Ryota panicked. He didn't know what to do. The moment the (h/c) haired girl collapsed in his arms, his heart near stopped. A lot of concern for her was echoed, the orange-haired prince being the first to offer assistance, but when he got closer, it was obvious the girl's discomfort increased exponentially. Her body seemed to react to him, but it wasn't necessarily positive. As such, the older male pulled her up so he could carry her, looking back and forth to see where he could take her. However, he was abruptly stopped by Arien Otsu who put his hand on the male's shoulder, stopping him from going off on his own.

"Follow me quietly," he advised, trying not to cause a panic, particularly because it would be difficult to get the girl the help she needed, "There's a quiet place outside in the garden. I'll make a call."

Following the man's lead, Ryota walked after him, carrying the younger girl in his arms. To his surprise, he wasn't exhausted by carrying her despite his lacking physical strength. And while he supposed it was because of his adrenaline and shock, he was worried about whether he would be able to keep it up. Luckily, he didn't have to see that scenario as the blonde took him and the younger girl out to the garden, an area not too far from where they were. It was still nice and quiet though and the fresh air was bound to do her some good.

As the green-haired male placed the girl down on the bench, ensuring she could breathe properly, Arien took a phone call, presumably calling an ambulance. He then came back to their side and gazed at the state she was in. Frowning, he leaned his ear down to her chest, only for him to be promptly pushed away. Ryota, suspicious and overprotective of the girl who had collapsed because of his actions, wouldn't let him near her. The sound of an ambulance roared behind them all the while.

"I apologize," he mumbled, placing his hand on the younger girl's cheek, "I respect your desire to help her, Lord - Count Arien, but I'd prefer to take care of her myself."

"You really are just a kid..."

"Sorry?"

"Well, it matters not. We're quite aware of the situation, so we'll take it from here."

It was not three seconds after he said that when people entered the garden from the ambulance, placing her on a stretcher. And though Ryota attempted to follow after her, they slammed the doors on him. Arien then put his hand on his shoulder before giving an eerily gentle smile, the vehicle driving off before he knew it. Shocked, the green-haired male ran after it, but, obviously, didn't get far at all. So he turned back to the blonde man who merely went along with his questions like he was a child.

. . .

As (Y/n)'s eyes flickered open, she found herself in an extremely lavish bedroom, one with a massive bed and a warm duvet covering her form. And as she twitched her leg, barely feeling movement, she could also feel silk. Because she hadn't been wearing silk at the exhibition, she could only come to the conclusion she was in something different. That's right! The party! Gasping, the younger girl attempted to put all her strength into rushing out of the bed, only to falter when she stood up.

Feeling immediately dizzy, her legs buckled from underneath her, sending her to fall. That was when she realized she was not the only one in the room. One of the several that had been next to her - caring for her while she slept - helped catch her. Supporting her gently, the woman guided her back to the bed to sit on. The woman then collapsed next to her, giving a worried and flustered expression.

"Aureolin," she murmured, almost teary-eyed, "Please rest. Please rest."

"I...have to...b-be somewhere. Wh-What's wrong...w-w-with me?"

Looking around the room, the younger girl was immediately confused by the presence of four people, excluding herself. One of them was holding what looked like a pitcher of water while another held a plate of fruit. Then there was the one weeping by her side and the last individual was placing fresh flowers in the vase. That was when she remembered; the strange flower that had been on Arien's chest and then some orange-haired boy's. Immediately objecting, she put her hand up, and all of the people in the room froze.

They didn't move an inch, making the girl immediately draw back. They started to move directly after that, one of them insisting she drink water. When she flinched again, putting her hand up defensively, they all became paralyzed once more. Confused, and very much frightened, the (h/c) haired girl fell off of the bed. However, the people in the room didn't move to help since her hand was still up. The door then opened, revealing, not Arien, but one of his younger brothers. He was the one that waved at her earlier. At least, she thought so. It was a little hard to tell them apart.

That being said, the blonde walked towards her with a kind smile on his face. She continued to hold her hand up, making sure he could see it, but he only continued to move towards her. Confused, she lowered it once more before holding it up. Still, he didn't stop. Instead, when coming close enough, he kneeled, placing his hand on his heart and murmuring "Aureolin". The male then proceeded to lift her up, supporting her legs and back as though she were a child. Contrary to what she believed, he did not return her to the bed. Instead, he brought her through the hallways to a separate room, setting her down gently on a very comfortable chair.

