It went without saying that the king was the ultimate power in Evezen; that he ruled all before him as was his divine right. And, for the most part, he did, but the king had a weakness that was easily exploited. King Zephian was head over heels in love with his childhood friend - his lover, Syballi. He presented her with jewels, ships, and even entire cities just to show his love for her. She could get away with anything because of that, and, boy, did she take advantage of that.

Within her first year as his lover, she had made a fuss that the court was ignoring her. She said that they mocked her as a lowly maid and refused to acknowledge her status beside him. As a result, he granted her family a duchy under her name. And, the next year, she sobbed that a foreign princess - there for diplomatic reasons - had shown her up at a banquet by wearing a rare, foreign gem. So, King Zephian created a trading embargo, prohibiting any trade between the two countries even after the princess offered her the gem.

However, the most ambitious thing that she had done was start meddling in politics. Not only did she turn all of the king's ministers into martyrs for seemingly no reason, she had begged and begged for weeks to bestow her younger brother a title above all others. At the end of her efforts, Syballi even declared she would starve herself, to which her tantrum lasted only two days afterwards. And what title did she demand? She wanted her brother to be the Ethereal.

The Ethereal was the supreme head of the church: the one who held the power of the military. In essence, though they bowed to the king, they held far more power, especially since they had the love of the people as well. There was much that went into the role that gave them more power. Along with all the luxury provided to them, they were also directly in charge of the traversers who could move between worlds. Though they were rare - one only appearing once every 1,000 years - they had the power to rule over any land they set foot on.

Traditionally, an Ethereal was supposed to fulfill three requirements. The first was that they had to be 30 years of age. The second was that they had to have been a saint of the church for at least 5 years. Lastly, the third was that they had to possess the most divine power of any other member of the church.

Syballi's brother could not fulfill even one of the requirements (not that the king knew). But, because King Zephian had turned into a tyrant, starting wars with adjacent countries just because his lover willed it, they had no choice. They saw who really held the power, and it was not him. The church accepted the demand, giving Cassiel the position and making him an exception to the rules. To the public, he was known as the one with the highest divine power in history, largely because of his sister's efforts, but, truthfully, he was no better than a fraud.

Two years passed after this major event. Unsurprisingly, the adjacent territories had come to have horrible relations with Evezen because of the king's aggression based on foolishness. And, in the process, they teamed up together in order to halt trade to his kingdom alone. The king thought it meant nothing. His kingdom was wealthy and it always had been, but he soon found, without trade, things were beginning to crack. So, he had no choice but to cave.

To end the hostility, he had a meeting with the delegates from the adjacent kingdoms. They all said the same thing. In order for trade to resume, he must marry any one of their princesses and make her his queen. King Zephian entrusted the task to Cassiel, who merely picked one of their portraits at random. In less than two weeks, Princess (Y/n) married him and ended the halt of trade, returning the wealth the kingdom had risked losing.

But, to be expected, her life there was anything but pleasant. Day after day, she suffered mistreatment and abuse. King Zephian's lover was not a caring woman, not shy about showing her discontent for the girl that married him. For example, Syballi would throw freezing water on her in the dead of winter. She also instructed all servants to prick her with needles whenever they saw her. Her brother was her biggest ally, instigating everyone to laugh at the new queen. Everyone did as he said, fearing the power he wielded. Not a single person could help the (h/c) haired girl.

It continued for months. But (Y/n) was a very strong princess and one with enough pride to respect herself even after such harassment but not enough to lose her head over it. Though the king would neglect her basic needs, always "forgetting" to send her palace a budget and food, she persevered. Moreover, in secret, she constructed plans to get back at him and take the power she was owed. Still, it wasn't easy to wait it out.

And then, for a reason no one could understand, the king suddenly started treating her much better. She was sent gifts and luxuries that he had not even given his lover, and she received a better allowance and even some of his personal servants. And there were rumors that he was visiting her chambers every night instead of Syballi's. People murmured that his affections had shifted, making Syballi and her brother, Cassiel, wary.

That fateful day, (Y/n) had been summoned for another bout of harassment. Syballi invited her to attend her tea party, even providing her a suspiciously luxurious dress and accessories. When she declined the first time, her brother sent a letter demanding she go or else she would be spending the week in the dungeon with criminals. So, she played along, doing everything required of her, still with her head held high. As she approached the meeting area, she noted the girl's most reliable friends all giggling together, her brother standing by with a big smirk on his face. He was ready to enjoy the show.

"Come sit, come sit!" Syballi giggled, patting the seat beside her.

