When I looked up towards the royals' end of the table during lunch, Prince Alexandre was already looking at me. As soon as our eyes met he gave me a disgusted look and turned his head to look at something else in the room, but it caught the attention of his brother next to him. I ignored the small slight, thankful that I caught Prince Ross's attention.

Prince Ross furrowed his eyebrows and tried to mouth something discretely to me, but I couldn't understand him. He looked down towards his food for a second to make sure no one was watching this small exchange, and then gave me an expectant glance. I gave the tiniest nod towards the doors and then mouthed the word "after" when I was sure no one else was looking at me. 

Prince Ross looked down at the food in front of him and nodded; I could have sworn his mouth twitched up in a smile before he was talking to Christoph on his left again as if nothing had happened. He had on a sharp looking white suit today, and his vest and pocket square were a light shade of lilac.  

After pastries were served and eaten, the king and queen excused themselves, and Silver announced that we had an hour before our afternoon lesson to relax in our rooms or to go back to the Women's Room. I saw Silver approaching me, probably to tell me she was disappointing in my behavior this morning, so I quickly ducked out of the room and used the stream of girls to hide my escape. 

Once we were out in the hallway I looked around for Prince Ross, who was heading the opposite direction as everyone else down a short corridor. We locked eyes over his shoulder just before he turned the corner. Waiting until I was at the back of the group, I slipped away without being noticed and followed to where I had last seen Prince Ross disappear. 

"Oh!" I exclaimed as I turned the corner and came face to face with him, "Sorry your maj... Ross." He grabbed my forearms to steady me, but let them slide down into my hands when he realized I wasn't going to fall. 

"Are you okay Atlas?" he asked, concern contorting his features. 

"Yea- yeah, I'm fine," I said, surprised by his concern. 

He visibly relaxed. "Oh thank God," he sighed, "I thought my brother might have upset you again. He was absent this morning and I was afraid you might have run into him." He must have been asking about my general well being the past few days and not about nearly running into him. 

I decided against telling him where we had both been this morning. I was on a mission, and telling him about Prince Alexandre wasn't important right now. "No, it's not that..." I trailed, wondering how to start this. 

"I am sorry that I have not come to you soon," he apologized, "I know I promised to come see you, it is just that we have been so busy after the attack and we have so much work to do-" 

"Hey, it's okay," I assure him, grabbing onto his arm and giving him a small smile.

"I have important things I want to ask you and talk to you about," Prince Ross said, suddenly serious. 

I felt my stomach drop; he must have already heard. "Do you have a minute now?" I asked, sighing. I was not looking forward to having this conversation. 

His eyes lit up with warmth, confusing me. "Anything for you Atlas," he said, taking my hand in his. He lead me down a twisted path of corridors and turns, and somehow we managed to end up at the library. Prince Ross stuck his head through the doors to make sure no one was in there, and then asked the guards standing outside to come get him if anyone wanted to enter. I made a note that he thanked the guard before pulling me inside behind him. 

"Listen, Atlas," he said, sitting me down on one of the purple love seats on the second floor that was staggered between bookshelves, "I know you are reluctant to talk about this, but I wanted to continue our conversation from your first night here, when we were in the hospital ward." 

His request threw me off guard; I was sure he was going to talk about the cage fighting.  "Um, sure... what were we talking about?" I asked, not able to recall the conversation. 

"Well," he breathed, facing me and taking my hands in his in a gesture I was so used to already, "First off, how are you feeling? Are you adjusting well to the palace food? Have you had any more bouts of sickness? Is there anything special you need me to do?" 

Um, no..." I said, blinking, "No, I'm alright..." 

He sighed in relief. "I am glad. You see, my brothers and I do not get much exposure to the outside world," he said, his posture sagging, "It is unfortunate that we do not interact with the public we rule, but... but as the future leader of this country, I feel it is my duty to know the truth about my citizens' well beings." He straightened up as he said the last part, his eyes serious and full of determination. 

I was taken aback by this little speech. Prince Ross seemed to be very passionate about this subject. "Well..." I trailed, "Where do I start? Eights are denied housing, making us the homeless caste-" 

"Why are you denied housing?" he asked incredulously. 

"You're required to show identification papers to buy a house or apply for subsidized housing," I explained to him, shocked that he didn't already know this, "Eights are barred from government housing, and we can't get jobs to pay for housing..." 

"We were taught that people were only denounced to eights if they had committed a crime..." Prince Ross said, looking at me as if in a new light. "Atlas," he said suddenly, "I know you are holding back from me, but I beg of you, please tell me the truth. It is all I want from you, no questions asked. I swear on the crown I will not tell a soul if you do not wish it." He held a hand over his heart. 

I took a deep breath, debating within myself. I could tell Ross the truth, something I had never told anyone, not even my own brother, or I could lie. He was giving me a chance to come clean about the cage fighting without getting in trouble. But if he were to ever find out the truth, he wouldn't forgive me. I guessed the truth wasn't unforgivable as it was tragic, and it would explain all my crimes that came after. 

I looked up in his cool blue eyes, which were pleading with me silently for the truth. Ross cared about me, that much was true, and he had shown me more unconditional kindness than anyone else here had. I asked myself if I could trust opening up to him, if he was worthy of it. 

