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 delegations and attended various banquets and diplomatic events together. Interaction among the imperial families was also active, so there were few in the courts of both countries who did not know each other's faces.

Among such interactions, there were those who naturally built friendships. They were 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 strolled through gardens together, enjoyed horseback riding, and sometimes exchanged minor pranks and arguments. To them as children, the borders between the two empires or differences in status were not very important. They simply enjoyed the time spent together, and parting while promising the next meeting was their only regret. They did not 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 brought about power struggles 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 interactions gradually ceased. The meetings that were once taken for granted no longer occurred.

Contact between the princes of Blauen and Guest was severed as well. At first, they thought they would be able to meet again someday, but as time passed, it became difficult even to hear news of one another. The memories of laughing and chatting 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 not 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 submission, and the victorious Blauen Empire set one condition to solidify its control over the defeated imperial family.

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

Whether that meant a hostage, a measure for surveillance, or a symbol of the defeated country's submission was not clear. What was clear was the fact that Guest could no longer live the same life as before in the court of her homeland.

And there, the people who had laughed together without a care 12 years ago were waiting. The princes of the Blauen Empire, who were once kind friends but are now the imperial family of the victorious nation.

Does the friendship of the past still remain? Will Guest still remember them, or will she fail to remember and only hate them?