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"𝙚·𝙩𝙝𝙚·𝙧𝙚·𝙖𝙡
/ɪˈθɪə𝙧ɪə𝙡/
𝙖𝙙𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚
𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙."
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If anyone walked by they could feel the change in the mood almost instantly. Those poor poor maids and butlers who happened to be working near the group.

"C-Come on, I can't be the only one who was thinking that" Katarina felt like the seven pairs of eyes would burn a hole through her with how intently they stared at her.

"I mean, I don't think Lady Katarina is wrong" Despite mumbling, Maria's words quickly garnered the attention away from Katarina. Realizing that now all eyes were on her Maria's cheeks flushed but before she could say anything more Katarina continued.

"See! I'm not the only one!"

Even after that, they all fell back into silence. All of them knew that Silalynn was pretty but to hear that from Katarina did make them a little bit jealous. They didn't really have any reason to be jealous, all of them were physically attractive people, Perhaps they also wanted compliments from the girl they were attracted to.

From inside the room, Silalynn paused her playing. She thought she had heard someone speaking but concluded it might have been some maids conversing or gossiping. However, she did hear a voice calling her pretty which caught her a little off guard. Yes, Sila knew she was pretty, call her narcissistic but she knew she must've been one of the most beautiful girls in the Kingdom even if most people didn't know she existed. But she had not heard someone sincerely call her beautiful in ages. Lydia called her pretty but the compliment felt more and more hollow as the years went by. It wasn't that Lydia wasn't sincere with it, it was that she had started saying it more as a formality than as genuine words, At some point it was expected since many maids and butlers stroked the egos of the nobles they worked for. Her cheeks were lightly dusted in pink but she quickly snapped out of her daze and went back to playing the cello.

Back outside, everyone collectively froze up a little when they realized Silalynn started playing. While they wouldn't say it out loud, Geordo and Alan were worried she had heard them and was panicking from inside the room. However, when she continued they let out a sigh of relief.

"Does she ever play it with you?" Alan turned to Mary who stared straight ahead and at Silalynn from the small opening in the door. The rest of their friend group was busy in their conversation so they weren't paying much attention to either of them. The fourth Prince then turned his gaze back to his older sister. "No...Sila's been isolating herself for years, Even though I'm her brother I don't see her or get to spend time with her as often as most people think" Alan paused, contemplating whether or not he should say what he was going to. "...She's scared that she'll accidentally hurt one of us, that's why she keeps her distance"

The Aburn-haired girl hummed to signal some kind of recognition of what Alan said. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on collecting her thoughts. "Has she ever hurt someone?" She suddenly asked the prince who hesitated before answering. "..I'll take that as a yes"

Alan quickly glanced over to his brother and their friends before mumbling just loud enough for Mary to hear. And the moment her brain processed the words, Mary was petrified. She turned to Alan with wide eyes and hoped that this was just some sick joke. But Mary knows Alan, he would never joke about any topics like this. Her face paled and she felt like she was losing balance and about to vomit. Only a few seconds later when Katarina and Alan were holding onto her arms to stabilize her did Mary realize all eyes were on her. Ignoring all her friends staring, Mary met Alan's eyes, and words cascaded from her mouth.

"She...she really managed to turn part of someone's body into water"

Quiet gasps were heard and wide eyes were plastered on their faces. It was pretty easy to tell who she was talking about. If turning part of the body into water was possible then that meant Silalynn was able to either control all the water in the human body and concentrate it into one area, causing it to be water, or she was able to biologically change flesh and organs into water. Nevertheless, it was still a disturbing thought.

"Alan!" Geordo looked at his younger brother in disbelief. While they had agreed to let everyone know more about Silalynn, they never talked about telling them the....darker things she had done. While Geordo expected that they would have to talk about it at some point, a small part of him wished that it would happen after they understood her personality.

He may not be very close with Silalynn, but they were still siblings...his brothers weren't the only people who'd (probably) blindly defend her. The crown prince gulped, forcing down any anxiety he felt and putting on his "perfect Prince smile" It wouldn't convince his friends. He knew that not even in ten lifetimes would that smile convince them of anything. "Without Silalynn, I might have lost the ability to use my hands" his smile slowly shifted to a more genuine look.

