behind me, "Tanya" almost jumps up and down in excitement, spreading out her arms completely widely as her stomach growls in participation for a good breakfast. I smile and hand her the bag. She quickly snatches it, settles in a bench nearby, and begins her first bite within seconds.

"Nn! It's so delicious! I knew it! We should totally advertise this shop and have more people come here! A good baked potato like this should be announced to everyone!" She then opens one of her eyes and narrows at me. "You should eat, too, Elius!"

"It's fine. I already had breakfast." I say as I sit next to her.

"That early? I didn't know."

"Yeah, sometimes we have to do missions early in the morning so we have to always be prepared," I say as I narrow my eyes. Noticing her red eyes were slightly uncovered from the shadows of her hood, I come closer and adjust her hood. Giving her a halfhearted smile, I warn her again, "Be careful, My. They'll notice."

"My" is her nickname. It's easy to speak, but can be confused as "my" for those that aren't close to her. Many of her friends call her that, but some prefers to address her by her real name.

"I know," she says, nodding neglectfully, waving her hand as she dismisses my warning. "Geez. You're such a brooder, you know that? I thought that years of military training would toughen you up! Relax! I can totally take care of myself!"

"..." I sigh heavily. You're the last person I want to hear it from...

"But I like that about you cuz then you're so easy to pick on!"

"....." I sigh heavier this time.

She slams a hand on her chest while winking. "But don't worry! I'll protect you from big, bad bullies, starting with those so-called subordinates of yours!" She pouts before continuing, "Those bastards are the worst! They always call you 'weakling' and 'dumb' and pick on you all the time. Just because they're Magical Workers and have more education than you doesn't mean they can pick on a human, especially my knight. They don't deserve the honorable badge of the knight! Ugh, how dare they humiliate my family's name! And I know you're much more valuable than that, Elius-kun! After all, humans always fascinate me with their amazing inventions without even the use of magic!"

"My..." I'm so touched I can't speak a word.

"Hehe. With my authority, you'll be safe!" She smiles the brightest smile as she chews her food.

"Thank you, my lady. Your kindness deeply touched me," I say, smiling, "but I think I'll deal with them on my own. Just like you said, I need to toughen up. Starting with my colleagues."

"OK. If you're ever in need of help, come to your mama!" She slams her chest.

I laugh awkwardly.

"Anyway..." I grab the water container and give up it to her once she almost finishes the food. "Here, drink up. Be careful, though. Don't choke."

She nods and gleefully takes a large drink of the water. Once she pulls out, she sighs in satisfaction.

"Haa... So good.... Is this all there is for today?"

"Yes."

"Great! Then let's go to town again!"

"My! Don't look up like that! People will notice your eyes!"

But she quickly turns away and heads into a fortuitous direction, ignoring my warning. "Hehe, don't worry! They won't! It takes a good eye to notice them!"

I inhale and shake my head. Mylene doesn't know what a chaos her eyes would cause.

Out of all the five kingdoms, none has such eye colors like her except the Western kingdom, Druton, which is famous for its cruelty. And this girl here is the princess of this kingdom; Mylene De La Fontaine of Memor.

Memor is a kingdom located in the northwest between Prahan and Druton, almost close to being called in the center of the map. The Freezing Ocean blocks it ways at north, and the Sea of Memor divides the land in half at the south. Memor is well-known for its time magic and its effective sorcery to predict the future. It's friendly and welcoming to all, except one realm ー Druton, the kingdom where the dark races inhabit. The dark races are very easy to identify because all of them have one thing in common ー red eyes.

Druton and Memor have been hostile to each other for centuries. Even in the current time of peace, their hatred for one another never ceases to fade and would remain intact forever. It's so strong they should call it a tradition.

Memorians claimed that the dark race brings nothing but misfortune to their realm. One reason could be a prediction that was made long ago, which was brought from an oracle when the Queen asked about the corruption of the realm. The oracle predicted that the realm would corrupt one day when the first Drutonian steps upon Memor.

Thus, because this kingdom doesn't welcome folks with red eyes, if the news that the princess has red eyes leak through civilians, it would surely bring harm to the royalties.

