My father nods in agreement. »And he is the son of an emissary, so nothing stands in the way of a relationship. He may not be of noble birth, but that shouldn't bother us if you truly love him.«

My eyes widen in surprise. »Excuse me?«

My father just shrugs. »You're together, aren't you?«

»No, we're not.« I shake my head vigorously, causing my curls to fly around me.

Luckily, the tiara is tight enough not to fall off when I do this.

»But darling, there's nothing wrong with falling in love with someone from another race. I love your father too, even though he's a star warrior and I'm not.«

»Even though?« my father replies, giving his wife an indignant look.

She starts giggling like a little girl and comes to his side. She whispers something in his ear that I can't understand. But I can well imagine where it's going, as my father's cheeks start to glow and match the color of my mother's dress.

Before he can reply, the doors open and two waiters enter the hall. They silently close the doors behind them and stand in front of them. Our conversation is over for now, but not yet complete.

My parents position themselves behind the waiters and I stand next to my father. We have barely taken our positions when the waiters open the doors, but this time in the other direction. In doing so, they activate the portal and give us a direct path into the large hall.

We walk slowly towards the first step of the stairs and stop just before it. The door closes behind us again. My gaze wanders over a sea of ​​colors. The hall is barely recognizable.

Reddish shimmering garlands hang everywhere and yellow balls of light illuminate the Lux present, who are wearing elegant suits or voluminous evening dresses. Their finest jewelry reflects the light.

But all of this is already familiar to me. My gaze wanders searchingly through the front rows of the Lux.

Mainly young, good-looking, but also older men have gathered there, hoping for the honor of the first dance. I ignore them all and only pay attention to those with red hair.

But I cannot find the one I am trying to find, the one who is usually always in the first row directly opposite the stairs.

I slowly walk down the stairs one step at a time, still looking for my best friend. But when I leave the last step behind me, I still haven't seen him.

Everyone's eyes are on me. They are waiting for my choice, but who should I dance with if my dance partner isn't there?

The crowd to my right is getting restless. I turn to them, hoping to see Levi there, but that's not the case.

Instead, a tall, blond witcher has broken away from the crowd and is striding purposefully toward me with confident steps. He pauses, bows slightly to me and holds out his hand.

»May I have this dance?« he asks me to dance.

Some gasp loudly. Our spectators become restless and start whispering excitedly to each other. So far, no one has dared to ask me to dance first. This is an honor that I decide who receives and not the other way around.

On the other hand, I wouldn't know who else I would dance with, and Landré is supposed to be an excellent dancer. I hesitantly put my hand in his.

As soon as our fingers touch, he stands up and leads me to the middle of the dance floor. He swings me around towards him and lets me stand in perfect dancing position.

He flashes me a dazzling smile and the music starts playing. A slow melody sounds from everywhere and nowhere. Landré starts swaying to the beat, forcing me to follow him.

His hand is surprisingly gentle on my back. As soon as he is sure of the beat, he begins to lead me into the dance. We do some wild turns that make my hair and dress float.

Landré is actually an excellent dancer. No sooner have we finished one figure than he signals to me what the next one will be.

I don't get a chance to think about Levi's absence. And then the piece is over. Landré ends our dance with a perfect bow, which I return with a slight curtsy.

The dance floor is open. Music starts playing again and another witcher asks me to dance. This time, however, more couples are swaying to the melody, so we can't perform such extravagant figures.

One song follows the previous one and my dance partners take turns. It seems to me as if all the men present have promised to dance with me this evening. I don't have time to catch my breath.

My conversations with my constantly changing partners are as one-sided as the figures they lead me into. They congratulate me on my impressive fight, admire my appearance and ask me how I am. Some even want to know what gave me the strength to save everyone during the attack on the academy, but when I'm asked this question, I immediately change the subject.

At the same time, I let my gaze glide over the other dance couples, always looking for a certain redhead.

In the meantime, I spot Alivia and Jaxon dancing together. I try to ask them about Levi with my eyes, but they just keep shaking their heads sadly. It seems to me as if Levi didn't come to the ball today on purpose.

