In a lavish room, the dark purple curtains covered the sun’s warm light.

Green walls were decorated with golden patterns that resembled small flowers, in which was overflowed with different herbs on disorganized shelves, causing the entire room to smell with such different delightful aroma.

There lies a man, whose face was covered by a pile of books placed on top of his desk, flipping rapidly through every page of a book, In which he would read its contents in less than a minute.

The man paused and gave a groan as he touches his forehead, due to staying up all night reading the pile of books on his desk.

Faint footsteps were heard outside the room.

“Prince, Denver Achlys, of the Empire of Ephamour. The Imperial knight, Lancaster Farrimond, has requested your eminent presence.” The royal butler, outside the door, addressed loudly.

Denver directs his attention towards the wooden dark oak fancy door and abruptly shuts the book he was reading a moment ago.

“Let him in.”

The doors open, leaving a bright light and a dark unseen figure walking in, with his metal armor resonating some noise.

As the individual stops moving, he bows down, while the door slowly closes and the bright light gradually disappearing.

The individual’s dark auburn hair could be clearly seen.

“Greetings, your highness. I have come to report you some essential information regarding the recent events.”

“You may rise.” Denver spoke in a solemn tone.

Lancaster rose up, standing upright, showing his honey-colored skin and his grey eyes.

“Continue with your report.”

“As we do not know how the field of the Imperial’s violet spider lily bloomed this early, as your highness already know, it radiated and left traces of an extremely large scale of mana. But our troops did not find the exact user throughout the whole Imperial Palace.”

“And?” Denver spoke in a slightly displeased tone.

Lancaster paused and gave a dry cough, as he was hesitant to tell the situation to Denver.

“Well… our troops did not find anyone with the exact type of mana inside the Imperial Palace, but yesterday Clarkson Ardit found a rather suspicious individual outside the Imperial Palace, whose core radiated an insane amount of energy.”

“Outside? And so, are you suggesting that one of the aristocrats did this?”

“No. The individual was found in a normal local market area.”

Denver lingers for a moment before speaking again.

“How did Ardit find this individual?”

“About that…” Lancaster gave a long deep sigh of despair.

“Clarkson Ardit was assigned as a personal knight to the Crown Prince.”

Creeek!

Denver immediately stood up.

“Did he…” He halted, putting his palm on his face.

“The Crown Prince went out of the Imperial Palace without saying anything, surpassing the Imperial Knights in secrecy. Clarkson Ardit noticed the Crown Prince’s sudden disappearance and followed him briefly. He eventually found the Crown Prince, but in addition he discovered a little girl.”

“A little girl?” Denver asked in confusion.

“Yes. A little girl who emanated the exact type of mana and energy of the violet spider lilies that bloomed out of the blue in late spring."

Denver’s light purple eyes widen. He momentarily thought about asking whether Clarkson pursued the child, but he speculated that Clarkson went after the Crown Prince instead, who ran off from the Imperial Palace and had to return him safely.

After another moment of thinking, Denver finally gave his orders.

“Find that child and bring her here.

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If that child has anyone looking after her, bring them separately in the palace.

And no matter the circumstances, prevent them from meeting or interacting to each other until the investigation ends with a valid outcome.”

Lancaster listens intently to Denver’s orders and nods.

“That’s all for now, you may leave.”

Lancaster bows down to Denver, turns around and opens the door, bringing the bright light back in the room.

As Lancaster leaves the room, the door behind him closes slowly, but Denver’s appearance could be seen clearly due to the fleeting light, illuminating him and his desk.

It showed Denver’s green hair, light purple eyes, and his monocle, with his well dark green formal suit on.

As the light slowly decreased, the room was filled once again with darkness, aligning to Denver’s expressionless face.

-----

A few days has passed since I woke up not remembering a thing, and a lot of things has happened.

Like how sir Exios saved me and made me stay in his tavern, willing to help me, how I got lost outside and tried to search for sir Exios, but found a woman instead, who is a friend of sir Exios.

Also, sir Exios and I became pretty close.

He teaches me how to help him in the tavern, so i am proud to say that I can serve a food at a time and deliver them hardworkingly to each table, I can also make the drink that i like, which is iced tea.

