The next morning, at the palace, Azusa went to the emperor's office early, before her father arrived, to take charge of reading certain documents which had to be signed as soon as possible.

After Luana left, she and her family moved to the palace so that they could take better care of Arthur and complete their daily duties more easily.

Once she entered the room, she was surprised to see her father already seated in the armchair behind the desk, his elbows resting on the hard surface and his hands crossed under his chin, deep in thought.

"Good morning, Dad," she greeted, smiling.

He jumped slightly in surprise when he heard her.

"Oh... Good morning, Azu," he replied in a small voice.

The girl walked over to him and sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"You got up very early today. Do you have a lot of work to do ?" she asked, examining the paperwork in front of her.

"No... That's not it..." he repliee, a blank look on his face.

"Hm ? Are you okay, Dad ?"

"Not really, no. I haven't slept all night."

The girl widened her eyes in surprise.

"Why is that ?! Are you sick ?!" she asked, worried.

The duke sighed heavily, resting his back on the back of the chair.

"No, I'm fine. It's more like Arthur who isn't... He... Yesterday... He..."

"What's wrong with him, Dad ? What happened to His Majesty ?" she asked, a lump in her throat.

"I… I don't know how it happened… Yesterday, after dinner, I stayed with him in his room to keep him company. He was asleep with a calm and serene expression on his face. Then, suddenly, he started to have a fever and vomit blood..."

"B-but... I visited him yesterday morning and he was doing very well though ! I-it's true that he can't move or speak to us... But he seemed to be doing well, anyway ! He was recovering little by little ! H-how is it possible that he relapsed so suddenly ?!"

"I don't know..."

"What did the doctor say ?"

Angus stayed silent.

"Dad, you have nothing to hide from me. I have all rights to know. The doctor examined him, didn't he ?"

"Yeah..."

"And what did he diagnose ? What is the cause of this seizure ?!"

"A-Arthur… He… He's been poisoned again," he replied with a dejected tone.

Azusa's face turned white as a sheet of pure shock.

"W-What ?" she asked, shaking slightly.

"Fortunately, this time, the poison was not lethal for him... His body is still resisting... But the problem is that it reduced his ability to survive from three months to just one..."

"Oh my god !" she exclaimed, putting her hands in front of her mouth in horror.

"It's almost impossible to save him now... We can't find the cure in such a short time... And we have no contact with Luana to warn her about her father's condition... I'm afraid she won't even be able to be there by his side when... when he... I don't even want to think about it !" he exclaimed bitterly.

"B-but... How did the poison get to him ? He was under our supervision all the time ! No one ever left him alone ! We made sure that he was treated as it should !"

"There's a traitor among us. I'm more than sure of that. And he is going to pay very dearly for it..." he said, clenching his fist very hard until it turned white.

The duke rose abruptly from his desk.

"Where are you going, Dad ?"

"I'm going to give the order for an investigation. I'm going to find this damn traitor and I'm going to punish him properly !" he answered angrily.

As he walked towards the door, his vision blurred and he lost his balance.

"Dad !"

Azusa rushed over to him and caught him just in time before he fell. The latter growled in pain.

"I think that my body has finally decided to let go," he says.

"You should get some rest. You're all pale from lack of sleep."

"I can't rest knowing that there's a traitor among us and that he wants to assassinate my best friend, Azusa."

"I know, Dad. But in this state, you won't be able to do anything. You need to rest a little bit so that you can work."

"But I still have documents to review including the investigation. I can't rest now-"

"The knights can take care of this. As for the documents, I'll take care of them myself. Go and rest now."

"I-"

"No retaliation !"

Angus laughed slightly at his daughter's stubbornness.

"As you wish, My Angel."

"I'll ask one of the guards to walk you to your room in case you lose your balance again."

"No, don't worry about that. I'll take it easy. And above all, don't tire yourself too much, okay honey ?"

"Okay," she replied, smiling slightly.

Once the duke left the office, Azusa took his place and sat on the armchair and began to filter the piles of documents that were in front of her.

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Meanwhile, in the Neldor Forest, Luana and Lucas were advancing more and more in the woods.

"This place is huge. I feel like we are in a maze and that we're going around in circles," Luana remarked.

"I don't think that's the case. Certainly the environment is very similar, but there are a few details that are different."

"If you say so."

"I even marked a few trees in case we get lost. So, don't worry," he added, smiling slightly.

"Good."

The two young people continued to advance. They passed by a beautiful little stream where they stopped to regain their strength.

"This place is truly beautiful. It's hard to believe that this forest is one of the most dangerous places in the world," Luana said, dazzled.

"Appearences are often deceptive."

"That's true."

The princess took her jar of water and drank some of its contents. After that, she leaned against a tree and looked up at the blue sky that was covered with small, white clouds. As for Lucas, he did the same thing and leaned against another tree in front of her.

"Did you sleep well yesterday ?" he asked suddenly.

"What ?" the princess asked back, a little bit confused.

"I wanted to know if you slept well."

"Uh... Yeah... Why ?" she answered uncertainly.

"Because you looked uncomfortable in your sleep. You kept tossing around and screaming. You even cried. I thought you were sick."

"O-oh... N-no... I wasn't sick... Not at all... Maybe it's due to the change of location, that's all," she replied nervously.

"You've had a nightmare, haven't you ?"

Luana's eyes widened in surprise. She lowered her head and remained silent.

"I take your silence as a yes."

"I-I..."

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday, Luana ?"

"Yes, I remember... It's just that you're going to find me pathetic if I tell you about it..." she answered in a small voice.