I wouldn't want that to happen at all judging how much the people currently love the Queen. I look around at the happy faces of the citizens. The kingdom remains lively and peaceful all thanks to her. So of course, I wouldn't like to see a stranger pointing at the Queen and saying that she has been hiding a monster all this time.

ーーMylene is not a monster, no matter what eye color she has.

I furrow my eyebrows, releasing a heavy sigh. "You're always too uneventful. You must be careful. Memor doesn't welcome the dark race. If they find out about your eyes, I can't image how much dreadful consequences will pour on the realm," I warn her, gathering my weapons.

"Well, that's why I was sealed in the castle since birth. Trust me, it wasn't a pleasant experience at all. I won't let my physical trait stops me from exploring the world again." Mylene winks as she smirks mischievously. She averts her eyes away to view the busy street. "But you know, I really hate my eyes. They're the reason why I lost freedom. Yet, sometimes, I also blame other people. If everyone gets along, then children like me wouldn't be mistreated or prejudiced. I guess the world is really unfair, huh."

I watch her quietly, silently agreeing with her statement.

"Well!" Mylene suddenly raises her voice. "Catch me if you can!"

She hurriedly dashes into the busy crowd.

"My!" I yell her name and quickly run after her. "Wait up! You don't even know the streets!"

"Oh c'mon, Elius. I've had been exploring this place for months! Surely I can remember more names than you," she replies, rolling her eyes, although her face doesn't show that much of what she stated. Then she stops and looks back. "Hurry! I heard there's a play today."

ーーShe's always so adventurous.

I shake my head, following her reluctantly. "Coming!"

ーーBut perhaps that's what I like about her – her bravery.

Thinking this, I smile amusing.

* * *

The room is serene and still, filling with no more than the songs of the finches and the sigh of papers. A cherry desk that seems almost superfluous, since there's little to no paperwork to be seen. A deep burgundy leather desk chair, that reclines at an ample angle. There're only two small table lamps - one near the door atop a wicker table that clashes with the rest of the room's executive motif, and another on the cherry wood desk with a long brass pull-cord. The presence of overhead light casts shadows into the corners, spilling under the desk and over top the framed black-and-white pictures on the wall and the new bookshelves, perfectly outlining the oblique silhouette of the woman seated in the chair.

She's Acele De La Fontaine, the queen who lords this kingdom.

She's a beautiful young woman, despite her age. Dipped in silver, her long wavy hair falls neatly to her waist and is tied in a back-knot style with side-swept hair bang, radiating like a pure river under the sunlight. Come in pair, her captivating light blue eyes are absolutely lovely to gaze at for any men. On her fingers and neck are coated in priceless and sparkling jewelry, including the crown rest atop her oval head. In her hands are a few sheets of documents and a pen, dropping down softly on the white papers.

A knock at the door catches her attention. Although she doesn't stop, she slows down a bit.

The door opens. The clicking sound of footsteps enters and the door closes quietly. It's then that she drops her pen and untwists her fingers.

"Good morning, gentlemen. I apologize for disrupting your morning." Acele smiles, eyeing each of them, from the man stood on her right to the firm boy next to him.

A huge span in a difference of age, the older male is dressed in a formal butler suit with his golden-blonde hair in ponytail style rests on his board shoulder with a few strands dangling loosely. The boy, however, had only reached his early stage of maturity.

Her eyes move back to the elder, then she nods. "You may start explaining, Charlie."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Charlie clears his throat," As I said before, Mylene had snuck out of the castle again. It appeared that she left early in the morning when I haven't arrived at her chamber."

The boy crinkles and folds his arms. 

He appears to be in his late teen, around 19 years old. He has messy green hair with two long tresses of the bangs on each side falling past chin and ending at the nape of his neck. He wears a dark brown vest over a white dress shirt (the top two buttons unbuttoned), a golden chain hanging from his pocket and connected to the other side of the vest. One noticeable features would be his thick, rectangular dark glasses covering his sharp orange eyes along with that deep scowl of his.

