Lilia woke up that morning to the sound of loud knocking that echoed through the entire house. Her vision blurry, she scanned the room and spotted her brother Aryk curled up in a spiral position, while Ragnar lay still, as if lifeless.

"Ugh, why do I always have to be the first to wake up? Now I have to deal with whoever’s at the door," she muttered to herself.

Grumbling incomprehensibly and with her hair in disarray, she dragged herself out of bed, her steps heavy and her aura dark. "I swear, if it's someone trying to sell me their religion, I'll rip their eyes out," she grumbled as she angrily opened the door.

A cold gust of wind hit her small frame as she found herself staring down at a small figure with bright green eyes and black hair. Zak's eyes widened when he saw Lilia standing before him. Lilia’s irritated voice broke the silence.

"Zak? What the hell are you doing here? The sun hasn't even risen yet, and Aryk and Ragnar are still asleep," she snapped.

Zak remained silent, stuffing his hands into his pockets and awkwardly trying to compose himself. "Lilia, I didn’t mean to wake you on such a beautiful morning. You’re looking... uh, full of energy today," he stammered, clearly nervous.

Lilia’s honey-colored eyes glared at him in silence, debating whether to slam the door in his face. Zak, feeling a shiver run down his spine, tried to explain himself quickly.

"I was full of energy, Zak, until you woke me from my lovely dream to answer the door in this freezing cold. You know, if you were anyone else, you'd be dead right now," she said, her voice cold and sharp.

Zak gulped, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. "I’m sorry. But I came with news for you and your family. Since the Emperor is coming next week, my mother is hosting a dinner tomorrow night and wanted me to invite all of you," he explained hurriedly.

Lilia blinked in surprise. "The Emperor? Why would the Emperor visit a village that doesn’t even show up on maps?" she asked, clearly perplexed.

Zak looked equally bewildered. It was the same reaction Aryk had given him when he first mentioned the Emperor's visit. It seemed the siblings truly shared the same skepticism.

"Didn’t Aryk or Ragnar tell you?" Zak asked, surprised.

Lilia fell into a thoughtful silence, processing Zak's words. After a few moments, she sighed, rubbing her temples. "No. That rascal has been busy for the past three days. I’ll inform my mother about the invitation, and thank your mother on our behalf," she said, her voice calmer now but still annoyed.

With a fake, wide smile, she slammed the door in Zak’s face, not giving him a chance to say anything further.

Inside the house, Lilia heard a voice calling out to her. "Who was at the door?" It was Fatima, their mother, who had been awakened by the noise.

"Zak. His mother invited us to dinner tomorrow because the Emperor is coming to our village," Lilia replied, yawning as she rubbed her eyes.

Fatima froze, her expression turning serious. "The Emperor is coming?" she asked, her tone filled with concern.

"Yeah, the Emperor," Lilia confirmed, stifling another yawn. "I’m going back to bed."

Her eyes half-closed, Lilia shuffled back to her room, leaving her mother standing in the hallway, staring at the floor. Fatima's face was blank, but her eyes reflected a foggy memory from long ago.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. "That bastard is coming here. I have to leave as soon as possible."

Without wasting another moment, Fatima hurried to her room, pulling out a strange silver key and placing it on the table before sitting down, gazing at it intently.

"I didn’t want this day to come so soon," she whispered emotionally, clutching the key in her hands. She cast a glance toward her children’s room. Just as she stood, there was a knock at the door again.

Aryk awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window and sunlight filtering through the clouds.

"Seems like I overslept. No wonder—yesterday was insane," he muttered to himself, rising from his bed and heading to the kitchen, where he found his mother and sister, Cecilia, already up.

"Good morning," Aryk greeted them with a smile.

Fatima didn’t respond, while Lilia, who had been unable to return to sleep after meeting Zak, shot him a cold look.

"Aryk, did Zak tell you about the Emperor's visit?" Lilia asked pointedly.

Aryk froze in place, feeling a pang of guilt as if tiny daggers were stabbing his conscience. He cursed himself silently.

