"Listen, Emery."   I could still remember how soft my mother's voice was as she spoke to me that one late afternoon when the fiery red and orange colors painted the sky while the sun was setting. The warmth of her hand that caressed my cheek still lingered as she looked at the distant horizon with a small smile.   "It may be hard starting today but someday, you'll find joy in this mission of a lifetime," she said.   I was not yet aware of how bad her condition was at that time because I was too young to understand things on my own. All I knew was her complexion grew paler as the days went by and I would always find her lying down on that bed in the lonely and almost empty room of our small house.   On the day when the rain was pouring, I was holding hands with my mother as I sat on the edge of her already small bed. Her eyes were still looking outside the window as if she was waiting for something or

The next morning, Emery decided to tour the royal palace to familiarize herself with the place. Her maidservants gladly accompanied her even though she insisted to be alone. Wearing her white royal robes trimmed with gold that dropped down to her ankles and traced the slender shape of her hips, she secured her dagger on her thigh before leaving her chambers. It already became a habit for her to keep at least one dagger anywhere she went.   "I've heard that the royal garden looks like a paradise. I want to see it in person," she demanded.   The head of her maidservants, Lila, took the lead and guided her. Walking past a few halls, they reached the path adorned with flowers. Though they were not yet in full bloom, butterflies flew above them as if they were the prettiest of all. Just when the garden was finally in sight, Lila stopped in her tracks and started to get cold sweat.   "Y-Your Highness, I... I think

When Emery and Lila arrived at the Inner Palace and were alone inside the queen's room, Lila knelt on the ground. "Thank you for saving my life," she cried. She thought that she wouldn't be able to see the next sunrise because the king seemed to have seen through her despite her cries. Her hands were still trembling with the shock of her near-death just a few minutes ago. Emery held both of her shoulders and helped her stand on both feet. She wiped off the tears from her cheeks and hugged her in return, a hug that told her she would never perish as long as she was with her. "I'm sorry you have to go through that," she apologized. Lila shook her head and told her that it was her responsibility to help her in her missions. And she knew that being discovered was something she must prepare herself for because it was a situation that she was not fully sure she could avoid for the rest of her life. "We only have each other inside the walls of this palace. We'll guard each other's backs,"

Before the sun would rise in the east, the king, his royal concubine, and the queen departed from the palace to head to the Royal Villa of Hot Springs. They were accompanied by a platoon of soldiers to ensure the royalties' safety and it would take half a day for them to reach the said villa. Inside the carriage that was pulled by four black horses, there was an awkward silence. Emery was sitting across the king and Royal Concubine Hazel, wearing her dark green robes, and just, as usual, her veil covered the entirety of her face. The king had his eyes closed while Royal Concubine Hazel was looking out the window, probably wanting to avoid getting involved with Emery who was staring at the two with an eyebrow raised. "Be not reserved to show affection with each other. I may be the queen but I won't pay much attention to it," Emery spoke to break the silence. Besides, she, too, started to be burdened by the heavy awkwardness. She did not also like to share the same carriage with the

With the commotion in the Royal Villa of Hot Springs, King Lawson had his concubine sealed in her chambers as he helped his men seek out the person who shot the arrow. He had already expected the presence of assassins but what he did not expect was that there were two of them that seemed to work under different masters. As this trip was kept a secret and was only known within the palace, he suspected that these two were connected with someone who worked under him. Somehow, he had a strong feeling that the maidservant who served them food that morning was the same person as the assassin involved in the house storage burning incident. He was not really sure about it since only their body stature was similar. Either way, he needed them captured. Meanwhile, Emery was able to escape from her pursuers. Without any hesitation, she made her way back to the villa but on her way, she bumped into someone clad in dark apparel. With the bow in his hand, she knew that he was the culprit who shot