"I won't say that she hasn't done...concerning actions" Geordo carefully picked his words. Silalynn was still inside and she would freak out if she heard what he said, or any of them really. "But Silalynn isn't so cold-hearted as to not feel guilty when she does something wrong, I think when that happens she's the one who knows best what she did"

Lydia's face was pale and tears threatened to stream down her cheeks, not out of sadness but out of pure shock and fear. Geordo knew Silalynn, he knew that she probably panicked and that's why she used her magic. But that didn't change that at the moment,

Silalynn was the most terrifying person in the world.

The young prince was just about to head to one of his classes when he spotted Silalynn, a crowd of guards, Lydia, and the courtyard wrecked and drenched in water. Against better judgment, he walked closer until a guard stopped him from nearing his sister. He didn't approach them but had a clearer view of the incident. Lydia looked sickly, almost as if she would drop dead within seconds. Silalynn was staring at her hands in horror as medics were called and some more familiar guards were trying to calm Silalynn down and snap her out of her trance.

Geordo didn't remember much of what happened next, Silalynn didn't seem to remember what happened clearly, and none of the guards told him anything other than what Silalynn did. All he can ever seem to recall is hearing Silalynn scream and waking up with a cold and his clothes drenched. But he did hear about how Silalynn locked herself in her room for nearly three weeks. She also seemed slightly different. For the first week, she seemed even more terrified of everyone around her, for the second she was paranoid about something and started mumbling words that he swore were in another language. And during the third week, she looked so tired, as if the world could end and she wouldn't care. Stopping himself from recollecting that particular situation he turned to Mary and then glanced at Maria. "I don't think either of them would want to meet with Silalynn now, especially Mary..." he thought for a moment before sighing, gaining confused looks from the people around him.

"Let's hold off on any of you meeting Silalynn for a few days. I'm sure none of you need me to explain why" Geordo's voice was stern but everyone found themselves agreeing. But despite his tone, the other seven could tell what the underlying message was.

I'm worried for you guys

While certain members of the friend group would definitely tease Geordo for that, they knew better than to do it at the moment. The mood was tense and now was not a time for jokes. They all needed a moment.

"In that case, I'll go tell her" Alan broke the silence and was about to open the door before the door knob started turning from the other side. In a panic, Alan grabbed the doorknob and stopped it from turning. Instead of questioning it Silalynn let go of the doorknob and stared at the unopened door.

"Geordo?..." she hesitantly called out. "I-I heard your voice so I'm assuming it's you...if you don't mind could you let me leave? I have to go meet Miss Campbell and Lady Hunt for lunch" For a second Geordo was confused as to when she heard him but quickly figured out it was when he yelled out Alan's name. The crown prince remained silent for a moment, "All of you should get going," he then signaled to Alan to let go of the doorknob and took his place there as his brother and friends got far enough from Silalynn's eyesight and hearing range.

"Geordo?" Right, he should probably say something.

"...You can open the door" That...was not the best choice of words but they already left his mouth so he couldn't do much about it, so instead he used his perfect prince smile once more in hopes Silalynn wouldn't question him. Silalynn cautiously opened the door and was met with her younger brother. She walked a few steps out of the room before looking down the hallway and breathing a sigh of relief when she saw no one. Turning back to her brother, Silalynn stared at him for longer than what felt comfortable before looking at the ground. "Forgive me, I'll be going now..." and with that, she walked off. Geordo was about to call out to her before noticing the way Silalynn's fisted hands were shaking as she speed-walked away. She heard them.

The Crown Prince was, understandably, ten seconds away from hitting his head on the wall. He was never as close with Silalynn compared with any of his brothers but it feels like communicating with her has only become harder. With a breath of relief, Geordo went down the hall and back to his friends. He would not consider himself to be unreasonably cruel but sometimes he genuinely wishes that he didn't know Sila or that she wasn't his sister. Finally finding everyone, he relayed the news leaving the group in silence.

