When Orion entered his mother's room, she was waiting for him, too, as if she had expected his arrival. The woman even prepared tea for him before he set foot in the room. It was still hot, the smoke spiralling into the air. He didn't take time to notice it, instead, running forward in despair and fear over losing the girl he loved.

"Mother," he panted, the woman motioning to the chair in front of her, "I was just with Miss Shiratori and...s-she said she wouldn't marry me, but - But I want to marry her and she said - "

"Orion."

The male's mother called his name softly, a weird kind of emotion lingering over in inbetween all of her words. She seemed withdrawn for a moment before she forced herself to smile. And even then, the woman was overcome with some immaterial kind of pressure, her shoulders slumping and her eyes drooping. He quieted, concerned, and silently took a sip of the tea she made for him, averting his eyes.

"I've never asked you this question; never once - probably because I believed you owed me something. After all, I've been fighting my sister my entire life and, in the process, had everything I thought was mine revoked. Then I tried and tried and tried to make your father mine by whatever means necessary. And, so, I thought, when you were born, 'This child is indebted to me'. I think Meridian thought the same."

"Aunt?"

"But I saw the way she treated her children before you were even born. She would make her eldest hold up his shorts while she beat him where your grandmother couldn't see the scars and she would force his eyes open to study topic after topic until they bled. And so I thought, when I was pregnant with you, 'My child must be grateful that I don't hurt him so'. But now, I don't know who is worse: my sister or I."

"But you are obviously kinder! You have never once hit me! A-And Zuki, Ichi, and Rei think the same! They always said how jealous they were of you being my mother! And (Y/n), too!"

Verona felt the desire to smile. But it was just that; a desire. By no means could she do so. In fact, the fake smile she had placed upon her lips fell at that, confusing her child greatly. She had always been called a villainess, and contrary to what she had once believed, there was no way to seek forgiveness for what she had done. Not even to the child in front of her, who trusted her with his very life.

"Have you ever, even once, wanted to be king?"

Orion snickered for a second as he heard the question, thinking it the easiest thing in the world. But when he answered positively, the woman asked him to try again, prompting his smile to fall and his heart to fill with confusion. All of a sudden, he felt the question was burdensome; like he hadn't ever really answered it truthfully before. Immediately, he met his mother's eyes, trembling as the word "yes" refused to escape from him.

"It's alright," she reassured him, "I knew it a lot sooner than you did. In fact, it was two weeks after you were born that I knew."

Verona didn't tell him, but those two weeks in their entirety, she hadn't seen him once. She felt a high of joy when he was born, but, as soon as he stopped breathing, it all washed away. The woman only felt hatred for the thing. The fifteen-year-old Cadmus had been the one to be by his side, sleepless and filled with fear. She decided to abandon him, effectively, until she stumbled upon something.

Like the others in her family, she had been given a taboo, one she thought was because of the blood of their great goddess running through her. But her ability was to see through different times using the eyes of others. So when she had discovered Ezdia was never a deity, she discovered many other things, including the importance of the pond at the center of the labyrinth. To them, who carried the bloodline of a too-beloved species, they could ask for one wish, of which the sprites - possessing the element of fate - would grant.

She had gone and taken Orion, placing him in the pond. He was still sick then, able to choke on air at any given point in time, but she didn't care. Her wish was to replace his mixed blood with the original, undiluted blood of their ancestors. And it worked. At first, she gripped onto the child, cackling with delight over the throne being hers. But the two-week-old baby had made his own wish.

He hadn't been conscious of it, but it didn't matter. The sprites could read his mind, the baby thinking of what all babies thought of: their mother. When she had placed him into the water to fulfill her own selfish desires, all he did was stare innocently up into her eyes, loving her. He only wanted her love, and the sprites granted his desire, flooding the woman's mind with a much-needed reality check.

It was because of her baby that she understood her cruel nature and the terrible things she had done for - of all things - recognition. She remembered crying that day, bawling her eyes out as she held onto Orion for dear life. She also remembered, vividly, staring into his pure eyes as he grabbed onto her finger. Suddenly, her desires changed. Now all she wanted was for him to live.

"Even when you were little, playing with your cousins, you showed nothing but kindness. You never demanded toys or treats or anything, always giving what you had to them, especially Ichiro. Your heart has always been gentle - far too gentle to be king."

Truth be told, even after she had learned to love her child, it took her weeks to understand his pain. Orion never stopped suffering from illnesses. His first month was difficult. If he had not been the grandson of the Vethelan Queen, he wouldn't have had access to the kind of medical care he so dearly needed. He suffered all kinds of horrible conditions, even to the point of needing surgery. He almost didn't make it.

And even after the surgery, he continued to have occasional seizures. Verona worried for him, enough to where she had looked through his future. It tore her heart to shreds to watch him die again and again in different realities. In some of them, he passed away in his sleep, but, in most, he suffered unbearable pain. She watched him take his life a few times because of the agony. Other realities, he was killed by Meridian so one of her sons could take the throne. Either way, in almost every reality, he died, never living past eighteen years old. There was only one exception.

"But I-I have to be king," the male trembled, "Grandmother said I had to and everyone expects me to - I just have to be king!"

"Well, there's someone else who doesn't want that, right?"

Orion softened as she brought up (Y/n). And why wouldn't he have? She was the only factor that allowed him to live. It was only with her that he lived. And though Verona was uncertain why exactly that was, she assumed it had something to do with her rarity. Besides being female, she was of the same species as him. Ironically, despite her hatred for it, her halfblood was probably the very thing that saved him. But, nonetheless, in the future she saw, he would only live if she ended up marrying him.

