The 16th of November came, Luana's birthday. The weather was very cold, a proof that it was going to snow in the next few days. The young princess went out early in the morning with her father to go visit the rose garden in the backyard of the castle, where the late empress' grave was.

Once arrived there, Luana knelt in front of the gravestone and caressed it gently with a sad smile on her face.

"Hey, Mum. Today I turned 18. Your little baby has grown up."

Upon these words, she put a bouquet of red and white roses that she brought with her on the ground. She knew from her father how much the empress was fond of them.

"I really wish you were here, Mum. I wish I could see your face. Even if it's just for a short moment..."

Arthur knelt beside her as he pulled her closer to him by the shoulders and hugged her from behind.

"Hello, my love. I miss you so much, you know that? The palace feels so empty without you. I'm empty without you. By losing you, I've lost all hopes of living. But when I saw our baby, I knew I had to live for her. Look at her now. She looks a lot like you," he said with a heartbroken smile.

The emperor stroked the gravestone gently and kissed it softly.

"I don't know how long I will live. But... I hope that you'll be waiting for me, my love-" his sentence was cut by his hard coughing.

"Dad? Dad, are you okay?" Luana asked worriedly as she stroked her father's back softly.

"Yeah... Don't worry about me... It's just-" he coughed again.

"You've been coughing very hard these last days, Dad. Shouldn't you call a doctor to examine you?"

"Don't worry, darling... I just caught a cold. It's nothing too serious. It's normal to catch it in this freezing weather," he replied, smiling softly to reassure her.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, my dear. Believe me. I'll get better in no time."

"If you say so. Then, let's go back inside. It's very cold here. I'm afraid your condition will get worse if we stay any longer," she suggested, standing up.

"Yeah, you're right," he replied, doing the same.

As she walked away, Luana turned around to look at the grave one last time.

"I love you, Mum," she whispered, a small smile on her face.

Then, they returned to the palace together, hand in hand.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Once back to her bedroom, Luana took a long hot bath to relax and warm up. When she finished, she stood in front of her wardrobe to choose her outfit for the evening.

'What should I wear for tonight? I feel like putting on something simple but pretty.'

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard someone knocking on the door gently.

"Come in."

Agnes Purcell, her personal maid, entered the room with a big packet in her arms that she put on the table before bowing.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has instructed me to give you this."

"Oh? What is that?" asked the princess as she walked over to check the box.

"I think it's your birthday gift, Your Highness."

"Oh, I see... Thank you, Agnes," she replied with a smile.

"You're welcome, Your Highness. If you need anything from me, just call me," the maid said before bowing and stepping out of the room.

Luana looked at the large, beautifully wrapped package and took the little card that came with it to read it.

┌─────── ∘◦❁◦∘ ───────┐

Happy birthday to the most
beautiful princess in the
world.
I hope that you'll like this
little gift.

Your dear dad.

└─────── ∘◦❁◦∘ ───────┘

She smiled affectionately at those words before putting the small card on the table and opening the package to discover its contents.

"It's exactly what I needed. I love you, Dad," she whispered, smiling excitedly.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

In the evening, all the guests gathered in the main hall. The orchestra was playing soft music to match the warm and cozy atmosphere inside. After a few minutes of waiting, the emperor and his daughter made their entrance under the dazzled eyes of the guests.

The princess was magnificent, breathtakingly beautiful. She was wearing a very beautiful light blue, off-shoulders dress with transparent large sleeves that were adorned with pretty little white flowers. She also wore pretty high heels that matched the dress, a white choker necklace and small earrings of the same colour. As for her long wavy black hair, it was styled half up and half down.

As Arthur walked down the main hall with her, he couldn't help but see the resemblance she had with Isadora.

"You're beautiful. Your mother had such an exceptional taste. It doesn't surprise me that this dress was her favorite," he whispered to her with a smile.

"Thank you, Dad. And you're right. It's very beautiful. It's the best birthday gift I could ever get," she replied, smiling back at him.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I'm very happy right now. And I would have been happier if you were my partner for the dance."

"I would have really liked to be able to accompany you for your first dance, my angel... But, as you see... I'm not feeling very well-" he said apologetically while coughing softly.

"Dad, I'm really worried about you. The coughing didn't stop at all. It just increased."

"It's nothing too serious. It will pass, don't worry about me."

"If you say so..." she whispered, not completely convinced.

