Over the past few days, the older girl had been with Orion constantly. They played games and read books together, and every meal, they would have it together. Sometimes, they even had snacks together. Atlas loaded plates with sweets for her. She would always stay around a little longer if there was sugar on the table, so they made sure to bribe her at every occassion. Obviously, she appreciated it.

"This is nice," the younger male murmured, hanging off of her arm as they walked around the labyrinth, "We should do this every day. It's like a date."

"Like a date? This is a date. Or do you just not like me?"

"No! No, of course I like you! I'm sorry. I was just - "

"I'm teasing you."

Orion let out a sigh of relief though the concerned look on his face remained. His heart was still racing, the male deeply affected by the teasing. It wasn't like anyone ever did that. He was happy for the change, too. Of course, she would pick on him a lot more than he expected, but it was never cruel or harmful to him. On the contrary, he always got a flood of relief and excitement when she revealed she was joking. And though he was slow to learn about sarcasm, he thought it was amusing.

"I'm on a date with you," he thought out loud, tensing up with uncontrollable joy, "I can't believe it. What...What do we do on a date?"

"There's no real order. Just being together can be a date. Otherwise, going out and doing something special could be a date, too."

"Special, huh?" A pause as he leaned his head on her shoulder, a habit he had gotten too used to, "I think it'd be nice to do something special with you.

As if on cue, Apostol ended up running into them. She gave a bright smile to the younger girl as if giving her a thumbs-up. Just as she had expected, the two in front of her had become a couple. Though it was in its very early stages and extremely dependent on the needs of the (h/c) haired girl, the small margin was all the woman needed. Perhaps money wouldn't motivate the girl, but something else probably could.

"Receive my greetings, child of the mist," she recited, performing the traditional greeting, "And to you, Miss Shiratori."

"I was wondering if you had left the country," the younger girl mumbled, giving a forced smile, "Since I hadn't heard anything from you."

"Been quiet, yes. Many meetings required. But have not forgotten about you."

"I'm going to guess Kazuya is really giving it to you. And I'll also guess that any attempt you've made towards peace with Vethela is falling short."

"Falling. Yes, falling. As expected, I am losing much. But this will change, no?"

"No."

"Mm," the woman hummed, turning to the prince and giving a sinister grin, "You two are close now. You must be happy."

"Oh, well, of course," he affirmed hesitantly, glancing up at the older girl to see if it was alright to say.

"I thought so. It is rare to see a man so attached to a woman. You look good together."

"Really?"

Caught up in the compliment, the male blushed, thinking if that were true. He really hoped they seemed perfect together. If that were true, maybe, in some way, they were meant to be. The thought, again, captured him in the seductive idea of romance. But, of course, the moment he started becoming dazed, lost in his own mind about the possibility, Apostol had accomplished her goal. She grinned a bit further.

"Oh, yes. Like fate."

"Fate...?"

"Perhaps it was destined. Miss Shiratori came to Vethela as gift from Ezdia to heal you."

Orion lit up. Of course. He had never thought about that before, but it only made sense; why he was compelled to be near her, why her presence erased his pain, and even why she had come when she came. To think she could be a gift from the goddess was even more shocking than he had thought. Eagerly, he accepted the theory immediately, clinging to her a little more. If only because he wanted it to be true, he believed in it. He believed in it.

"Will there be a new queen?" Apostol continued, the male completely out of it, "I look forward to. A fate-like wedding would be - "

"That's enough," the younger girl interrupted, prompting Orion to squeeze her arm in concern.

"Apologies?"

"I know it's easy to manipulate him, but try to resist the urge. I, for one, am not so easy to sway, so I'll be the one protecting him, I guess."

"What do you mean?" the prince pouted, clinging closely to her, "She was only saying that we looked nice together. L-Like a couple. I liked the compliment."

"She only said that because you wanted to hear it."

"Right. Because she thought it would make me happy."

"No - I - Do you know how easy it would be for me to marry you and then turn into a tyrant? I could completely steal your entire country. Like that."

"Do you want it?!"

As the male asked eagerly, (Y/n) only pinched the bridge of her nose. She could not believe that he was going to be the country's next king. Yes, he was young for a king, and extremely gullible for his age, but, still, she would have thought he'd been taught better. The first lesson he had should have been how to avoid being manipulated. At the very least, telling him about strategies other countries would use to take advantage of him would have worked wonders. And yet, there he was, batting his eyes at anyone who said anything remotely nice.

"Will you stay here for a bit?" she requested, starting to walk off with the woman, only to hear the male protest.

"Without you?! But...then I'll be lonely."

