Years passed by and winter approached again in Auvrovaria. The trees had lost all their beautiful green and orange leaves, and the sky that was once blue and sunny gave way to gray clouds.

The empire had become a very safe place to live in, if not the safest in the whole world, thanks to the Imperial Army that was doing everything it could to preserve peace and serenity.

The guards took care of daily tasks such as the surveillance of the cities' borders and the merchandises that come in and go out, stopping robbers and thiefs and preserving the citizens' safety.

As for the Imperial Knights, they took care of difficult missions such as chasing and killing the monsters and demons that remained or hunting down the s-ranked criminals and getting rid of them.

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At the palace, in the courtyard and near the stables, the head butler whose name was Roger Gardner, patiently awaited the return of the princess from her horse ride in the forest which was a part of her royal lessons.

Roger was one of the palace's oldest servants. A very loyal man that was diligent and very serious in his work while having a nice and friendly personality. He even served the late emperor and empress, Arthur's parents.

After a few minutes of waiting, he saw in the distance, the silhouette of a galloping horse. The princess was finally back. He stood up from the stone bench to join her and offer her help to get off the horse.

"Good morning, Your Highness," he greeted, bowing to her before taking her hand to help her get down.

"Good morning, Gardner," she replied in a happy, sweet voice.

Looking at her, the butler couldn't help but notice the blatant resemblance she had with her mother, the late empress Isadora. She had the same smile, the same porcelain white skin and pretty big chocolate brown eyes. Her hair, instead, was long and black in color, just like her father's, slightly wavy at the ends and was pulled back into a nice high ponytail.

The young girl had truly inherited the beauty of her parents. She was dressed in a pretty riding outfit consisting of a sky blue sweater with white pants and a pair of black boots.

"Your Highness, Duke Lobelia came back today with his daughter."

"Uncle Angus is back?! Already?!" she asked in surprise.

"Yes, Your Highness. He went to see His Majesty in his office. As for Lady Lobelia, she is waiting for you in your salon to have tea together."

"Thank you, Gardner. Tell her that I'll join her in a few minutes. And ask for the servants to prepare a bath for me," she ordered with a small smile.

"As you wish, Your Highness," he replied, bowing before leaving to his duties.

Luana took the reins of her horse to bring it back to the stables.

"You did a good job today, Piper. I'm proud of you. You deserved your little treat," she praised, giving some sugar cubes to the animal and patting its head gently.

After that, she went up to her room to take a quick bath and change her clothes.

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Once entering the salon, the young princess was welcomed in her best friend's arms who threw herself on her to hug her tightly.

"Lulu... I missed you so much, my dear..." whispered the young lady.

"Azu... I missed you too, sweetie..." she replied, hugging her back before pulling away to look at her face.

"It's been so long since we last saw each other," started Azusa with a sad expression.

"Five months."

"And four days."

The girls looked at each other silently for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.

"You must be tired from your horse ride, Lulu. Come and sit down so you can rest. I'll serve you some hot tea to help you relax," she offered as she lifted the tea-pot to pour the beverage.

"Thank you, Azu. Although you're my guest today, you're the one serving me. Don't you think it should be the other way around?" replied the princess, joking.

"What are you saying? If it was somebody else, maybe it could be the other way around. But, it's me. It's my duty to help my best friend relax. So, you don't have to worry about it at all," she answered in a joyful tone.

Azusa Lobelia was the youngest daughter of Angus Lobelia and his wife, Rachel Adalena. The eldest child was Eric who was one of the Imperial Army's knights. The young lady was the same age as Luana. She was very beautiful with a pretty beige complexion, brown eyes and shoulder length wavy hair of the same color.

"You made me a very nice surprise by coming back today. I thought you were going to come until next week. That's what dad told me," said the princess.

"Dad finished his mission earlier than expected. So, we wanted to come back home as soon as possible. As you know, he still have a lot of things to take care of here," she replied.

"Yeah, I know. What about Aunty Rachel? Didn't she come with you?"