This room had even more people and was even more lavish than the one she had been in. People were already there, but she could hear a clamor outside of it before more people poured in. Most looked like they were some kind of servant and they saw to stand around the outside of the room, hugging close to the wall. That being said, the individuals who wore far more luxurious clothing, including the blonde that carried her, came closer to her. All of them placed their hand over their heart in a very strange way. It made her feel strange.

"Aureolin," the blonde male that carried her smiled, bowing his head, "You're finally here. Are you comfortable?"

"N-No, I - "

The room held a strange atmosphere the moment she said that word. "No". "No she was not comfortable". The male tensed, all eyes falling on him. He seemed to take her words to heart, kneeling lower to the ground to touch his head to it. It was almost like he was...shaking. Regardless, he spoke fluidly and with all due elegance of an Otsu, almost able to fool her that he was acting completely normal.

"This is my mistake. I have made a shameful impression on you. How might I correct this error?"

"S...Send me...ugh, back," (Y/n) mumbled, holding her head which held a pounding headache.

"Are you in pain, Aureolin?!" one of the younger women shouted out with great emotion, her head pushed down by an older man.

"Be quiet, Veda! You are not to speak! You have no right!" the man claimed harshly, earning an eager nod of understanding from the girl.

"Where is Rune?!" a younger-looking man with silver hair hissed.

"He was supposed to be back an hour ago!" an older woman with bronze hair scoffed, "Leave it to him to make the Aureolin writhe in pain. And of that parasitic plant, too. Were we really at such a resort?!"

"B-Be quiet...," the (h/c) haired girl whispered, rubbing the temple of her head.

At once, the room became devoid of any sound. Surprised, the younger girl looked around for some semblance of explanation. All of a sudden, she'd collapsed and now she was in a room being gawked at like some piece of art by Vethelan nobles? She really had no idea what was happening, and she knew none of the people before her, but all of it felt eerily familiar. Just the hint of it made her feel a hole in her chest.

That was what made her the most nervous. As she was lost in thought, the door suddenly slammed open, and a gold-haired male with deep orange eyes entered with another flower in his hands. He had been standing by Arien earlier as well. He must have been his and the other male's brother. Regardless of their looks, though, it seemed he was far less mature than his siblings.

"I made it!" he yelled, immediately having his mouth covered by his brother.

"You'll be silent. Arien will deal with you later," he hissed, turning a complete 180 when he addressed the younger girl again, "Please allow me to help heal you. Your body will feel much better with - "

"No - No more flowers!"

"I-I realize this may be - "

"I said...n-no! Let me g-g-go!"

Once again, eyes shot to the blonde. He caved in once more, falling to his knees and beginning to weep. Turning her attention immediately to his strange reaction, the (h/c) haired girl became baffled over his crying. Was her asking that so detrimental to him? Why was everyone so mad at him? Really, she had no idea what was going on, but they seemed to have every clue there was. Maybe that was why they were taking - what seemed like nothing - so seriously.

"A-Arien will...Please....wait...wait for Arien. He knows what...to do. I-I-I thought I could do better. Forgive me, Aureolin."

Though his brother gave him a look of pity, everyone else glared at him. It was like he had failed to do something he'd been practicing to do for ages. Why her words were so important to him, she didn't know. What she did know was that they weren't going to let her leave. And it was inherently obvious when she tried to stand on her own. A few gasps were here and there and the door was immediately closed. Why?

"If I can -," the male's younger brother interjected on his behalf, "May I help instead?"

"You may not!" one of the older men spat with great malice at the thought of his suggestion, "You know very well only Arien and Indra can speak directly with Aureolin! Kneel and lower your head!"

"S-Someone...just t-talk!" (Y/n) yelled, wincing at the volume of her own voice.

"I can cure your headache. It's just...you need this flower, so if you can trust me..."

Of course, the younger girl couldn't trust him. She couldn't trust Shota, she couldn't trust her own curiosity, and she sure as heck couldn't trust random nobles gawking at her so strangely. But she couldn't do anything if she had a headache as bad as that. So she gave a dismissive nod, letting him do whatever he wanted. It wasn't like she was getting out of there any time soon, and frankly, even if she did, she couldn't go far.

There were a few mumbles about her decision, but no one else interjected, letting the gold-haired male skip up the steps with the flower. He very quickly plucked it from its stem before crushing it with his hands. To her great surprise, it shattered like glass before melting in his hands. She must have been hallucinating. However, as he poured it into a glass and gave it to her, the moment she tasted it, her headache disappeared. And though the rest of her body took a little more of the liquid to fully function again, it did work. But why? What was going on?!

