Perhaps multiple parties were at fault for the state of the younger girl. That was precisely what was debated between both Rei and Ichiro. They each blamed the other, believing truthfully that they did what they had to in order to possess the younger girl for themselves. In some way, their mind must have believed it was necessary for both themselves and her. And yet, they never reached a conclusion when blaming the other. Thus, at some point, Rei began to sigh, massaging the bridge of his nose, attempting to come up with a solution.

"Let's give this up," he huffed, "(Y/n) needs help, and I need answers to get it for her. How often did you use it?"

Ichiro turned his head away with a huff, sticking his cheeks out poutingly, refusing to admit he did anything wrong. It wasn't as if he had been the one to scar her and traumatize her significantly enough to prompt fear in her at any and everyone. Rei was at fault, so it didn't matter what he did because if the blonde had never been involved, he wouldn't have been either. Besides, she liked it when he did it.

"Stop being a child! She could be seriously hurt if I don't figure this out! You know people die from this! So then how often did you use it?! Once a month? Once a week?!"

The bluenette mumbled under his breath. It was indiscernible what he had said, prompting the blonde to growl. Difficult to deal with and irritating, he found that spending time with his older brother always found a way to work on his nerves. However, based on the circumstances, there was no way to go around the issue. There was no telling if Kazuki knew everything that had been done, and Ichiro was the one most likely to have any information about what exactly happened.

"Speak up," the younger male grumbled, gritting his teeth together while he clenched his fists, wondering when he was going to start fighting again.

"I said sometimes more than once a day!"

The area went silent. Rei's mind spun like a water wheel on a rushing river, rushing quickly around with rage and sorrow. He couldn't believe the supposedly "responsible" older male did such a thing. It could still very well cost the younger girl her life, and he didn't appear the slightest bit guilty. In fact, he had to be coerced into giving just one tidbit of crucial information. Did he truly understand what was at stake?

"Are you some kind of pathetic fool?! Of all the stupid things you've ever - Ah!"

The blonde was not able to hold in his anger for the umpteenth time he had spoken with the bluenette. He trudged forward with the intention of smacking some sense into him, only to find that his great uncle held him back with a disapproving glare. That being said, the older man wasn't at all thrilled with the way Ichiro was conducting himself. In his opinion, the male needed something to put him in his place and show him consequences, but if Rei were to do it, there would be much unnecessary blood involved.

. . .

(Y/n) had been surrounded by dozens of noblewomen. They were all swarming her in order to speak about both her engagement to the young king and her decadence in luxury. He had ensured that she would be dressed in only the finest clothes and jewelry, and it didn't go unnoticed by the women in high society. They were far more expensive than most noble families could afford let alone the fact that it was created by top-of-the-line tailors.

Of course, she was hardly comfortable with it, having others probe about her with great eagerness that drained away at her introverted personality. She was blushing hectically as they picked up her dress and gasped at her tiara. A soon-to-be member of the royal family, she was greatly enthused about, especially with those that were envious of her or wanted to get in with her to have an upper hand against other nobles.

"My, you're so beautiful!" one giggled, "His highness is certainly a lucky man, isn't he?"

"Oh, yes, he must be to have such a cute princess!"

As she was bombarded with more statements that echoed the same thoughts, two additional guards entered the fray. They bowed to the noble ladies, but eventually ended up pushing them aside and giving an apology for taking the younger girl away. She couldn't have been happier, rushing to join them, sighing the further she went away from the crowd. The timing could not have been better for her.

"My lady, please follow me this way," one of the guards stated, "His highness is eager to get started on the proceedings."

"What exactly am I supposed to do?"

The guard didn't respond, only looking ahead with the goal of escorting her to the blonde. It wasn't his place to explain everything to her, especially as he had no idea of what was to occur anyway. Still, the escort was not too far, and she soon found herself made to stand in a room she'd never seen before. It was as luxurious as the rest of the castle but contained a large pool filled with some white substance and numerous test vials and blood bags present.

Rei sat down in a chair on the far side of the room, an annoyed expression on his face while the bluenette sat on the floor, staring into the pool with a distant gaze. The blonde gave a concerned look when he looked over at the younger girl, some kind of hurt and guilt in his violet pupils. Ichiro didn't react at all, almost dreading the encounter while possessing a fear that the blonde would cue her in on what was really happening. All the while, Kazuki, for one reason or another, was nowhere to be found.

"Please put up with me," the younger male groaned, pushing himself up from his chair to press a kiss on his cupcake's cheek, "but I'll need you to do a few things to make sure you're in perfect health."

