"It's such a pity you didn't attend His Highness' party! Miss Catharina was charming. No wonder the prince was head over heels for her..."

Cornelia muttered something in response. While Dietrich praised César's ball and his lover, she thought about the upcoming trip. All the cargo they needed, as well as supplies for the wall, was prepared and packed with great care. Kroghan helped select some trustworthy soldiers, and Dr Winda finished giving instructions to her assistants. Everything went smoothly, and this wasn't her first diplomatic mission. But this will be the first time she will see the wall and even go beyond it.

Dietrich stopped talking for a moment, and the two continued walking in silence. 'Tomorrow is already the day of our departure. It still feels unreal,' thought Cornelia. She found it hard to sleep last night. If she was so nervous, it would be even harder to sleep tonight.

The sun had already leaned to the west. In a few hours, the lamplighters would start working, bringing light to the streets. At least, this should be the case for the central district of the capital. The road to Lazaretto was deserted, with only a few passers-by and policemen on patrol. She should have returned to the palace early and got some rest before starting a long journey. This was the best decision to make. But knowing it would take a few months before her return, Cornelia decided to visit the Lazaretto before leaving. Also, there was an important task she had to complete.

"Pray tell, Your Highness, is it really so boring to talk to me?"

The sudden question in the long silence made the princess lift her gaze from the paved road. Dietrich was looking at her, with his pursed lips turning into a thin line.

"No, it's not like that," replied Cornelia, "I just have a lot on my mind lately." The young man's resentment was fully justified. Her absentmindedness was rude in the eyes of etiquette, and she had no excuse for it when she was with a close friend. 'Friend…' Once again, she remembered that Dietrich was not content with the situation.

They stopped in the middle of the street. The Lazaretto was only a few blocks away; the princess needed to part ways with him now. As if her thoughts were written all over her face, Dietrich said, "I suppose Your Highness hasn't decided on your answer yet."

"No, sorry. There are a lot of things that require my attention... I don't mean your question is less important," she hurriedly assured the young earl. But he was still not smiling. Obviously, that wasn't the answer he had been waiting for. "I can't get married right now, Dietrich. It will be two more years until the next Draw, and it will be hard for the kingdom to endure them."

"If the wedding can't be held now, then what about engagement?" His words made Cornelia flinch. The proposal was reasonable, but for some reason, she hadn't thought of it. Dietrich smiled wryly. "I see. Then, please think about it more, Your Highness. And know that I will not take a 'no' for an answer."

He turned and took a few steps towards the palace. However, seeing a soldier who was following them at a suitable distance, Dietrich turned to the princess, "I hope your important business did not include recruiting someone dubious."

Cornelia sighed. "With my increased activity, Kroghan and others insisted that I be accompanied by a guard. And it was a good opportunity to show Mr. Nebel around the city."

Dietrich didn't say anything. He only glanced at the white-haired soldier, who was looking around the houses and at the rare people in this area. The guard's hands were full of bags and a cat carrier, which made his ability to protect someone questionable. Earl Berg left with a dry goodbye and headed back to his mansion. To Cornelia's relief, her new guard was more interested in sightseeing the capital than in their strained conversation.

The pair of soldiers in front of the Lazaretto's gates chattered without a care, until they noticed a royal guest. With a lenient look, they greeted the princess. Just like the Magic Snatchers, they were guarding, these soldiers were more tired and irritated by the royal member's constant visits than feeling pressured or honored.

"I'll take it from here," said Cornelia, taking the bag and the cat carrier from the guard's hands. "Please, wait for me here."

The white-haired guy nodded and stepped back from the gates, ignoring the curious looks of the soldiers. Cornelia walked into the yard. The grass there had turned yellow from the bright summer sun. She noticed Hedy right away. Her red hair looked like a flame in the light of the sunset. She was sitting on a bench next to the door of the main building, carving flowers on a candle as the princess approached.

"Greetings, Your Highness," said Hedy, her blue eyes still fixed on the carving. She did not stand up, and this breach of etiquette made Cornelia smile. She decided to take it as a sign that the Magic Snatcher was becoming more comfortable with her presence.

"I hope you are doing well. I have a favor to ask."

Hedy finally raised her gaze to the princess. She frowned slightly, noticing the luggage in Cornelia's hands.

"Sieg once told me that you were taking care of a tomcat here. Can I ask you to look after mine for a few months?" Cornelia placed the bags on the ground and took Isis out of the carrier. The cat was dozing all this time, her end of her tail starting to wag annoyed by the disturbance to her sleep. Hedy looked at the princess and her cat in confusion, obviously not ready for such a turn of events. Cornelia stroked the cat's head, calmed her down, and explained: "I usually leave Isis with Dr Winda, but this time we're travelling together. And I'm too anxious to leave her at the palace. But if she's here, I know nothing bad will happen to her. The bag has everything she needs, so if it's not too much trouble..."