"She did. But, we dropped her off at the mansion before coming here so she could rest a bit. The trip really tired her."

"That's for sure. The trip is very long between the capital and Manisor."

"Yeah, that's right. But it feels good to leave Stuvia for a while. To change the environment a bit. You know, Manisor is less crowded than here. It's a very nice place to live in," she answered dreamily.

"Absolutely."

"Oh, right. Mum told me to give you her greetings and she assured you that she will be present for your birthday ball. She wouldn't miss it for the world," she stated with sparkling eyes.

"Please, Azu. Don't remind me of that topic. I really don't want to talk nor think about it," Luana replied anxiously.

"What? Why? Come on, Lulu! Don't tell me you don't want to celebrate your 18th birthday!" the girl exclaimed in confusion.

"Yeah. I don't want to celebrate that day. There's nothing to celebrate anyway..."

"But, Lulu... You haven't celebrated your birthday since you were ten years old. Ever since-"

"Ever since I learned the truth about it," she finished her friend's sentence in a dry tone.

A long moment of silence settled between the two girls. It was Luana who broke it with a long, heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry... Don't misunderstand me, Azu... It's just that..." her voice faded as she couldn't find words to say anymore.

Seeing her depressed state, Azusa stroked her friend's hand gently before taking it in hers as she smiled at her warmly.

"Listen to me, Luana. This year, you're going to celebrate your birthday and you're going to have so much fun. Get those dark thoughts out of your head, okay?" she said determinedly.

"It's easier said than done... Mum's death was because of me... If I wasn't born, she would still be here and dad wouldn't be alone and sad as he is now..." replied the princess, a pained expression on her face.

"Lulu... It was her destiny to die giving birth to you. I know it's sad put like this but you really had nothing to do with it. It wasn't your fault at all. You didn't kill her. I mean, how could you? You were just a baby."

"I know... But still..."

"Also, the reason why His Majesty didn't remarry is because he's not alone and he doesn't feel alone at all. Because he has you, Luana. His daughter. His only child. The fruit of his unconditional love for your mother. And the thing that could make him even happier than he already is, is seeing you happy. So please, don't let those thoughts ruin one of the happiest days of your life. The day of your birth should be celebrated as it should!" concluded Azusa enthusiastically.

"You really have a talent for giving heartwarming speeches that cheer a person up," she remarked with a chuckle.

"You're very right about that. It seems I'm pretty good at it judging by the beautiful smile you just showed me. Oh! Before I forget!"

Azusa took out of her bag a pretty medium sized box wrapped with a small ribbon and gave it to Luana. The package was slightly heavy.

"I wanted to wait until next week. But I couldn't anymore. So, Happy birthday!" she exclaimed with a big smile.

"Oh... Thank you so much, Azu. You really shouldn't have bothered yourself," she replied, hugging her tightly, clearly touched by the gesture.

"What are you talking about? It didn't bother me at all. Come on! Open it! I can't wait to see your reaction!"

Luana put the package on the table in front of her and started unwrapping it slowly and carefully, eager to know what's inside of it.

"W-wow..." she whispered with sparkling eyes.

The box contained a series of six books of different sizes and colors.

"T-that's-"

"New novels from your favorite authors that have just been released? Yes, it is."

"You're wonderful... Thank you very much, Azu!" she thanked, hugging her best friend again.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. It's just a little gift compared to what you might get. But I though that you might like it anyway," she expressed, a little bit embarrassed.

"Are you kidding me?! This is the best gift I can ever receive! I've been waiting for them to be released for a very long time. And now, I'm very happy to finally have them and I can't wait to read them."

"They're very interesting and in different genres too. You won't feel bored reading them. There are two of them that contains romance and fluff. The kind of things you like," she added, teasing her.

"Really, you! You will never change! You know me better than I know myself," replied the young princess, laughing.

"That's why I'm your best friend. It's not just a title."

The two girls continued to talk about their favorite novels together for hours and hours while tasting the delicious tea that was brewed.

