"Ughh… My head." I wake up and sit as I rub the back of my head. I check my surroundings and realize I'm in my room. "Eh? Wasn't I at the imperial palace last night? I don't recall coming home with Julian."

I look at the clock hanging at the wall near my bed, the hour and minute hand showing it's 11:18 a.m.

"I-It's almost midday?! Why didn't Mina wake me up?!" I yell in panic, quickly kicking off the blanket on me and in action to get off the bed.

"But… If Mina didn't wake me up, that means there's nothing important to do today." I remind myself, instantly calm down.

*Knock. Knock*

Someone knocks on the door and slowly opens it, not bothering to wait for my response. As the door fully opens, I instantly recognize the figure. It is the dukedom's physician. Before I can ask why he's here, he rushes to me as fast as lightning.

"Thank goodness you're awake, my lady! Everyone was worried!" He says, a relieved and grateful expression on his face.

I tilt my head in confusion. Didn't I just wake up late? Don't tell me I was suffering from a coma or eternal sleep? "What happened?" I ask.

"Do you not remember?"

I shake my head in denial as an answer.

"My lady fainted last night at the imperial palace due to a panic attack and injury at your neck."

"Huh? Fainted? Injury?" Curious, I slowly touch my neck. My fingers don't come in contact with my neck's skin, rather some kind of cloth wrapped around. I guess those are band-aids. In a flash, all memories of last night come flying into my head, one by one. My hands tremble, remembering that deadly scenario.

"M-My lady! You're trembling!" The physician says, immediately opening his briefcase.

"I knew I should have given my lady a shot." He takes out a big syringe with a needle whose radius is around 2 cm and a bottle with green paper wrapped around it. Containing medicine I presume. Still, seeing that gigantic killer syringe, I pull his coat while he is opening the bottle.

"It's nothing. I'm just cold. There's no need for a shot." I smile reassuringly. Please don't shoot me with that cursed invention.

"Then, I shall make a final check-up and prescribe my lady some medicines." He agrees quite instantly, saving back the syringe and bottle in his briefcase. I silently sigh in relief.

'What kind of enormous human syringe is that?!'

After the physician gives me the medicines as prescribed, he leaves the room. I ask him not to tell anyone I'm awake because I really don't want to be 'interviewed' by the manor's 'reporters'. Besides, there are some things I must sort out quickly.

"At the balcony last night… Was it all a dream?" I murmur, my hand near my lips.

"It's real."

An answer to my question from a mysterious voice. I flinch, but immediately turn in the voice's direction. Who else is here except me? Examining the whole room, a figure sitting on the sofa caught my eye.

"Y-Your Highness!" I gasp in shock, totally not expecting it's Azher. I'm alone with somebody who wants to kill me last night!

He rises from the sofa, taking a seat on the chair beside my bed. My eyes shot him a few nervous glances. He's not possibly here to interrogate a patient, right?

A silent bridge is fastly building on the atmosphere until he breaks it. "…First of all, I apologize for mistaking you for a spy and everything I did to you last night." He apologizes, but it's clear it is half-heartedly. Even so, I am stunned. That was indeed a little… Unexpected.

"It's fine. I'm also at fault for not introducing myself first." I reply promptly, not meaning what I said at all. I don't accept his apology, not even the slightest. It wasn't sincere nor genuine. More like for formalities or sort. And I hate that. I hate people who apologize without feeling the slightest guilt and tarnish the proper meaning of the word. But there's no need to create a scene. I still need to draw a deal with him, so I better not do anything rash before then.

Unexpectedly, he hands me a glass of water. "Please have some water. You look pale, Lady Airis."

I glance at the glass and hesitate. He did attempt to kill me last night and mention he needs to eliminate my existence. What if it's poisoned?

Perhaps noticing my hesitation, he let out a sigh and places the glass on the night table beside. "I apologize again for last night. I didn't realize I was crossing the line."

I grasp my blanket tightly. Again, the unmeaningful fake words. Anger, mad, and upset. Those are the feelings I'm currently oppressing from bursting.

'Hah, don't joke with me. Didn't realize you were crossing the line? Does he thinks drawing a sword aimed at a person's neck isn't crossing the line?! Is a person's life so trifling to you?'

Despite my eagerness to slap that all straight into his thick-skinned face, I remain calm. My life is more important. Even though he's in our manor, that doesn't mean he can't kill me right now. I better confirm he's not here to kill me.

"Why didn't Your Highness kill me?" I daringly ask.

"As I said before, I mistook you for a spy. There's no reason to kill you."