"Better?" he questioned, placing his hand over his heart as the others had done.

"...Yes. Um - "

"Rune. You can call me that. Oh, sorry, Rune Otsu, third son of the former Count Otsu, youngest brother to the current Count Otsu. I'm probably not someone you'll like, but, if I can help, I'm happy."

"Wait - About Arien and the party and the flower - "

"Oh, he'll be here in a bit. Arien's a big deal around here, so whatever he says goes. After all, he was the one who - "

"Rune! Your speech is unacceptable!"

"Yes, grandmother. Ahem, my sincerest apologies, Aureolin," the male droned sarcastically, bowing at the waist, "Please forgive my rude demeanor. I should not approach you like this nor should I seek to take the position of leader from my brother. I shall retire. Or rather, shut my damn mouth."

"Rune!"

With a bow, the male gave a friendly smile to the younger girl before leaving. At the same time, he also shot a glare and a frown at his grandmother and all the others that were giving him dirty looks. As he left, the (h/c) haired girl turned her attention back to his brother who was still cowering on the floor, at a loss for what to do. He seemed near out of his mind, shaking and murmuring to himself like he was about to be killed.

After Rune, as he called himself, left the room, no one really spoke. And since the younger girl was far from aware of the situation, she said nothing either. That was probably why no one else spoke. For some reason, their odd manners dictated that they must wait for her to move before they decided how to proceed. So as long as she remained quiet and still, they remained quiet and still. That was until Arien made his entrance, the (h/c) haired girl perking her head up.

"Apologies for making you wait," the blonde sighed, doing that same greeting as all the others, "Your companion was very adamant about having a word with me."

"Where is he? Did you just...ditch him?"

"Oh, believe me, I did try. But the child was very stubborn. He's waiting downstairs. I practically had to glue him down to the chair to come here."

Despite Arien's insistence on calling Ryota a child, she didn't focus on that as much as she did the way everyone else looked at him. Contrary to the others in the room, he was able to stand in front of her with his head raised whereas the rest kneeled and held their head down. They had also talked about him, in particular, being allowed to speak to her despite his youngest brother being unable to.

However, she would have thought the eldest in the family would have been chosen for whatever role he fulfilled. But Arien was fairly young for that. So, why was he special? Because he just became Count Otsu? Or because he had some knowledge that they didn't? Either way, he seemed to fully know their dependence on him and used it in order to enact a way to get what he wanted. And it seemed like she didn't really have a say in it.

"Were you well treated?"

"Depends. Do I get to leave?"

"Do you want to?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

"Isn't it?"

Their exchange of questions only confirmed what she knew to be true. Arien had no plans of giving her any information whatsoever. He, instead, desired to dance around her concerns as if he thought she was a child, too. Considering that she was younger than Ryota, that probably made sense. Or maybe he was so knowledgeable about whatever it was that he thought everyone else were children. Something told her that was entirely plausible.

"Well, I'm sure it has been exciting for everyone, but we should call it a day. Between Cecilia, his highness, and you, too, no doubt we all need a good rest. Don't you think?"

The younger girl narrowed her eyes at the individual before her. He gave, not a genuine, but a professional grin, insinuating something behind his glance as well. One thing was for sure, though, he wasn't really treating her with the kindness he nor anyone else in the room thought he was. It might have been different for his youngest brother, but he had left as soon as he possibly could. That only made the whole ordeal even more suspicious, not that it seemed natural on the surface at all.

The rest of the people in the room took the blonde's words as law, leaving quietly, but making sure to take one last look at both her and him. It was particularly the younger ones, such as a few children, that showed their awe, their hearts on their sleeves. It was like they were looking at a god. Regardless, when they noticed an older individual looking at them disapprovingly, they snapped back to attention and acted as they were taught to. Soon enough, the entire room was empty, save for Arien and his younger brother, Indra.

The older of the two looked at him with an emotion the (h/c) haired girl didn't know the name of. It wasn't long before he put on the same look he gave her, bowing down - but not getting on the level of - Indra, placing his hand on his shoulder. As the younger of the two looked up with shame and guilt, Arien simply smiled and helped him to his feet, wordlessly. But the look on Indra's face only increased in negative feeling.

"Are you hungry? We have as much fruit as you could possibly eat."

"Hey, you know who likes fruit? Strawberries, really? My friend that you so kindly separated me from."

"Then? Would you like to eat them with him? I can arrange that."

"No shit."

