Inside the first prince's carriage, this time by her own free will, Kareena couldn't help but stick her head out of the window and gaze at the imperial area of the capital that stretched beyond walls she had never crossed in her life.

The Royal Circle was a magnificent area where the royal palace was located in the empire's capital. The grand palace consisted of five majestic interconnected palaces, perfectly representing the grandeur and power of the monarchs who ruled the nation.

The main grand palace was an imposing structure distinguished by its towering height and extraordinary size. Constructed entirely from white marble, intricately crafted golden details adorned the columns, doors, and windows. Each of the four side palaces, symmetrically arranged around the central palace, complemented the grandeur of the complex. Like the main palace, they were built from white marble with golden details that reflected the sunlight, creating a dazzling aura.

Suddenly, Kareena felt a strong hand on her, pulling her back inside the carriage.

"Compose yourself. You look like a mesmerized child," Lysander said.

"And how could I not? The palace is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and I never even dreamed of seeing it up close like this."

Due to its imposing size and choice of noble materials, the grand royal palace was visible from any point in the empire's capital. Kareena could hardly believe she would be living there in a few minutes.

"If you act like this inside the palace every time you see something new, you'll bring shame to my name."

Kareena sighed. "How should I behave, then?"

"As if you were already accustomed to everything you see there."

Kareena simply nodded. "I don't think it will be too difficult. I adapt easily to the good life."

He chuckled in a restrained manner, and Kareena realized that this was the first time in their four encounters that she had seen him smile even slightly and with a more relaxed demeanor.

Too bad he was laughing at her.

In addition to its function as the royal residence and seat of government, the Royal Circle also housed beautiful gardens, ornate fountains, and spacious courtyards, and Kareena had to hold back from appearing dazzled once again.

When they finally entered, everything was so beautiful and majestic that she thought she had died and her soul had gone to this better place, as it couldn't be possible for such an enchanting and otherworldly place to be real.

"Your neck will break like this," Lysander said, lowering her head, which had previously been focused on the massive, bright stained glass windows that occupied the entire ceiling.

"It's very beautiful, Your Highness," she said, "I might have jumped the gun a bit. It will be hard to get used to something as beautiful as this enchanted castle."

Lysander didn't seem to have much patience for the young woman's initial excitement. "In two days, you'll be used to it and maybe even bored, just like me and the rest of the nobility."

"Your Highness and the rest of the nobility have become accustomed because this is your natural place. In my case, I could never afford to take for granted a residence that doesn't belong to me."

He looked at her with that same strange look as always. "Why does Your Highness always look at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"As if you were investigating me."

He didn't answer, only moved on and said, "Follow me to my office."

Kareena wanted to go to her new room first to store her clothes, but she simply followed him through several flights of stairs and countless corridors until they reached a door identical to several others.

"Have you ever thought about having transportation inside the palace? It's almost like a city to have to walk everywhere."

He laughed again, this time less timidly. "The palace is indeed like a city, but here on the top floor, it's exclusively for the royal family, so we don't usually traverse all these distances every day."

"So, each floor is divided by affluence and social status?"

"Basically, yes. The first floor is for the reigning royal family, the second for ministers and other empire officials, as well as other relatives of the crown, the third for high nobles, the fourth for delegates from distant kingdoms, and the fifth for minor nobles," he answered, and she felt her heart sink. She had no last name, no social standing, and only a few silver coins in her purse. In this situation, on which floor would she be worthy of living?

"But I won't live in the basement! That wasn't our agreement!" she suddenly said, stopping in the middle of the corridor when the most likely option came to mind.

He looked at her with even less patience. "I don't remember mentioning that you would stay with the servants. And there are no dormitories in the basement."

Kareena smiled briefly, relieved. It would be a nightmare to live in a basement without natural air. "So, which floor will I be on?"

She really wanted to be on one of the higher floors like the second or third, but first, she wanted to know on which floor the widow of the former empire's clairvoyant resided. It would be important to establish a relationship with her to learn more about her possible father.

He gave her a sardonic smile and briefly ran his hand through her hair. "The dear fiancée of an imperial prince can only reside on the first floor."

Having said that, Lysander entered his office calmly.

"What?" she said, taken aback, but the prince didn't respond.

She rushed into the room and repeated the question.

"That's what you heard. A fiancée of an imperial prince is part of the royal family. What's the confusion?"

"But..." Kareena began to respond, but he silenced her with a cold gaze.

"You will stay on the first floor, and that will give you the full right to move through all the other floors and seek potential allies for me," the young prince approached her like a bear about to attack, "but don't think you're on a vacation, Kareena. I want a daily report from you on who you've met and what fate says about them, or I'll take matters into my own hands."

Kareena recoiled and simply agreed, "I will do as you ask, Your Highness."

He moved away from her and sat down at the central table in the room. "Now, leave, and only come back tomorrow with new information."

Tomorrow? Kareena didn't realize he would demand results so quickly.

"What are you waiting for? You can leave now," he said again.

Kareena curtsied and headed for the door when she remembered, "But I don't know where my quarters are."

He looked at her impatiently. "Neither do I. Ask the floor manager and close the door on your way out."

She thought about asking who this floor manager was, but he started looking at some papers on the table, completely ignoring her presence. She sighed and, as she left, closed the door with more force than would have been polite and weaker than she would have liked.