“The north is quiet and annoying, and the South is loud and annoying.”


  … what did I even expect from you?

  As soon as I came to the office, I became distressed already because I couldn’t tell whether I wanted to laugh or cry. That’s really all he could say to me when I asked about the difference between the three regions? Was our country really so perfect?

  “Uh… okay.”


  Yeah, I was a fool for even asking him. I was sighing and wondering who I should ask now, and unusually, dad got interested in what I was doing.

  “Why are you asking about that anyway?”


  “My tutor gave me homework.”


  It’s practically written on his face that he didn’t have faith in Ferdel. I get the feeling that he would take his anger out on me if I stayed here any longer. I couldn’t let that happen, better get out of here.

  I smiled and kissed my dad’s cheek. Dad’s expression softened a bit on my kiss.

  “Well, I’ll be going now. You should get back to work, dad.”


  As I left the office, Caitel turned to the papers again.

  That’s state secrets, too.

  I peeped at him through the open door for a while and turned around. I should go to the garden. I could only sigh when I looked at the notepad. I did still need one more fact… but I couldn’t write down what Caitel said. I also didn’t feel like trying to find one. Should I just write it down?

  “What are you doing?”


  I didn’t know when he came, but Dranste put his head forward. I raised my head.

  “I was doing my homework.”


  “Ah-ha?”


  He seemed to have enjoyed a great meal somewhere. He had this aroma around him that smelled like it came from a delicious. He was eating all the tasty meals by himself. Now, I was suddenly hungry, thanks to this guy. There’s still a few hours left before dinner.

  I just sighed. Being a princess did have some drawbacks.

  “Oh, Dranste! I heard my mother was from Bureti.”


  “Bureti?”


  “Yeah, you know. It’s called the Northern Witch’s Kingdom, and my mom was a princess there.”


  While doing my research, I learned that Agrigent and Bureti had a tradition of being allies. It was a very secretive country, though, so there wasn’t much more information on them. Since it’s a land protected by witches, I learned that they had all sorts of magic in their country. Since these spells did not at all look like the miracles from S-Hertogenbosch, I realized that they weren’t on good terms.