Arien chuckled, turning to Indra, who merely flinched before remaining completely still. It was then that the older blonde motioned for (Y/n) to follow after him. Whether he did or didn't like her was something she couldn't figure out, but she didn't particularly care about either option. Instead, she wanted to return to a bed she knew and get paid for her work. She still had to study for her massive test, after all, and being in Vethela, without her textbooks, wasn't helping in the slightest.

To her surprise, Arien actually did lead her to Ryota, who had been pacing around near the front door prior to noticing her. When he did, however, he immediately gave a sigh of relief and moved to take her hand. That being said, the blonde wasn't keen on that, stepping in between the two with a suspiciously harmonious smile on his face. The green-haired male seemed to expect this, likely due to the lengthy conversation they had. There was also the matter of him having to figure out where exactly the "ambulance" had taken her. And since it wasn't to a hospital, it took longer than it should have.

"Please take care not to touch Miss Shiratori," he mumbled lowly, a tone that contrasted against the look on his face, "I believe I explained this to you at length earlier, no?"

"Look, I don't know you!" the girl in question objected, "And it's clearly your guys' first time meeting me, too, so what's with this?!" 

Turning back to the younger girl, the male narrowed his eyes, a dark look shining in his eyes. However, he said nothing, simply stared and thought. Even when she continued expressing her frustration with the situation, pointing out this or that, he didn't respond. Instead, he found himself lost in his own mind, trying to figure out why it was turning out that way. It wasn't what he had been told would happen. But the elemental wouldn't lie, would he? Or, was it that he didn't know the whole story in the first place? It warranted further investigation.

"Arien," a voice called, revealing Cecilia Otsu who stood with a fearful but determined posture, "I think...something's wrong here."

"This isn't the time, 'Ania. I'm tending to - "

"I-I think it is time! Uh...please?"

The blonde, though livid at the thought of having to leave the younger girl's side, immediately calmed his features. He just couldn't resist smiling. His precious little sister was asking him to speak with her. How could he deny her? Even in the face of Aureolin, it seemed he was unable to say "no" to Cecelia. So he smiled and nodded, following her to a nearby room. As they discussed whatever it was they had to say to one another, Ryota took the opportunity to do the same with the (h/c) haired girl.

"The absolute fuck!" she screamed, given a peculiar look by Indra, who stood at a respectful distance to give her some privacy, "I have no idea what - "

"Neither do I. C-Can we calm down for a bit?"

As the older male gripped at his chest and leaned forward, the younger girl immediately quieted down. Confused, she observed as he appeared in pain, but it was when he started struggling to breathe that she came to a realization that he was having a panic attack. Of course, she had never considered his social anxiety was at a point where it impacted him so heavily like this, but she couldn't stop herself from moving him to sit down.

Although he resisted her help, doing everything in his power to keep control of the situation, she wouldn't have it. Placing him down in the closest seat, she then placed her hand on his forehead, feeling how hot he was just before he slapped her away. He glared at her, warning her to stay away. Still, due to her overwhelming stubbornness, she completely ignored him, only giving him a mock glare back before covering his eyes with her hand. She then tugged his head to rest on her shoulder, the male cowering.

"Just focus on breathing, okay?" she sighed, taking notice of the way her hand became wet, from the tears she chose to ignore for his sake.

"I-I don't need - " the male paused, struggling to speak properly with his shaky voice and his attempt to mask it, "y-your help."

"No, you probably don't, but we both know I like sticking my nose into your business. So shut up and breathe."

Ryota gritted his teeth. She didn't understand. She didn't understand how hard he had tried to look for her all over the foreign city - a foreign country - he had never been to before. How many people he had to speak to, how many times he ran into a dead-end, and how much fear the uncertainty gave him. She never had any trouble speaking to people. It was in her nature to get along with everyone she ran into. Not even once had she stumbled in front of him. So why was it that she acted like she knew what he was feeling?

The tightness in his chest over the worry of everything going on that day, the pressure on him to succeed, and the overwhelming fear that people would laugh at him; why could she help him? She was so confident in everything she did. The (h/c) haired girl even snapped at Arien Otsu, someone who could make her life a living hell, but, still, no hesitation. And yet, when she covered his eyes and whispered he was alright, it helped so much.

"You're a fucking idiot," she huffed, earning a punch from him to which she smiled at, not that he saw.

"Shut up."

"Are you scared about me suing you for employee endangerment? Imagine how much I could get! I could milk you dry, Ri-Ri!"

"Knock it off."