Acele holds up her hand at his reaction.

"Please hear me out first. This isn't the only problem since it isn't the first time my sister snuck out of the castle. It is troublesome indeed, and should be stopped in any way. Nevertheless, this time, the situation is an emergency. Almost dangerous, to be outright. As I'm certain you all know about the news of the God Hermes's Successor's tragic demise for unknown causes this morning. Personally, I'm quite ambivalent. The Great Gacaea War had come to an end for seven months until now. We and our allies have been restored together smoothly, and then this incident happened. It seemed that there are some things that haven't been uncovered yet..." ー She turns to look at the boy with a small smile ー "So, for the meantime, I'd like you, Rupert, to watch over my sister and also inform this to Elius and Cody. I'm afraid they haven't known about this circumstance yet," she pauses, then adds, "I trust that you will carry out the task serenely and productively."

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Silence passes the room. Charlie and Acele stare at Rupert, awaiting his answer.

"It's always that troublemaker," he curses under his breath. Hands trembling slightly, Rupert inhales deeply and bows. "I beg your pardon."

Acele nods.

Opening the door, Rupert walks out, then closes it. The silence returns again.

Charlie stares at the door with pure confusion and turns to face Acele who in turn merely remains calm. Getting out no readable answer, he returns back to gaze at the closed wooden doors.

Pssssssssstaaaaaaa!!

Suddenly, the sound of smashing objects shatter the silent. Echoing screams of fractured vases, then terrified shrieks follow afterward quickly. Charlie jumps backward at the sudden uproar. Hands raising and eyes widening, he turns to stare at the queen again.

Acele simply smiles. With his mouth hangs open, he tremblingly points at the door. "Pardon me Your.... Your Majesty...."

"Yes?"

"What... What is that?!"

"Ah... He's simply taking out his anger. No need to mind about."

"N-no need to mind about!?"

Not long after, the great doors swing open. Rupert walks in with huffed breaths before he slams it close. Rupert grips his fists as he grits his teeth silently. After what seemingly of countless intakes of breaths, he speaks, "Ugh, fuck this... Hah...! Alright, got it. Just need to get the girl and Elius back. Nothing to get mad about.... Right."

"Very well. I appreciate your cooperation, Rupert." Acele nods.

"Tch."

Charlie's shocked. He turns towards Acele. "Your Majesty, pardon me but is it really safe to recruit him as your bodyguard?" He turns back to look at Rupert, who glares at him with his orange eyes before he knew it.

"Of course. I completely comprehend that he's a big deal to handle, but you should try to work with him, Charlie." Acele smiles. "You shall not judge one by their appearance. Sometimes, they are more than you think."

* * *

The breeze blows softly in our faces as we watch the parade. We had lost much time being here. I continually check the watch. Mylene, on the other hand, continues to cheer for the shows and hoots for the magic tricks. When the performer bows, the crowd give another roar as they stand up, clapping nonstop. I curse and force Mylene down. She lets out a yell.

"We need to go now. You also need to attend your lessons," I hush.

"Oh, come on! The show will end in 20 more minutes and it's starting to get excited!" she whines, furrowing her brows. "You won't leave me, right? Please?"

––20 more minutes, you say...

"My. The deal."

She chews the inside of her cheek and looks back. For me, it's plainly for lightheartedness; however, she's always fascinated by magic tricks done by people, claiming that humans are amazing at entertaining themselves in many ways. Regardless, I'm still responsible for her safety.

"My, we have to go now. Queen Acele will be mad if she finds out you sneak out longer than other days. She allowed you to go out because you always make it in time for the lessons and duties," I whisper, glancing around me to make sure nobody eavesdropped.

"Uuuggggghhh." After groaning loudly, Mylene finally sighs. "Okay, I understand..."

I nod and get up apprehensively and help her to get up. Rows after rows, the crowd uproar repeatedly, causing us to excuse ourselves as we pass through.

"All right, let's go back," I breathe after finally getting out of the busy crowd. Mylene still glances back often with disappointment. I stare at the parade not for long until I return back to business.

