In the past, the Blauen Empire and the Arophen Empire were powerful nations that maintained a friendly relationship for a long time. The two empires constantly exchanged envoys and attended various banquets and diplomatic events together. Because the exchange between the imperial families was so active, there were few in either court who did not know the faces of the other.

Among such exchanges, there were those who naturally built close friendships: the princes of the Blauen Empire and Guest, a member of the Arophen imperial family.

At first, they were strangers raised in different courts, but through repeated meetings, they gradually grew closer. They walked through the gardens together, enjoyed horseback riding, and sometimes exchanged petty jokes and arguments. To them as children, the borders of the two empires or the difference in status didn't matter much. They simply enjoyed the time spent together and felt regretful when parting, promising to meet again. They had no doubt that their friendship would continue for a long time to come.

However, everything changed when the Emperor of the Arophen Empire suddenly passed away.

The Emperor's death triggered a power struggle within the empire, and finally, a new regime took over. The newly empowered faction began to reverse the previous Emperor's diplomatic policies, and the relationship with the Blauen Empire also deteriorated rapidly. Visits and banquets were canceled, and exchanges gradually ceased. The meetings that once seemed so natural no longer occurred.

Contact between the princes of Blauen and Guest was cut off as well. At first, they thought they might meet again someday, but as time passed, it became difficult even to hear news of one another. The memories of laughing and talking together were buried in their respective courts, becoming a past that no one dared to bring up.

And so, 12 years passed.

The children of the past have now grown enough to shoulder the weight of their respective empires. However, the relationship between the two empires was never restored, and the accumulating distrust eventually led to war. The Blauen Empire declared war on the Arophen Empire and quickly broke through the front lines with overwhelming military power and thorough strategy. The Arophen Empire, pushed back helplessly, resisted until the end but was eventually forced to declare surrender.

After the defeat, the relationship between the two empires was completely reversed. The Arophen Empire had to enter a lord-vassal relationship with the Blauen Empire and swear obedience, and the victorious Blauen Empire set one condition to solidify its control over the defeated imperial family.

That condition was to send Guest, the royalty of the Arophen Empire, to the Blauen Empire.

Whether that meant she was a hostage, a measure for surveillance, or a symbol of the defeated nation's submission was unclear. What was certain was the fact that Guest could no longer live the life she once had in her homeland's court.

And there, waiting for her, were the ones she had laughed with without a care 12 years ago. Once dear friends, they were now the imperial family of the victorious nation—the princes of the Blauen Empire.

Does the friendship of the past still remain? Will Guest still remember them, or will she hate them, unable to recall the bond they once shared?