"How did the meeting go?" asked Kroghan as the princess left the room. She shook her head, indicating that it wasn't a good place to discuss matters. One by one, the officials and ministers left the meeting hall, and the Vice-Captain noticed a few curious looks in his direction.

He followed Cornelia down the hallway. When they were a certain distance from the meeting hall, she said, "Not good. The Tower has raised the dues once again. Their agricultural production costs are like they were made of gold. And with strained relations with the Anatolians, the decrease in metal imports endangers our security."

"But we should still be able to endure until the next Draw. When we move to a new territory, most of the problems will be bearable at worst."

"If we move to new territory."

Kroghan coughed at the princess's categorical words. Before he would try to reassure her, but the third term in the West territory took its toll on the kingdom. Droughts led to increased prices for food. Many farmers went bankrupt, and refugee camps began to grow around the capital one after another. Repeated earthquakes drained resources for rebuilding roads and houses. And as if that wasn't enough, dry, dusty winds from arid lands beyond the wall kept people constantly on edge. Under these circumstances, the Tower's response to everything - "ordeals are sent from heaven for people to overcome" - led to people's anger seething and breaking out into street fights and arguments among families and friends.

"Don't make such a face," the princess' voice interrupted Kroghan's heavy thoughts. "We are thinking about ways to ease the crisis. I have a proposal in mind, but it currently has a controversial reaction..."

While she probably meant a reaction from her closest supporters, like Lord Parnell and the Minister of Agriculture, Kroghan wanted to ask what the proposal was about. But Cornelia raised her hand to stop him. From the end of the hallway, the crown prince walked towards them. And he was not alone - he led a young woman.

"I see you've returned from Fuego, brother," said Cornelia, glancing at the woman. She was a beautiful blonde with beige skin and big, yellowish-green eyes. Her clothes were neat but simple, with no jewelry apart from a pair of small stud earrings. This was quite different from the usual look of César's mistress. The woman greeted the princess with courtesy, and Cornelia decided not to emphasize attention on her. "How is the royal family?"

"Grieving, as you are already aware," the prince's reply was curt, but at least without the usual mockery. "I've heard you've been quite busy recently. Congratulations on the cancellation of your engagement."

"César," said his companion, with a reproach in her voice.

The way her brother pursed his lips and looked apologetically at the woman made Cornelia raise her eyebrows. "I see you are already on a first-name basis."

César stepped forward, partly hiding the woman behind his back. He leaned over his sister and whispered, "That's none of your business. Don't you dare approach Catharina and wag your tongue. Mark my words; I'll make you pay if anything happens to her." The prince returned to his companion without sparing a look at Cornelia or waiting for her answer. With a smile, César announced to the woman beside him: "I'll show you to your room. You must be exhausted from the journey."

The vice-captain stepped aside, making way for the prince and his companion. When they walked away, he said in a low voice, "That's surprising. Judging by her looks and manner, she is a commoner. Maybe this time it's serious."

Cornelia just shrugged at his assumption. The personal life of her brother was not on the list of things she kept a close eye on. What was more troubling was the situation of her niece. Without a father in her life, and with her mother becoming more and more indifferent, Claudia's childhood had grim prospects. 'But when I tried to visit Olive, she threw a fit, accusing me of using her daughter to gain weight.'

Parting ways with Kroghan, the princess headed to a place she preferred to visit alone. The guards at the gates of the Lazaretto greeted her half-heartedly. No one questioned her visit, and no one was pleased with it either.

The grass in the yard was cut short. Under a large honey locust tree, a pair of Magic Snatchers was resting. Cornelia sighed. Those two were particularly not fond of her. She approached them, nevertheless. And while Nico was too absorbed in the book he was reading, the chubby girl lying on the grass with her eyes closed seemed to be asleep. Or at least pretending to be so.

The young man with russet brown skin turned the page and only then did he notice the princess standing before him. He raised his gaze. The brown eyes lost all interest that the book inspired.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Your Highness, you are indeed extremely stubborn."

