According to her people, the dethroned young queen of Auteal named Aki Sama, was nothing but an easy goer type of person. Her non-royal blood mother was the daughter of the richest gold merchant in Wineart and one of the great suppliers of jewelries both in Auteal and Fierystal, so she was sort of flashy. Moreover, before Tzar Fei's disaster, her country was already lagging behind the other four because experts had it that she couldn't manage to save a life. She was young, often stayed near the pond, catching fish, sometimes making out with her now ex-lover Qian Jiro. The two broke up when she began reigning as a queen. Gossipers had it that the reason was because she never matured at all while the prince did evolve from a juvenile into a respectable man. He had been regulating things on his own, outside his tyrant brother's control, and his female counterpart and lover Aki Sama was truly left out. Of course, the whole Auteal suffered from her incompetence. If only Tzar Fei didn't kill her father, it wouldn't be as bad. Though during Riki Sama's reign it wasn't good, everything went worse when his daughter was forced to lead their dominion. Thus, one wouldn't, nonetheless, want to be grateful for Tzar Fei for invading Auteal later on. The people were actually hesitant to blame their innocent princess for failing in governance because everything started with Tzar Fei anyway. It had been her from the start; indeed, everybody's villainess. Good thing, Wineart diziens were naturally good people, like the youths who saved Yumi, that the nations wronged by their sovereign didn't give rise to discrimination. Though since then, they had been known to have the blood of a beast, it was purely because they had strong physique and natural ability to kill or tame mukhas. 

Just as they arrived, they were met by a crowd of people, especially women, as if their arrival was expected. Aside from losing her Kitty in a single night, Yumi felt bothered by the fact that she and the prince never once properly talked. It could be that he had lots of things going on in his mind, but it was dead silence between them. She inhaled and exhaled very deeply, then took out a box of biscuit and handed it to him. "Lord Prince! You haven't eaten yet, have you?" 

Qian Jiro's thin lips slightly curved up, like a frozen begonia flower fluxed by the sweet scent of honeybee. He lifted his hand about to accept her kind offer but pulled back, faltering, "You're giving it to me? How about you? I haven't seen you eat as well." 

He wasn't lying; Yumi didn't eat, not even bite since she left the Healers Guild. Before she could respond, a calesa was already presented in front of her. Qian Jiro tugged a new pouch and handed several silver coins to the chauffeur who promptly accepted it and gestured a fleeting two-finger salute at them, then sat on the passenger's seat. The lady remained unmoving where she stood; so while gazing expressionlessly at her, he lightly tapped the seat beside him. Yumi woke up from the trance and followed the prince, gradually sitting beside him with all carefulness. She just realized just how much of a high person was this man that accompanied her. How did she manage to be so nonchalant about it? Was it because she got preoccupied by the kitten she met out of nowhere? Her thoughts muddled, but one thing was certain, she had to be more cautious and respectful, maintain the distance between them. However, right now, the sides of their bodies were literally rubbing against each other, merely separated by layers of clothes. Why does the seat have to be this small? She scratched her head and casually spoke, "Auteal sure have nice palm trees eh~ Hoora! The pigeons have green eyes!!!" 

She wasn't lying. Their calesa took the path on the bayside where palm trees lined up. Beneath the light blue sky, the zephyr was blowing across these palm tree leaves rustling in the life of delight. For some reason, this nation appeared like a tropical one during the dry season and rarely got visited by snow, although the kingdoms next door were pretty cold. On the side of the road, Auteal children were playing with stones, colorful chicks, birds, and green-eyed pigeons. Qian Jiro didn't care that much about the pigeons and laughed, "Is this your first time in Auteal?" 

He wasn't lying either. Yumi hadn't been in any other territory except Wineart where she attended the revolution night. It had to be known that the cost of travel wasn't a joke, and her mound of debt was high enough. She chuckled, "Yes, Your Highness. Hahaha, and I almost wasn't able to see the sunlight and even lost my Kitty Kuu," finally sighing, "How unfortunate."  

The prince turned solemn. He propped his chin on his knuckles and responded, "That small white gisoat back then. I felt its presence ever since I arrived at your guild. The fact that it still managed to follow up to the ship… it might have developed consciousness like your cat."