"I...I think we should have a conversation" Katarina flinched when all heads turned to her. "Ah! I don't mean with Princess Silalynn, at least not yet!" hearing those words everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief. The brown-haired girl's voice turned serious, "I meant that all of us should probably talk" She glanced at Geordo and Alan, her brows furrowing as she wondered if she should continue. Katarina was dense, she knew that, but she was not stupid. Honestly, she was probably the most emotionally intelligent in the group and given that authority she is going to make sure they go about this in a way that is, at least slightly more, healthy for everyone. "Prince Geordo, Prince Alan" She glanced at the Princes one more time before taking a deep breath, "While I don't mind helping your sister I think we need you to tell us everything about her."

Truth be told, Katarina's seriousness took everyone aback. They were not used to her being more stern but at the same time, these hopeless fools had blind faith in her and would listen to her even if she wasn't speaking like that. The two Princes still seemed hesitant but at the same time, they had known most of these people for many years, and they wouldn't spread rumors about Silalynn. And even though they had only met Maria a little over a year ago, Geordo and Alan knew she wasn't the type to do that either. "Well? What's your answer?" Geordo crossed his arms as he looked over to his younger brother.

"Why would you leave it up to me?" Alan narrowed his eyes. Geordo was acting like he had nothing to do with the decision. "Isn't it obvious?" the fourth prince raised an eyebrow, "No, last I checked I can't read minds," prompting Geordo to sigh. "You care more about Silalynn than I ever would, thus you would be more reluctant to reveal anything about her" Alan stayed silent but it was clear he was trying to figure out how to answer. Geordo was not wrong per se, it was just slightly mortifying how right he was. "You're not wrong...." suddenly a thought but the fourth Prince, "I agree but only if Lydia agrees-"

"Lydia agrees to what?" Alan swore he had a mini-heart attack, seriously how does he never hear those footsteps? He turned around to see his sister's maid standing behind him with a basket of folded clothes and a wary look on her face. "We want to know more about the Princess. Prince Geordo agreed to tell us everything and Prince Alan will only agree if you do too" Sophia, realizing that Alan probably needed a second after that, explained. Lydia narrowed her eyes seemingly thinking about it. "I can tell you anything about the Princess that you want to know" The maid shot an unreadable look at Alan but he seemed to understand what she meant by it.

Today was going to be a long day.

...

Water is pretty.

But there are needles in my throat.

My lungs are burning.

I'm still drowning.

The water isn't fair.

...

"What do you wish to know?" They had all sat down, Lydia refusing to, as the maid placed a tray of snacks for them. "I assume I would be speaking in place of Prince Geordo and Prince Alan. I don't mean it as an insult but I know the Princess far more than either of them"

The group took a few minutes to collect their thoughts and figure out how they wanted to go about this. They eventually decided that to understand Silalynn they needed to know how she was before getting kidnapped and everything after. Lydia took one last glance at Geordo and Alan before beginning.  "Before her kidnapping, Princess Silalynn was quite...eccentric. She wasn't a perfect Princess but she was capable and her social skills were above average for both her age and status. Overall she was a happy child" Lydia paused. "No one....No one but Princess Silalynn can confirm this but I think that after she was given dark magic....she may have nearly killed one of her kidnappers" Gasps rang around the room. Katarina gulped, the game never went so far in detail about Silalynn's kidnapping, it was constantly brought up in any of Silalynn's routes but it didn't say what exactly went down only that she was given dark magic through said abduction. Despite living in Fortune Lover's world for years, Katarina sometimes forgot that this was a game, it was now real life. Knowing that someone around her age could almost kill was a scary thought.

"The root cause of her fear is not unfamiliar people or that she has dark magic. It is that she knows she is capable of killing someone" Lydia's periwinkle eyes shifted to the floor before taking in everyone's expressions. Wordlessly she headed to the maids' cart and began preparing some tea. Now and then she'd look at Geordo, Alan, and strangely enough, the Claes siblings. Alan crossed his arms and stared out the window while Geordo looked indifferent. But upon closer inspection one of his hands was tightly fisted, Lydia wouldn't mention anything about it for his sake. The Claes siblings had rather interesting reactions. Katarina was visibly anxious and would glance at her brother every few seconds while Keith looked uncomfortable and was trying his best to avoid Katarina's gaze. "I'm not surprised, but I thought Geordo and Alan would know what her true fear is..." the maid poured the tea into some tea cups and put one in front of everyone.