"It won't be more than two minutes."

Still, he was unsatisfied with the situation, sticking his tongue in his cheek and furrowing his brows. To occupy himself, he started staring at the flowers, but it was made too obvious when he would stare back at her. This made Apostol chuckle. She thought that the (h/c) haired girl had really lucked out, getting such an obedient and eager-to-please royal at her every beck and call. And, yet, on the contrary, the younger girl looked entirely unamused, prompting the woman to tilt her head.

"You did not want? Prince is happy. You profit from his happiness."

"And you want to profit from it, too. That's my main concern here. As long as I remain close to him, you will have an upperhand. Whether that's because you decide to threaten me from the shadows or just out-right kidnap me and hold me hostage, he'll listen to anything you want. And you know that."

"The talking is much - very fast. But I understand you do not want Umayena to win. Why? You would not lose."

"If you don't abduct me, that is."

"I wish not for that," the woman smiled purely, "But you will win. Miss Shiratori will get crown and live with much money. Problem is?"

"Problem is that your country is evil. Everything about it is corrupt and it embodies everything that is filth. You lie to your people about the existence of a 'religion' you made up to suit your political agenda and you force slavery onto everyone except for your family. If I help you, I only help this go on."

The ravenette brang her finger to her lip, taking some time to think deeply about the sentiment. Yes, the country was corrupt. It was inanely evil, too. She had known that since she was very, very young, as did most in her position. Most citizens were brainwashed into slowly killing themselves for the sake of their ruling family to live in luxury. Still, what else was she to do? She was already on the sinking ship.

"But you worry not for sake of war. If people die, you do not care. This is kind of person you are. I know this. Because we are like."

"Yes, then if you insist that we are 'like', you'll understand I find no need to help you. Because I'm looking out for myself. Like you."

"Right. This is understood. But I am now making the need."

At this point, Orion was getting antsy. He was glancing over more frequently and murmuring something to the knights that had been guarding them. That told her she only had a little time before he interjected. As such, she turned to the woman and narrowed her eyes. It didn't really matter if she tried to talk her out of her path of corruption. She was doing it to survive, so no amount of persuasion was going to stop her. Thus, the younger girl could only attempt to convince her she was a bigger threat, not that it seemed possible just yet. Instead, she chose to use Echal as the threat instead.

"If you go to war with Echal, and if Vethela joins them, what do you think will happen to you?"

"I will die. They must kill us. But my brother will also kill me if I switch sides."

"Even if both countries protect you?"

"You underestimate how well Umayena has gotten at killing women. In any case, if they lose, I will be killed. If they win, I no longer have country that speaks my language. If I must lose, I will lose in luxury."

At that point, the younger girl had no choice but to turn away from the ravenette. She had no argument anyway, so she decided to calm Orion down. He was immediately relieved when she came back, jumping at the chance to hold her hand. And though he continued shooting uncertain glances at the Umayenan woman, he was more focused on the girl next to him. He wasn't necessarily jealous, per se. Sure, he didn't like having to split her time after all he had done to monopolize it, but he felt strange about his views changing so rapidly.

Before, Apostol was just an ally. She was a woman that would come from a country that gave tons of tribute to Vethela. He never associated her with anything poor until the issue of the tribute came to light along with the political nature of the country itself. Now he was wary. Umayena as a country would never be a threat to Vethela. They were pretty much a vassal state, one that only existed independently because they were letting them. But the people in it were a different story.

The orange-haired male began to tense up as he noticed the concerned expression of the younger girl. She was glancing over at Apostol as though the woman were about to kill her. It was in Orion's best interest to keep her safe. The entire reason Haru had been scorned and abandoned by her was because he could not protect her properly. Though the prince had put the best knights in the country at her side, it didn't seem enough. After all, she still didn't have any official status in the country. But that could be changed. He smiled.

"Sorry, Orion. Would you mind if we met up later? I have to talk to someone."

"Oh, but - I mean, of course. You'll still meet me for snacks, right? I had the chefs make some Vethelan desserts this time. I think you'll really like them. They're super sweet."

"Sounds great."

As the (h/c) haired girl left, the male gave a small pout. He wished she would have stayed with him, especially since it was always so fun with her. Still, Satoru told him he couldn't be pushy or she would get bored of him. Thus, he tried to cheer himself up by visiting the treasury. The main part of it was a massive room with tons of compartments. They mostly held money, but some had gold bars, too. However, he wasn't there for the currency. He wanted to see the crown room, of which was held under strict guard at all times.