Yumi's eyes widened. She blurted, "You! You really weren't aiming for my Kitty Kuu.. when you struck my basket? So it means that that gisoat.. it could be related to either my cat or the colossal gisoat. Don't you think?" 

Qian Jiro didn't bother to say any more and nodded, "Perhaps." 

The calesa stopped at an eatery near the center of the town along the bustling place of west market. The ones having their meal inside were garbed with splendid clothes and expensive gold, silver, and gem adornments like that of Prince Qian. One could guess that this must be for wealthy merchants and noblemen alike, that the likes of her looked so beggarly compared to them. However, the prince had picked a table and handed her the list of menu before she even said anything. She gulped down the shame as her worn-out sandals stepped on the finely furnished floor. The eyes were glancing back and forth at her, yet Qian Jiro seemed to be so oblivious about it, or maybe he didn't care at all. The food was delicious, and they all got a huge glass of soymilk. She couldn't help but think about Kitty Kuu who loved milk and would be overjoyed if it was still here. Qian Jiro had finished his food, but she wasn't touching the soymilk at all. Later, she uttered, "Do you think I can find my friend?" 

Qian Jiro was taken aback. He shook his head, "I don't know. But if that mukha is really that important to you, I think the brute-tamers of Wineart can help you. Go there after your task with Aki Sama. I'll come back in Fierystal and send your message for you." 

Yumi saw the glint of hope flickered before her eyes. She abruptly rose to her feet and bowed too deeply that her forehead nearly banged against the table. If the prince said so, then it could only be true, making her a little more enthusiastic. After she drink the soymilk, they went to the residence of Aki Sama located on the south vicinity of the central town. Surprisingly, the house of the former queen, well, it was quite the shock; for it was a bamboo shack. How could the granddaughter of Wineart's wealthiest merchant live in this cabin? When they arrived, nobody else was inside the shack except Aki who laid half asleep on the thin mat; no escorts, no guards, no servants, and most especially, not a piece of food around. Yumi instantly touched her forehead, it was scorching hot. She took out a clean towel and placed it on. Next, she uncovered the dusty stove and ignited a flame. She took out the beef and vegetables from her belongings, so she could cook for Aki when she finally woke up. Meanwhile, Qian Jiro examined the goods and instantly exited. He said, "There are no fruits anymore. I'm going to buy some on the market."

Yumi didn't took heed of him at all, however, Aki seemed to have been woken up by his voice and flew her eyelids open. She moved her limbs and called, "Jiro!! Ji.. Who are you? Where's my prince? Where's my prince Qia-...GET OFF ME!!" 

Yumi was pushed hard by her. The plate in her hold flipped, causing the herbal leaves to scatter across the ground, with some sliding between the spaces of the bamboo floor and pitifully dropping to the earth. She tried to calm down the former princess and soothed, "Wait wait wait.. Aki Sama. I'm a healer, look!" Her finger pointed at the insignia in her left chest. However, the other party blazed even more furious and hurled every single thing her hand touched towards the healer. Yumi hurriedly took a cup, filled it with water, and handed it to Aki, yet once again, the former princess slapped it; and the floor was now splashed with liquid. The blood in her hands turned cold, she began to feel nervous, so she tried her best to pacify, "Lord Aki, why are you being like this? I'm here to heal your sickness. Please don't push me away. "

Aki struggled to sit up. Yumi extended her trembling arms to guide this sick woman, however, her pale arm only got slapped harder. Wiping the wet in her palms, she gradually retreated and faintly smiled,"Aki Sama, don't force yourself. What do you need? I'll happily give it to you. Just don't struggle to get up, you're currently weak."

Aki didn't say anymore and laid on her back, gritting her teeth. Feeling that the princess must have cooled down, Yumi sighed heavily. This was such an unexpected encounter. Nobody warned her that this person had this disgusting attitude. Who again told her that she was an easygoing person? Upon perceiving that she needed to wait for the prince to tame his ex lover, she firstly cooked the beef and vegetables. Time seemed to be passing slowly. The broth was quick to cook. It was boiling already, and the prince wasn't here yet. She couldn't possibly sit and waste time in here until who knows when; so after praying internally that the Heavens spare her this time, she prepared a bowl of soup for the former queen. Despite the piping hot temperature of the bowl, she gripped it tightly and carefully as she handed it to Aki. She made sure it tasted rich, flavorful, and appetizing; so her hopes were kind of elevated. However, before she could speak, Aki pulled her pillow and smashed it towards the bowl. 