(Y/n) was hesitant but played along, using her natural-born grace to seat herself regally. This was not a trait that Syballi possessed, largely, in part, because she hadn't ever needed it. No one would call her out for poor etiquette, but they would do so to the (h/c) haired girl. Either way, the girls kept her occupied by giggling about this or that, almost as if she was truly invited. But they all knew she was not welcome. They made snide remarks about her under the guide of concern and nitpicked at her foreign roots. (Y/n) thought that was all it would be.

"His majesty gets so cranky when he doesn't get his morning walk with me," Syballi snickered, "Oh, sorry, my lady. I was being inconsiderate of your strained relationship. Do forgive me, 'kay?"

"There's no need to be considerate of her," her brother, Cassiel, smirked, "She's nothing more than a pretty, empty-headed hostage. Isn't that right?" A pause followed as the queen remained silent, the male's grin falling as he gripped tightly onto her hair, "Say it."

"If you feel so strongly about me calling myself pretty...I suppose I have no choice."

The white-haired male backed away quickly, not knowing how to react. He still had a scowl on his face and let out a low growl but it didn't stop the harassment. Despite his attempts at humiliating her, he never could do it on his own. He could be an airhead at times. The only times he was successful were when his sister orchestrated everything and gave him pre-planned lines to say or actions to do. Now he just stood there with a confused and red face, trying to regain his composure.

"Ah, yes," Syballi giggled melodiously, clapping her hands together, "You really are pretty, (Y/n). Isn't that right, everyone?"

Of course, the other ladies around her picked up on her wishes, merely giggling but not answering the question. However, in his excitement to help his sister, Cassiel enthusiastically repeated something along the lines of, "She's so pretty". Again, his sister glared at him, and, again, he shrunk back in embarrassment. Still, they commenced the humiliating, the (h/c) haired girl just sitting back and waiting for it. Words wouldn't hurt her. But scalding water would.

Playing it off as if by accident, the king's lover was quick to offer her tea. It was no error when she tripped, leading to the entire pot emptying out and splashing on her face. A shriek of agony was heard across the palace, the queen writhing in pain on the ground and covering her face. It had never escalated to physical violence of that nature. It was always things that no one could see, just in case her nation had come to check in on her. But now Syballi had gone and scarred her face with second-degree burns. Cassiel flinched.

"Oh no!" she cried out, her acting hard to stomach, "Someone summon a doctor! A doctor, please!"

She thought things would go as usual where everyone would ignore her and she would run back to her palace in disgrace. But then the king came. Zephian knelt down to the queen and murmured for her to hold on as he screamed at the doctors to treat her. The most they could do was pour cold water on the wound, not erase it. With fear, they told him that she would have scars no matter what; that medicine would only do so much. Syballi's smirk was wiped right off of her face as Zephian turned to Cassiel.

"You can do it," the ravenette snarled, sending a threatening glare his way, "It should be easy for an Ethereal. Fix her! Right now!"

"Y-Your majesty!" Syballi intervened, terrified of being found out, "He used so much of his power today already treating peasants at the church! He's exhausted, so - "

"I don't care! He will treat the queen right now!" A pause. "Well?!"

"T-That," Cassiel flustered, trembling at the older male's intimidating presence, "I-I wish I could...but I...that is..."

"The church!" Syballi interjected again, "The rules of the church are clear! (Y/n)'s kingdom doesn't follow the doctrine of the church! So, any child born in their land will be unable to receive treatment! T-This is how it has always been!"

The king, frustrated with the delay in treatment, set the queen in the arms of one of the doctors and stormed over to Cassiel. He towered over the younger male, possessing a wider stature, more confident demeanor, and countless other things. The white-haired male felt small in his presence, looking to his sister for help, but she couldn't even look at him. She, too, was terrified of getting in trouble, so he was on his own.

"You will make an exception just as I have made an exception for you. Is that clear?"

"Well...I-I want to! I just - "

With one fluid motion, the king had slapped the younger male across the face, sending him to the ground. Cassiel remained there, in shock, quick to bring his hand to his damaged cheek. His nose started bleeding, having been broken by the impact. Tears sprang to his eyes before he looked back up at his sister. Once again, she refused to meet his gaze. She only looked at the king, thinking of herself, as always.

"Bring another that can treat her! Tell them to get here as soon as possible or they'll have their heads chopped off!" the king shouted, taking a while to assess the queen before he narrowed his eyes again, "Who did it?"

"Pardon?" Syballi winced, trying to figure out just why the king cared so deeply about the queen now. Had he fallen for her?

"Who is responsible for this wound?! Do I have to spell out every little thing for you, or can you use the pathetic brain you have in that little head of yours?!"

"Why are you being so harsh to me, Zephian? Y-You love me."