Walking for a while, we come across another market. Despite its small size, the materials are freshly polished and eye-catching with the burning aroma of grilled foods. Mylene suddenly leaves my side and runs ahead, her eyes catch something interesting.

"Eh? Hey! Wait up!" I chase after her.

Pushing through the timid crowd, I look around to find her. From two stores away, Mylene enters a small weapon shop. Trailing after her while calling her name, I push the brown silky curtain out of the way. The reeked smell of metal rusts my nose as soon as I enter. Surrounded by four walls of all sorts of weapons that were set orderly, the shop appears neat on the inside. The few lamps illuminate the room. There are several customers, many seem like hunters.

Looking around, I find Mylene standing at the bow section.

She hums as she examines them, sometimes rubbing the surface of the weapons.

The shop owner who stood nearby has his eyes on her. He smiles at her in curiosity. "Are you doing alright?"

Jumping at the sudden question, she glances at him slightly, fixing her hood. "A-ah, yes! I'm good!"

"Hm... You seem very interested in bows."

"Yes, I do."

"Not many people use bows anymore. It all depends on the first shot you make. You either injure the prey and gives it a chance to escape, or a critical hit and end its life right on the spot. Only the poor who hunts for a living buy the cheap ones." He inhales. "Do you hunt?"

"S-sometimes... I'm still practicing..."

"I see. Do you plan to buy one?"

She shakes her head. "Oh no, I'm just looking around. My sister doesn't allow me to hold a weapon. She doesn't like warfare and thus, weapons."

"Ah, I see..."

Mylene holds up a random bow and examines it, trailing her finger from top to bottom.

The shopkeeper chuckles. "That's an expensive one, Miss."

"Oh. No wonder it's so attractive," she says, testing its capability.

"Wanna give it a try? I have some poles in the back--"

However, I quickly cut in, "ーMy!"

Catching her attention, she turns to look at me with surprise. "Elius-san!"

"There you are!" I run up to her and pant heavily.

"Sorry, I forgot all about you," she apologizes, but quickly turns to the shopkeeper. "I was chatting with the shopkeeper. We were talking about bows. He was offering me to try this in the back." She gestures to the bow she's holding.

I look at the man, eyeing him.

As if sensing my doubt, he smiles. "Aye, good sir. I understand she can't buy them, but you see I like bows, too. I also have a daughter. She uses bows to hunt."

"Really? That's awesome!" Mylene beams and turns to me, her eyes sparkling excitedly like a puppy.

"My," I warn her.

"Elius-san! Pleaaaaase?"

"Come on, now...." I sigh and smile back at the shopkeeper, bowing. "Thank you for your offer but we're good. We have to go now."

"Eh...? That quick... But..." Mylene quickly looks disappointed.

I ignore her protest and grab her hand, pulling her to the exit.

Mylene looks back and waves to the shopkeeper hurriedly. "B-bye!"

At the corner of my vision, I see him waving back, a smile forming on his lips. "Come back any time."

Exiting from the shop, we resume back to walking back to the castle. With my hands still wrapped her arms, I pull her close to me. She doesn't complain, only sighing. "He was so nice..."

"I know..."

––But we can't accept his kindness...

"It's just that... we're different."

"I know," she suddenly smiles and looks at me. "At least I have you."

I smile back. "And I have you."

* * *

Standing in front of the gate, the two guards, but one stands firmly with straighten back, head tips downward to gaze at the stone stairs that lead to the green translucent forest beyond. The older man yawns. He would constantly utter, "Why the need to guard?" with no reply back.

The younger lad, standing across from him, however, is the only one that to take his work seriously. Short straight white hair smooths down to his neck with his wand in his hand, the blue magical crystal ball glimmers under the sunlight. It's strange for a boy to possess pink eyes like his, but strangely, they appear great on him.

With another yawn, the man says, "You know what? I'm going inside."

The boy finally averts his eyes to the man. "Excuse me? This is an important job."

"Whatever," Amon mutters in disgust, "you can't stop me, boy." He gulps down another sip of his water from his small container as he turns around.