That room held all of the antiques and treasures of the royal family, many of which dated back hundreds of years. Orion had never actually been inside of the crown room. He was too sick to go, and, even if he did, it would have been mocking him. At the time, he never thought he would live long enough to have the crown pass to him or even to get married. But now it was different. He had somehow made a full recovery and now he had someone he loved.

"Your highness," one of the guards stumbled, quick to bow to the boy, "What can we do for you?"

"I want to look at the crowns," the male blushed, fiddling with his thumbs nervously.

The guards gave a surprised expression, followed by one of realization. They then eagerly welcomed the male inside, one of the guards following him in for his protection. Even when the doors closed, the guards still stationed outside all whispered to one another about the implication of the boy's visit. Sure, it could be conveyed as him finally taking an official step to ascend the throne. However, amidst the rich history that came to the crowns of the royal family, there was a tradition that made them gossip more.

Excitedly, Orion began to look over all of the crowns and tiaras. Every crown was designed personally by the person closest to them. For many, it was their parents. For Orion, too, he wanted his mother and father to work together to make his. If his grandmother had been alive, she would have made it for him. His smile faltered a bit as he thought about her, but he made himself cheerful again when he thought of the second tradition.

The monarch of Vethela's crown was one thing, but their spouse's crown was considered, in many ways, more special. Though there were some occasions in the country's history where it was not done, for most monarchs, they designed their spouse's crown by themselves. Every little detail of the thing was considered for. The cut, color, placement, number, and countless other possibilities with gems alone were incredibly scrutinized. Moreover, the overall shape of the crown was debated on for an inordinate amount of time.

Orion was elated to start designing (Y/n)'s crown. And while they weren't officially a couple and she was still distraught about what happened with Haru, he thought positively of the future. Thus, he wanted to have the most time possible to work on the piece of jewelry. He wanted to set a record with the amount of time he spent designing the crown. That way, everyone would know just how much he loved her.

He had many memories of spending time with his cousins when he was younger and not so sick. One of his favorites was when they all sat down together and began scribbling with markers what they wanted their future spouse's crowns to look like. Of course, Kazuki used a charcoal pencil, and his sketches were always incredible. Rei's would have also been great, if only he had decided to use his own imagination instead of copying his elder brother. Ichiro's was drawn poorly, but it was unique. Compared to them, Orion's looked like a blob of colors, but the point was that it was one of his most cherished memories. He was eager to have a similar memory in the present.

Spending a fair amount of time looking over the gems, he frowned. He didn't know what gem would best suit the older girl. The time they spent together, she mainly asked about him or complimented him, telling him he suited sunflowers or that he would look great in yellow. But she didn't like talking about herself. She had only recently told him her name. He didn't know how much longer it would take to learn her favorite colors or what gems she preferred. Moreover, he didn't even know if she liked gems. She almost seemed to hate them. The male sighed.

. . .

Mica sighed as he sat down, Meridian and Verona on opposite sides of the room. The former refused to look at the latter and vice versa. Awkwardly, Cadmus and Satoru huddled together, one standing out of respect for the royals and the other thinking of various ways to tell them to fuck off. Kazuki and Ichiro were there, too, the males attempting to avoid the glance of their mother.

"It's time we acknowledge it," the silver-blue-haired man mumbled, on the verge of tears, "Rei is dead. He's been missing too long."

"You really believe that?" Ichiro huffed, folding his arms over his chest and sinking into the chair, "He's always disappearing without a word. Besides, he'd never give me that satisfaction."

"But everytime he disappears, Akari makes a report. There's been nothing. Moreover, he's not been sighted publicly since. No expenses either."

"None?" Satoru snapped, a look of horror washing over him, "Maybe he's using cash?"

"He wouldn't," Kazuki winced, nervously gnawing on his thumb, "He never touches cash. What about Akari? Maybe he's just staying at his place again."

"Akari's trail has also gone cold," Mica mumbled, "His parents have already sent out a search party. They've not heard anything from either of them. But, since there's no body, I understand if - "

Satoru seemed to take the news worse than everyone else. Ichiro didn't believe the blonde would ever die, Kazuki tried to rely on whatever small optimism he had, and Meridian was likely hiding her true emotions, but was staring at her first-born nonetheless. Mica, of course, had already come to terms with it, considering the evidence. But when Satoru stood up abruptly, rage-filled tears streamed down his face. He remained indecisive about whether to glare at the regent of his wife, but he made sure to show both of them his anger. Cadmus stared sadly at him.

"This fucking family!" the dirty-blonde-haired man howled, gritting his teeth, "After everything, I thought you would at least...No...Why would you? Why would you?!"