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"No trouble at all," assured Hedy, taking the cat. The pet sniffed the new human and concluded that she might grant the stranger permission to hold her. "So Sieg told you about Seth... Isis, huh?" Hedy smiled, stroking the soft white fur of the cat. "Nico will be pleased. He likes cats. We couldn't get a new one because Ingo is allergic."

Her words made the princess feel guilty. "I'm sorry. I should have asked you before bringing her."

But to Cornelia's surprise, Hedy only giggled. "No worries. It's a good thing. Ingo is the possessor of metal magic. You haven't met him, and this is for the best. He hates royalty and can be harsh and negative sometimes. If Isis' presence will make him stay away from the living room, everyone will feel more relaxed."

"Alright, if you say so," the sudden friendliness caused by Isis's appearance made the princess relax as well. "I want to meet with Dr. Neumann before I leave. Is she here?"

"Yes, she is in her study," Hedy's attention was on the white cat. "Have a safe journey, Your Highness."

Cornelia found the doctor in her study, just as Hedy had told her. Despite the fact that the room was full of bookshelves, papers and files were scattered around the sofa, desk, and even on the floor. The princess had to be careful not to step on anything. The crumpled papers among the flat ones made it even harder to distinguish what was still important and what had no use anymore.

The woman was hunched over the desk, sitting with her back to the door. She did not turn when someone entered, fully concentrating on writing. When Cornelia called out to her, she only raised her left hand in a clumsy wave. 'Maybe she would also become friendly if she saw Isis. Then again, bringing a cat here might not be a good idea," the princess looked at the two bowls on the desk. One was filled with sunflower seeds, while the other was full of husks. The cleanliness of the study was the last thing that worried the doctor, with her hair disheveled, and her lab coat stained.

"I heard how your father saved Sieg's life," Cornelia tried to start a dialogue.

The attempt was successful, even though the woman continued writing, she replied, "Yeah, that's quite a story. It affected my brother so much that he left medicine forever."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the princess averted her gaze. Although Neumann's voice contained no resentment or anger, it could not have been an easy time for any member of her family.

The doctor simply shrugged. "No, actually, it was for the best. If he had stayed, he would have just been another average doctor. Instead, he took up gardening."

Cornelia blinked and glanced at the woman, who was busy filling out a medical card. Taking into account the doctor's name, the story suddenly took an unexpected turn.

"Wait, you mean your brother is Arthur Neumann? The one who fully reconstructed the Central Garden?"

"Yeah, that's him. See, I told you it was best for him to leave our family vocation to me." She put the pen away and grabbed a handful of seeds. While the doctor was eating a snack, Cornelia came closer. The name on the paper on his desk made her stop. Dr. Neumann noticed her look and closed the file. But this only confirmed her suspicion.

"Is he alright?" asked Cornelia.

"He is perfectly fine," the doctor replied, returning the sunflower seeds to the bowl. "If he weren't, I wouldn't be filling out his card right now."

"Can I see it? His file?"

Her bold question made the room silent. The doctor stared at Cornelia for a long time; it could be considered rude or even threatening.

"I wouldn't recommend it," finally answered the woman. "You see, I've been working here for a long time. It's my responsibility. If the Neumanns don't do it, then there is no guarantee that some mad sadist won't come here to oversee these kids. But Your Highness is different. You don't need to dig into the dirty laundry when you can simply use their abilities for the sake of the kingdom."

But the princess stretched out her hand. Dr. Neumann shook her head in displeasure, then opened the file. She only took the first page and handed it to Cornelia. It took only a glance to understand the doctor's words. The first page contained information about the nymph, a rare pegalae.

"Four pregnancies. The first child was Sieg, the second one was marked as defective, the third one died three years ago and the fourth resulted in a miscarriage," Cornelia continued reading, trying with all her might to ignore the lump in her throat. "After the last pregnancy, she managed to free herself and committed suicide."

She ran over the page again. Something was amiss. "Wait, all others contain a father's name. But for Sieg, it's just a blank space."

The doctor took a handful of sunflower seeds again. Her reluctance to answer irritated Cornelia, just like the scattered seed husks on the desk. It almost seemed that the woman would avoid speaking the truth if there was even a slight chance not to do so.

"Why?" asked the princess.

"There could be two possibilities. One is that someone simply forgot to write the man's name."

"And the other?" Cornelia pressed the woman, who averted her gaze before giving an answer.

"That there were several men."

Cornelia groaned, clenching the paper in her hand. Despite the importance of the document, the doctor did not utter a word. She could barely fight the tears; speaking was too difficult. For a moment, she stood in silence facing a bookshelf that stored so many files.

"I abhor Castro... No, actually, as this goes on in all kingdoms, I abhor humanity that has lost all its humanity to greed."

"Can't dissuade you from that, Your Highness."