Waiting for Stella were soft fabric, an embroidery hoop, a thread and a needle.

“What’s all this?”

As Stella asked with a puzzled expression, Milla pushed forward a basket filled with sewing materials and replied,

“Soon, there will be a hunting festival where His Majesty the Emperor goes out to hunt monsters.”

“So?”

Noticing Stella’s look of complete confusion, Milla felt slightly flustered before beginning to explain in a calm voice. There was more than one thing she needed to teach.

In the evaluation report coming out tomorrow, Princess Stella would likely receive the lowest score, which would also lower Milla’s own rating.

Milla concealed her rising irritation beneath a gentle tone and continued her explanation.

“The princesses must embroider handkerchiefs to present to His Majesty the Emperor.”

She remembered reading about the hunting festival in the notebook she had received from Stella not long ago. The owner of the handkerchief chosen by the Emperor would receive the title of Lady of the Hunt, it stated.

However, Stella had no desire to hold a title like Lady of the Hunt.

“Do I really have to do it?”

Milla sighed again.

“The princess whose embroidered handkerchief is chosen by His Majesty the Emperor receives the title of Lady of the Hunt along with a grand prize.”

This was an unexpected turn of events. Stella’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“What kind of prize?”

“It varies each time, but so far, it has included gold coins, horses, dresses, or jewels.”

All of these were items that could be exchanged for money. Being prizes from the Emperor, they would undoubtedly be of the highest quality. Suddenly filled with motivation, Stella picked up a needle from the basket and asked, “What should I embroider?”

She hadn’t done much embroidery before, but it didn’t seem impossible. Moreover, there was prize money at stake. She needed to save every penny she could to bring Rudina.

“That’s for you to decide, Princess. The hunting festival is next week, so take your time to think about what you want to embroider. By the way, have you done any embroidery before?”

Milla asked, her voice lacking much expectation.

Princess Stella, as Milla had observed, would go out to the garden at every opportunity. It seemed she had a hobby of tending to plants, which explained why she had hired people to tidy up the messy garden in just one day.

A princess who cultivated beautiful flowers would be fine with drawing. Thinking that Stella could develop her talent in that direction, Milla awaited her answer.

“I’ve done it a few times.”

Milla felt relieved that she wouldn’t have to start from scratch with teaching her how to thread a needle. But her relief was short-lived.

When Milla saw what Stella had embroidered on the handkerchief for practice, she was at a loss for words and stammered before finally managing to offer a compliment.

“With a bit more practice, I think the shape of the rock will become clearer.”

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t a rock but an eagle that Stella had embroidered, yet she chose to gloss over it. Excessive disappointment could mercilessly crush the enthusiasm of the person teaching.

***

“Your Majesty, it’s getting late. Wouldn’t it be better to rest now?”

Harman asked with a worried expression, looking at Kai, who had been sitting motionless at his desk for five hours.

“It’s fine. I can’t sleep even if I lie in bed anyway. It’s better to work.”

Harman’s sigh deepened. The Emperor’s insomnia was worsening with each passing day. They had summoned the most skilled physician in the empire and sought help from priests and wizards.

But even after taking medicine said to put even a massive elephant to sleep in an instant, Kai still couldn’t fall asleep. It would have been helpful if they at least knew the reason, but none of those summoned to the imperial palace could clearly identify the cause.

Kai was now on his third consecutive night without sleep. Aside from a slight throbbing in his head from accumulated fatigue, he felt no particular discomfort and chose not to take any medicine.

If sleep suddenly overtook him, Kai would sleep like the dead for an entire day.

“Shall I bring you a cup of tea?”

Harman asked. But Kai, who had been staring blankly at the documents, suddenly closed them and stood up. Thinking he was finally going to stop working, Harman’s face brightened.

“Are you going to rest now? Shall I tell them to prepare your bath?”

“No. I’m just going to take a ride around with Ben.”

Ben was the horse Kai had been riding since he was ten years old. Ben, who had galloped through countless battlefields alongside him, had one day become unable to run for long periods and could no longer gallop quickly.

A war horse that could no longer fulfill its role should rightfully be put down, yet Kai had brought Ben to the imperial palace and cared for him with utmost devotion. Fortunately, Ben had recovered his health, but he could no longer run as fast as before.

However, Ben always wanted to carry Kai, and Kai occasionally rode slowly around the castle grounds for Ben’s sake.

Listening to the sound of Ben’s hooves, which matched his heartbeat, always calmed Kai’s mind.

When Harman tried to follow, Kai raised his hand to stop him.

“Old man, go to bed. Don’t be a bother.”

“But Your Majesty!”

Kai rarely took guard knights with him inside the castle. While many knights hid in every corner to protect him, they had to remain out of Kai’s sight.

