[To His Highness, the Crown Prince,

Although I have long wished to see you, circumstances have not allowed it. Therefore, I am writing to you. If you would grant me a moment of your time, I would like to declare my innocence regarding the events of that night.

Count Yuz of Callithea and I, His Majesty the Emperor of Callithea, are completely innocent of the heinous act committed by Arthur Derita. I swear this upon everything I am, and I earnestly beg Your Highness to listen to me.

Once again, I implore you to give me the opportunity to explain and prove my sincerity.

Anita Fion.]

··· ✦ ···

There was no reply.

Despite sending many letters, she had never received an answer. Ever since Arthur Derita’s atrocious crime, she had been confined to the Crown Prince’s palace, living a life that could hardly be called her own.

No one came with news; the silence gnawed at her until sleep became impossible. Days passed like that — brief, yet filled with turmoil.

It had all begun during the grand celebration that followed the royal wedding, a feast intended to symbolize the alliance between the two nations.

However, at that very gathering, a Callithean guest,  a close aide of Count Yuz, the head of the Callithean delegation attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince.

This occurred mere moments after the prince had signaled his intention to reconcile with his bride.

For those who had opposed the marriage from the beginning, this was the perfect opportunity. Cedric’s supporters seized upon the incident with ferocity.

“We must investigate this thoroughly! How dare such a thing happen to His Highness, and in full view of the court!”

“The mastermind must be exposed and punished to the last man! What insolence to strike at Laxion itself and utter such blasphemy!”

Even the seasoned diplomat Count Yuz could do little. The man responsible was one of his subordinates and was subjected to relentless interrogation, despite being the official representative of the Callithean envoys.

Callithea’s only saving grace was the lack of direct evidence linking Count Yuz or the delegation to Arthur’s actions. However, the discovery of a diary and letters in the assassin’s quarters brought a new storm upon them.

Arthur’s diary was filled with fervent praise for the goddess Asteria. In it, he raged against the marriage between Callithea’s incarnation of the goddess and the heretical crown prince of Laxion, who denied her divine status.

[A man cursed by the goddess dares to claim her blessed bride. It must be set right, even if I must sacrifice myself to do so…]

The investigators, all of whom were loyal to Cedric, were shocked by the zealotry evident in the pages. In response, they arrested every Asterian priest they could find in Laxion. Those dragged in for questioning were men who had corresponded with Arthur and, like him, criticized the Crown Prince’s lack of faith.

The repercussions were immense. The Empress’s faction, which had always drawn its strength from the Asterian Church, was dealt a devastating blow. Even her closest attendants were not spared; the Emperor, unmoved by her pleas, ordered that they be interrogated mercilessly.

The Empress wept and protested against this injustice, but her husband, having nearly lost his eldest son, had no compassion left in him.

And so Anita’s already fragile standing crumbled entirely. After enduring their interrogations, the Callithean delegation was expelled from Laxion almost immediately.

Even worse, almost all of Anita’s attendants from Callithea were ordered to return home. Only Reneé was permitted to remain, and this was granted as a rare act of grace by the Emperor, who took pity on the young crown princess.

“What could His Highness possibly think of her now? It’s just like before, when the fanatics…”
“Hush. Don’t speak of that so carelessly.”
“Even so, imagine how much His Highness must be suffering. Those hypocrites, preaching purity while doing filthier things behind closed doors.”

To Anita, the Crown Prince’s palace filled entirely with Cedric’s supporters was a prison without bars. Everyone, from the newly appointed maids to the kitchen staff washing pots, watched her with open hostility.

Under such conditions, even the political alliance between Callithea and Laxion was hanging by a thread. Those in Laxion who had once advocated peace with Callithea remained silent, unwilling to defend a nation whose envoy had tried to kill the Crown Prince.

Spring came and went amid this tense atmosphere.

The person who benefited most from it all  at least in the eyes of the court was Cedric himself: the victim of the assassination attempt and, conveniently, the recipient of public sympathy.

··· ✦ ···

Renee returned with a sullen expression. Noticing her expression, Anita quickly dismissed the other attendants and motioned for Renee to close the door.

“I can’t take it anymore!”

Reneé’s voice trembled with anger as she followed Anita into the bedchamber at the far end of the room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Anita gently stroked the maid’s back. The maid knelt before her, her forehead resting on Anita’s knees.

“They don’t do anything! Nothing at all! It’s infuriating! No one listens to me, not even when I’m relaying Your Highness’s orders! They just ignore everything I say!”

Both Anita and Reneé were outsiders in the Crown Prince’s palace. Since the assassination attempt, the servants had become increasingly bold in their disdain. They would bring unpolished teacups, neglect their duties, or feign ignorance of instructions. Such insolence unthinkable in Callithea’s royal court had become routine.

If a princess could be treated this way, one could only imagine how Renee was treated. As Anita’s sole remaining maid from Callithea, Renee was isolated and openly shunned by the other attendants.