"Don't be a child," Meridian huffed, drawing on the man's already intense desire to stab a knife through her heart, "Throwing a fit won't do you any good. You're not the only one affected by this news."

"You don't have any room to talk. None."

"You signed it."

The princes both glanced over at one another, but, when they realized the other had no clue of what "it" was, they shrugged. In the end, they just assumed it was either the marriage or divorce papers. But, the way that their father's expression weakened before immediately spiralling further into absolute hatred, they felt uneasy about it. Kazuki turned to glance at his great uncle, but, again, the man refused to give anything away. He just glanced away in guilt.

"On threat of death. Among other things...I should have never given in. I'll regret that for the rest of my life," A pause followed suit as the man glanced at his second-born then his first-born. "I never believed for a fucking moment you were some kind of demi-god."

Cadmus panicked, trying to cover the man's mouth. He was only trying to spare the man from an extreme punishment, caring deeply for him. But one of the major differences was that Cadmus was bound by the royal family, both spiritually, physically, and mentally while Satoru wasn't. He may have been in the past, with the sole exception of spirituality, but he wasn't trapped anymore. Thus, he pulled himself back from the Oracle to continue with his tirade of heartbreak.

"You're a fucking demon, Meridian," he growled, "A demon."

Mica stood up in rage at the accusation, coming to the woman's defense. After all, she was the precious daughter of his older sister. She was of direct descent from Ezdia. Satoru wasn't anything but a commoner that was lucky enough to momentarily catch her eye. Even then, he was being allowed to remain in the palace. Thus, the action of blasphemy was all the more unforgivable.

"Enough. Shut your mouth before you dig yourself into a hole you can't climb out of."

"I've been in a hole for the past twenty-two years! But I'm not your nephew, I'm not her husband, and I'm not a citizen of Vethela. You can't control me! If I want to call this bitch a demon, I'll damn well call her a fucking demon!"

"You are talking to the daughter of the Queen of Vethela! You will not - "

"Are you not your own person? You're always talking like they're a different species than you. Like you wholeheartedly believe that they are the descendant of some great goddess, but that you're not. For the love of fuck, Mica! You never even say your own sister's fucking name! Don't you see what's happening?! This damn elitism is making us their loyal slaves! We can't say 'no'! We can't say 'stop'! We can't even say 'this hurts'!"

At first, Mica moved to argue, enraged at the idea the man was proposing. He was about to scream at him for his profane cursing and to defend his niece to the point of exhaustion. But he could think of nothing to argue against. Moreover, he felt a great pain in his heart. It was one he didn't understand. Perhaps that was why he chose to escalate his anger even more; to obscure that fact.

"You are the most ungrateful man I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. Thanks to Meridian, your impoverished, little business became renowned and - "

"She is not why I became a success! She had nothing to do with it! My father died and left me with his dream and I worked and worked and fucking worked to make it a fucking reality! But she took it just like she takes everything from me! If that's not a demon, I don't know what is!"

"You little - "

Mica moved forward to hit the man, but Cadmus timidly stepped in front of him. It was uncertain to him whether he was intervening to prevent violence or to protect Satoru. However, all the same, the regent glowered at him for it. He then attempted to shove him out of the way, only for the orange-haired male to remain stagnant. Obviously, Cadmus was bigger than him, and much stronger, so, if he wanted to stay there, he would. Still, the nervous look on his face told otherwise.

"Move."

"I...," A pause. "I will not. Your highness."

Everyone looked shocked when he refused. There had never been an occasion where the man did not follow orders. He was considered the most loyal citizen in all of Vethela. Everything he did was for the benefit of the royal family, nothing less. And yet, there he was, refusing to move aside. It wasn't as if he was siding with one royal over another, either. He was siding with Satoru, a foreign commoner, instead of Mica, the younger brother of the previous queen. It had seemed impossible before. Even Meridian flinched.

"You will move, Cadmus. It was not a request."

"I'm sorry. But I won't. Please, hit me as much as you want, but I will not move."

"No," Satoru snapped, grabbing onto the younger man, "No one is ever going to hit you again," A pause as he started glaring at Meridian for the umpteenth time. "You better pray to your goddess you find my fucking son alive and well. Or I will make you regret it."

With that, the man left, protectively taking Cadmus along with him. That left his sons to become paralyzed in concern and Mica to question himself. Meridian was unaffected by the man's little outburst, her gaze lingering on her first-born son again. She didn't seem to understand the nature of the man's threat, but, even if she did, it would be near impossible for her cold heart to express any kind of guilt.