"Do you think that matters? Right now?! If you don't tell me who did this, I'll have each and every one of you put on the torture rack. Even you."

Syballi flinched again, trembling as she faced the realization that this was serious. Though she didn't know why the king was so concerned with the queen, she did know that he would always carry through with his threats. If he was threatening torture just for withholding the information, she could only guess the one responsible would face worse. And considering the ravenette's personality, it was entirely possible he would kill her.

Tensing up, she looked to her noble friends, wondering which of them she could use. But they all glanced at one another before sending her a threatening look. They knew what she was planning, but they were going to stick together. If they said any of them had done it, they were already prepared to spill the truth. And, as they would be a majority against her when the king was already frustrated with her, she wouldn't win. So, she bit down on her lip and took a deep breath. There was only one other person.

"I-It was Cassiel, your majesty."

The white-haired male didn't even get a chance to refute it. Zephian had the guards grab him and take him away to the dungeons. Again, Cassiel cried out, begging for his sister to help him, and, again, she ignored it. He was on his own as he was locked up in chains in the damp, filthy dungeon that hosted all kinds of lowly criminals. All of it was because his sister had effectively abandoned him. He held out hope for a while that she would come to make it just a bit better for him, like bribing the guards to give him better food or blankets, pillows, and decor. But she didn't, and he found himself continually questioning that more as time went on.

The king came down to punish him time after time again. He questioned him and tortured him, putting him through the wringer, and, still, for a reason that the white-haired male could no longer comprehend, he would not push the responsibility on his sister. He held out hope that she would come, so when he heard the door to the dungeon open and dainty footsteps follow it, his heart felt so light and a smile appeared on his features.

"Sis!"

"I'm...sorry to disappoint."

Cassiel's smile fell as he noted the person in front of him by her voice. (Y/n) was standing there, a cloak over her to hide her face and identity completely. She wore more luxurious clothes than she had been wearing before. The white-haired male frowned. He guessed it was true the king was beginning to love her more. His eyes then trailed behind her to another cloaked figure but he couldn't tell who it was.

"Go away," the male huffed, weakly closing his eyes.

"Why do you put up with her?" the queen asked, her voice gentle and soft; different from the others that had come to see him, "She's the reason you're in so much pain. We both know you didn't burn me."

"You wouldn't know anything. You're the daughter of a concubine, so you don't have any real siblings."

The figure behind her moved forward, seemingly offended by that, but the (h/c) haired girl held him back. She murmured something to him, petting his head to make them stand down. Either way, Cassiel felt his eyes on him. He wrinkled his nose. It must have been so nice for them to see him like that. Everyone wanted to see him fall. They had wanted it ever since he had been given the position of Ethereal.

"I guess not."

"See? I'm right. I'm also betting you're only here to try and drive a wedge between us. But that won't happen! We've been looking out for each other since we were little!"

"Okay."

The queen didn't say anything more. She just snapped her fingers, and, all of a sudden, servants flooded into the dungeon. They opened the doors to his cell. The first thing they did was put down a lush chair, undoing his chains and sitting him in it with a blanket. Though confused, he watched as they cleaned his cell thoroughly, scrubbing the floor, walls, and even the ceiling. They then brought in clean furniture for him, setting up a nice bed and placing candles around to provide him some light.

(Y/n) stayed put, watching the servants at work as Cassiel was taken out of the cell. He thought maybe he was going to be moved, but they simply let him take a nice, hot bath to clean himself. And, when he returned in equally clean clothes, it looked more like a room than a cell. Confused, he cocked a brow at the girl, but she only smiled and told the servants to leave. She then waited around for a bit in silence, irking the male.

"W-What do you want?!" he yelled, rattling the bars.

"I just know we have more in common than you think. This is free. Consider it empathy. Just as she did to you, Syballi treats me like that, too. I know how it feels to wish someone would step up and help you when you're in a pit of despair. I'll leave now. Enjoy."

Cassiel didn't believe her. There had to be something wrong with what she gave him. But, as a week went by, he could only find comfort in it. The bed was soft and warm, sheltering him from the cold nights in the prison, and she had left him books and candles to entertain himself with. And, better still, when the king came by to torture him, he only ended up slapping him across the face again. There wasn't any torture. He supposed that was her doing, too.

For a while, he scoffed. It was a stupid thing to do to give him something for nothing. He wouldn't have done something like that. At the least, if he were in her position, he would have made the prisoner pledge loyalty to him or use their power to his benefit. But she didn't. The male's face flared red, but, over time, he wondered if it was really out of anger, or if it was a deeper, more attaching emotion. It was enough to where, the next time he heard her and her unknown companion coming, he scrambled out of bed and waited for her.