"Yes, he told me yesterday, but I forgot. I swear I was going to tell you today. But wait—how did you find out?" Aryk asked, trying to deflect.

Lilia, sipping her hot milk, responded, "Zak came by this morning and told us. He also invited us to dinner tomorrow."

Understanding the situation, Aryk glanced at his mother, who remained silent.

"Mom, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I swear I was going to today," he said earnestly.

Fatima looked at Aryk before offering a soft smile. "I’m not upset with you, Aryk. Even if the Emperor is coming, it doesn’t matter much to me. However, I received a message that my cousin Julia has fallen ill at work, and I need to visit her today," she explained.

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Aryk and Lilia were both surprised by their mother's revelation.

"You have a cousin, Mom? I didn’t know that," Aryk asked curiously.

"Yes, Julia is my cousin, and she's older than me. She lives in the northern continent, in the village of Gentakur, so I’ll need to leave today. It will take eight days—four to get there and four to return," Fatima said calmly.

Aryk remained silent, while Lilia asked, "Aren’t we coming with you? I want to meet Aunt Julia too."

Fatima shook her head. "Cecilia invited you all to dinner tomorrow, and I don’t want to refuse. So you’ll have to go, my children. Aryk, go to Cecilia’s house and inform her I won’t be attending, then return to take Lilia to the market for some supplies."

Aryk nodded, understanding the situation, and sat down to eat breakfast. After finishing, he left for Cecilia’s house, wondering along the way, It’s strange that Mom has a cousin. I thought she didn’t have any family because she never talks about them. When she returns, I’ll ask her about my uncles.

As he made his way to Cecilia’s house, Aryk passed several homes, greeting his neighbors along the newly renovated road. The stone path was much more pleasant than the old dirt road they used to have.

Upon arriving at his destination, Aryk stood before a large, modern house with a beautiful courtyard. He approached the door and knocked, waiting until Cecilia answered.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cecilia," Aryk greeted her with a smile.

Cecilia seemed surprised to see Aryk but returned his smile. "Good morning, Aryk."

Clearing his throat, Aryk quickly relayed the message. "My mother wanted me to thank you for inviting us to dinner tomorrow, but she won’t be able to attend."

Cecilia’s face shifted into concern. "Why can’t she come? Is something wrong?" she asked anxiously.

Aryk shook his head. "No, she received a message today that her cousin Julia is sick, so she has to travel to the village of Gentakur in the north to visit her."

Cecilia’s eyes widened. "Her cousin? Are you sure?" she asked, clearly shocked.

Aryk looked at her in confusion. "Yes, she got the message this morning. Is something wrong?"

Cecilia quickly composed herself. "No, no, nothing’s wrong. I just didn’t know she had a cousin. Please send my best wishes to your mother and her cousin for a speedy recovery."

"I will," Aryk assured her, bidding farewell before heading back home.

He found Lilia waiting impatiently by the door.

"Why did you take so long, you idiot? You left me standing here in this heat!" she complained.

Aryk smirked playfully. "Left you? I didn’t ask you to come out before I got here. You brought this on yourself."

Lilia shot him a glare and began walking ahead. "It’s still your fault for being late. Now hurry up," she said, picking up her pace.

"Wait for me!" Aryk laughed as he jogged to catch up with her.

The marketplace was bustling as usual, the scent of fresh fruits and vegetables filling the air. Merchants shouted their prices from all directions, some holding up signs to advertise their goods.

In the midst of the crowd, Aryk and Lilia found themselves struggling to navigate.

"Seems like there are more people than usual today," Lilia commented, sounding frustrated.

"Yeah, it’s odd," Aryk replied, scanning the unusual number of shoppers.

They continued walking until they reached the guarded commercial area, only to be met with a surprising sight. Lilia stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide.

"Aryk, am I dreaming?" she asked in disbelief.

Aryk, equally astonished, responded, "No, Lilia, I think we’re both awake."

The affluent district was unusually clean, with increased guards stationed everywhere. Aryk's nose even picked up the scent of flowers along the street, a stark contrast to the usual smell of waste.

"What’s going on?" both Aryk and Lilia wondered simultaneously.