The male snapped his fingers, maids entering the room and bowing lowly to the young king. At the same time, he pushed Ichiro out of the room and into a neighboring one, leaving only females in the strange room. They began to take the younger girl's clothing off of her carefully, placing on a thin white silk robe to cover her. Then showing her to the pool, the maids encouraged her to enter, bowing once more before standing idly by, waiting for more instructions.

When the (h/c) haired girl was immersed in the liquid, she found that small rose petals floated on the surface. For one reason in particular, a large monitor switched on, showing both the royal males one with a bored expression while the other had a determined one. The blonde took in a deep breath before exhaling, tilting his head from left to right.

"We're going to do a few experiments, but nothing will hurt you, I promise," Rei explained, keeping a quiet and steady voice, "You're in a milk bath right now, and don't worry, we can't see you. It's one way. Anyway, just relax, okay?"

The younger girl nodded, despite the fact that the blonde couldn't see her, submerging herself in the white liquid. She didn't feel anything special occurring, deeming that nothing had begun. However, the blonde moved his hand in such a way that the maids stepped forward with a silver tray, offering the (h/c) haired girl both a pill and a cup filled with indiscernible liquid slightly blue in color.

She took it cautiously, noting that there was a taste similar to what she would imagine nectar tasted like. It was sweet and flowery with a hint of natural citrus. Strangely pleasant to taste though the pill was, the liquid she was given to drink was anything but. The smell alone was like a strong poison to her entire being and soul, prompting her to gag almost instantly, pushing the cup away and refusing to drink it.

"Cupcake, I know it's hardly desirable," the blonde flinched, a guilty and still shy expression on his face, "but it's necessary, so please put up with it. I promise to make it worth your while."

"N-No!" she refused, shaking her head vehemently before submerging herself in the bath up to her chin, "It's...off."

The blonde gave a curious look at the revelation that the taste wasn't supposed to be foul. In fact, when he, Ichiro, and Kazuki had it, it was mainly sweet. Sure there was something that didn't taste exactly right, but the sweet part of the drink overpowered the other part of it. Still, there had been an explanation for her reaction. Others outside of the royal family found the drink tasted purely sweet. Thus the reason for her reaction was easily deduced. After all, the only other one to refuse to drink it was Orion.

"Alright then," he sighed, "We'll do something else."

The male motioned again, the maids stepping forward with another tray with some kind of electrical device. It didn't look like anything she had seen before, and as the maids placed it on her heart, monitoring her carefully. They then quickly drew her blood, placing it in a vial and placing it on a test tube rack for use in the future. Proceeding through multiple different small trials, the younger girl was completely unaware of what they were for.

Tests continued through the evening, nothing too large, but quick assessments that seemed almost strange and hardly backed up by any kind of science. Still, they were done with the utmost of effort, sparing no expenses or time in order to conduct them. When it all was completed, the maids took the silk robe from off of her, drying her off with a warm towel and dressing her in a simple nightgown.

Rei, sighing, left the room he had remained in, his expression not positive nor negative. It simply was while the blunette behind him was still rather upset about something or other. In any case, the blonde stepped forward to take the younger girl's hand and take her back to their room. Both were in need of some rest, especially when he had been pushing her to conduct seemingly useless tests.

. . .

While the two youngest males had been arguing with one another and attempting to find out the consequences of what had been done to (Y/n), the eldest of them was looking for something deeper. He had never been one to adventure outside of his comfort zone, especially when that involved finding out secrets that could have been dangerous. However, it seemed necessary to him to find out what the younger girl had over him and his family.

At the same time, he had no idea on where to start. Sure, his great uncle was the one who was knowledgeable about every nook and cranny of the castle, but it didn't mean he would share that information. Besides, the older man had been oddly reclusive since he had been brought back to the palace with Ichiro. Again, it must have had something to do with that voice he heard over the phone, but who would know whose it was? It was such a complex series of steps he had to perform, prompting a headache to abruptly form.

Nonetheless, he couldn't be stopped. Somewhere along the line, he had discovered the pond, and his mind had been more than eager to know about its purpose. Too much had slipped past him, and if not for himself, he wanted to know about the (h/c) haired girl. He had decided she was to be his everything, leading his heart instead of his mind away from the dull life he had lived unaware of his own purpose. If he figured it all out, would she stray to him? He truly believed she would, and for that reason, he sought after what he ought not to know.