She had tried to protest several times, but the head maid of the Crown Prince’s palace ignored her complaints entirely and took no action. If there had been a clear offence, Anita might have intervened herself, but those who had served in the palace for a long time knew precisely how to skirt the line between insolence and punishment.

“What happened this time?”

Anita asked quietly.

“I went to fetch the item you asked for, but they refused to give it to me! They’ve taken everything else from us, and now they won’t even let me bring you that one thing.”

“….”

“I never even asked to retrieve a goddess statue, and yet they treat me like some fanatic, like a criminal!”

Anita let out a faint sigh and gently stroked the girl’s trembling back. Since the assassination attempt on Arthur Derita, everyone except Anita and Reneé had been expelled from Laxion. Even Anita’s belongings, which she had brought with her from home, had been seized under the pretext of inspection.

As a devout follower of the Asterian faith, Reneé had pleaded many times to reclaim at least a small figurine of the goddess. However, in the current climate, Anita could not risk arousing any more suspicion.

Instead, she asked for a simple vase, a gift from her mother for her twelfth birthday, said to have once held holy water. Praying before it would seem harmless enough, she thought, and would not cause any gossip.

Yet even that had proven impossible. It was an ordinary vase, except for a small symbol etched inside its base. Anita withdrew her hand from Reneé’s back and slowly rose to her feet.

“Your Highness, are you going there yourself? It’s no use. They all say the same thing every time, like parrots, nothing will be returned without the Crown Prince’s direct order.”

Renee was right. Even if Anita went in person, the servants would simply invoke Cedric’s authority and refuse her entry. But she could not just sit there and do nothing any longer.

“Then I shall ask His Highness myself.”

She had tried to arrange a meeting, but had received no reply. None of her letters had been answered either. Now, there was only one option left.

As Anita started forward, René hastily wiped her tear-stained face and hurried to follow her mistress.

··· ✦ ···

It was an unsettling sight for onlookers: instead of waiting in the receiving room or the outer office, the Crown Princess was waiting in the public antechamber outside the Crown Prince’s study.

Cedric’s aides and guests, who all disapproved of Anita, were visibly unsettled. They greeted her stiffly, one by one, before slipping away, eager to escape the awkward scene. The usually lively space fell silent.

“Your Highness, please… let’s go back, hmm?”

Renee whispered anxiously.

They had been waiting for three hours. Cedric knew she was there,  Anita was certain of it yet he had not sent word once, not even a servant with tea. It was a deliberate insult that would have humiliated anyone else.

Nevertheless, Anita remained composed, her face as calm and dignified as carved marble.

Nearly another hour passed. The setting sun bled through the windows, bathing the antechamber in red.

Clatter.

As the shadows began to lengthen, a faint sense of weariness spread across Anita’s face.

Then, finally, a sound came from within the chamber.

Someone was leaving the inner chamber.

Anita lifted her gaze, feeling a faint stir of hope in her chest.

Under the red-tinged light of the setting sun, a woman stepped out,  a striking beauty with cool features framed by glowing red hair. Their eyes met briefly before the woman inclined her head in a perfectly measured bow.

“I greet Your Highness, the Crown Princess.”

Her deep green gown, adorned with lavish lace and cut low at the neck in the latest fashion, enhanced her poise.

Sitting on the sofa, Anita caught a glimpse of the tightly laced corset beneath the embroidered bodice, the elegant fall of the pleated skirt and the quiet confidence of her posture.

“It’s my first time seeing you here, Lady.”

“It’s an honor to be in your presence again, Your Highness.”

The woman replied with a graceful smile.

Katrine, the only daughter of Duke Colbert, Cedric’s closest ally and frequent visitor to the Crown Prince’s palace.

It seemed she had been summoned yet again today.

Four hours…

Anita hadn’t seen her arrive earlier, which meant she must have been inside for at least that long.

A dull ache rose in her chest, but she pressed her hand against her skirt, giving no outward sign of it.

“Your Highness, if there is nothing more, may I take my leave?”

Renee stiffened beside her mistress at the boldness of the sudden request and moved half a step forward, as if preparing to respond. However, Anita lifted a hand, silencing her.

She merely inclined her head once, a wordless gesture of permission.

Katrine’s eyebrows twitched slightly at the lack of response, but she bowed gracefully, stood up straight and left the room with unshakable poise.

A strange hollowness spread through Anita’s chest. ‘How easily one can feel small,’ she thought bitterly, closing her eyes and slowly rising to her feet.

Her legs ached from sitting for so long.

By now, the sun had nearly vanished beyond the horizon. If she skipped dinner again, Renee would certainly reprimand her, but she had no appetite. All she wanted was to wash, lie down, and rest.

“I’ll return tomorrow.”

She murmured, motioning for Renee to summon an attendant to deliver her message.

But before Renee could move, the door opened.

An attendant stepped out, his gaze darting away from hers in visible discomfort as he bowed deeply.

“His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to see Your Highness.”