"I want you to enjoy this evening to the fullest, Luana. So, I've chosen a partner to accompany you for your first dance," he stated with a smile.

"You shouldn't have, Dad. We could do without that-"

"Oh no! No way! The princess' first dance is very important in her 18th birthday ball," he exclaimed seriously.

Luana chuckled slightly at his adorable reaction.

"As you wish, Dad. So, who's my partner?" she asked curiously.

"There he is," he answered, looking straight ahead.

Luana looked in the same direction her father was looking at to meet the cold gaze of Captain Koraxos who was walking slowly and elegantly towards them. She felt her heart skip a beat at his appearance.

He was dressed in a formal attire which consisted of a white top with black and golden details, black pants, a long jacket of the same color as the top and a pair of black boots.

Once in front of them, the young knight bowed to greet them.

"Good evening, Your Majesty and Your Highness."

"Good evening, Sir Koraxos," replied Arthur, smiling at him.

Lucas turned his head to look at Luana as he bowed to her once again while offering her his glove-covered hand.

"Will you grant me this dance, Your Highness?"

Luana looked back at him with a slight blush colouring her face. She hesitantly accepted his hand.

"Yeah, of course."

Arthur left the two of them together as he went to sit on the throne. The princess and her bodyguard made their way to the center of the room, hand in hand.

Then, they faced each other. Lucas was a very tall man. The young princess barely reached his neck even with her high heels.

The knight put his free hand on her waist while she putted her right one on his left shoulder. And then, the music began playing again.

The two young people danced gracefully together under the amazed gazes of the guests. Their moves were so smooth and elegant as if it wasn't their first time dancing.

Lucas didn't take his eyes off Luana, not even for a second. On the other hand, the princess was avoiding his gaze completely.

A few minutes later, the guests joined the dancefloor with their partners as they all danced in synchronisation with the princess and her bodyguard.

The latter saw her best friend smiling at her in the distance. Azusa was wearing a very beautiful pale pink, off-shoulders dress with long silky sleeves, a pair of high heels that were the same color as the dress and some small pretty pearl jewelry. As for her hair, it was styled in a very elegant low bun.

Luana saw Sir Carter approaching the girl slowly, his cheeks slightly pinkish. He was very elegant too with his formal attire which consisted of a black shirt with white pants, a long red jacket and a pair of black boots.

He bowed to the young lady and asked her to dance with him by offering her his hand that she gladly accepted right away, blushing slightly.

Seeing the cute scene unfold before her eyes, the young princess couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?" Lucas asked, confused.

"Oh no, it's nothing. I just saw something that I though was cute," she replied, smiling absent-mindedly.

'She's so adorable,' he thought with a small, faint smile on his lips.

After a few minutes, they stopped dancing. The young knight faced the princess and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Happy birthday, Your Highness," he said, kissing the back of her hand.

"Thank you, Sir Koraxos," she replied, blushing slightly.

"It was a pleasure to dance with you," he added, a small smile on his face.

"The pleasure was mine," she replied, smiling back.

They stood there, staring at each other for a while without saying anything. The silence was slightly awkward.

"Well, I'll leave you now. Good evening to you, Sir Koraxos," she said before walking away.

"To you too, Your Highness," he replied, bowing to her.

After that, the guests congratulated the princess one by one. Then, it was the turn of Duchess Lobelia who took the princess in her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Happy birthday, darling," she said with a big smile.

"Thank you very much, Aunty Rachel," the young girl replied, smiling back.

"You've become a very lovely young lady. Just like how your mom was," she remarked, looking at her with a nostalgic smile on her face.

"You're making me blush, Aunty," she replied with rosy cheeks.

"It's the truth, though. I bet a lot of guys are already head over heels for you."

"A-Aunty!" she exclaimed in embarrassment.

"Okay, okay. I won't bother you anymore," she chuckled.

"Eric didn't come with you?" she asked.

"No and he apologizes for that. He's caught a bad cold and now he's bedridden. But he asked me to give you this," she replied, giving her two small packages.

"Oh... You really shouldn't have bothered yourself," Luana said, hugging her tightly.

"What bother are you talking about? You're like my daughter! By the way, the blue one is Eric's and the red one is mine and Angus'. He was the one who chosed it for you," she added with a soft smile.

"Thank you very much, Aunty Rachel. You really are like a mum for me."

"You're welcome, my dear. Like I said, you and Azusa are the same for me."