Suddenly, a vendor's voice rang out, "Spring fruits! Spring fruits, the best fruits on the continent! Ten percent off because of the Emperor’s arrival—don’t miss out!"

Aryk and Lilia fell silent, looking at each other in astonishment.

"Damn, it seems the Emperor’s arrival is no longer a secret," Aryk said, glancing back at the market, while Lilia exuded an angry dark aura.

"Damn the Emperor. Everything will now be twice the price. Aryk, hurry and catch up with me. We need to buy before the situation worsens." Aryk shivered at his sister’s tone and quickly followed her into the store. Inside the crowded shop, Aryk and Lilia rushed to buy essential items while Lilia kept her eyes on the prices she had memorized and calculated the total in her head.

After purchasing the goods, Aryk and Lilia sat down in front of the shopkeeper.

"Ten coins," the shopkeeper told Lilia quietly.

Aryk looked at his sister, who had turned red with anger. "Sir, this merchandise shouldn’t exceed five coins. Where did the ten come from?"

The shopkeeper raised his head to see Lilia, who was on the verge of exploding, and smirked mockingly. "Madam, there’s a bit of inflation, so prices have increased slightly."

"Slightly, you scoundrel? It’s more than double!" Lilia fumed internally. Suddenly, she turned to Aryk with a fake smile that masked a terrifying rage.

"Aryk, it’s better if you step outside for some fresh air. It seems this won’t be easy."

Aryk agreed with his sister’s decision, as she was skilled in dealing with traders, and left the store, wandering around aimlessly.

While walking, Aryk suddenly remembered something. "Wait, I have five coins. I should find the fortune teller’s shop from that day and ask about the tree! I remember she mentioned something about a tree when we last visited, and it shouldn’t be far from here."

With a plan in mind, Aryk turned towards the fortune teller’s shop, feeling a thrill of anticipation.

After a while, Aryk reached his destination. It was easy since the street was unusually empty and clean, and he began to survey the area.

"I think this is the place. It was in front of the biscuit shop," he thought.

Aryk approached the biscuit shop and turned to the other side, but was astonished to find that the fortune teller’s shop was gone and replaced by a tree full of flowers.

"This is strange. I could almost swear this was the spot," Aryk mused.

He approached the tree and began examining it. It was a beautiful peach tree. Since it was spring, the peach tree was in full bloom and emitted a pleasant fragrance.

"It doesn’t look like the shop was demolished because the tree seems old and the ground is purely earthy. This is really odd."

Aryk turned and walked towards the biscuit shop across from the tree. Upon entering, he smelled the delicious aroma of biscuits and was distracted by the various cakes for sale. His stomach growled, but he composed himself and approached the elderly shopkeeper.

"Sir, may I ask you something? Where is the fortune teller’s shop? It was near here, but it seems I’ve lost my way."

The shopkeeper looked at the boy with curiosity and adjusted his old glasses. "What do you mean, child? There’s no fortune teller’s shop in this village."

Aryk fell silent, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at the shopkeeper with a mixture of confusion and astonishment.

"No fortune teller’s shop? Wasn’t there a fortune teller’s shop in front of your shop? It was owned by an old woman!"

The elderly shopkeeper looked outside in front of his home and shook his head. "No, my boy. The last fortune teller’s shop in this village was run by an old woman named Zohour. It had a peculiar fragrance of flowers that drew people in when they entered. That was a long time ago. She left the village, and this tree was planted in her place."

Aryk’s mind reeled. "How can this be? I also smelled a strange scent when I first entered the store. No, this is impossible."

Aryk rushed out of the shop and hurried back to the peach tree.

"This can’t be real. I’ll dig and find traces of the building. Yes, I’m sure of it." Aryk began digging with his bare hands, his mind racing with irrational thoughts. His heartbeat quickened with each scoop of earth, and in a moment, he felt something solid.

"I was right. I’m not crazy," Aryk said, a crooked, anxious smile on his face as he uncovered the metallic object. With a mixture of fear and trembling hands, he examined the metallic object, his brown eyes filled with terror.

It was a five-gold-coin piece.