Holding back a sigh, Lydia softly smiled, "I understand that Shiruko makes you uneasy so I prepared some tea that will hopefully calm you down" She bowed before realizing that she was being stared at.

"Shiruko?" As soon as Geordo spoke Lydia froze. Her face flushed in embarrassment but she wasn't given a chance to say anything as the Crown Prince quickly changed the topic. "What did you put in this?" He had a smile on his face but Lydia could tell he wasn't too fond of the tea. Without hesitation, Lydia replied, "Snowsap and strawberries", causing Mary to flinch. Normally she would keep herself together but hearing so much about Silalynn has put her on edge. "Snowsap is poisonous!" Lydia sighed. "Only the seed and leaves of Snowsap are toxic. The berries are perfectly fine to consume and I only used those" she clarified.

"Ugh, I remember this tea. You and Sila made it when we were little" Alan was also not a big fan of the flavor. "Seriously...I don't know what was running through your heads when you made this"

"Well, it was made to help with stress. Snowsap berries feel cold but after you swallow them there's a slight burning feeling in your throat. The strawberries were added because I liked them"

...

Well, this was awkward.

They went from talking about Silalynn to talking about tea. Lydia cleared her throat before picking up the barely-finished tea cups. "Um, actually I want to keep drinking it" For some reason Katarina had her hand slightly raised as if she were volunteering to answer a question in class.

"Katarina, you don't need to force yourself to drink it"

"It isn't like that Prince Geordo. It isn't that bad, plus it's pretty sweet" Katarina purposely left out how her throat was dying. Keith, ever the loyal brother, also decided to keep his cup which spurred everyone else to keep theirs. "Wow, they really are infatuated with her" Lydia deadpanned. She pulled their cups out once more.

"Shiruko you better add strawberries!"

"Geez Lydia, you're so demanding! I'm the princess, that's my job!"

"But I guess I'm the same. I do adore Shiruko" Leaving memory lane, the maid fixed her posture and asked if there were any more questions. She let them think about it but at the same time, she had practically given all the information they needed about Silalynn. All they had to do-

"So we just have to convince her otherwise of her capability" Throughout the whole conversation Nicol stayed silent so his sudden speaking caused Lydia to flinch. "Y-yes that's exactly right Young Master" Lydia stuttered before composing herself. "If there are no other questions, I will leave and allow you to discuss-"

Lydia needed a two-month paid vacation.

Katarina just grabbed Keith by the wrist and bolted out the door with her very confused brother. The maid looked to any of the other people in the room to see what they thought but they were all just as confused as her, and Keith but he's not important right now.

"Sister, why did you bring us over here" Keith gulped for air. Sure he was used to Katarina's antics but he didn't expect to be grabbed and run at top speed. Katarina was also panting but she seemed half distressed and half excited? The two siblings took another second to catch their breath before Katarina started rapidly talking.

"Y-You and the Princess are alike!" Any thoughts Keith had were paused. That...that wasn't something he was expecting to hear. Katarina continued realizing that Keith probably wanted some more explanation. "Back when we were little you had a similar fear" She started speaking more slowly, being more careful with her word choice. Keith may have mostly gotten over said fear but it was still a sensitive topic. "So I was thinking...what if we did something like what I did for you, maybe that would work!"

"...Katarina while that has some truth in it I don't think you can do the same thing" Keith's gaze softened. He knew his sister meant well but just because their fears were similar didn't mean the same things could be done to eradicate it. Plus he didn't want to know what would happen if Katarina broke down the Princess's bedroom door with an axe. Katarina became strangely silent for a moment before her previous excitement came back.

"I have an idea!" and with that, Katarina grabbed Keith's hand again and ran back to the room.