If they were spotted or heard by Kai in a non-dangerous situation, they would be stripped of their positions and expelled from the castle that very day.

The opposite case was even stricter. If they were caught dozing off or found absent from where they should be, the consequences went beyond mere expulsion.

Harman hurried to follow, but Kai had already vanished from sight.

***

As soon as Ben heard Kai’s footsteps in the stable, he lifted his head abruptly.

Neigh, neigh.

Moments later, upon seeing Kai appear, Ben wagged his tail like a puppy. The brown horse, well-fed and rested in a warm place, had a glossy sheen all over his body.

“Ben.”

Kai approached and stroked Ben’s face, marked with a white diamond shape, and his dark chestnut mane. Ben had been a birthday gift from his mother on his tenth birthday.

Seemingly accustomed to it, Ben followed Kai’s lead out of the stable. Though not as sturdy as before, Ben was overjoyed to carry Kai on his back.

The imperial palace was incredibly quiet in the dead of night. Windows with lights still on twinkled like stars in the night sky, and the occasional hoot of a tawny owl somewhere broke the silence.

With Kai on his back, Ben moved at a pace that was neither too slow nor too fast, familiar with the palace grounds, allowing Kai to observe everything within the imperial palace carefully.

Sitting on Ben’s back, Kai detected various hidden presences within the palace.

If even the slightest suspicious movement was felt, or if someone lunged at him, dozens of arrows would rain down at once.

Kai was always surrounded by both protectors and potential assailants. Today, it seemed there were only protectors around. Ben’s footsteps sounded more stable than usual.

Kai stroked Ben’s soft mane, entrusting his body to Ben’s lead.

Clop, clop.

Ben’s hoofbeats echoed regularly, matching Kai’s slow heartbeat.

Clop, clop. Clop, clop.

At some point, Kai, who had started to doze off, suddenly opened his eyes to find himself in a place where Ben had never taken him before.

“Ben, where have you brought us?”

But Kai, showing no sign of surprise, dismounted and gently stroked Ben’s back. He noticed a row of similar small castles and guessed it was the residence of the princesses who had come as hostages.

Due to the late hour, most of the castles were dark, with only a few flickering lights visible here and there.

Suddenly, he remembered the woman who had brought a modest gift. Her face, which had smiled resignedly rather than being flustered at the sight of the golden teapot, strangely came to mind from time to time.

She was said to be a princess from the Plant district, so she might be living somewhere around here.

Kai looked around but suddenly felt annoyed and pulled on Ben’s reins. However, for some reason, Ben didn’t budge an inch.

It was strange that Ben, who had never once disobeyed Kai’s orders, was being so stubborn.

“Ben, are you feeling unwell?”

Kai examined Ben, who seemed unwilling to move, from head to toe. But no matter how he looked, there were no signs of injury.

“Let’s go.”

Kai grabbed the reins again, but Ben stubbornly resisted and turned his head in the opposite direction of where Kai was pulling.

“Ben!”

Kai was dumbfounded. Ben’s sudden rebellious behavior was both amusing and intriguing. After a moment’s hesitation, Kai chuckled, seemingly admitting defeat and began walking in the direction Ben wanted to go.

Clop, clop, clop, clop.

Kai could feel Ben’s steps gradually quickening. He quickly mounted Ben’s back, sensing that Ben might start running soon. Kai’s prediction was correct. Ben increased his speed more than before.

Shortly after, Ben stopped in front of an old castle.

This was a place Kai knew well. It was Verdura, located in the farthest corner of the Plant district. Upon recognizing where they were, Kai’s eyes creased like crumpled paper.

It was a place he hadn’t visited since childhood. It was also a place where he had experiences he never wanted to repeat.

“Ben, let’s go.”

Kai gripped the reins tightly and pulled, but Ben remained steadfast and eventually entered the castle grounds.

Kai had no choice but to follow, constantly scanning his surroundings. It was a stark contrast to his usual relaxed demeanor when moving about the palace.

Unlike the anxious-looking Kai, Ben seemed quite happy.

“What’s going on here?”

Kai suddenly noticed that the gardens of Verdura Castle were barren and empty, and he stopped in his tracks. While he surveyed the area, Ben buried his head somewhere and started munching on something.

“Ben, what are you eating? You shouldn’t eat just anything.”

Just as a startled Kai tried to remove whatever Ben was eating, he heard voices nearby.

“That child has come again. But he looks quite different now?”

“You’re right. He’s grown so much.”

“Can he see us now?”

“No, I don’t think so. Look, he doesn’t notice us even though we’re right in front of him.”

Once again, those damned voices began to echo in Kai’s ears.