When they touched down in Vethela, (Y/n) could tell almost at once that the country was beyond anything she'd ever seen. Or, rather, it embodied the whimsical fantasy of her childhood. The country was largely untouched by industrialization. Or, at least, it seemed that way. As they drove from the remote airport to the heart of the capital, she couldn't help but marvel at the stunning landscapes.

The houses were relatively small to conserve land, most of them having some form of greenery growing on them in some kind of mutual relationship. Apparently, as Rei told her, that was the norm; to value plant-life as equal to a human life. It astounded her how natural everything looked. The rivers were clean, the air was fresh, and wild animals just coasted along like they owned the place. Her eyes sparkled as Rei pushed his chest out in pride. Akari was also pleased to see she loved the country.

Even as they entered the capital, the buildings only went up to, at most, three floors. There were no other cars on the street either, allowing them to quickly make their way to where the royal palace was located. Suddenly, as she noted the fact the palace must have been about ten stories tall, she snapped her head over to Akari. Had he seriously climbed it all on his own without falling? The blonde gave a bright smile to her.

Plenty of guards were there to greet them at the gate as they were made to get out of the car to get in a carriage. Apparently, no cars were allowed past that area. Nonetheless, as they rode in the carriage to the front of the palace, all of the stunningly decorated guards gave a respectful bow to their prince. Rei merely shrugged. It must have been commonplace for him. There was much more to say about the ride and all of its beauty but not enough time to admire it before they had to get off of the carriage.

"Welcome to my home, cupcake," Rei chuckled, exiting first solely to help her step down the stairs like a gentleman, "We still have a few hours to burn before the party begins at night, so let's show you to your room first, hm?"

"I put everything together for you, Rei," Akari panicked, seeking affection from the blonde, "Ah, I put her next to us. I figured you'd like that."

"And where are we going to stay?" Yamato mumbled.

"On the other side of the palace. Obviously."

"That's not going to work."

"But only royalty and close servants stay in the east wing. Guests are in the embassies or the west wing. That's just how things are done."

"And (Y/n)'s a servant?"

Rei and Akari gave a little smirk. They didn't need to answer for everyone to know what they were thinking. And while Yamato may have tried arguing about it, demanding she be wherever he was, they kept giving the same response. They couldn't break tradition, after all. Shota gave a sharp sigh and shook his head, telling the brunette to back down. As such, the two blondes fist-bumped each other behind their backs, eagerly escorting the younger girl to her room.

She was not at all surprised to find the utter lavishness that coated the palace. Gold, jewels, art, tapestries, and just about everything else were put on full display. It was like they thought no one would ever steal from them. They were probably right, too. With all the guards posted around, she highly doubted anyone could go in or out without them noticing. That was probably why Rei was unbothered with the fact she might try escaping and why Yamato ceded so easily to him.

"Do you like the room, goddess?" Akari squeaked excitedly, pushing open the door for her, "I prepared it myself. Well, I ordered someone else to do it the way I knew you'd like it."

(Y/n), again, was stunned. Akari must have known her a lot better than she thought. He'd supposedly rearranged everything the way she preferred it, including moving over the bed to the corner of the room. The color of the room also suited her tastes despite it not necessarily matching the rest of the palace's white, violet, and green theme. She turned to give him a soft grin, reaching up to pat his head only to hold herself back. He frowned a bit, grabbing at his arm.

"I-I do like it," she chuckled nervously, making him brighten up slightly, "But we're only staying here for a night or two, right? Was there any need to change up a room like this?"

"Of course!" he enthused, "I have to make sure you're comfortable. No amount of work is too much. I promise!"

"Plus," Rei grinned, moving to hug her from behind, "It doesn't have to be one night. You could stay here for the rest of your life."

The younger girl paused as she processed the implications of that. He meant it. The tone of his voice and the look in his eyes all but confirmed he was being serious. Interestingly enough, Akari had turned away, pretending not to notice. Or maybe he was trying to hide his expression. She couldn't tell. All she knew was that Rei was doting on her, making her flinch when he kissed her neck.

"I think," she paused, "I want to take a nap."

"How mean. Well, there's no need for a nap since I'm going to show you one of my favorite places."

Before she could protest, the blonde quickly swept her into his arms and began walking with a hum. Akari followed along, but he did so very submissively. His hands in front of his body, he walked ten steps behind Rei, his shoulders caved in as he stared at the ground. (Y/n) couldn't help but observe that, especially since he seemed much sadder than usual. Typically, he was bouncing off the walls with a big smile on his face. It was...weird.