I took a deep breath, already feeling a lump form in the back of my throat. Ross was expecting some tale of crime, but my story was a lot more depressing than that. "There are other ways to becoming eights... Both my parents were university professors," I told him, unable to hold his gaze. 

Ross gave me a blank look, working it out in his head. I watched as realization spread across his face, and he jumped up. "Atlas! You are a three!" he exclaimed, looking down at me with shock. 

I kept my head bowed. "I was a three," I told him quietly, "When no one stepped up to take custody of us when our parents died, a government official gave us new identification papers, drove us home, and then left. I obviously couldn't pay for the house, so we lost that and the rest of our possessions a few months later when the rent ran out." 

Ross was dumb founded. "You're telling me, that they just left you to fend for yourself? When did this happen to you? How old were you?" he asked, sitting down again and trying to get me to look at him, "Oh my God, how old was your brother?! You had a toddler to look after on top of being a homeless orphan?!"

 I flinched at his label, his words cutting deep into wounds that were over ten years old. "Now do you understand why you have a growing population of eights?" I asked, looking at the prince sideways, "We're not a bunch of criminals. We're people that needed help when no one gave it to us." 

Ross looked as if he were going to be sick. He stood up again and started pacing in front of me. "I cannot believe no one helped you... I cannot believe we didn't help you. This... this whole system is broken!" he exclaimed bringing a hand up to his forehead. 

I took a deep breath, seeing my opening to discuss my topic. "I can't describe to someone who has never experienced it what hunger does to a person," I said, grabbing his attention, "There were nights where I didn't sleep because my brother was weeping with pain. I couldn't do anything for him besides give him anything I could find, but it made me so weak that I would collapse trying to find more food. My hair was falling out and I had a broken wrist from falling on it. There was no other way to survive, I... I had to..." I trailed off, seeing tears welling up in Ross's eyes. I was starting to panic; hysteria was gripping my throat. 

"It's okay," he said, reaching down and brushing my cheek gently with his hand. The touch was comforting, and it calmed me down now that the worst memories were over.

"Fighting was a way to feed myself and my brother," I explained, looking him in the eye as he rejoined me on the couch, "You have to understand that it was the only way to survive."

"So... you're not a kick boxer..." he trailed, connecting the dots. 

"No, not the kind you are thinking of..." I sighed, "I've been competing in cage matches for years..." I held back the fact that we got most of our money from his appointed officials. He would want to stop the corruption, but that would make me some very dangerous enemies, while forsaking my people. The rich will stay rich and find new ways to throw around their money, while my friends and fellow fighters will have to find a new way to get an income or starve to death. 

"Atlas, forgive me..." he trailed, "I am at a loss for words."

"Somehow Albany has found out this information and will try to use it against me," I told him, trying to show how desperate I was to keep this information a secret, "I wouldn't be telling you this if I didn't trust you Ross, you have to promise not to use my name in association with any of this." 

"My dear," the prince said, pulling me up by my hands, "I cannot undo what has happened to you, but I swear on my crown and country that I won't let it happen to anyone else. I... I may not have much power or influence now, but when I ascend the thrown I will be able to fix this. And I am sure-" He stopped suddenly, biting back his words. The hope on his face suddenly dimmed for a moment as sadness darkened his features, but then he continued with his promise. "And I am sure that whoever my queen may be will be there to help me fix this." 

My mouth flooded with an acidic taste as I saw the silent implication there. I suddenly felt a deep depression settle into my chest; Prince Ross was so naive and hopeful, he must not really know what is happening outside these walls. I only hoped that he and the rest of his family can see the upset that has spurred not one, but two rebel movements. 

Instantly, I was reminded that none of this was my responsibility anyone. I had opened the prince's eyes to the corruption in his country; it was his job to fix it now. 

My eyes had fallen to the pocket square in his suit jacket, but when I looked back up at the man in front of me he looked ten years older. I forgot that he was only 21 years old; I almost always see him as the prince, just like everyone else in the country, and I had to remember that he was a person with valid feelings under it all. His shoulders drooped as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and the lines on his face and circles under his eyes were prominent in the dim, over cast light coming from the glass dome above us. 

"Lets do something fun," I said suddenly, letting go of his hands.

His smile and some of the life in his eyes returned. "Like what?" he asked, curious. 

"I don't live here," I teased, "that would be your area." 

"Well, we have a private movie theater in the basement," he mused. 

I thought of all the dates he must have already had down there, and almost felt jealous. 

"Come on, you can think of something better than that," I said, laughing it off. 

"Um, have you ever been horseback riding?" he asked. I only raised my eyebrows at him in response, and he gave a nervous laugh. "Right," he breathed, "How does that sound? I could teach you in an afternoon, it is not a hard skill to pick up." 

I was nervous about riding a horse, considering I've only seen them in pictures, but if I could trust Ross not to arrest me for gambling, then I could trust him to teach me how to ride a horse. "Sure," I grinned. 

"Great! I will set it up with our handler. Be sure to tell your maids that you will need a riding outfit before Thursday," he said, then sighed. "I unfortunately should get back before I am late for my meeting," he admitted as he lead me by the hand down the staircase and towards the wooden double doors. 

He insisted on walking back to my room with me, and we parted ways with a promise to see each other Thursday. 

A/N I just wanted to thank you all for the support you've been giving me as I finally pick this book up again. Your votes and comments mean so much to me, and I couldn't do this without your consistent support. Thank you and happy reading!