Ingrid's eyes glazed over the moon hanging beautifully under the night sky.

  A cascade of forgotten memories, filled with misery and tears, flooded her mind. Yet, thanks to the effect of Dream, her heart remained as tranquil as still water.

  "I thought you were afraid of the dark."

  Ingrid's head snapped towards the direction of the voice.

  Under the dim lamplight, she saw Prince Aleric standing a short distance from her bed. The wisps of darkness that had surrounded him upon his appearance were absorbed into his body and vanished.

  "What are you doing here?" Ingrid asked with an unwelcoming frown.

  "I'm hurt, my lady. After all that we've been through, I thought we had gotten a bit closer."

  Ingrid's frown deepened. "This is my father's palace. If he finds you here..."

  The thought of it happening made Ingrid involuntarily shiver.

  A day after Ingrid woke up, Grand Duke Rasmus moved Ingrid to the main palace so he could take better care of her. But Ingrid felt that it isn't the only reason.

  Given his father's sharp instinct, he must've learned of her secret rendezvous with the prince in her bedroom. Or at least he has his suspicions.

  Guilt and worry had been gnawing on Ingrid ever since—guilt for lying to his father and worry for what he might do if his suspicions proved true. It's even scarier because the grand duke isn't asking her anything.

  Prince Aleric sat, ignoring the young lady's glare.

  He studied Ingrid.

  Ever since Ingrid woke up, Prince Aleric noticed a slight change in her.

  Beyond her beauty that ensnared hearts lay a charming young lady—sweet to those she loves, bold yet careful, smart but naive. And though Ingrid's eyes are often laden with sadness and loneliness, they still hold a speck of warmth in them.

  However, at the moment, Prince Aleric could no longer see the warmth in those emerald eyes. Instead, a wintry storm is brewing within them.

  Prince Aleric noticed that Ingrid seemed less wary of him, which under normal circumstances would have been a welcomed pleasure. But he knew that her current lack of wariness stemmed from her encounter with far worse monsters. He didn't know why, but the thought of it filled his heart with unreasonable anger.

  Suddenly, Prince Aleric was reminded of what that old hag said.

  "Amalgam's are like delicate flowers. They only thrive in the best of the environment, but place them under strong storms and harsh sunlight and they will slowly wilt..."

  "Why are you looking at me like that?" Ingrid asked. The frown on her face seems to have been permanently etched.

  "Are you wilting?"

  Ingrid was confused by his question.

  She crossed her arms together and said impatiently, "Your highness, if you don't have anything important to say, please leave."

  Ingrid has no time to deal with Prince Aleric right now. With her memories almost fully restored, there are several things she has to sort—like how to go on from here on out.

  The torment Ingrid experienced in that place broke her beyond repair. It had made it impossible for her to live as she used to—a naive and innocent dove in her fortified palace.

  "How unfortunate. And here I was excited to tell you about what we learned after interrogating Lady Joan."

  Ingrid's ear perked up. However, she swallowed back the excited question and calmed herself.

  Prince Aleric smiled at her struggle. Given what Ingrid has been through the last few days, the prince decided to be magnanimous and did not tease her for long.

  Prince Aleric relayed everything he heard from Lady Joan's mouth.

  If Grand Duke Rasmus learned that the information he instructed his subordinates to conceal still ended up in his daughter's ears, he would surely flip in rage.

  The grand duke did not wish for Ingrid to be involved more than she already is. He just wants her to live a blissful and peaceful life away from all the pain and trouble.

  Prince Aleric, on the other hand, has a different opinion on the matter. He believes that every party involved must be made aware of the truth. After learning the truth, it is up to them to decide whether they want to get involved or not. Then, when the time comes, they won't be blaming anyone, as it was a choice they themselves made.

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  Prince Aleric curiously watched the flickering change of emotions in Ingrid's eyes. Rage was the first to appear, followed by worry, fear, indignation, resentment, and then cold stillness—like that of a lake on a wintry day.

  "I knew it wasn't that ugly king who unsealed my memory. But I didn't expect it was Lady Joan herself."

  "Is that so?" Prince Aleric was intrigued.

  "There are still some things I don't remember, but I believe someone told the mad king about how an Amalgam's blood only works when given willingly. That's why he sealed my memory so I won't remember the atrocities he did."

  Ingrid smiled sarcastically.

  "That disgusting old man thinks that by sealing my memory we could start over or something and I'd willingly become his queen."

  It was Prince Aleric's turn to smile in amusement. The young lady seems to have become more comfortable speaking crudely.

  "If an Amalgam's blood only works when someone is willing, isn't kidnapping you still doing it wrong?

  Ingrid sneered. "How do you expect an insane man to make a sane decision?"

  Prince Aleric burst out laughing. Ingrid's current attitude was a pleasant surprise. Just where did the young lady who carefully calculated her every word go?

  "Shhh!" Ingrid placed a finger on her lips and glared at him angrily. She nervously glanced at the door, trying to sense if someone heard.