Despite the fact that the palace was massive, Rei knew his way around it perfectly. Confidently, he made turns in order to end up in front of the room he was aiming for. The guards in front of the room gave confused looks to one another but said nothing, merely opening the door for the prince and bowing. (Y/n) heard them greet Akari, too, but it was a very quiet, very underwhelming greeting.

The room itself looked like a bedroom. Though, that was only because it had a bed. If it were a bedroom, however, it wasn't very welcoming, the walls a stark grey color with absolutely no personal charm or decoration. The only thing she could find remotely personalized was a photograph of Rei and his older brother - the one with blue hair. The rest of the room was like its basic form. Most of it was more reminiscent of a storage room for musical instruments of all kinds. The blonde eagerly set her down on the bench of the grand piano.

"You play?" he asked, extremely interested in her answer.

"This? No, but I'm sure I can figure it out."

"Why bother? I'll teach you myself. Here."

(Y/n) was unsure if his request was just an excuse to position himself behind her again, but he quickly placed her hands on the correct keys. The male murmured about the instrument, remarking it was the first one he learned to play as a child, insisting she could do it, too. Though, he didn't expect that she would pick it up so quickly, the girl practically memorizing the sounds of the instrument and the key that made the sound. As soon as she figured out how to position her hands, she started experimenting with it. Rei, shocked, straightened up and watched her in awe.

"You're a natural," he cheered, moving to grab a violin for himself, "Why don't we play together?"

"Akari should join."

"Him? Mm, I guess he can play the flute. I don't know how good he'd be at improvising though. He usually just watches."

The (h/c) haired girl made a look at the younger male, asking him without words if he was interested in playing. He didn't answer that. While he may have picked up the flute from the table, as he held it up to his lips, she noted the grim look on his face. Maybe he misinterpreted what she wanted. Stalker or not, he couldn't have known absolutely everything about her - certainly not the way she thought.

Either way, because Rei insisted they start, she began moving her hands across the piano to start the song. Afterwards, when he got the hang of her style, Rei joined in with a soft but dramatic addition. She could barely hear Akari's flute. She only realized much later he had given up trying to keep up with them early on, hiding it behind his back and waiting meekly for them to look at him again.

. . .

Rei wasn't kidding about everything being done for her. When the time came to get ready for the party, (Y/n) was put in the care of some highly trained ladies-in-waiting. They helped fit the dress on her, helped her accessorize, and helped do her hair for her, astounding her when she saw the finished result. She looked like she really fit in with the others, having to take a moment just to confirm it was her in the mirror.

"So pretty," Takuya blushed, no doubt fantasizing about something.

The others silently nodded, especially Shota, who could not take his eyes off of her. In fact, as they made their way to the ballroom, he stuck as close by her as possible. He always knew she was a diamond in the rough. Of course, it wasn't just her appearance that changed but her entire demeanor. He revelled in the fact she became more confident, taking self-assured steps and holding her head up high. That was the kind of girl he adored, the redhead moving to be the first one to offer his arm to her.

"Trust me," he chuckled nervously, "These events can be a handful, especially when people start pestering you about your family. But, rest assured, I'll help you make sense of it all, so - "

(Y/n) glared at him, baffling the male greatly. He didn't understand why she refused to give him a chance, and he definitely didn't get the look. At first, he flinched, wondering if she had figured out it was him that had Narahashi's father severely injured. However, if that were the case, she would be doing more than scowling at him. Confused, he opened his mouth to ask what he'd done wrong, only to be met with the cold shoulder. Did she really have to break his heart like that?

As they entered the ballroom, the younger girl glanced around at the gorgeous area, filled with people that resembled dolls. Really, she had thought Rei and Akari were beautiful, but it seemed like, on the whole, Vethelans transcended the standard of beauty for the rest of the world. They were all dressed to the nines, parading about with gold and jewels fastened to every part of their bodies. Her jaw fell.

As Shota's opportunity to escort the girl was rejected, Rei chose to step forward instead, taking advantage of her being distracted. Eagerly, he placed his hand on the small of her back, pushing her gently forward where he wanted her to go. Of course, she played along, distancing herself from the others. With a cocky smirk, Rei glanced back at Shota and mouthed some foul words, prompting the red-haired male to burst in anger. Rei always got what he wanted.

