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(Flashback)

Anna Corty suffered humiliation as a young, naive princess. She was imprisoned in the castle for failing to recognize the signs of impending rebellion. She vowed she would never make the same mistakes again.Anna temporarily arrested the nobles who supported the late king's sons after learning of their malicious ploys and plot.

Anna was correct.

The nobles resisted vehemently, but their efforts were futile because they were quickly imprisoned due to damning evidence that no one could deny. If their plans came to fruition, it would be considered retaliation.

So, before they could act, Anna severed all of their limbs.

The late king's sons hid from Anna's gaze from then on.

Since then, Anna has worked on a number of burdens and tasks in order to establish a strong, centralized government, including fixing the tax system, disbanding the nobility-affiliated knights, and weakening the aristocratic empire.

The reigning Queen gained a notorious reputation as the most feared person in Ehrlich after a series of convergence clean-ups.

The Ehrlichs feared her; disobeying her orders was considered a sin.

But Anna was nothing but warm, affectionate, and loving to Alicia, the Queen's goddaughter.

Alicia was fine and content with her mother in the early days, when all she knew was happiness, even though the absence of fatherly-love was still missing. She was still alive at the time, and Alicia frequently followed her around the royal palace.

Alicia saw the Queen for the first time in the royal palace.

The Queen looked at her with big, innocent eyes and immediately sat the child in her lap, bribing her with a snack.

Alicia remembered those times like they were yesterday.

Those were pleasant memories.

In terms of happy memories, there was also the garden that the Queen and her mother visited. They'd walk around the garden, admiring the perfectly lit up bonsai trees. They'd talk about everything and anything in that peaceful garden.

Alicia's little feet often struggled to keep up, so she decided to venture into the garden by herself.

Looking around, she noticed scenes of peaceful flowers and lovely butterflies. It diverted her attention. Then there was the sound of chirping birds. When she looked up, she noticed a golden little bird with its wings tangled in the branches. Alicia looked to the left and noticed a cat poised to pounce.

“Ah…”

Alicia searched for ways to save the bird but was unsuccessful. All she could do was pick up the stone on the ground and throw it, albeit weakly, to the cat. The stone flew only a few centimeters before crashing to the ground.

It was only a matter of time before the bird became prey to the cat.

"Give up." That is the fate of the bird."

Alicia was startled and almost tripped over her own feet.

"How come you're surprised?"

Alicia looked at the boy.

He stroked his shiny black hair, revealing those deep, dark violet eyes. It was brightly colored. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and the typical soft appearance of an Ehrlich, as well as a distinct cold air that distinguished him from Alicia's Coulson cousins.

"What is your name?" Alicia inquired, her gaze fixed on his uninterested expression.

If Alicia had been a little older, she would have noticed that there was only one boy in the royal palace who could walk around in comfortable clothing.

But she'd have had no idea.

After all, she was young.

The boy laughed, amused by Alicia's perplexity.

"You're ridiculous.”Who are you?" He stated.

“I’m Al… No, I need your assistance!"

Alicia grabbed his hand and drew him towards the bird. But it was a futile effort. The boy, like a heavy rock, refused to budge. It looked nothing like his babyface.

"I told you to drop it. That is the bird's fate."

The young boy pointed to the cat as it got closer to the bird.

"Did you see that cat?" Take a look at her drooping belly. She recently became a mother. If the hunt is unsuccessful, the bird will survive, but her kittens will perish."

The boy approached the mother cat, who had just given birth to her kittens. Her breast milk had become stretched, and she had abandoned her younglings to go hunting.

"Yes, but..."

Alicia's expression turned sullen. She didn't like birds or cats, but she did like anything small, cute, and warm. Alicia did not want to see the kittens starve rather than save the bird.

And, to be honest, the boy was correct.

But…

That didn't mean she enjoyed seeing the mother cat pounce on the baby bird right in front of her eyes. She would have liked to save them both if she could, but she couldn't. She felt powerless, which added to her frustration.