After that, all the guests sat down on their respective tables to have dinner together.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Later that evening, another guest, dressed all in black, entered the main hall and walked over to the emperor who was standing beside his daughter, talking to her.

"Good evening, Your Majesty and Your Highness. Excuse my delay," he greeted, bowing to them.

Once Arthur heard the man's voice, he turned around to look at him with a cold gaze.

"It's okay, Duke Slater. What matters now is that you're here," he replied curtly.

The duke turned to look at the princess as he smiled to her. There was something evil and dishonest about his stare that made the young girl uncomfortable.

"I came to wish you a happy birthday, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Duke Slater," she replied with a forced smile.

"Although I find it a bit out of place to celebrate it like this," he retorted with a smirk.

"You mean?" asked the emperor harshly.

"Come on, Your Majesty. You know very well what I'm talking about. Today, it's been exactly eighteen years since my dear cousin Isadora died. So, it breaks my heart to see her daughter smiling and having fun like this as if it was nothing," he replied, a fake sad expression on his face.

"Duke Slater, that's none of your business," Arthur replied coldly.

"Why, Your Majesty? I'm only telling the truth. She's old enough to know that she was the cause of her mother's death and that it's not right to-"

"I'm not feeling very well. I think I'll go up to my room to rest. Excuse me, Dad" Luana said apologetically to her father as she walked away.

"Luana, wait!" Arthur called out to her.

The young princess left the main hall hurriedly, not looking back anymore.

"It's really shameful of a princess to leave her guests like that. And what for? Just because I-"

"Listen to me, Rufus! If you are still alive until now, it's out of respect to my deceased wife, do you hear me?!" exclaimed the emperor angrily.

"Come on, Your Majesty. I don't see at all why-"

"Enough! I don't want to hear you anymore! And you better get out of here, right now. I don't want to see your face ever again!" said the emperor, enraged before leaving the room and following his daughter.

The duke remained standing there alone, smirking evilly. The guests around him didn't notice what had happened because of the loud music.

"Duke Slater," someone called out to him from behind.

When the man turned around, he saw Captain Koraxos standing right before him, a cold expression on his face.

"Oh? You must be the army's new captain, aren't you? Nice to meet you," he said with a smirk as he offered his hand.

"Apologize to the princess for what you said to her earlier," he ordered.

The duke burst out laughing maniacally.

"Are you ordering me? You? Well, I see that the princess' new puppy is very protective of his mistress," he remarked mockingly.

"This puppy you're speaking of doesn't know how to be nice when you cross the line. Let alone when you hurt Her Highness," he replied with a menacing gaze.

"Are you threatening me?!" he exclaimed angrily.

The young man approached him slowly, dangerously before putting his hand on his shoulder and whispering in his ear.

"Not really. I'm just telling you that if you want to go back home with your head still on your shoulders, you better get the hell out of here," he said coldly.

The duke trembled at the captain's words as his face went pale. Without saying another word, he left the main hall hastily.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

"Luana... Luana, please. Open the door for me," Arthur asked gently.

He was in front of the young princess' bedroom's door, a painful expression on his face. He kept on knocking without getting an answer.

"Luana... I know you're here, please..."

A few seconds later, the girl opened the door slowly, her cheeks strained with tears. Upon seeing her dad, she threw herself into his arms, crying.

"My angel... Please, don't cry..." he called painfully as he caressed her head.

"He was right, Dad. It's because of me that she's-" she sobbed hard.

"Don't say that, darling. That's not true. It had nothing to do with you. It wasn't your fault. We both know it wasn't. So please, don't cry, my baby. It pains me to see you like this," he whispered to her, stroking her hair gently.

After that, he put her to bed and stayed with her until she called down and fell asleep to leave.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

In the middle of the night, Luana woke up from her sleep when she heard a small noise coming from the balcony. Someone was there.

She walked over to the patio door carefully and opened it to go out to the big terrace.

To her surprise, she saw no one. But, she noticed a small wrapped box that was put on the small glass table.

She took it and opened it to find a pretty music box with a small note on it.

┌─────── ∘◦❁◦∘ ───────┐

I wanted to give you

Your faithful servitor,
Lucas Koraxos.

└─────── ∘◦❁◦∘ ───────┘

The young princess smiled happily as she read those words. Then, she walked back into her bedroom and put the music box on her nightstand before going back to bed.

"Thank you," she whispered with a smile.