In the midst of the celebration, the Crown Prince rose from his seat and walked towards the reserved seats. He held a sword in one hand and looked at us. The sunlight shone on his hair like burning flames.

He looked at us with his handsome face and enchanting eyes, then he said, "On the morning of a certain day, I ventured outside the empire towards the north. Among high hills and vast forests, I saw one of my concubines coming towards the empire."

Everyone's eyes widened, for the Crown Prince was not known for his eloquence and verbosity. I pressed my fingers against my hand, sensing a similarity to my own storytelling style, the day he was listening to us.

He moved his sword, leaning on it with the palm of his hand, and dug it into the ground, standing upright. "The concubine who rode the horse herself to see me, step forward so I shall reward her." He did not look in my direction, but I knew it was a clear threat, and I felt that if I didn't speak now, my neck would be severed by his sword before my eyes could blink.

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The Emperor did not understand his son's actions, but he continued to smile foolishly. One of the concubines stood near Petra's seat, bowing respectfully towards him, and said, "Perhaps what you are looking for is me, Your Majesty." Then she raised her head and continued, "I came here in the spring of this year, and during my journey, I also rode horses from time to time." Laverna whispered to me, who did not understand the true nature of my thoughts, "This is a concubine from the Northern Kingdoms as well. You may not remember her, but we saw her several times in our childhood."

I smiled in strange relief at how silly my thoughts were. Of course, I was not the only woman who rode horses. Perhaps all the women of the North knew that, except Delta.

The Crown Prince turned his gaze towards us in an instant, shattering all the reassurance in my heart. He held his sword with one hand and approached this poor girl, completely ignoring her. He quickly advanced and stood right beside my seat, and we all hurried to rise and greet him. "Why didn't you say it was you?" Everyone furrowed their brows, and we did not understand whom he was referring to among us.