A modest carriage stopped before a once magnificent white temple, whose spires reached high into the sky. This was the only house of God in the North — located in the capital. The girl with black, bluish-tinged hair and sapphire-like eyes stepped out of the carriage. For attending the service, she had chosen a light-colored dress, without pretentious shades and devoid of adornments.

  Remesis surveyed the dilapidated building before her. Several spires on the towers were missing. The paint on the walls had peeled off in many places, and the inner courtyard looked long-neglected and unkempt. Amidst all this backwater, the decent capital carriage looked out of place. It seemed the one she was waiting for was already here.

  Despite the important church event taking place today, there were very few people. The girl noticed only a few parishioners jostling at the entrance and whispering about something. Catching sight of the carriage with the Northern Lord's crest, they froze and stared in surprise at the person who had suddenly decided to attend the service.

  Today, as always, the weather was not among the favorable. Puffs of cold vapor escaped from mouths. Remesis's cheeks were covered with a rosy blush, and if not for her gaze, cold and perceptive, the girl could easily have passed for a charming little one. But children don't calculate their moves in advance and don't speak in such a serious tone: "Wait for me outside."

  "But..."

  "I must go there alone."

  Hannes hesitated, but the tone of his little mistress was such that it was impossible to object. The knight bowed and respectfully intoned:

  "Your Highness, I will be here. If anything happens, call for me immediately." "Alright."

  Remesis frowned. "Could something really happen in such a rundown place?"

  The girl confidently headed for the main entrance door. She had come to the temple alone, officially, on behalf of the Northern Lord. The princess herself had not come with her. The service began early in the morning and lasted several hours. Remesis saw no need to force Asil to go through all this, especially since she would hardly even understand the essence of what was happening.

  Obviously, Asil would be of no use in negotiations. Therefore, her presence was meaningless. After all, visiting the temple was primarily Remesis's initiative. The girl intended to take responsibility for this matter from start to finish.

  She had gathered herself and left while the princess was still asleep. It was quite possible that when she returned, Asil would still be sleeping and wouldn't even notice her absence. What the princess loved most in this life were two activities — eating and sleeping. And who would have thought that this sleepyhead, with the most angelic expression on her face when she slept, was actually a mass murderer?

  Appearances truly can be deceiving sometimes.

  Remesis was thinking about the princess she had left to sleep in the castle until she entered the temple. The next moment, she was thinking about something else. From the main hall came the voice of a priest reading prayers. The air in the temple was filled with incense. It seemed the service had already begun, and she was a bit late.

  Remesis quietly entered the hall and took a seat on a bench next to the remaining parishioners. About ten people had come for the rite dedicated to the repose of ancestors. All of them, with eyes closed and palms folded, whispered prayers to the gods along with the clergyman. Remesis, who didn't know a single prayer, also folded her palms and pretended to pray along with the others.

  Although she had no one to pray for. The girl didn't have a single person for whose well-being she would want to ask in the afterlife. That is, assuming any of this even worked. Remesis continued muttering the scriptures under her breath.

  The Holy Father conducted the stages of the rite one after another. This whole performance lasted no less than three hours. The clergyman censed with incense, voices sang, people took turns approaching to light candles for their loved ones. This whole atmosphere, combined with the specific aroma of frankincense, affected Remesis like hypnosis. She awoke from it when the ceremony was already nearing its end.

  It turned out that several hours had passed. Some parishioners remained to pray before the icons on their own, but most had already dispersed. When she blinked a few times, as if coming to, she belatedly noticed a priest near her.

  "I take it you are the new Lord of the North?"

  An elderly man in a cassock and long white robes looked down at Remesis. His face, furrowed with wrinkles, looked tired. A long, graying beard and tufts of gray hair at the back of his head. A stern gaze, turned upon Remesis, was unfriendly.

  "So this is what the Head of the Temple looks like," flashed through Remesis's mind.

  "Remesis Rania Ashelot greets His Eminence," the girl bowed, gathering the folds of her skirt.

  The Holy Father raised an eyebrow.

  "I didn't expect you to actually come," he muttered.