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When the sun started setting down and the evening came, Azusa decided it was time for her to go back home before it gets dark outside.

"I really wish you could stay here for the night," Luana said.

"I would like to. But we have to go back to the mansion. We still have a lot of things to take care of. But don't worry, I'll be back in two days. You know, to witness the return of the Order of the Imperial Knights."

"Oh yeah, that's right. I completely forgot about that."

"I missed my brother so much. It's been three years since I last saw him. I was so worried about him," she expressed, sadness clear in her eyes.

"I understand you. Dad told me that their mission was a success and that no knight was seriously injured. You don't have to worry anymore," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's reassuring. I also heard that Captain Arminel resigned his position a few months ago. He retired."

"Really? I didn't know about that. And who took his place?" asked Luana curiously.

"I heard that it's his right-hand man and disciple, Lucas Koraxos. And it's also said that it's thanks to him that the mission was a success. He must be very strong and talented to make such a feat despite his young age."

"Lucas Koraxos? I don't know him. Even though I knew Captain Arminel very well," Luana remarked.

"I, too, have never seen him before. But it's said that he often came to the palace with the captain."

"Maybe I just didn't notice him."

"It could be it, yeah. Anyway, I'm very impatient for the day after tomorrow! I miss Eric so much!" she exclaimed, pouting.

"Since earlier you're talking about that day. Are you sure you missed just your brother?" asked the princess in a teasing manner.

"W-what do you mean? Of course I missed just my brother. Who could I be missing too?" Azusa asked back, her cheeks turning slightly red as she was taken aback.

"I don't know. Maybe you missed another person. A certain knight."

"I-if you're talking about Sir Carter, you're completely wrong! Besides, he's my brother's friend! There's no way I'd like him!" she stammered, blushing very hard.

"And who talked about Sir Carter? And who accused you of liking someone, in the first place? Huh?" Luana asked, teasing her more.

"B-but... Y-you... I-I... S-stop teasing me!"

Luana laughed softly at her friend's adorable reaction as the latter pouted in anger.

"I'm not teasing you. I know you've had a crush on him for more than three years. So, I just assumed you might have missed him too," she deduced, smiling innocently.

Azusa stayed silent for a short moment, her eyes focused on the floor and her feet.

"I'm right, am I not?"

"Y-yeah... You're right... I really missed him... Almost as much as Eric," she admitted, completely flushed.

"That's so cute. And it's just now that you tell me that? You don't trust me?" she complained, pretending to be sad.

"N-no! It's not that at all! It's just that... Before, I wasn't sure how I felt about him. But now, I know that I really love him. You can't imagine how much, Lulu," she answered with a reddish face.

"Why don't you tell him how you feel, then? Why don't you confess?"

"I-I can't! It's impossible for me!"

"Why not?"

"I... He's my brother's best friend... And I know that he only sees me as a little sister... So..." she answered sadly.

"Don't give up hope, Azu. Who told you he doesn't feel the same way about you? It's not like he said so himself."

"We hardly ever speak to each other, Lulu... And if we do, that's when Eric is present," she replied anxiously.

"If I were you, I wouldn't give up so easily. I would go all the way," Luana said determinedly.

"But-"

"No buts! I knew you much stronger and more determined than that. Come on! Get a hold of yourself!" she added, encouraging the young girl.

"Thank you, Luana... You're a real friend," Azusa replied, hugging her tightly.

"I'm here anytime if you need someone to talk to," she said, smiling affectionately.

"Thank you very much. You too, come to talk to me when you need help or when you aren't feeling well."

"I will do it for sure."

Azusa stood up from the sofa and straightened up her dress.

"Well, I have to go home now. See you in two days then," she added.

"Yeah, see you in two days to welcome your brother and your lover," Luana teased her.

"O-okay... Good night, then!" she smiled with a blushing face as she walked away hurriedly.

Luana laughed out loud as she followed her bestfriend in the hallway.

"Wait for me! I'll walk you to the main door!" she called out, chuckling.