Whenever we go out, sir Exios always makes me bring the large cotton bag, and sometimes when I like something from the open shops, I ask sir Exios to buy it for me and put it inside the bag.

The usual people who comes in the tavern recognizes me and greets me with my name, Liliana.

But sir Exios never called me by the name he gave me.

Instead he always called me ‘kiddo’.

Although, every morning when I wake up, I look at the windows beside the bed and just stare at the kids playing outside.

I have always wanted to play with them, and every time they play I unconsciously find myself smiling.

But of course, I didn’t want to bother sir Exios and get lost again.

And I wanted to help him In the tavern for all the help he has given me till now.

So I was satisfied by simply watching them play together.

As I was sitting down comfortably on a chair, I was drawing on a book in silence.

A book and a pencil that I bought, with sir Exios’s money, from an open shop, not the same open shop where I ran off out of embarrassment.

Next to the book there laid a glass half filled with iced tea.

Sir Exios was at the counter, organizing the supplies as always.

The Tavern always opened in the afternoon and closed late night, so no one was in the Tavern except for me and sir Exios.

It was midday, a time where it’s too early to open.

Creeeek

But the front door opened regardless.

A few steps was heard before stopping mid-way in the tavern.

“I’m here to bring the things you asked, and to pay you a visit.” It was the woman whom I met days ago.

The red-haired woman looked at my direction with her yellow eyes.

“Sigh, I can’t believe she is actually staying with you.”

I looked at her for a few seconds then bowed my head, greeting her.

“And I can’t believe you brought me the things I asked you, despite telling me that you were too busy to come here.” Sir Exios spoke looking at the woman, who was getting closer to the counter.

As she reached the counter, she gently pulled out some objects inside from her brown leather jacket.

“A tiny sack of magnolia, another sack of jasmine, 100g of red chili powder and an amulet.” She took out the last object, which was the same amulet that I had found in her tent.

“You could have brought me additional flowers but thank you nonetheless.” Sir Exios said as he examined the two tiny sacks.

“What are the flowers for anyway? You could have bought them from a flower shop.”

“I already asked around, but it was an empty search. Since you travel around the world, I guessed you might have these. Also, I am making several kinds of iced tea, it’s for the kid.” Sir Exios said as he put the two sacks and the red chili powder inside the container.

The woman paused for a moment and looked at me.

‘Sir Exios is making other types of iced tea?’ I thought happily.

“You still haven’t given her a name, that’s good I guess.”

“She has a name, it’s Liliana.” He said instantly after the woman spoke.

“Oh, don’t tell me you named her when I told you to.” She puts two of her fingers on her forehead.

Her face, who had an annoyed expression all this time, became more obvious as sir Exios spoke.

“Exactly.” Sir Exios was talking while analyzing the amulet.

“It’s called sarcasm.”

“Too late.” Sir Exios concealed the amulet with both of his hands for a few seconds, before revealing it on one of his hands.

He walked out of the counter and came to me.

He crouched down and placed the dull red amulet on my upper clothe.

Creeek

The door was opened again during closing hours.

“Hey Exios! I’m here with the kids, they are waiting for her outside.” A woman, whose voice was loud and deep, pepped through the front door, smiling from ear to ear.

I was confused to what she was saying and looked into sir Exios’s eyes.

“Go ahead, kid. You cannot always stay inside in the tavern helping me. You are always with me and it feels like I am forcing you.” Sir Exios laughed.

“You should also have fun with the other children outside. Do not worry about me and the tavern. As long as you have this amulet, everything will be all right.”

Sir Exios caressed my head and tilted his head, as a way of saying ‘go’.

My mouth was slightly open, and my eyes were filled sparkles.

Joy was shown on my face.

I stood up from the chair and started walking quickly to the front door, the woman made a way so that I could pass through.

I halted to look back at sir Exios, who was looking at me.

I smiled at him and turned back my way outside.

The woman closed the door behind me.

I stopped and looked at the kids in front of me, who were patiently waiting for me.

“Hey! What’s your name?” A girl with two braided brown hair came close to me, while her face beamed.

I waited for a few seconds, as I was flustered meeting them face to face.

They were the same kids who I kept seeing every day outside the bedroom windows.

“My name is Liliana.” I spoke softly.