It did not go without notice that Rei was showing great affection and interest in the (h/c) haired girl. In fact, everyone in attendance was fixated on her existence, murmuring to one another about who she was. She didn't understand why it was a big deal. She knew Rei had other relationships before. Though, as she thought about that fact, she could also see him being relatively unattached to them or perhaps cruel to his partner. So, maybe they were staring because he was being led by her, not the other way around.

"If you're a natural at playing music, how do you think you'd do dancing to it?" the blonde teased, spinning her around to face him, "I'll lead."

"N-No, I'd rather - I haven't had anything to eat for a while, so - "

She didn't finish that sentence before she pointed to the table full of delicacies Yamato was already raiding. The brunette had a peaceful expression as he devoured the sweets he so enjoyed. Moving slowly so as to not upset Rei and force him to become enraged, the younger girl made her way to the table. In truth, she'd lost her appetite as per usual, but to ensure she wouldn't seem suspicious to the blonde, she picked up a small chocolate and munched on it. It didn't fully appease him though, considering he tried following her.

(Y/n) realized she'd need a better excuse to distance herself from him. She didn't know what he was planning nor what he wanted just yet, but she could tell it wasn't anything good. If he had already professed his attraction to her, he was probably trying to win her over, too. She didn't want to know how he would do that. Rei still scared her. He probably would have continued to scare her, too, considering he had little empathy for other people.

In her attempts to find something to validate an excuse, she ended up staring at a younger male. He couldn't have been that much younger than her but he was small and thin. The boy didn't appear to be like the other men and women who danced and talked cheerfully. He seemed to possess a more downtrodden expresion than anything else. She felt a strange urge to talk to him, hoping to relieve his somber attitude. Hopefully, that would have been a good enough excuse to get away from Rei.

As she approached the boy, she gave a little awkward wave, unsure of how to best greet him. It wasn't like she knew who he was. Why would she have? She had no idea about Vethelan culture, let alone its etiquette. As such, the boy looked at her strangely, tilting his head. When he realized she was talking to him, he nodded his head towards her, giving her a sign he wouldn't mind conversing with her.

"Hey, do me a favor real quick?" she asked, clasping her hands together and giving a little smile, "I kinda came here with someone, but I don't really want to be near him right now. So if we could pretend to talk, I'd truly appreciate it!"

The gears in the boy's head turned as he realized she was speaking Athainian. Quickly, he attempted to remember everything she said. The bits and pieces all added up together, making him give a strained laugh. Yet, despite his enjoyment, he was quick to stifle it, placing his hand over his mouth and exhaling. She stepped forward to see if he was sick or anything but two guards stepped in front of him protectively. All the same, the orange-haired boy must have told them to back down, prompting them to hesitantly listen.

"I'm not great at Athainian," he ended up confessing nervously, a slight blush to his pale cheeks, "but I would like to talk. What should we talk about?"

"Well, how about - ," the girl paused, looking around the room in an attempt to find something to talk about only to turn to him, "How about you? I haven't even asked your name."

The boy was taken aback for a moment and opened his mouth to say something before biting his lip softly. He then looked at the guards and shook his head as if he was telling them not to answer for him. Thinking for a moment, he tilted his head from the left to the right and then finally looked (Y/n) in the eyes. She couldn't help but admire the gorgeous teal color they were, drawn in by the jewel-like orbs.

"Orion," he answered quietly, "Just Orion. And what's your name?"

"I don't mind if you call me (Y/n). You are doing me a favor, after all. I really appreciate it, by the way."

"It's not a problem. But why did you come here if you wanted to avoid your friend?"

The (h/c) haired girl flinched momentarily, rocking back and forth on her heels in a sort of nervous way. She wasn't exactly sure how to respond, especially since he might have known Rei. So, she said what came to her mind, almost uncaring if the blonde did hear what she had said. She put her trust in the boy, hoping he wouldn't stab her in the back. He looked too sweet and innocent for that.

"I wouldn't call him a friend," she said, somberly, "He kind of forced me to be here and I didn't have any say in the matter."

"I'm sorry to hear that, miss. Who might it be? I'll have a word with him, if you'd like."

"No, no!" she refused, waving her hands back and forth, "I'm fine, really. I just...I just wanted to be able to talk to someone, you know?"