  "Of course I came. After all, it was an invitation from the Temple. I am present on behalf of my wife."

  The Holy Father was silent, continuing to look at the girl with his gray eyes full of mixed emotions.

  "So the Princess was unable to come in person?" Clear disapproval was evident in his dry tone.

  "Unfortunately, Her Highness was detained by affairs," Remesis smiled her pearly smile.

  "That is precisely why I am here, to express respect for the temple on her behalf."

  A small child stood before an adult and felt not the slightest embarrassment. As if they were speaking as equals. This involuntarily surprised the priest, although he didn't show it. Formally, the church sent invitations to the service to all lords of major houses. Who would have thought that the Lord of the North would be the one to respond...

  The Holy Father hesitated when Remesis unexpectedly suggested:

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  "Let's sit down for a while."

  "What...?"

  "I need to talk with you."

  The Head of the Temple was exhausted after a difficult journey and several hours of service. Nevertheless, the girl before him was, after all, an aristocrat. Moreover, having married into the imperial family, Remesis had become a princess. No matter how low her status, the temple could not fail to show respect to such a person. The Holy Father hesitated before reluctantly agreeing.

  "As you wish, Princess Rania."

  Remesis had married into the imperial family. After this, she also received a new name. Any bearer of the imperial surname had two names. The first was used for addressing by family and close ones. The second, official, for everyone else. Remesis's second name became "Rania" — meaning morning star.

  However, there was still no use from her newly acquired name and title. Remesis had become the wife of an abandoned princess, whom the Emperor had long disowned. People addressed the girl as "Her Highness" only as a formality. While in reality, they hardly respected her as a member of the imperial family.

  And now, both the Holy Father and Remesis understood this.

  They sat on opposite sides of the bench. Remesis, not intending to drag out this conversation, spoke first:

  "Your Eminence, what do you think about cooperation between the North and the Temple?"

  "What?" the clergyman thought he had misheard.

  "If the North and the Temple become allies, how would you view that?" Remesis repeated her question.

  Understanding the meaning of her words, the Holy Father frowned. Now he wasn't even trying to pretend to be a benevolent "father of all people" when talking to Remesis.

  "Your Highness, I truly have no idea what you're talking about."

  "I think I expressed myself clearly enough," Remesis replied impassively. "Although the temple is in decline, you still have something to feed your priests, right? In exchange for the North's patronage, I ask you to provide us with financial support."

  Hearing the phrase "North's patronage," the man couldn't help but laugh. Even Remesis understood how absurd her words sounded, but the girl's expression remained unwavering.

  "Actually, it's quite ironic. Usually people come to the temple to make a donation. But in my situation, it seems everything is the opposite..."

  "May I ask what kind of patronage you are referring to?" the priest clearly asked this not out of genuine interest, but merely to maintain politeness.

  But the Princess Consort answered surprisingly firmly:

  "The patronage I'm referring to includes full support for the temple's activities. I guarantee you this after the coup d'état is carried out."

  The priest, who had until now perceived the child's words as nothing more than amusement, abruptly paled at the words "coup d'état."

  "Do not utter such vile things within the temple walls!" he angrily lamented, glancing at the walls as if the gods might hear them.

  "Vile? Why is that? Isn't this what you yourself secretly desire?"

  The Holy Father glared at Remesis like an enraged buffalo. But this gaze had no effect on the girl.

  "Your Highness, if you continue to speak such things, I will be forced to ask you to leave the temple," he ground out through his teeth, making one last effort to maintain politeness.

  "So you're throwing me out?"

  "......"

  "In that case, are you not concerned about the future of your brethren? Will you simply allow the Astrological Order to continue trampling on you?"

  When Remesis mentioned the name of that organization, an expression appeared on the priest's face as if she had uttered a terrible curse within the temple walls. If they were outside, he would have immediately spat. But in the house of God, the man had to restrain himself.

  "Your Highness, this sphere does not concern you," he replied rather sharply.