"I would never find you pathetic, Luana. I will always listen to you. Even if the subject for you is not worth talking about, I will listen to you anyway. So don't worry about that," he said, smiling affectionately at her.

The young princess felt her little heart leap in her chest which made her cheeks turn slightly pink.

"It's true. I had a nightmare yesterday..."

"And what was it about ?"

"I saw my father die in front of me... And there was nothing I could do to save him... I screamed and screamed with all my might for someone to help me... But no one came to me... No one heard me... The world around me was crumbling... Then, a thing came out of the darkness and approached me... It pinned me hard to the ground and took out a dagger to stab me... And that's when I woke up with a start..."

"I heard you... You cried too... That's why I didn't want to approach you... I wanted to give you some privacy... I though that you needed it..."

"It looked so real that I was afraid of it when I woke up… I was afraid that everything I saw would come true…" she added in a small voice.

"It's not going to be the case. I will protect you and His Majesty. We will find the cure and everything will be back to normal and much better."

Luana looked down at the ground, a sad expression on her face.

The young knight stood up and walked towards her. He knelt in front of her and put his hand on hers.

"We're going to save him, Luana. You and me. Nothing will happen to you or him. Trust me," he said determinedly.

The girl looked him straight in the eyes and then she nodded her head, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, you're right. Thank you so much, Lucas. You're a true friend..."

Hearing her words, Lucas felt a joy spread through his whole being. His heart was beating very fast and he turned red up to the ears.

"It's an honor for me, Princess..."

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Around noon, Azusa heard someone knocking on the office door.

"Come in," she ordered.

It was Matthew Carter who appeared, dressed in his usual armor. He was surprised to see the young girl in the duke's place.

"Lady Lobelia ? Good morning," he greeted, bowing to her.

"Good morning, Sir Carter."

"What are you doing here, My Lady ? Where is His Grace ?" he asked, confused.

"Dad wasn't feeling very well. He went to rest. So, I'm replacing him for today."

"Oh I see. With what happened yesterday with His Majesty, that's understandable. He must be very tired."

"You knew about it ?"

"Obviously. I'm in charge of the investigation."

"Oh I see."

Matthew looked at the documents that Azusa had in her hands. Then, he directed his gaze to the other remaining piles of paperwork.

"Are you going to take care of these ?" he asked.

"Yeah. Since dad is sick, somebody should do it for him. We can't delay this paperwork any longer."

Matthew walked silently to the desk, sat down on a seat and picked up a stack and began to leaf through the documents.

"What are you doing ?" Azusa asked, confused.

"I'm helping you, of course. You can't take care of all of these alone, and it's already almost noon. You need to have lunch," he answered casually.

"I can't go until I finish."

"And that's why I'm here. We'll do a lot faster if we work together. We'll be able to do half of it in no time. And after that, we'll go to have lunch," he replied, smiling.

"That's really kind of you, Sir Carter. But you too have a lot of work to do yourself. I can't take advantage of your kindness," she retorted.

The young knight laughed slightly.

"You're not taking advantage at all. Quite the contrary. Think of this as a help from a friend," he added, smiling slightly.

Azusa's cheeks flushed and her heart rate quickened.

"T-thank you..." she replied in a whisper.

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At the end of the day, Angus woke up from his sleep. He returned to the office after visiting Arthur to check on his condition.

When he entered the room, he saw his daughter and Sir Carter sitting down, putting away the documents that they had finished working on.

The young knight stood up when he saw the duke and bowed to him.

"Good evening, Your Grace," he greeted.

"Good evening, Sir Carter," Angus replied, smiling.

"I hope you're better than earlier. Lady Lobelia told me you were sick."

"I'm doing a lot better. Thank you."

Angus walked over to his desk and glanced at the documents.

"Did you take care of all of these ?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, Dad. Sir Carter came to help me right after you left. Without him, I would still be halfway," Azusa replied, chuckling lightly.

Angus looked at Matthew and smiled sincerely at him.

"Thank you for your help, Sir Carter."

"I only did my duty, Your Grace."

"And regarding the investigation that I asked you to do, is there anything new ?"

"I gave the order to question everyone and search in the palace in case the vial containing the poison is found. But nothing has been found yet," he replied.

"We'll find him. We'll find this traitor. Let's not give up hope," Angus added.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," the duke ordered.

It was Ruth Lander, a middle-aged widowed maid who entered.

She was one of the oldest in the palace. She lost her husband, two years ago, due to an illness when her son was only 4 years old.

Unlike her habit, she looked disoriented and scared. Her skin was very pale as if she had seen a ghost. Her shoulder-length, ash blonde hair was poorly combed and her hazel eyes were puffy as if she had cried all the tears in her body.

She slowly walked over to Angus and bowed to him.

"Good evening, Y-Your Grace... L-Lady Lobelia... S-Sir Carter..." she greeted with a trembling voice.

"Good evening, Mrs. Lander. Do you need something ?" asked Angus.

"I-I..."

"Hm ?"

"Y-Your G-Grace..." she continued, shaking like a leaf.

"What is it, Ruth ? What's wrong with you ?"

"I-I... I-I..."

"Calm down and tell me what's wrong," he asked softly, approaching her.

The maid fell to the floor on her knees in front of him, in tears.

"Forgive me, Your Grace ! I beg you ! Forgive me !" she cried loudly.

Angus remained standing there, confused at the scene that presented itself before his eyes.

"But... What are you talking about, Ruth ? Forgive you what ? What happened ?!" he asked.

"I-I… I-I-I betrayed H-His Majesty… I'm the one who poisoned him !"