They stared into each others eyes, as if trying to inspect the other. A long silence passed, yet neither of them broke eye contact.

I changed my mind, Sid. The princess was the first one to interrupt the silence. We should raise this baby wolf my aunt has abandoned.

*****

Uriel Biche was locked in a small room in the Star Palace, and he was lost in thought. Hed known this was an unusual mission from the start. And now it turned out that the mission was to assassinate Petra Liefers niece, the princess.

He closed his eyes again and recalled his conversation with her.

Are you here to kill me?

He didnt understand how shed been so calm asking such a depressing question. That girl who carried herself like a queen, who looked at him with a piercing gaze, who saw even his smallest weakness. That girl who could make quick judgment without mistakes.

Yet he could see that that fearless girl had still been shaken by their exchange.

How old are you?

Uriel remembered her expression. Her face was pale, and shone with the arrogance of a ruler. Her eyes, the color of fire, were as cold as ice. Yet there was a glimpse of compassion in those eyes. Then shed smiled.

Uriel knew what that expression meant, but he doubted what hed seen.

From the time when hed been born in the shantytown to when hed become one of Safiros wolves, thered been many people whod shown interest in him. Their faces were blurred in his mind. Yet out of all of them, he remembered very few whod ever shown him their emotions.

Go away, you filthy beast!

Disgust.

This is our district! You cant beg here, so piss off!

Possession.

You stole the bread, you bastard!

Anger.

Hello, you pretty boy. Would you like to follow me? Youll be able to eat delicious things every day. Lustful gazes would follow him through the streets, gazes of nobles who wanted his beauty for themselves.

I, Safiro, am your master. Ive done everything for you. To pay me back, you must live like a dog.

Safiro. The one whod kidnapped, branded, and whipped the 11-year-old Uriel. He said things like that often, and Uriel would see a glimpse of pleasure in his eyes.

Yet the face of the girl who smiled at Uriel now was different from anyone hed ever met before.

We should raise the baby wolf my aunt abandoned.

Just for a moment, for the first time in his life, hed felt a flash of hope.

*****

It was just before dawn, and Apollonia and Sid were working on the first steps of their plan.

Petras assassin would fail his mission, and go missing without a trace. Knowing Petra, shed suspect Apollonia. Apollonia had no intention to reveal the spirit stones barrier, nor the fact that shed been prepared for the attack.

Their plan was to act in the loudest, most noticeable way possible.

Only

Ahhhhhhhhh! A little after midnight, a girls shriek echoed through the palace.

Pe-pervert! It didnt take long for people to come rushing into the room. The first to come were her escort, Sid Baian, and her personal maid, Maya. Several other servants, some of them barefoot, skidded into the room not long after.

Whats the matter, Your Highness?!

The princess, sobbing in Sids arms, explained what had happened.

Shed been awake in the middle of the night to get some water, when she heard the window rattling. When she got up to see what it was, there was a black-robed man behind the window, trying to open it. The man thrust open the window, and quickly tried to slip in and cover her mouth, but he was too late. Shed screamed as loud as she could.

Thank god I wasnt asleep yet. A madman mustve fallen in love with you when he saw you at the banquet. Sid patted Apollonia, who was trembling. He gritted his teeth. Other servants in the background were murmuring in anger, and they sent for the guard.

Only Apollonia, Sid and Maya knew the truth about the mans identity; that he was an assassin. Since the emperor greatly favored Crown Prince Paris as his successor, it didnt even occur to anyone that there would be an assassination attempt on Apollonia.

Note: Extra chapter is released thanks to winning the Discord poll.