Cress swallowed as she stared the door in front of her. Taemia noticed the sheen of sweat forming on her brows and looked at her concernedly.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to go in with you?"

Since the time they had entered the palace, Taemia had refused to leave Cress and while Cress appreciated the gesture, she needed to face this alone.

Cress gave a nod trying to not show the turmoil of feelings inside her. Her mind yelled at her to run but she ignored it. She needed this, she needed closure. She was tired of being afraid to sleep, to see horrifying nightmares again.

And no matter how daunting it was, she had to do it alone.

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Taemia looked at her once more with worry etched upon her face before sighing.

"Alright, I'll be out here. Just yell if you want me there."

Cress nodded and without another look at her sister, she moved ahead to open the door.

The room glowed with a faint light. A bed was placed in the middle and a figure lay on it wrapped in sheets. Another figure sat next to him leaning over to pour herself a glass of water. Cress took a step forward and the woman turned, her eyes widening in shock.

"Diana." She whispered, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped open.

"Mother." Cress acknowledged in slight surprise, she hadn't expected her to be here.

Her mother walked towards her with small hesitant footsteps as if not quite believing that she was here. She stood in front of here and after a second of letting her gaze pass over her, she moved her hand to gently cup her cheek.

"You are here. You are back." Her eyes misted when she said the next few words "You are alive."

Cress wasn't sure as to how to react. She hadn't received such a warm welcome from her mother forever. Why was her mother reacting like this now?

"I...Yes." Cress stumbled over her words fighting her surprise down.

Her mother's face drew into a small frown, her eyes still brimming with tears. "I don't understand. I thought you drowned in the Abyss of Antilamus."

Zagan had played his cards well, Cress thought sourly. No one would ever risk their lives and go into the raging waters of Abyss of Antilamus. Infinite high tides made it impossible for ships to survive, the undying dark storms only made the matters worse.

Cress tried not to shudder. That explained why Cress hadn't encountered a search team sent for her. No one would ever think of searching for a body in the Abyss of Antilamus, that was a suicide mission.

Her mother's voice snatched her away before she could fall off a cliff into a darkness filled with only paranoid and bitter words.

"I missed you." Her mother said and her hand moved from Cress's cheek to her arm as if she couldn't quite believe that she was there.

"I... I did too." Did she? Her voice was uncertain but her mother didn't seem to notice. Eager to change the subject, she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting your father of course, why else would I be here?" Genevie Cameria said casting her husband a look which echoed sadness and despair.

"Oh... yeah," Cress said, her thoughts ricocheting off the walls of her mind as she took in her mother's grief.

"You don't believe me?" Her mother stated more than asked, her eyes which were eerily similar to Cress's narrowed.

Cress's eyes betrayed her true answer before her tongue could conjure up a clever lie.

The warmth from her mother's eyes disappeared and was replaced by a look of hostility.

"Go ahead, talk to your father. I-I'll wait outside." Her mother stared at the broken figure if her father for a moment as if reassuring herself that he will be alright.

"I am sorry," Cress muttered biting her the inside of her cheek in mortification and remorse.

"Everyone is." Her mother whispered before moving out of the room, her chin held up high but her shoulders drooped.

The room fell silent and for a moment Cress stood there feeling guilty and before her thoughts could break her down, she stalked towards the limp figure and settled on the chair beside him. Quyen Cameria lay on a majestic bed with the duvet covering him up to his neck, his eyes were hidden by a black satin cloth and a charred strip of skin ran from his temple to his cheekbone. This sight was enough for Cress to trace back her steps to Vilehelm but she forced herself to stay.

"Hello, father." Her tongue seemed to burn as she called him her father but she continued nevertheless.

Quyen Cameria seemed to rouse from his state of half asleep as he turned his head towards the sound of her voice.

"Diana? Is that you?" He said in a hoarse voice and Cress flinched at it. Her father didn't sound broken, he didn't sound weak and she had never heard him sound so helpless.

This man was not her father but then again, so wasn't the man haunting her in her dreams.

"I thought you were dead." He whispered and reached out for her.

This time Cress leapt out from her seat and away from her father's reach.

"Stop trying to hurt me!" She roared in fear that quickly turned to anger.

Adrenaline raced through her body, her heart began to beat faster, sending more blood to her muscles, the blood around her skin and digestive system reduced sending more blood to her skeletal muscles and her breathing became more noticeable and quick.

"What do you mean Diana?" Her father asked retreating his hand when his fingers found nothing but air.

"What do I mean?" Cress said incredulously. Her rationality and calmness had given up on her words and they flowed out quickly and loudly.

"You, the man who should have protected me tried to have me dead! You tried to kill me! Congratulations, because you almost succeeded! Happy?"

Her head was pounding but she couldn't care less.

"I... What are you talking about Diana?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I am talking about!" Cress yelled loudly, her voice cracking as she did so. "Why did you do it? How can you see your daughter as a threat? How can you try to kill me? Why me?"