Disappointment spreads through me. It would have been the last opportunity to talk to him and clear up the ambiguities between us. I'm about to give up.

»May I ask for this dance?«

»Sure,« I answer, not paying attention to who is asking me.

The music starts and my new dance partner pulls me towards him. I still don't look at him, but continue to look for the red hair that is so familiar to me.

»Do you know that it's very rude not to even look at your dance partner? Sometimes what you're looking for is right in front of you.«

I know that voice. I immediately turn all my attention to my newest dance partner. And sure enough, Levi is standing in front of me. His fiery red hair is as messy as ever, but he looks no less elegant in his black suit and red tie.

»I thought you weren't coming.«

»I thought about that for a moment.«

»Why did you come after all?«

»Jaxon persuaded me.«

»You avoided me.«

»Yes.«

»Why?«

This time he doesn't answer immediately, but leads me into a spin.

»You didn't answer my question.«

Again he doesn't answer, but lets me circle around him.

»Why did you avoid me?« I ask him a third time.

Inwardly I brace myself for a third spin. This time he won't avoid me. Suddenly the song ends.

Levi wants to bow goodbye and make way for the next one, who is surely already lurking somewhere, but I don't let him go.

»Oh no, you won't just disappear again and ignore me. You will dance with me until you answer my question.«

»Is that an order from my future queen?« he asks me with a seriousness in his voice that stabs me in the heart.

»No, it's a request from your oldest friend,« I try to persuade him to stay.

The couples around us have already started dancing again. Unlike us, they are already swaying to the music again.

»Levi, why are you avoiding me?« I try a fourth time.

He lowers his gaze and whispers something incomprehensible.

»You wouldn't understand,« he then confesses to me a little louder.

»At least try to explain it to me,« I beg him.

He looks me in the eyes and I see tears shimmering in his blue. A sadness that I can't place is reflected in them.

»It's about the rumor.«

»You mean the one where we're both a couple?«

He nods.

»What's wrong with that? We both know that it's not true.«

Again a song ends and a new one begins and I still don't know what Levi wants to tell me.

»It's just that it's...that I...I thought you would see it the same way,« he finally admits.

»I already knew there were rumors. But when Alivia said it...it just unsettled me. I suddenly didn't know how to behave towards you anymore. I had to be sure of my own feelings first.«

»And are you sure of your feelings now?«

»No, and that's exactly the problem. That's why I'm going to go now. Take care of yourself, Micah. May the light of the Phoenix illuminate you.«

He turns abruptly and disappears into the crowd. He leaves me in the middle of the dance floor, completely perplexed.

What just happened?

While I'm still mentally going over the conversation again, someone pulls me around by my wrist. Before I can protest, Landré rocks me to the music again.

»A princess shouldn't be alone on the dance floor.«

With these words, he whirls me across the dance floor.

That same evening I had to go back to the palace with my parents. Urgent royal duties that could not be postponed required my presence.

As it turned out, this urgent royal duty was just an audience. A fairy's fate was predicted by a Laima. However, it was not a nice one with a happy ending and true love, whereupon the fairy complained to her lady and the Laima complained to hers.

This little argument escalated to the point where they finally asked me to make a decision. And I couldn't say goodbye to my friends properly.

But whatever, I'll see Alivia, Jaxon and Levi again in a few days anyway and then we'll just catch up. Well, at least with Alivia and Jaxon. Levi will probably avoid me again.

The preparations for the day of remembrance are already in full swing. Employees are bustling around the palace, hanging up black garlands or replacing the red silk curtains with black ones. Even though the Day of Remembrance should be celebrated as a festival, we will never forget why we celebrate this day.

My parents are currently visiting the nobles of the Lux tribes. They always do this shortly before the Day of Remembrance. They say it is the best time to travel through the country. But they never tell me the exact reason.

Because they are on the road, the preparations for the ball are my responsibility. But as always, the palace employees know much better than I do what they have to do and what still needs to be prepared.