The boy scowls and stands in his way, extending an arm.

The man frowns. "Get out of the way."

"I won't let you. We have to welcome Duke Lexington of Druton. He's visiting our realm. If we make a mistake, there will be a serious outcome. Queen Acele told us to stay putー"

He cuts him mid-sentence. "Queen Acele, Queen Acele, Queen Acele. Is that all in your mind, Cody? When did you become a dog to her?"

"...I'm not her dog. It's simply for the task." Cody pauses. "You've reeked of alcohol. How many did you drink last night?"

The man clicks his tongue. "I don't know. By the time I got home the bitch yelled at me... So probably more than four."

"You mean your wife," Cody corrects.

"She is not my wife. Never will be," he growls. "See, you don't understand me, do you? Of course not, because I've had never told you about my personal life! So don't meddle in my business, brat! Now get out of the way."

"No, it's wrong."

"What exactly is wrong? I'm just taking a break."

Cody sighs. "Look, Amon. Just go back to your spot, do your duty, then I'll help you out about your problem, okay? We can talk about it."

Refusing his offer, Amon pushes Cody aside. "I don't need help. All I need is my drinks."

Still stubbornly, Cody extends a hand to stop Amon again. "Wait, Amon! You must hear me outー"

"Actually, you're right."

A deep voice speaks from the dark entrance way, stopping the two males in their tracks.

Stepping out from the shadow, the man completely shades them. His short blonde hair quivers gently as a soft wind passes by.

With a smirk on his face, the man continues, "Congratulations, Amon!" ー he claps his hands ー "The Queen had assigned me to take your place! Isn't that great? Now you can go drink however you want!"

Amon's expression instantly lights up. "Really?"

"Of course."

"Sweet! Thanks, bro!" He pats the man's shoulder as he exits.

The door slams close. Still shocked at what just happened, Cody slowly follows his gaze to the stranger.

Merely smirking, the man passes him, his brown cloak flatters after him, displaying his swords armed by his sides, one's a saber and the other's a sword. Now that he exposes himself to the light, Cody is able to notice the white bandage that covered the man's right eye.

"I'm Derek," the man introduces himself.

"I... I'm Cody..."

"Cody? Sounds like Code. Like that tattoo you have on your face." Derek points beneath his left eye.

Cody sneers. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Excuse Amon away! Take his place! I almost succeeded to convince him!"

"Nah. You're wrong."

Cody cocks an eyebrow, daring him to repeat what he said. "What?"

"He was already fragile. No matter how much you try to help him, he won't accept it. I know a hopeless person when I see one."

"I still need to help him. He needs the money."

"Who cares? If he isn't up for the job, best to shoo him away rather than let him get in the way, right?"

Cody scowls, "I don't like the way you do things..."

"You don't have to." Derek shrugs and stares far into the forest. "By the way, what are we doing?"

"Eh? You... don't even know...?"

"Hey, if I do I wouldn't ask, right?" Derek retorts with a cocky smirk.

–– Is he really a replacement?

Thinking this, Cody replies anyway, "We are waiting for Duke Lexington who's from Bralulan to arrive and welcome him. He's visiting this kingdom. It's been a long time, though. He should be here 5 minutes ago." The young silver-haired boy realizes this and checks his watch.

"Oh, I see. He won't be coming then."

"? What?"

Cody looks up from his watch. However, a powerful impact suddenly makes contact with his stomach. He coughs and grunts then fall to the ground with a loud thud! his hands clutching his injury. As his consciousness quickly fades away, he moans, "You...!!"

"Hm? Oh, I'm just Derek," Derek replies proudly, a mischievous smirk replaces his straight mouth as if he already knew the boy was about to ask for his identity. "Assassin Derek, to be exact. And as for Duke Lexington, I killed him."

*zenes: 2,300 zenes = $2.45. The cheapest price that can be brought in this world is around 400 zenes (which can buy a small piece of candy) and up. An average annual salary (such as a mail deliverer) is 150,000 zenes. Zene is either in the form of bronze coin or paper money. Gold and silver are invested in technology and accessories or trading with other continents.