"But...she wants protection and safety. I can only give her that if I'm king."

"She does want those things, because, at heart, she is a very terrified thing. But she offered you a solution."

The moment the princess found the future she wanted Orion to have, she decided to peer into (Y/n)'s past. The goal was to find a natural way to bring her to Vethela and know her likes and dislikes. And she did. She knew about her father, her sister, her owners, and everything past that, including the only person she had ever loved with all of her heart. The woman even knew things she didn't, thanks to "Tia". He let her sift through all of his documents on her and her family.

But, in the process of investigating, she found a great pity for the poor thing. The more she watched, the more she felt for the girl, watching her be abandoned again and again. She used to be a very innocent girl, not wanting to harm anything, but she had to change. And though Verona hadn't suffered anything near the horrors of the girl's pain, she felt a kinship. Meeting her in person only emphasized that feeling of belonging.

"But I don't know what she was trying to tell me!"

"Maybe I should put it this way to you," the princess smiled, "She comes from a very proud species. They don't like bowing to anyone, especially the women. Traditionally, they lounged around while powerful men catered to their every desire. But (Y/n) is...a little different. She does not trust many, so, if possible, she likes to hold her own power."

"You're saying she's scared of my power? Like I'll lock her up or something? B-But I would never do that!"

"Wouldn't you?"

Orion flushed, darting his eyes away. Yes, the thought had occurred to him many, many times. He thought marriage might have achieved the same result without the feeling of imprisonment. But it made a little more sense why she was hesitant to accept his proposal now. Still, he wrinkled his nose. His mother simply pressed on it playfully, prompting him to flinch back and tilt his head.

"Regardless of her personal feelings, she will not marry you if you are king. Yet, she will not marry you if she doesn't get some kind of power out of the deal. But you don't have to be the one with power. I believe she was asking for it instead."

"L-Like giving her the throne?!"

Orion was stunned, shaking his head repeatedly and listing all of the reasons why that could never be. He first went on and on about how he was entitled to rule because he had the blood of Ezdia flowing through him. Then he mumbled about the law of ascension itself. (Y/n) was not Vethelan. She did not receive the heir to the throne's succession classes. The previous queen did not swear her as a candidate for the throne. She did not speak Vethelan. Moreover, though he chose not to mention it, she didn't believe in Viasti.

"First and foremost, she is Vethelan. She was born here on our soil 19 years ago, meaning she is also of age. I can prove it, if need be. She can always learn Vethelan or take succession classes. As for the previous monarch's influence, all you need to verify her is your father's word."

"Why would father have anything to do with it?"

"Because, if you let him and the Sun God Sect take her to the temple, they will figure out pretty easily that she is of the same blood as Ezdia."

"What? But she doesn't even - "

"She is the same as you. Although she comes from a different ancestor. Whereas Ezdia and we are of the earth, she is of the sky."

The prince's eyes sparkled. He had always known (Y/n) wasn't an ordinary human. Now it made so much sense to him. Ezdia must have taken pity on him for his illness and sent another child of the gods to him. The male began to think about her lineage, pondering which of the gods she must have been born from. Since she was born in the winter, she could have been born of one of Cusna's children, like Ephi, the goddess of celebrations. After all, the (h/c) haired girl did bring happiness to him. Or, perhaps, she could have simply been Cusna's daughter, too.

"Well, then, everything works out! I don't have to be king, she can have her own power, and we can get married!"

"If that's what you want. Though, I wouldn't be too sure she has made up her mind yet."

"Well, she wanted me to come to this conclusion, so, obviously, it's the outcome she wants."

"She wanted the possibility to be open, but you are not done convincing her you are the best choice."

"But - "

"I know. It must be frustrating for you, but, for her, it gives her more security. To tell you the truth, it is going to be the most advantageous for you to play along. I would also urge you to play nice."

"I am nice."

The woman cast a bizarre glance to her son, prompting him to flinch. He knew immediately when he said it that it was a lie. The male just thought that he would get away with it. Nonetheless, if she didn't know firsthand all the times he hadn't been "nice", the flinch gave it away. Just because he had started to learn how to manipulate - both his odds and the people around him - it didn't mean he had learned how to lie.

"The maid I lent Ms. Shiratori is still missing," the woman mumbled, assessing the male's reaction closely, "I don't suppose you would happen to know when she'll be back?"

"How did - "

Orion quickly put his hands over his mouth, childishly trying to prevent himself from saying anything incriminating. Regardless, it was obvious that he had done it. She knew why, too, but it wasn't the "why" she cared about. Though she planned on letting the issue go, Orion was still fiddling nervously. For some reason, he thought that she was going to go and tell the girl what he had done.

"I didn't plan it," he mumbled.

"But you did plan it for Atlas and Sona."

"That's...Please don't tell..."

"I won't. But my point is that you need to lie low for a while. Don't try and rush things. Just tell your father what he needs to do. I'll delay the coronation."

Though he wanted to protest, she knew better than him. So, he did as she said. The coronation was pushed back, much to the chagrin of the public. Mostly, Orion waited for (Y/n) to make her decision. And yet, it was unbearable for him, the male writhing around, wondering if she would choose him or not. To speed the process up, he tried doing whatever he could. He folded origami birds, took walks in the garden, and read up on Athainian culture, but, no matter what, the week felt like ages.