Her voice had dropped down to become a broken whisper. She realized that spending time away from her home hadn't healed her wounds, it had just managed to put a cloth on her eyes tricking her into thinking that her wounds had healed. But just because she couldn't see the injuries didn't mean that they had healed.

"Tried to kill you? Who tried to kill you?!" Her father's rage-filled genuine voice stopped Cress from jumping into another abyss filled with nothing but cruel words.

She looked at her father whose lips were twisted into a snarl and Cress wondered which emotion would she see in his eyes. Pain? Anger? Concern? Cruelty? Honesty or dishonesty?

Her eyes flickered to the black satin patch. She didn't need to worry about that, she would never get to see his eyes again.

But... his words. Were they true or filled with traps for her to fall into? Was it possible that he had never been involved? That Zagan had been cruel enough to make her think so?

Had she been blaming her father in vain?

Cress wasn't sure as to what to think. Realizing that her monster may not be a monster was a concept that her mind refused to grasp.

Cress let out an unsure scoff, unwilling to drop her guard. "You mean that you never took a part in my murder?"

"Why will I Ana? You are my daughter." Her father said in a broken voice reaching out for her and this time Cress grasped his calloused hand tightly in hers.

"I... Isn't that blue seal only available to you?" She asked and her voice wavered as she spoke.

"The blue seal? I stopped using it almost two summers ago. We use a golden one now." His mouth curled into a frown. "Now that I think about it, it was lost at the time you went missing but-"

Cress tried not to yell out in anger and watched as her father's thoughts flickered back and forth before concluding.

"Who was it, Diana?" He asked, his voice hard.

Cress hesitated as she stared as his broken form, he didn't need any more griefs, he had a lifetime of them.

"I don't know yet, father." Cress lied. "But whoever it is, he has got hell to pay."

And with that she stalked out of the room, her anger fueling her.

***

"I am going to kill him, leave me alone!" Cress roared as she tried to disentangle herself from the tight grip of her sister.

"I know that you are angry Diana but murder is not the answer!" Taemia whispered harshly, staring at her with her burning violet eyes.

"I'll just beat him up then," Cress said ignoring the urge to break the wrist grabbing her arm. This was her sister, not an enemy.

"No. You won't. Think rationally for a second."

"Not murdering him is thinking rationally!"

Taemia turned her around and grasped her by her chin forcing her to look at her into her fiery violet orbs.

''You are being stupid Diana. He will have you thrown in prison for this, it won't take much time for him to declare you as a threat. I know that and so do you. We will find evidence and make him pay, I will help you find justice but this is not the way or time. Okay?"

Her words were true and even though her anger was flaring, she forced it cool.

"Okay," Cress said and released a deep breath.

Taemia's eyes assessed her for any sort of deceit and when she found none, she released her grip on her sister's arm.

"Good," Taemia said and straightened.

For a second they stared at each other feeling their emotions numb down from raging fires to a low flame.

"I'll be in my room." Cress said catching the worried look that passed through Taemia's eyes "Don't fret, I'll holler if something happens."

"That does not make it any better." Taemia pointed out slightly concerned.

Cress's eyes moved to a guard wearing the royal uniform and walking past them.

"Hey! What's your name?"

The guard stopped, his eyes widening. He straightened trying not to let the anxiousness and nervousness show on his face.

"Jaymie." He said and hesitated for a moment before saying. "...Princess"

"You are hereby relieved from your duties and are ordered to guard me for the rest of the night and protect me from anyone who dares to attack. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Princess." The guard said and looked around, unsure if he was being dismissed.

"Make arrangements for another guard to take over your duties and stand outside my room as a guard as soon as you are done. Dismissed."

The man nodded and hurried away.

"Satisfied sister?" Cress asked with a smile and a twinkle in her eye.

"I am not sure if even twenty guards would make me feel better," Taemia said worriedly, chewing her bottom lip.

Cress sighed and moved her kaftan away, letting her sister catch a glint of silver. "Does this make it any better?"

Taemia shook her head at her cheshire grin.

"I am not sure that I approve of you keeping daggers where they can hurt you." At her expression, she added, "But I am also aware that me not approving will do little to stop you."

"Damn right," Cress said with a wink she had learnt from Dmitri. She gave one last smile and turned, her smile dropping and being replaced by a frown.

She had a message to send.

***

Her room hadn't changed much. It was almost exactly like how she left it, except now it was clean. Her books still covered her shelf but surprisingly there was no dust on them like she had never left.

Like she had never disappeared.

Her room was still white, a large bed still covered the most of her floor and an unused dressing table rested in the corner. Her eyes flickered to her picture, she looked frozen between the golden frame as if a sorceress had cast a spell on her making her freeze forever with the awkward smile and the round cheeks. A garland hung around the frame.

Cress reached up and pulled the garland away, the frame tilted as she snatched the garland away but she did not care. Then she proceeded to drop the flowers and crush them under her feet.

A garland hanging around a photograph indicated that the person in the photograph was dead. They had her declared dead. Her breaths came in huffs and she felt haunted but the image. Will this happen to her the day she would truly die? All that would remain of her would be a picture with flowers around it? That would be the mark she would leave on this world?