So, like every day since I returned to the palace, I go to the library. I have already read most of the books about portals, portal crystals and interplanetary travel, but so far I have not found what I am actually looking for, a way to my sister.

Since the events on the battlefield and what my magic revealed to me, I am firmly convinced that Lucca is still alive and waiting for me on another planet.

I run my finger over the old spines of the leather-bound books. It is said that some of the copies in the palace library have been here since Aurora's reign.

The largest and oldest collection of inscriptions from the past is said to be in this room, but so far I have not been able to find any of these ancient books. My thoughts wander again. My feet find their way through the huge shelves all by themselves.

In front of me I see Levi laughing again on the sand floor of the arena. His expression changes. He becomes serious, his laughter disappears and is replaced by sadness. His relaxed demeanor becomes stiff. He is wearing a black suit and avoids my question. Everything was so much easier when we were children.

Why can't it be that easy again?

Why did my life have to become so complicated?

Wait, children?

Suddenly I hear a noise. It sounds like it's coming from the other side of the shelf, like someone is laughing. No, not someone, but children.

They laugh again. But there are no more children in the palace. At least not at the moment.

I quickly run around the shelf, but there is no one in the corridor behind it.

»Great, Micah. Now you're imagining voices.«

I'm just about to go back when I hear the laughter again. This time it's coming from the end of the corridor behind me. I turn around and just see long silver-blue hair disappearing behind another shelf.

»Hey, wait,« I call after her, but she doesn't listen to me.

That bell-like child's laughter rings out again. I cross the corridor and look in the direction she went. She's standing at the end of the next corridor.

She seems to know her way around this labyrinth of corridors and bookshelves very well. This little girl looks familiar to me from somewhere. But before I can really get a good look at her, she disappears behind another shelf.

Where is she going?

And who is she?

I run after her again. I follow her further and further through the library. The deeper I follow her through the rows, the older the books become.

Some of the volumes here are so worn that I can no longer make out what is written on their spines. But the girl doesn't stop. She leads me past all these old books and laughs every time I lose sight of her for a moment.

I've long since given up calling out to her, she won't listen to me. I walk around a shelf again and see her standing in front of a wall.

We seem to have reached the end of the library. I can't remember ever having been here. This room is one of my absolute favorite places in the palace and I always thought I knew every inch of it. You can be wrong.

»Why did you lead me here?« I ask the girl.

Instead of answering me, she laughs again as loudly as only small children can. She turns around and walks into the wall.

No, she doesn't go into the wall, she goes through the wall.

Our palace is crisscrossed by a network of secret passages and doors in walls. My sister and I used to try to explore every inch of these secret paths, but we never succeeded.

It seems that there is an entrance to one of these secret passages right here. The Phoenix Palace is full of secrets.

I carefully walk towards the wall. It looks like every other wall in the palace.

I run my hands over the cold, large stones. None of them seem to stand out or be different from the others. But I have to press one stone to open the secret door.

At least that's how it is with all the other entrances. Except...I look around.

There is no candlestick or picture hanging on the wall. But there are two shelves around me with loads of books. Maybe the entrance will open if I pull out one of the books. But which one?

It seems impossible to find the right one among so many. I examine the rows carefully. The books here seem particularly old. They are bound in red, worn leather and are all the same size and width.

I take one out on a whim and look at the cover. There is no title or author on it. I open the first page and...it is blank.

I carefully leaf through the book. There is nothing written on a single page. I put it back in its place and take out another one. This one is also completely blank.

Why would someone put so many blank books on the shelves? The books on the opposite page are also filled with blank pages. A bad feeling spreads through me.

A girl I don't know leads me to an unknown corner of the library, where the rows of shelves are filled with exactly the same blank books.

Why did I follow her here?

What is wrong with me?

I follow apparitions of strange girls, fail to settle an argument with my best friend, who I thought I knew better than anyone else, and lose myself in a search for a girl who was declared dead many lunar cycles ago.

But my life couldn't be going any better right now. I have a friend with whom I can talk about everything, a people who admire me for my actions, and tons of admirers who would love to fill the space at my side. And yet everything feels so wrong right now...