Cornelia crossed her arms on her chest. "And good day to you too. I'm not sure I understand your remark, but it's not important now. I have a favor to ask."

Nico's face turned sour. He looked at the open book once again, as if it could be a way for him to escape from the royal presence. "You do realize that it will be an order, not a favor, if I cannot refuse it."

"I don't know. I didn't get clear conditions for how your seals work," Cornelia glanced at Elke, but the girl's eyes were closed, and her breathing was steady.

"Why don't you ask your father?" scoffed the young man. "I'm sure he would be more than happy to enlighten you on how the ring of obedience works."

"So it's a ring, I see." The princess' remark made Nico cover his eyes with his hand. She didn't dwell on his blunder and instead asked, "What do you think about an unlimited pass to the Grand Library of Castro?"

Cornelia's question made the young man close the book he was reading. "Are you trying to bribe me, Your Highness?"

"I just want to give you a chance to read something new. But if you don't like the idea, let's consider that your refusal to help, and I won't bother you further."

She tried to sound as indifferent as she could. Talking to the Magic Snatchers required a lot of attentiveness to avoid triggering the conditions of the seal, which were still too vague for her. But the reward was too tempting to refuse. Nico gave in quickly.

"Fine. What do I need to do? No, wait," he shook his head. The princess thought he was going to change his mind, but Nico said, "Don't ask to kill anyone."

The request made Cornelia smile. 'This was unexpected. Why would I ask for this?'

"I won't, don't worry," assured she the young man. "I want to appoint you as guard for my niece."

Her words surprised not only Nico. Elke, who seemed to have woken up some time ago, rose from the grass and asked, "Why does a child need a guard?" Both Nico and the princess looked at the girl, who was trying to avoid involvement by pretending to be asleep. Their gazes made her add, "Your Highness..."

It was strange from the perspective of a normal person, but not from that of royalty who grew up in a palace. Cornelia tried to explain, without giving too many details about the current political situation: "Claudia's parents are too busy to pay attention to her. But servants and nannies can come and go and change their attitudes as well. It would be good if she had someone permanent around her, especially someone trustworthy. And knowing your attitude towards royalty, I believe you won't spoil her either."

The Magic Snatchers were silent, exchanging glances. It wasn't clear if the explanation was not enough, or they simply didn't like her idea. While waiting for some kind of reply, Cornelia asked another question, "Have any of you ever met your parents?"

Nico shrugged. The opportunity to delay his answer regarding the assignment made the young man relax. "Well, to be honest, there is no one to meet. Human parents are usually convicts who receive the death penalty."

"What about nymphs? Do you not want to see your mothers?"

The question made both Magic Snatchers go silent again. Moreover, they lowered their gaze, avoiding looking at the princess. It did not feel like regular annoyance. Elke began to fiddle with the sleeve of her olive uniform.

"...Nothing good will come of this," the girl finally said. "Sieg met with his mother, when he was a still a child."

Nico frowned and turned to his comrade. 'Looks like it's not a well-known story,' thought Cornelia, before asking, "Did he talk to her?"

Elke gave her a long look, then averted her gaze again.

"No. She snapped and tried to kill him. But Doctor Neumann's father, the former Lazaretto's doctor in charge, was fortunately there. He shielded Sieg."

Cornelia closed her eyes for a minute, trying to cope with the emotions. It felt as if every turn, every story behind Lazaretto's history was dark and twisted. And the worst of it was the gnawing feeling of anxiety that even more murky secrets were still to be uncovered.

"Did he die?" asked the princess, expecting the worst answer.

"No, but he was seriously injured. He continued to work for a while after the incident, and then his daughter came to Lazaretto."

For a moment, the yard was filled with only the chirping of small birds. It was difficult to break free from the heavy topic. Nico was the first one to rise up from the ground. With a factitious cheerful voice, he stated, "Well, if I can avoid other assignments and read as much as I want, then I don't see any reason why not to meet with the little princess."