Splish splash! Everything became a mess. Like the ruined room, Yumi's face turned ugly. Though the bowl remained at her secure grip, the soup splattered all over her face and body, and the beef and vegetables were, once again, pitifully wasted. Expression gloomy and indescribable, she rose to her feet. Suddenly, she slammed the bowl to the ground which instantly broke into pieces, and roared, "YOU FUCKING BITCH!!!"

Simultaneously, Qian Jiro arrived right at the doorstep. There was a fleeting silence before Aki cried, "My prince!! This one.. This lowly girl.. She.. She's hurting me!!" 

Blood gushed through Yumi's neck. Strangely, her nape hurt at the wrong time. She had no time to think about anything else, so she rummaged through her medicine for the second time this day. She was about to pop those pills again when she realized something amiss, it was a different box. The pills looked the same, but the box was a bit smaller. Why did it change? When did it change? It must be why she lost grip of her emotions; for the medicine she drank wasn't the real one at all. Qian Jiro asked, "What's happening? Why is your neck? The blood…" 

Hearing the prince worry about the lowly healer, Aki flared up. "Why do you worry about her? Look at me! She hurt me! Come to my side.. "

The scene was ridiculous. Yumi felt as if she'd fall into madness right before she could go back home. She pushed the prince aside who was blocking the way, then dashed outside. What was happening? Why were wounds suddenly appearing in her arms? And what was that sound? Sound of galloping horses went louder and louder. The sun had set. There was a loud clamor and clashing of blades. Her eyes were blurry, but it seemed as if she wasn't in the south vicinity of Auteal. A clock tower stood behind her, but she clearly knew that she came out from a shack. The pain accompanied by the foreign place and occurrence would drive her crazy. She wanted to run, but the noise of shackles rang instantly. When she gazed down, her feet… No, it couldn't be. No, it wasn't her own feet; they don't belong to a human but a beast. She lifted her face, the mortals were reduced to tiny sizes. No, it wasn't that they turned small, she was actually big and massive. Yumi felt like her mind was going to explode. She wanted to scream, but no voice came out. There was a hoarse noise, yet not a word was understandable. They tortured het body to agony. These people wore masks. Why were they wearing masks? She couldn't see their face. They wore the same brown cloaks as if a ritual would be starting and she was the sacrifice. After a while, she calmed down a little. A clock tower stood upright behind her, and it certainly was in a middle of a city. However, there were no other people around except for the ones who had been surrounding het and those who arrived with their horses who also had brown cloaks on. One man spoke in surprise, "I can't believe you managed to catch it. They say it was ferocious." 

Another man answered, its voice had no emotions in it, "Yes. Why do you think we'd go as far as unifying Dizion? If this monster gets in our way, the effort we gave from the start until this point of time will be all for naught. It's a good thing that this we can kill it before it mess our-" 

Someone emerged from behind Yumi. It was also a cloak guy except that when it spoke, it had a feminine voice. That lady demanded, "Who says we'll kill it? You're all damned if you think I'd let you waste an important chess piece just because of your own cowardness!"

Yumi couldn't bear to listen at this nonsense. She murmured to her mind, "Chess piece? Monster? What exactly am I right now?" She didn't say a word out loud, but her mouth opened and her body began moving wildly. Just then, she realized that she had no control at all and thought that she must've entered a dreamscape. But then she argued with herself, what kind of dream feels real? Why do all of this felt real? Gluing her eyes to these unfamiliar cloaked diziens was giving her headache, for they kept on discussing things she had no idea about. Truth Inscription, Ancien Pot, the unification of territories, Code of Dizion, corpse of Apo, and a lot of political stuff, as if they knew something about the governing bodies. Whatever they were, they certainly had never heard by her before, and it didn't seem too interesting for her either. Feeling bored by the fact that she couldn't get out of thus state however she tried to, she gazed upwards. Oddly enough, the ships across the skies weren't crisscrossing than they usually did. The airships were moving in one direction, to northwest. When she first glanced at the sky, the ships were only few; however, at the moment, airboats flew one after another. They had flags from different kingdoms, but it seemed as if not a ship was from Sapphreeze. Just what day was it? The last time that there were many boats flying was during the revolution week against the Fierce Matriarch. 

