0.6.

Her blonde-brown hair twirled into messy bundles as she did her best to dry them with the towel. She had bright blue eyes, just like Sequencee. Her skin steamy from the bath she had just taken was slightly red, she was clothed in a simple shirt and hot pants.

"How quick. Are you sure you cleaned yourself up properly?" Anna remarked, rolling the towel over her head like a turban.

"It's not like I got a lot of grime from the palace did I?"

Frankly speaking, Sequencee thought that washing up at the bathhouse was unnecessary. It wasn't like they went through some mucky swamp, fell in a pool of blood or anything like that.

"True, true," Anna nodded.

Sitting down on her bed, she took Sequencee's grimoire and she began flipping through the pages.

"What are you doing?" Seqencee asked.

"I'm not sleepy."

"That's not what I meant mom…"

"Here!" Anna pointed at a spell, she beckoned Sequencee over. He slid off the chair beside the window languidly. "You look so depressed, anything the matter?"

"No? Really? I was just thinking, the royal family is so kind, so why are people so afraid of them?"

Anna smiled at his words. "Dear Sequencee, that's only on the surface."

Sequencee titled his head, not quite getting it.

"You are aware that nobles need to present themselves amiably to preserve their image, correct?"

"Yes, but … "

"It gives them an advantage, to be liked by those in their surroundings–it's power."

Sequencee thought about it a little bit. This was similar to what she said regarding the power of building strong networks with people who you can get along with.

Anna nudged him to look at the grimoire. Sequencee glanced at the spell she had pointed out to him.

"Mom, I have a question," Sequencee lifted his palms to face the air. Soon, a blood red orb condensed from mana.

"What is it?" she smiled.

"Are you acting then?"

Sequencee turned to her–she hung a smile on her face, beautiful and warm; but beneath it, Sequencee could sense something dark. It wasn't the first time he had seen her show this expression, and everytime it happened, it meant certain–

"How dare you!" Anna grabbed both his cheeks and pulled at it. Hard. "Of course I'm acting! You're acting, everyone is acting! Imagine I throw you a baby chicken, would you go 'Nice to make an acquaintance, mister baby?', no, you'd go 'chirp, chirp'!"

"Moom … mumm … stup it hurts …"

Anna released him with a harumph. "How could you think of your own mother like that," then she began crying crocodile tears.

"S-Sorry!" Sequencee dropped to a dogeza on the bed. Crying was the last thing he wanted to see from his mother.

"There, there," turning one hundred eighty degrees, Anna patted his head which was buried into the duvet. A soft smile hung on her face.

'Damn you mom … '

After that little fight, the two practiced a little bit of magic before heading to bed. It was quite late, so they expected to wake up much later tomorrow morning.

In the darkness of the covers, Sequencee called out, "Mom."

"What is it dear?"

"There's still a lot I don't know about the world," his quiet voice was loud in the silence.

"It's alright. We'll take it one step at a time."

"Then … mom, when will I be able to see father?"

"Ah, again with this–I can't say for certain, but you will have to grow much, much stronger if you want to stand before him someday."

"Why do I need to get stronger?"

He didn't know, Anna did. She knew what kind of special existence Sequencee was–someone capable of shaking the cultural foundations of the world.

"Can't tell you yet. Go to sleep," Anna quipped.

"..."

===

A night with the moon in full bloom. After the party, Evelyn had changed into her nightgown. Her personal room resembled a large suite, the lonely canopy bed in the middle with empty spaces all around. She was lying prone atop the bed with one hand propping against her chin.

"They will be leaving for Rika Nation … maybe I should ask permission to go with them?"

That would require the approval of her father, the emperor, her mother, the empress, and the secretary in charge of the royal family's education.

"It's not like I'm going to become the empress of this empire anyways ... "

'Why do I want to go anyways?'

Evelyn thought about it a little deeper, her finger tapping against the novel spread out in front of her.

As Evelyn was quite literally the last in line in the royal family when it came to the throne. If anything, she was their little sweet puppy sister who'd often brighten the mood of any room she entered. It was almost a sort of authority that whenever she was around, the stiff air in the palace would ease up.

She was the second child of the empress, so it wasn't like she was being ostracized by the family, unlike her more unfortunate siblings. Though said, she did try to make it up for them by being kind.

"I'm sick of being locked up here. It's boring."

The stories that Sequencee had shared with her couldn't be mistaken for a fake. It was gritty, harsh, and brutal. Despite his efforts to cover up the dire aspects of being a mercenary, Evelyn couldn't help but think that it was an interesting way to live life.

"Right. Let's do that. I'll tell father that I want to take in Sequencee as my loyal knight. But to do that I'll have to win his heart … ?"

Evelyn hummed away as she continued reading the love story in front of her.

Two knocks come from her door.

"Come in."

Selina, her personal maid entered with a tray.

"Your water, Your Highness," she set the glass on top of the desk right beside her bed, as routine would have it..

"Thank you."

"Miss Selina, I'm thinking of going on a trip. Do you think it's a wise decision?" Evelyn tilted her head, her silver hair curled over her shoulder.

"A trip? What kind of trip would that be?" Selina asked back.

"Just earlier I had a talk with Miss Anna. She told me that I need loyal people to protect me. She said that there's someone out for my neck, I'm a little scared. So I'm thinking maybe I should join them on their adventure, after all, I'm not needed in the castle."

"Hm... that is a justifiable concern. Hm? Someone out for your neck?"

"I don't know. It's a rumor," Evelyn closed her novel shut and swapped the book for the glass of water. She took a sip and then placed it back down. "So, I'm thinking of trying to seduce her son!"

"U-Uh... Your Highness? That isn't the right way to earn the loyalty of someone," Selina found this princess quite silly at times.

"I don't know why ... it's the first time I feel like this. I want to get closer to him for some reason … " Evelyn hugged her pillow and hid her hot cheeks behind it.

"Ah, spring has come for Your Highness."

"R-Really?"

"It's a possibility. It's not odd for someone your age to begin holding feelings for another. Of course, you must be careful who it is that you choose. There is a high probability that the first won't work out due to compatibility and immaturity."

"Am I really that immature … " Evelyn mumbled.

'So this is love? How queer.'

"My apologies for being blunt, Your Highness. I too was immature at your age. However, not to worry, you'll accrue wisdom in time. I'm sure you'll find a wonderful man wherever you are."

"Mnn ... I understand. Then I'll ask father tomorrow. If it's going to be dangerous in the palace, might as well move out. Good night Selina," Evelyn plopped down to the side of the bed, feeling the drowsiness begin to take her to dreamland.

"Should I shut off the light when I leave?"

"No, I'll do it myself. You may leave mn..." Evelyn pressed her pillow against her face and shook her head. Seline couldn't help but smile wryly at the sight. Never would she have imagined that Her Highness would talk about seducing a man at this sort of age.

"Good night. Your Highness."

"Un."

When Selina left, Evelyn slowly got up.

"Spring has come ... really? We only met once though … " Evelyn stroked her chest. Why was it that she felt so itchy when she said that?

She took a gulp of water and walked to the light switch. She planned to quickly go to bed to wake up tomorrow so she can get her plan started when her vision blurred suddenly.

'Huh? What's this?'

A loud buzzing noise fell upon her ears, the room tilted.

'Did I fall? What's going on … I can't feel a single thing.'

Her vision blurred, she caught sight of a vague silhouette approaching her.

Enjoy your last peaceful nap, Your Highness.

To the distorting voice, her consciousness faded.