  Prince Aleric obediently sealed his mouth, though the sides of his lips remained arched upward. He didn't tell Ingrid that he sealed the entire place with dark magic. Therefore, no one would hear, no matter how loud they talk.

  He found it amusing to see her act like a nervous teenage girl afraid to be found out with her lover.

  "By the way, about your mother's letter I borrowed, Raven has finished translating it."

  A cloud of darkness formed on Prince Aleric's hand, and when it dispersed, a glass-encased letter appeared. He carefully assessed Ingrid's reaction to his ability, and to his surprise, she didn't seem afraid of it anymore. He also noticed that her bedroom, which always seems to be as bright as the day, only has a single mana lamp lit this time.

  "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop Raven," Prince Aleric said apologetically as he handed the glass-encased letter to Ingrid.

  Raven, after finding out that the letter the prince sent to his lab belongs to a long-lost ancient tribe, did not waste any time preserving it. He customized a magical break-resistant type of glass just for it. Only when the letter was safe and secure did he begin translating its content.

  "Slide your hand over the glass, and the translation would appear."

  Ingrid did as she was told. The once unfamiliar symbols vanished and were replaced by a series of familiar words.

  "Raven made it so that the translation was specific to the native language the person reading uses."

  Ingrid's eyes were glued on the glass-cased paper. Prince Aleric's description of its unique feature flew past her ears.

  Turns out, this letter in particular wasn't written by her mother but by her grandmother.

  Prince Aleric's curiosity was piqued by Ingrid's reaction. He did not read the letter when Raven gave it to him. He thought it was best to let the recipient be the first to read it.

  Ingrid read the letter solemnly.

  To my descendant who might read this,

  I am Princess Eraniya, the last among the royals of the Amalgam tribe.

  I said in my previous letter that our home was found deep within the Central Expanse. It was ours long before the druids and the humans claimed certain parts of the land.

  Ingrid was taken aback. From what she had learned, the Druid Tribe had been living in Hayat Forest for over five hundred years. But the Amalgams had actually lived there far longer?

  Also, Ingrid always thought the Amalgams were a native tribe of humans with a peculiar constitution. But from what her grandma wrote, it appears that they are a different species of their own.

  We were kind enough to share a part of our land with them. But we never expected humans to have such treacherous hearts.

  For thousands of years we've lived in the central expanse in peace. But the humans shattered that peace.

  They aren't originally from this realm. Their true home was the Realm of Men, from which they fled after an epidemic that caused them to lose their powers swept through the whole realm.

  And so they came to the Realm of Fey.

  When they first arrived, they were humble and kind. And so the other tribes and beasts who once ruled the continent felt compassion towards them—including us. We gave them lands to live on and protected them from the hostile creatures that roam the continent.

  But as their numbers grew, so did their greed. They drove away the original inhabitants of the land, forcing them to hide in the corners of the continent while they took their lands for themselves.

  However, a powerful ward was placed on the Central Plains by our forefathers. With the ward in place, only those whom we've given permission can come and go.

  We thought that with the ward in place we were safe from the greedy humans. But we overlooked the fact that the people we'd sheltered hundreds of years ago shared the same greed as those we'd kept out.

  A pang of disappointment struck Ingrid as she realized the letter ended abruptly. Her mind was awash with questions. She'd never imagined the humans were aliens to this continent. Yet they behaved as if they were its rightful rulers.

  "Interesting..."

  Ingrid dropped the glass-enclosed letter in surprise. She instinctively touched the ear that Prince Aleric's breath made contact with.

  "What are you...oh no!" Ingrid gasped, realizing she dropped the glass. Thankfully, the magical glass proved its durability and did not have even the tiniest of scratches.

  Ingrid glared begrudgingly at Prince Aleric. But the latter simply shrugged and went back to his seat.

  "I never thought that the woman I am about to marry is actually an Amalgam princess," Prince Aleric muttered, but his mind was preoccupied by something else.

  Prince Aleric began to realize how important those letters in Ingrid's hands are. At first he only offered to help translate the letters to gain the young lady's trust. He didn't expect that the letters actually held information that may be crucial to his plans.

  "Princess, how about I let Raven translate the rest of the letters?"

  Ingrid frowned upon hearing his new nickname for her.

  "Very well, you can bring Raven with you tomorrow night."

  Prince Aleric's brow furrowed. He thought that Ingrid would readily give him the rest of the letters. His plan was to keep the rest of the letters for himself. Ingrid doesn't know Raven's level of proficiency, so he can just tell her that Raven is having difficulties translating them to stall for time.

  However, the prince seems to have forgotten that the young lady was adept in reading people's emotions. Even the slight flicker of greed in his eyes couldn't escape her gaze.

  Since getting her old memories back, Ingrid's eyes seem to have become even sharper. Now it has become easier for her to see through people. Even the prince, who wore several layers of masks to hide his real intentions, was no longer a challenge for her to read.