As the chaotic thoughts sparked in her mind, a boy, whose annoying youthful voice was resonating in her ears ever since she entered the dream state, crossed his arms and spoke in a rather assertive tone, "You promised to give us the corpse of Haring Apo after this, right? But how are we going to trust you? Your own leaders can't even trust you, let alone us, mere peasants from the neighboring kingdom," then pointed his index finger at the lady, "You can't fool us." 

How could she not notice it at first? Clearly, there were two seperate groups of cloaked people: the one whose wrists had red strings tied in them, and the other whose members mostly carried bows and quivers in their backs; and they were in the middle of dispute. The group of that boy asking for corpse were the ones who appeared like archers. He was always followed around by a right hand man who, instead of bow or quiver or arrows, had a glaive in his back. This right hand man seemed more restrained and reserved than the boy and sounded more cool as well. Yumi struggled to take a peek at their faces, for it was too dark and she was far off the ground. But before she even stretched her face, that right hand man pointed at her and calmly uttered, "Are you sure that this monster can't understand us? Why not kill this first, then talk about controversial things later on. If this leaked out, we're all done for."

That lady on the opppsite side, who told them that she was a chess piece, angrily responded, "Of course, I'm sure! You don't have to worry, we'll handle Cian starting from now."

One of them climbed to be at the same level as her face. This time, her vision was getting darker, so she could see its face clearly and that cloaked person's figure appeared like a shadow. As if she was being woken up that the dreamscape and reality kept on overlapping. Suddenly, she heard someone said, "Keep on sleeping. It won't be long. Promise that you won't wake up until dawn…" 

The voice was distorted, so distorted that it sounded like that of a monster's warning to its prey. Simultaneously, the figure who climbed up to her face placed his two palms right in front of her eyes. Why was the scene getting darker and darker, the corner of her sight was black and her head began spinning. But still, she tried her best to see what's on the palm. To her surprise, there was something in there. That palm, the right palm of the person before her had a wound, a slash that wasn't healed yet. Of course, this alone wouldn't be a shock, however, she had seen it in the past. Back then, when she woke up, a vague scene of a hand opening her eyes flashed in her mind. That time, she really didn't think of it as something that had happened; but now, recalling that hand, it was the same as this one. She became a lot more agitated; thus, she squinted her eyes faster. Now, someone said, "Wake up." 

The next time she blinked, what met her was Qian Jiro passing some spiritual energy to her through placing his hands above. She seized his left hand, but it didn't have that slash that should've been a scar now. Aki Sama had been glaring at them from the side and was eating the beef soup that she cooked. Mouth full, she tsk-ed, accidentally squirting some soup, then asked, "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you a real healer of what? How lame."

Qian Jiro shot her a look of 'pass me a bowl, won't you?' His countenance was sharp enough that he didn't even need to utter a word for Aki to understand his intentions. Nevertheless, the former princess didn't dare to disobey her and filled a clean bowl of broth. When it was handed to the speechless healer, it felt a bit warm. Yumi guessed that it hadn't been long since when she passed out. So she asked, "What happened? How long did I?" 

The other two exchanged glances. Qian Jiro inquired, "You didn't ... remember?" 

Yumi looked around her, it was messed up like a while ago. When she felt her nape, it had a bandage. Her clothes had been replaced. She murmured to herself, "Just what was that?" 

"I'm sorry," Aki Sama said monotonously while gripping a piece of broken glass bowl. Sensing the calmness of the other party, she continued in a harder and furious tone, "I thought you were that woman who's asking me weird shit, so I wanted to kill you once and for all." 

Perhaps the prince knew, so he didn't display much expression. However, Yumi was taken aback. She got attacked out of nowhere with no reason, so she asked, "What does she need??"

Aki snorted, "I don't even know what she's talking about. She's looking for Ancien Pot."