It was a miracle that the blonde had found his great uncle in the late afternoon. The man was strolling about the garden with a reminisce gaze that didn't seem to be staring at anything in particular. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, something happening to deter him from his typically cheerful and mischievous mood. Even when the younger male approached him, he found that he was still filled with both disappointment and another kind of unknown emotion. It was frustrating to Kazuki that there was yet another puzzle piece on the board that he couldn't decipher.

"Mica, about what I inquired of you the other day - "

"I do not wish to talk," the man murmured, attempting to flee the scene, walking quickly away while hiding his emotions from the perceptive blonde.

"I didn't ask you. There is something going on here! Surely you, of all people here, can see that. At least clue me in on a few things."

The silvery-haired man let out a harsh sigh, letting his shoulders sink as he stopped walking. It was more than just apparent that Kazuki would not give up until he received the answers he wanted, yet, by then, it would have been far too late. Some things the male was better off knowing, especially about the answer to his lineage. There was always a price to pay, after all.

"Look, I don't mean to be blunt. I love you and your brothers very much, but there's a reason you don't know anything. I will not be the one to drag us all down."

There had always been something about the older man that had eluded most of the family. They might have sensed it, but they were never clued in on what he was aware of. Some didn't want to know, others pried some small morsels of information out of him, and one in particular learned more than he was safe to. The consequences had already proved to be disastrous, tearing apart the family at the seams and welcoming unwanted danger into their lives.

Like Damocles' sword, the danger in their bloodline dangled over the things they wanted so badly to learn. Mica had already been pierced by its tip, the poison well on its way to join him with his older sister and Orion once more. There was no reason to send the others to die in his place. Bloodshed may have run rampant in their family over their entire prosperity, but he didn't desire it. He just wanted peace again, if it were even possible.

"So, what?" Kazuki scowled, uncharacteristically attempting to squeeze whatever he could out of the man, "You get to hoard everything for yourself?"

"Son, are you strong enough to kill a demon?"

The blonde rolled his eyes. Once again, it seemed, the man was attempting to distract him with fairy tales and nonsensically stories of "legend". Never a single time had he given a straight answer when confronted with such things, speaking in a nearly indecipherable language. Most of the time, he didn't even speak English. No, he spoke in Latin, something he knew that none of the brothers had learned. What was the point of it all?

"Of course, the answer is no," Mica continued, staring down into the pond with a fearful gaze, "Not you nor your brothers could kill a demon. You are weak, untrained, and unknowledgeable about their kind."

"They're all dead," the blonde groaned, massaging his temple as he attempted not to become frustrated, "Ezdia and her followers killed them all after being frozen by Zydon. Your point, please?"

"Well, hypothetically, who do you think could, my boy?"

Thinking logically, a demon would have been something powerful and able to use different abilities to achieve its goal. Thus, either one would need to outsmart the thing or overpower it. However, the blonde could find no answer for a hypothetical solution in which he had no prior context to the situation. It was simply another game that sidetracked him, and it was not appreciated in the slightest.

"Is this your attempt to get me to leave?"

"Well, is it working?" the older man asked, his eyebrows moving up his forehead with a curious and interested expression.

"You tell me," Kazuki answered, rolling his eyes before proceeding to cross his arms over his chest.

Mica let a smile from one cheek to the other, humming to himself as he walked forward further into the labyrinth of flowers. The garden did often seem that way, trapping others when they were oblivious to their surroundings, but one could often find their way out with a bit of concentration. Nonetheless, the blonde found that following after the older man was a waste of time. He would have been more likely to get something out of Rei, something bound to be an extremely tiring process.

Of course, as the older man watched the blonde leave the garden, presumably back to the castle to find some other recourse, he smirked further. He had managed to dodge a bullet with all three of the males. They may have been used to getting their way, but it wasn't in the cards any longer. Whatever Mica did, he would stand in the way of anyone learning anything else about the family's true origins. That being said, there was one wildcard in the deck. He was bound to shuffle the game around.

"I'm willing to pay the price," the silvery-blue male stated, reaching out his hand to an ornate mirror, pressing softly against it.

"Are you now? And how are you going to pay? You barely survived the last encounter."

There was an eerie pause in the conversation as the man looked away with guilt. It was not without reason, but clearly, something was amiss. The blue-haired male chuckled almost heartlessly at the situation before him. It had all come full circle to bring karma to what he had done to his great-nephew. Still, as Mica shook his head determinedly with a frightful gaze to lock in his answer, the male stepped forward with a twisted expression.