  Apparently, the priest was determined to get the girl out of there as quickly as possible. But Remesis's steadfastness on this matter deprived him of any chance. She calmly replied:

  "You're right. Relations between you are not my business. However, even I know something. Under the current order in the country, the temple won't stand for long. You can't deny that no influential house, let alone the Emperor, has supported you for a long time, can you?" "You... You...!"

  In his opinion, what came from Remesis's lips was simply outrageous defamation.

  "You know better than I that the foundation of everything is the presence of influential patrons. Especially among the nobility. No organization can survive long without such support. Even without a significant threat, you are still doomed."

  "Why do you think that will happen?" the priest uttered abruptly.

  "Do I need any special knowledge to understand simple math? With your current reserves, without additional donations, you will soon have nothing to feed your people. Isn't that so?"

  The Holy Father smirked.

  "And yet you still ask for material support? Forgive me for saying this, but... That's excessively brazen."

  "Nothing. I perfectly understand how it sounds."

  "Then how, in your opinion, can I trust you? Allow me to ask, who currently governs the North?"

  "I do."

  The priest couldn't suppress an ironic smirk.

  "A child governs the North herself? And this same child proposes making a deal? This sounds absurd."

  Usually, if a child became the ruler of any lands at an early age, a regent would be appointed for them. Often an older relative or another trusted person was chosen for this role. This person would govern the lands on behalf of the actual lord until they came of age.

  Such practice was widespread. After all, no one in their right mind would entrust responsibility for so many people and territories to someone who had only recently learned to use a potty. Hoping that a twelve-year-old youth could take everything into their own hands was simply madness. However, this was exactly what happened in the North.

  There was not a single person suitable for this role in Fortress Nord. The Emperor hadn't sent anyone either. Thus, all responsibility indeed fell on a child. This was another reason why everyone thought the North wouldn't last long.

  "Your Highness, allow me to ask a question. How old are you?"

  "I am eight," she answered without hesitation.

  "And you have become the Princess's regent?"

  "Exactly. While my wife is learning, I will perform her duties instead."

  The Holy Father found all this absurd. A little girl, even younger than the Princess herself, as regent? Nothing less than utter nonsense.

  "Your Highness, I don't think your proposal can truly interest me..."

  "Really?" Even after being refused, the Princess Consort's expression didn't change. "Are you sure about that?"

  "Yes. Although, of course, if you insist, we can talk about it later, when you've grown up..."

  "If you live until our next meeting," was the unfinished thought in his head.

  Suddenly, Remesis's face lit up with a smile. Just at the moment when the priest was about to rise and politely take his leave, he froze in bewilderment. The girl unexpectedly drew close and almost whispered in his ear what only he and no one else was meant to hear.

  With each word, the Holy Father's pupils grew wider and wider. He stared at Remesis with alarm. For an instant, fear appeared in his gaze. "...Is this information enough to make a deal with you?"

  The priest licked his dry lips.

  "How... How did you..."

  "That's my secret," Remesis smiled charmingly.

  The Holy Father stared at her suspiciously. And yet...

  "I'll give you time. You can think before deciding on an answer. But I remind you: the future of the temple depends on this."

  "....."

  "Fortress Nord is always open to your letters and proposals."

  Silence reigned in the temple. The priest tensed and clenched his fists. Remesis, in turn, was imperturbable. They silently peered into each other's faces. However, after a few seconds, their tense conversation was interrupted. A soft creak sounded, and the main doors leading into the temple opened.

  When a wide strip of light fell upon them, Remesis saw a person along with it. At the sight of them, the girl's gaze involuntarily wavered. The visitor took a few weightless steps, so gracefully that it seemed she floated on butterfly wings.

  "I apologize for being late. I had so hoped to attend the service. But it seems it's already too late..."

  In an instant, Remesis lost her former composure. The Holy Father also stared tensely at her, recognizing the corresponding symbol on her clothing. The emblem of highranking members of the Astrological Order.

  When the girl looked into her green eyes, she caught her breath. She didn't know why herself.

  Iliana Alseid, the eldest daughter of the head of the Astrological Order. The girl who would in the future become Katrina's wife. And also... The elder sister of Asil's lover.