"Think I could get one of your horses out of the deal? Can I get Lin? I feel like the other ones would buck me off."

"Why are you so awful?!" the male snapped, pulling away from her and glaring at her.

"I'm so awful your hatred of me made you snap out of it, huh?"

Upon this realization, Ryota felt his breath get caught in his chest. He had stopped crying and his lungs didn't feel so restricted any longer. He could breathe normally again and he wasn't trembling like before. With a combination of anger at the fact that she helped him by being so mean and the embarrassment about needing it in the first place, he narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. His entire face flared a deep shade of red. He really hated her. So much.

"You're the worst," he spat, furious and full of a need to expel all of his negative emotions.

"Damn right, Ri-Ri," (Y/n) grinned, grabbing onto the male's collar and pulling him close - too close, "And you know what? No matter how much you hide it, you can't live without it, can you?"

Within that instant, before the male could protest against what she said and try to deny it, he felt himself go dizzy. She pulled him even closer and took a kiss he wasn't ready to give. It might have been short, but it was passionate all the same. All of a sudden, hiccups came to him, the male unable to stop them. With even more embarrassment and rage at her actions, he moved to the other side of the couch, eyes still swirling. To him, it looked like the entire room was spinning round and round, and it wouldn't stop.

He didn't say anything and (Y/n) didn't say anything, and before they knew it Arien returned, Cecelia behind him. She looked as nervous as she did when addressing him in the first place, hiding behind him like she was a child afraid of getting scolded. Regardless, to the greatest of the younger girl's surprise, the blonde opened the front door and stood next to it wordlessly.

"We're very sorry," the blonde woman bowed, speaking quietly but respectfully all the same, "I believe...we made a mistake."

"I...can go?"

"Yes, please return at your leisure."

Though Arien possessed a furious expression on his features, hiding it behind one of his hands as best as he could, he did not move to object. Instead, he glared at the way the (h/c) haired girl departed from the territory. A mistake? Because of a mistake, his entire life's purpose - the very reason he was born - had to be thrown away? He despised it. So he turned away from the door the moment he could no longer see her, storming further into the estate.

"A-Arien!"

"I don't want to talk, 'Ania. I don't want to do anything right now except kill something. I don't understand why you don't feel the same. Because you've grown so attached to Katsurou?"

"It's not like that. I haven't turned my back - "

"I don't want to lash out at you. I really don't. So, if this is your way of trying to get me to talk about...my 'nephew'...know it's not the best time."

"But he - "

"Cecilia!"

Immediately quieting down, the blonde woman paused in place, looking down at the ground in shame. She couldn't even get one word out. Regardless, she understood. They had just lost something very important, after all, and now Arien had to be the one to break the news. She nodded her head before running away in the opposite direction of him. At the same time, the blonde male burst through the basement doors, walking down and down until he reached that cavern.

"Get lost," a low voice warned, the blonde pausing in fear before kneeling down and lowering his head, "Doing that only makes me want to kill you. Don't treat me like your 'Aureolin'."

"You said - "

As he attempted to raise his voice to express his anger, the blonde immediately found ice spreading along the walls of the cavern at a rapid rate. Immediately, he quieted down, even as it reached him, all but freezing his feet. He shivered, holding his arms close to his body, but he remained, if only to hear an answer. Unfortunately, the male had to remain for quite a while before the being remembered he was present.

"I gave you the flowers, I lent you the Trewin boy, I gave your home protection. What more do you want of me?"

"I want to serve Aureolin. You promised to help."

"I didn't say I would hold your hand. If it failed, there's a reason. I have no obligation to help any further."

Before Arien could raise his objections again, a young yukinko ran past, giggling loudly with an energetic energy about her. The blonde took great note of her features, particularly because he had never seen her before. She had mostly white hair, but the tips of her hair were orange as if it had been colored out after time. Her pale kimono patterned with ducks covered her warmly, protecting her from the freezing cavern. With yellowish-orangish eyes filled with mischief, she hid behind the more powerful being who merely pet her head and tilted his own out of curiosity.

"Shh," she snickered, putting a finger in front of her mouth, "I'm hiding."

"You're very bad at it."

As if on cue, a white-haired boy rushed into the room with a bright expression, peeking around the blue-haired male to find his friend. He then proceeded to tickle her as if punishment for not hiding well enough. The two then ran around the cavern, Arien frozen in place as he recognized the boy. But why was the boy who was remarked to be the Sun God's reincarnation...associated with the likes of -

"C-Celith Viro?"