A man wearing a blue robe and a hood over his head opened the door leading to the yard surrounding the tower. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, gently placing his hand on the wood. Mumbling something under his breath, intricate symbols formed a circular pattern, glowing with a faint blue light.

Stroking his white beard, he studied the symbols for a moment before nodding to himself. Turning around, he walked slowly towards the tower itself. After a few steps, he glanced over at a nearby cart, where a piece of cloth lay, revealing its contents. The sight brought a smile to his face as he later approached the door.

Without knocking, he entered and ascended the stairs as if he owned the place, making his way directly to the kitchen, where he could hear the sound of a woman singing, occasionally joined by other feminine voices.

As he entered, everyone in the room froze. The tall man seated at the table, holding a knife and an apple, immediately stood up.

"You came," Vere said.

"Yes, I received your message," the man replied, pulling his hood down to reveal a round face.

He possessed a well-trimmed beard that reached the base of his neck. Though balding, he still had plenty of hair on the top of his head. It was difficult to determine his age, as despite his hair, he appeared fresh and energetic. His tanned skin and dark, sparkling eyes did not belong to someone in the twilight of their life.

"Master Mamun," the plump head maid said, bowing deeply.

The other maids followed suit before swiftly leaving the room. The man watched them with a smile on his face.

"I wasn't expecting you this soon," Vere remarked.

"You said it was urgent, and the life of the princess might be in danger," Master Mamun responded.

"She locked herself in her room and hasn't opened the door. She hasn't eaten for four days already."

The old man nodded.

"Let me talk to her."

"She is upstairs," informed the tall man.

"Very well. I'll be right back," Mamun smiled and turned around, making his way back to the staircase. He began to climb, each step leading him closer to his destination.

For a moment, Vere contemplated following him, even taking a step forward, but then he sighed and returned to his stool. He picked up the apple and the knife, yet instead of slicing into the fruit as he had done before, he clenched his fingers, crushing it. With a sudden burst of anger, he drove the knife into the table with such force that the blade pierced through the wood, his fist crashing into the piece of furniture.

"Damn you all," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"Don't worry," Hadiza whispered as she slipped back into the kitchen. "You had no other choice."

"I should have broken the door and forced the food down her throat. That would have been better for her than that man."

"You're just tired, and telling him was the right choice. She's already broken. We can't help her," the handmaid spoke softly. "She was broken even before that monster laid his hands on her."

Vere sighed and shook his head. If only he hadn't acted rashly out of anger, maybe he could have somehow avoided this situation.

Meanwhile, the sound of the commotion reached the old man, who continued ascending to the top with a smile on his face.

Finally, reaching the top of the staircase, he took a few steps towards the door and spoke loudly, his voice echoing through the hallway:

"Princess Hallel, it's me, Mamun. Please open."

There was no immediate response, so he tried again:

"Princess, open the door. Please."

"No," she finally answered.

Her voice was weak, barely audible, coming from just behind the door. It was evident that she sat huddled beneath it, her back pressed against the wood.

"Do you think I asked just to be polite? I can open it whenever I want."

"Please don't. Please let me die."

He smiled again, muttering something under his breath, and waved his hand around the lock before opening the door abruptly, causing her to fall outside. The impact made her head hit the floor, leaving her lying there, almost lifeless.

To his surprise, she was naked, with dark circles surrounding her deeply sunken eyes.

"As a friend of your grandmother and teacher of your mother, I am deeply concerned about your health," he informed her.

"You're not," she replied, assuming a fetal position on the floor, leaning on her side. "Nobody cares about me. Not even Vere. He only asked you to come because he's tired of dealing with me."

"He wouldn't be if you didn't cause so much trouble."

This statement made her burst into tears. Moved by her distress, the old man knelt down and gently placed his hand on her head, stroking her hair to comfort her. As he did so, he revealed two small symbols just slightly above her temple, concealed beneath her long curls.

"Shhhh. Everything will be alright now," whispered Mamun reassuringly.

He lightly touched the symbols, eliciting a gasp from her. She ceased sobbing and remained motionless. A smile formed on his face as it seemed the symbols were functioning properly.

"How are you feeling?" he inquired.

There was no response, briefly casting a shadow of irritation on his face, but it vanished almost instantly. He touched the symbols again and uttered a soft incantation before speaking louder.

"Now, you will dress, go downstairs, and eat something, yes?"

"Yes," she responded with a voice devoid of emotion.

Wasting no time, she stood up and marched straight to her room, as if she had forgotten the fleeting moment just seconds ago when his touch had evoked a reaction from her. Mamun observed her retrieving a dress from the wardrobe and nodded approvingly. She wiped her tear-stained face with the back of her hand, seemingly returning to her former self. The old man smiled at her, then stood up and began descending the stairs.

Eventually, Mamun reached the kitchen, finding Vere alone, sitting on a stool by the table, his gaze fixed on the floor. Hadiza had departed just moments before, leaving the room. The old man's eyes caught sight of the knife embedded in the wood, but he chose to ignore it.

"I spoke with the princess. I managed to convince her to eat something," he lied. "I believe she's simply lonely and bored. Perhaps playing with someone her age could lift her spirits? Don't you have a slave around her age?"

Vere stared at the old man, his emotions no longer concealed, which only brought a wider smile to Mamun's face. With that, he turned around and left the kitchen, his presence fading away.