Alkas gazed out of the ballroom, an impassive look on her face. She had her hands folded neatly onto the windowsill. The window itself had thin black bars that intersected together into rows of diamond shapes. A smooth patterned glass covered it like a prism. When the sun hits through it, beacons of rainbow light would beam on the floor. It offered her a good view of the front lawn.

The playroom from her childhood also had the same window design. It helped mute sounds from the outside. That was the case but it seemed like she had a sixth sense back then. She'd hear faint laughter and whenever she'd glance outside, she'd find Ariene running across the field of grass. She would listen closely after that and watch her sister's expression.

She never directly heard it from that spot.

She didn't have to anyway.

Anyone in the household would recognize the Younger Princess's gleeful voice.

The sound of leather boots on a marble floor echoed in her ears. She pried her eyes away from the landscape and shifted them towards an archway. Her expression remained indifferent as Hayden walked into the room. Not even the presence of Sir Allen wavered her.

The Princess stepped away from the window and greeted the gentlemen with a curtsy.

"There is no need for that, Your Highness." The knight objected quickly. He almost reached out a hand to straighten her up but thought better of it.

Alkas smiled politely, holding her hands together over her stomach, "I am merely expressing my respects, Sir Allen. Your hardwork and devotion as a knight has been embedded in my mind since I was young."

"I quite agree with that." Hayden added. He moved sideways so he wouldn't block the knight's path, "Even I haven't given my due respects. Please allow me to."

He faced Sir Allen and bent his upper back forward. He stayed in that position for about two seconds before he straightened up his spine, saying, "Hayden and I are truly grateful for all that you've done for us."

"Prince Tylen, this isn't.."

"Now, now, Sir Allen. What's done is done. There's no need to protest further." The Princess chuckled. She placed on foot towards the other doorway of the ballroom, "Will you be escorting us?"

"Ah, ye-yes!" The knight grunted. He stood at attention, staying near Hayden's tail, "Since Sir Hayden isn't around. I have offered my servers to the Crown Prince. I believe as the host country, it is my duty to be his aid around here."

"And you wonder why we offer you our respects." Alkas mused.

Hayden offered his hand to her and she accepted it. Together, they walked towards the exit. The passing servants stopped in their tracks to watch the royal pair. They bowed and curtsied respectively. The group passed by the drawing room, heading for the set of doors under the grand staircase.

They lined up an entire wall. All of them were made of oak. Depending on the size inside, some only had one door while others had two. Two royal knights stood at the ready near a double set. A few knights could also be found beside them, posing as each parliament member's guard.

Muffled discussion could be heard from under the closed doorway. A boisterous laugh resounded at one point. The Princess hid her chuckle behind a cough. Hayden glanced at her, his eyebrows raised. She merely shook her hand.

In no time, they stood before the entrance.The two royal knights knocked the end of their spears on the floor twice. It didn't take long for the chatter on the other side to die down. These two thuds did serve as the announcement of the monarch's arrival to the scene.

When they opened up the doors for the Prince and the Princess, a group of men welcomed them by standing in their seats.

The courtroom was brightly lit. Wooden furniture and decor mostly decorated its interior. Colors of red and gold adorned the finishing touches such as the curtains and the frames of the lights. A large painting of the previous Crown hung at the back wall. The obsidian eyes of King Andre watched over the proceedings.

The floor had a set up with five sets of long lecterns. There were two on the left and two on the right. The ones nearer to the walls rose higher than the platforms in front of them. Short stairs had been provided on each side of the lecterns for the upper benches. On the other hand, the lower ones had been divided in the middle.

The last lectern was pushed against the back wall. It stood slightly higher than the front platforms but lower than the back ones. It had the royal family insignia embedded at the center. Instead of a bench, it housed three armchairs. From the viewpoint of the entrance, the lowest chair was placed on the left. The center stood about two inches higher while the right one had an inch difference.

At the foot of the lectern sat a small desk for the secretary to take notes.

Hayden steeled his nerves as he felt all the eyes in the room dart towards him. He continued to escort Alkas. Both had their backs straight and their chins up. He spotted Rowan near the lectern they headed for. The Prime Minister stood at the left end of the platform, an arm resting on the counter.

He bowed his head slightly as the pair passed him by.

Duke Jameson was positioned at Rowan's right side. He smiled politely when Hayden made eye contact with him. Next to him, a middle-aged man didn't share the same sentiment. His gray eyes squinted at the hand that held the Princess's. A deep frown stretched the edges of his lips.

Once Alkas and Hayden reached their destination, the knight stepped aside to let her climb up before him. Then, he positioned himself beside her.

Except for the Prime Minister, everyone took their seats after the Princess sat down.

Hayden noticed Sir Allen's absence. He laced his hands together and placed them on the desk. He admired the wall furnishings near him. A small metal covering of an exhaust caught his eye. He quickly looked away before he could stare at it for too long.

"Well, I hope everyone has been well." The Princess addressed the parliament. She folded her hands on her lap and smiled gently. Then, she gestured a hand towards Hayden, "Please let me introduce my fiance, Prince Tylen from Teralyn."

"It is a pleasure for you to join us, Your Highness." Rowan responded, "As the future king, it humbles us that you're already interested to participate in our kingdom's affairs."

"Yes, it is quite nice." The same middle-aged man grunted. The roots of his black hair had turned white recently. The wrinkles on both sides of his mouth gave him a permanent frown. The bags under his eyes also hollowed with folds.

"Prime Minister, kindly proceed with the list of our agenda today." Alkas instructed.

Rowan bowed to the waist in her direction. Then, he spun on his heel and faced the rest of the parliament members. He projected his voice at a high volume. He made sure to pronounce each syllable with clear distinction. He couldn't allow anyone to misunderstand his words or there would be confusion.

Alkas leaned her head towards Hayden, whispering, "Since this is your first meeting with the parliament, it might be better if you spend more time observing. I will ask for your opinion from time to time so be ready. A few of them might talk to you directly as well. It's a battlefield with words of mouth."

The knight wondered why the Princess told him these things. Their kingdom didn't have a parliament but they did have a royal council. As the 'Crown Prince', it was part of his duty to meet with them every week. 'He' didn't need a reminder about what happened in these proceedings.

Still, Hayden merely nodded his head. He refused to draw more suspicion by questioning Alkas about it. He still kept it in mind. He shifted his attention to the exhaust unconsciously. When he gazed at it squarely, a pair of old eyes stared back.

It winked.

"Lastly, it seemed that more sightings of bandits had been spotted around the kingdom." The Prime Minister announced, "A group of knights reported a mass of unconscious bodies near the first tower in the Ahana Forest."

Duke Jameson raised his eyebrows, "Unconscious?"

"Some of them turned out to be dead but a large number were alive." Rowan explained, "The peculiar part of it is the nighthawk symbol on their masks."

"Bah!" The middle-aged man exclaimed, "It must be those Phantom Pirates. They always created havoc, stealing the wealth of the lands."

"Pardon me for my intrusion, Marquess Elliot," Duke Jameson cut in, "I believe that group has a different insignia. Wasn't it a silhouette of their ship?"

The Prime Minister approached their bench, facing the door, "Jameson is correct, Elliot old man. The nighthawk belongs to the Nocti."

The Marquess slammed a hand down on his table, his gray eyes glistening.

"It's not about the symbols. It's why these men were in our territory and why they were unconscious." Elliot raised a finger, "The only reason that I can think of is related to the Phantom Pirates. Only they can create such a scene. From my understanding, none of our knights reported a dispute against this group, yes? They merely found the bodies? Then, who do you think caused them to be left in that state?"