"Oh," she vocalized sweetly, tilting her head with a smile, "Hello, there, Cassiel."

The male opened his mouth to reciprocate the greeting, only to be stunned at the sight of her without the cloak. Specifically, he stared at her face. There were no scars in sight, the male wondering how that could have been possible. He knew how much divine power it took to heal a wound like that, let alone after she had been sitting with it for twenty minutes. Guiltily, he glanced down.

"I'm alright," the girl assured him, "It wasn't you."

"I'm not worried! I'm just disappointed it's not Syballi! If you really cared about me, you would make sure she saw me, wouldn't you?!"

The queen gave a zoned out look as he began ranting. He went on and on and on about how he hated her and how he would never cave in to helping her in any way. She expected as much, but she still kept that sweet smile on her face. Cassiel, frankly, despised it. It was like she was trying to win him over by pretending to be a saint. But they both knew she wasn't anything like that.

"Well, do you, at least, like the things I gave you?"

"Sure," he answered sarcastically, "I love having a rug now when I'm filthy and still eating stale bread and watery soup. It's the best!"

(Y/n) left. And though he had only yelled at her the whole time, when his next meal came, it was on par with her meals. It was all abundant for him to enjoy and cooked with care. Simply put, it was delicious. She even made sure he could have some wine, if he wanted it. Plus, he was able to have a relaxing bath every day around dinner-time. But, still, he didn't cave. He wouldn't. Gifts didn't move him at all. It was just another form of bribery, even if she claimed it was "free" to him.

So, the next time she came, he made sure to tell her as much. The only difference was that, this time, her companion did not join her. He thought it gave him the leeway to be even harsher and really show her how pathetic she was. On and on he went, sneering and cackling at her as if she was the one in a cell instead of him. She let him, but, before long, she was unable to take it, and stepped inside the cell with him.

"What are you - "

(Y/n) reached out and caressed the male's cheek, watching him flinch back. She tried again, clicking her tongue as she gently touched the red spot on his face. It was such a shame. With a face like his, he would have been able to get whatever he wanted regardless of his sister's help. It was beautiful. She'd always admired his face, even when he was trying to humiliate her. Even then, he stared at her, wary and confused.

"Did he hurt you?" she cooed, "Zephian has a temper. He hits the wrong people, too."

"Don't touch me!"

"I have medicine though."

Cassiel slapped the balm out of her hands, glaring at her and taking a few steps back. It seemed, no matter how nice she treated him or how many times she showed him their similarities, he didn't want to fall from his pride. No matter what, as long as his sister was the king's only favorite, he would be treated like a god. He clung to that. And that was the problem. She had to show him he was no deity.

To do so, all she had to do was reach her hand out behind her. Her fingers split the reality of their world apart, allowing her to part the way into a completely new world. Beyond the rip in space she had created, a portal became visible, showing the moving image of a world Cassiel had never seen before. Buildings made of glass reached the heavens and metal carriages rode on their own without horses. He was so mesmerized by the sight that it took him awhile to realize what that meant.

"You're a traverser," he gawked, unable to wrap his head around that fact.

"Yes. That's why the king treats me so well. I bring him new technology and discoveries and he gives me what I want. But I hate him. He's an arrogant idiot who indulges your brat of a sister - "

"Don't...call her that."

"But she is. You know she is. She left you here all alone after doing something so horrible that you have to be tortured for it. In fact, if not for my interference, the king would have killed you. I was the one that kept you alive. I was the one that gave you luxury down here. And I'm the one that's giving you the chance to rise above her."

"I...don't want to."

"Yes, you do. Think about all the things she's made you do. She demands your absolute loyalty but she doesn't extend the same treatment to you. She makes you play the part of an Ethereal just so she can threaten everyone."

"But she loves me! She's the only one that does, so - "

"You know why that is, too. She gets rid of any girl that gets close to you, just so that you stay focused on supporting her and her alone," the queen paused, getting a little closer to the male and watching him flush, "Aren't you lonely, Cassiel? Don't you want to see what it's like for someone to love you when they don't have to? That's another thing I want to give you. For free."

The white-haired male tensed up as the girl grabbed onto his hair and pulled him down. He looked up with scared eyes, pleading with her not to do it, but she didn't care to listen. (Y/n) placed her lips against his, pushing him into the wall to prevent his escape. He let out a small grunt of surprise, trying to fight the urge to cave in, but, when he never fought back, he had already given in.

She held him tightly, caressing him like he was a gentle flower. Her touches were soft and loving unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Cassiel's eyes watered. He didn't want to know what that felt like because he knew he would be so weak to it. And when she moved from his lips to attack his neck with kisses, he could not stop whining, his knees buckling out from under him. Fuck.