17 Duchess of Leońe

-- Early Autumn of 1454 --

--- Lily Palace, Duchy of Leońe ---

It was a quiet afternoon in the Palace, the leaves of the trees had started to changed its colors, the leaves of the trees had started to fall into the ground one by one.

The gates of the Palace had been closed, and entrance to the Palace is strictly prohibited for now under the orders of the Duchess.

Meanwhile, the Duchess has still locked herself in her bedroom. Refusing to go outside, because she still can't get over to her grandmother's passing.

She is sitting in the far-right corner of her room. Staring at the window's overlooking the beautiful scene of the Autumn season.

"If grandmother was still here, i probably would have someone to share new memories with in these wonderful scene"

she stood up and overlooked through her window, there she could see the trees with it's leaves fall from its branches and finally fall to the ground.

There, she stood staring from her window.

She began to cry and remember more flashbacks with her grandmother,

"Ayrene look! a butterfly!"

a young and innocent-looking Ayrene had brought her attention to her grandmother,

"Where? i want to see one!"

"There is it my dear" her grandmother pointed to the butterfly

"Wow, i never had seen one before. Grandmother sure knows a lot!"

"Oh, that is natural here my dear, you see. Your grandmother takes extra care in taking care of our garden here in the Palace. So, whenever you and your cousins can play and have more fun in the garden." Her grandmother replied,

"You're really the best grandmother!" Ayrene jumped and hugged her grandmother happily,

"Oh i love you Ayrene"

"I love you too grandmother!" she said while hugging her grandmother tightly.

Upon remembering those, tears had become uncontrollable for Ayrene to handle and she could hardly stay calm.

"Ayrene.. save Ekaterina.. an..d Kar..l"

"They... are..nt ..safe"

Ayrene suddenly remembered those words her grandmother had told her before her final moments. Ayrene was puzzled to her grandmother's request. Therefore, this left her into in deep thought.

'Why is grandmother suddenly telling me they are not safe? is it because of the Emperor? but i doubt that the two hates each other.If it isn't the Emperor, then who might possible be?'

But, she can't think of any suspect of any important person from the Empire. Ayrene had thought that Ekaterina was safe and came to a conclusion that it might be from the Kingdom of Summerwyn.

'Indeed, it might be our relatives from the Summerwyn side threatening her,'

clouds had began to form in the sky, and she began to feel lonelier. She sat near her window while witnessing the drops from the sky fall.

She suddenly became sleepy, she stood up and walked to her bed. She fell to her bead and was about to go asleep. When suddenly, numerous knocks from the door can be heard,

"Eh? Who is it, I'm sleeping"

"Your Highness, we have bad news..." a servant said on the other side of the door,

"Bad news?, isn't everything happening right now bad isn't it?" she replied,

"Your highness, this is of urgency. Your uncle, Duke Gustav von Ophiel has been beheaded through the guillotine by the orders of Emperor. In which the former had accused him of Treason.The Empress and Crown-Prince Karl had left in exile from the Capital. The Empress had revolted in her domain, what should we do?"

Ayrene was suddenly awoke and alarmed by this sudden turn of events, she immediately stood up and went outside her room, finally heading to her wardrobe room.

After wearing her dress and accessories on, she immediately ran towards her waiting coach that will lead her to her destination.

There is a blue coach with its wheel's touching the Palace's grounds. She immediately entered the coach while his coachman closed the door.

The coachman started to whip the horses and the coach left the Palace, the coach will probably arrive in a week.

While beginning their move to Sienna, the Imperial Army had placed a military camp on the south-eastern side of the mountain ranges of Gardenia. The Imperial Army had finally prepared and is finally commencing it's siege on the Kingdom of Summerwyn's capital.

the coach had passed the woods of Blyern and Prospera plains, finally arriving in Ostburg.

There, the coach had arrived in the city to refuel some supplies, the coachman had discreetly took some supplies in the city and immediately went back to the coach.

The coach once again resumed the journey and finally headed it's way onto Sienna. But another route, they are going to the Port city of Lincliff this time before reaching Sienna first. The coach finally set out and left Ostburg.

The coach left the city of Ostburg to be met by the Prospera plains, and finally arriving into the Imperial-occupied towns of the Kingdom of Summerwyn.

"Ah, i guess war had already reached south of Gardenia" Ayrene thought to herself,

"Well i don't really care if the Emperor becomes that powerful, as long as the state and its citizens benefits from it. Invading the entire continent in turn will give us more goods" Ayrene thought,

Whilst sightseeing in the coach's windows, she saw possibly might be another terrifying part of the war. she saw villages and cities in her sight in ruins, all of which seems to be work done by the Imperial Army.

"Oh gosh, is this still humane?" Ayrene had said to herself,

She saw families having nothing, their homes razed to the ground. And, the imperial insignia flying in the town's flagpoles.

"Oh my, what is the Emperor doing to his future subjects? no wonder why the Empress left him"

While thinking to herself, she felt asleep.

The coach had passed the northern kybur pass, which is the entrance of the mountain ranges in the north.

Upon passing by some towns in Inner Summerwyn, the duchess had finally woke up from her long nap. It is already morning, it was early night when she arrived in Ostburg and left there by that same evening. she arrived in inner summerwyn by early morning.

It is morning and the sun had already risen, she continued to gaze in the window while entering the city of Lincliff.

"I went here before and its pretty boring here, i want to get out here immediately" the duchess thought to herself,

However, while they we're passing by, an unknown flag had caught her attention flying in a structure named "Foreign Embassy of the United Kingdom". and she turned around and saw numerous eerie stores to her.

"What .. is this?"

The duchess had left the coach and decided to spend some time in the sprawling new shopping district of Lincliff.