The boy gave a soft smile and leaned his head to the side as he looked at the girl, feeling a slight connection with the words she spoke. He gave a small chuckle, which turned into a larger laughter. As he laughed harder, his body seemed to reject his amusement and forced him to cough up a great sum of blood, his hands shaking because of it. Quickly, he covered his mouth with his hand and turned to the two attendants at his side, who both jumped to grab him a napkin while the guards kept an eye on him.

"Orion," one of the attendants murmured as they came back, handing the napkin to him, "Please calm yourself. If you need to go - "

"No," the boy denied, his voice strained and hoarse, "I'll be fine."

He turned his attention to the girl in front of him and gave a gentle, reassuring smile as he noticed her worried expression. She didn't know what to do, so she had just paused in her tracks, hoping not to make the situation worse. The boy seemed almost disappointed she reacted like that, casting his gaze down. Maybe it was too much to hope for someone to treat him normally. One way or another, he was never going to be "normal".

"Please don't be concerned," the orange-haired boy exhaled quietly, "This is normal for me. Please, go and enjoy the party. I'm just going to rest for a while."

As Orion attempted to stand up, he began to fall, and before she could process what was happening, she grabbed onto him, supporting his body. He gave a whimper of pain and flinched before the attendants supported him instead. They gave a thankful nod to the girl for assisting the boy and went to carry him off. (Y/n) glanced back at the others, taking the opportunity to follow after them.

"Wait, let me help."

"I'll be fine, miss. I don't wish to burden you."

"No, really, it won't be a problem. I want to make sure you're alright."

The (h/c) haired girl didn't know if she could call herself wholeheartedly kind, but she had a weakness for kids like that. She didn't feel right leaving him all alone when he was in pain. Besides, it wasn't just that he was in pain. Orion was too weak to even take care of himself, it seemed. All the same, he recognized her empathy, almost confused at it. Still, despite the fact his guards warned against it, he nodded and let her come along.

The attendants brought the boy to a room within the castle; one quite isolated from the rest of the party. There was no one else there except for the occasional server or guest passing by. Nonetheless, the boy was laid down on the bed, his head propped up on a pillow and his orange hair strewn across it. He let out groans of pain and discomfort. And despite the fact he was given medicine, it didn't have much of an effect for him.

(Y/n) touched his forehead, and feeling his body temperature was much higher than it should've been, she ran to grab a towel and soaked it in water. She then placed it on his forehead in an attempt to cool him down. Orion gave a weak smile before closing his eyes, relaxing. One of the men left to gather more assistance for the weakened male, the other guarding the only entrance of the room.

Of course, that didn't prevent Rei from stepping into it, giving the large guard a great glare. The man only gave the blonde a bow, allowing him to approach the boy that lay on the bed. The orange-haired boy opened his eyes, seemingly unsurprised that the blonde had joined them. He simply closed his eyes once more, trying to endure the long-lasting pain his body subjected him to.

"Is it worse or better, Oreo?" Rei asked with a somewhat annoyed tone, putting his hands on his hips.

"Not good," the younger boy half-admitted, saying nothing further.

"Fine. What are you doing with (Y/n)?"

Orion didn't respond, choosing to ignore the question he was posed. The blonde just gave an uncaring shrug and gripped tightly onto the girl's wrist. He gave an irritated grunt when she struggled against his grasp and narrowed his eyes. Her disobedience had made him quite upset and he had the urge to strike her across the face. He lifted his hand, ready to do just that, but when he looked at her again, all of his hate dissipated.

Rei valued her too much to harm her, and, instead, the love he felt for her only made him chuckle affectionately and then kiss her cheek. She seemed repulsed by the action, but his sadistic side only made him appreciate the look she threw him. Orion, however, opened his eyes and stared at the two, the pieces in his mind clicking together.

"I see," he sighed meekly, "You were the person who dragged her here. That wasn't very nice of you. Aren't you supposed to treat women with more respect?"

"What would you know about them?" A pause. "Nevermind. Mother wanted me to check in with you before I spoke. We're both kind of surprised you showed up, but, all the same, why don't you make an appearance? You know, talk?"

Orion gave a forced blank expression and turned to look out of the window at the stars. He sighed with discontent and ran his fingers through his orange hair. When (Y/n) saw his hollow expression upon hearing Rei's request, her eyes lit up. She had only just now realized who she was talking to. A Trewin?