Her parents had shown her more affection today than they had in her eighteen summers of her life and that had felt pleasant.

A little strange, a lot weird but also pleasant.

She wouldn't describe her parents as cruel, they had never hurt her physically or emotionally. She couldn't even remember the last time they had scolded her. Maybe that is what she wanted from them, to be around to scold her. To get to know her, to see her mistakes and her qualities, to praise her and scold her. To get her small gifts when she would be upset and to be there for her.

She wanted them to feel more like parents than cordial strangers.

She wasn't sure what to think. Her parents were not entirely at fault, they had duties to attend to but that didn't mean that she was to be blamed. She had tried hard to win affection but with Taemia, Florencia, Adrian and Jesperson, it had been tough.

No moment was given to her and if she would get one, someone would come and steal it away before she could feel the happiness of it.

Cress sighed and took off her coat, flinging it on the bed and moved to lay beside it.

It had been a long day and the exhaustion of it seemed to be catching up with her. Her eyelids drooped but she forced herself awake.

She may have not been declared dead until now but that didn't mean that Zagan was going to let her live.

***

Diana looked nervously at her tutor who was checking her paper. His expression was blank except for the small crinkle between his eyebrows.

Did that crinkle mean that she was going to fail?

No. She had studied all night, that couldn't possibly be true. She couldn't fail. Or could she?

Her cuticles had been thoroughly gnawed at and blood had started sweep through them. Diana stared at the red droplets and forced herself to stop. Her eyes flitted back to the tutor and nervousness pooled in her stomach.

He tsked as he marked the paper and Diana felt her hands tremble. She shoved both of her hands in the pocket of her kaftan and looked around the room.

They were sitting in the east wing library, one that was usually used by her father but since the west wing was being painted, she had received access to study in this one.

This library was grander than the previous one, shelves of books stood around her. The shelves were huge, large enough to reach the ceiling. A shelf had eight rows filled with books that had the unique smell of knowledge in them.

The west wing library had books meant for children, a corner of the library was solely dedicated to animations, illustrations and myths. The perfect place for a child to read hence it hadn't been used since Diana's seventh birthday. No such corner existed here, the east wing library wasn't meant for children to goof around, it was created for the sole purpose of receiving knowledge.

This thought sent a feeling of pride through her.

"Miss Cameria?" The tutor called interrupting her thoughts, she looked at him and realised that this wasn't the first time he had called her name. "I have your paper checked."

He held out the paper and Diana rushed to get out of her seat, the chair skittered across the floor creating noise that seemed to echo around the room. Diana rushed ahead, her eyes focused on the piece of paper.

She reached out and grabbed it, turning it around to look at the bold red ink. Her eyes skimmed over the numbers and her lips opened up to let out a little gasp.

"Hundred on hundred?"

The tutor gave her an exasperated look "You skipped the working on the question 27-" He stopped at her disappointed look. "But I guess that you did adequately this time"

"Thank you," Diana said, her fingers gripping the paper as if she was afraid that it would disappear. "Can I leave?

"Can you?" The tutor said and a brief smile appeared on his face.

Diana stared at him wondering if too much knowledge had finally managed to ruin him. "Can I?"

"Can you?" He said again, the smile widened before he noticed the look on her face. He gave a tired sigh and said. "Yes Princess, you may leave."

Diana smiled and ran away, her hands clutching the paper. She couldn't wait to see the look on her parents face.

She ran down the grand carpeted halls of the quattor palace almost crashing into a maid carrying an antique vase and a guard with a wicked sword but even this didn't make her slow down.

Her head was up in the clouds, too busy thinking about the reactions she would receive. Maybe she would finally get that trip to Adeeha she wanted or father would agree to send her to the camp for young and bright students in the capital of Adeeha, Atlanta.

He would finally realise how smart and knowledgeable she really was. How she deserved to be at a camp like the one in Atlanta. But most of all, she couldn't wait for him to smile at her and tell how proud he was.

Her feet skidded to a stop in front of her parents' bedroom and the guard outside the room nodded before opening the large doors.

"Princess Diana, Your Highness."

The room opened up and Diana hid the piece of paper in the pocket of her kaftan before looking up to see her father standing in front of tall dressing mirror busy cuffing his shirt. Diana stared at him, seeing a mixture of herself and her siblings in him. His hair had the same colour as hers did though light grey hairs had started popping up. His jaw reminded her of Adrian and Jesperson and the violet eyes made her think of Taemia and the nose belonged to Florencia, she had never managed to understand how could Florencia make a masculine nose look so dainty.

Her father nodded at the guard who proceeded to close the doors after Diana had stepped in. His demeanour changed as soon as the doors closed, he seemed to relax and a lopsided smile appeared on his face.

"How is my third favourite daughter doing?"

Diana gave her father a mock hurt look.

"Et tu father?"  She cried holding her palm over her heart as if someone had stabbed her there.

"And here I thought only your mother was the dramatic one." He said with a sigh before panic filled his eyes. "Don't you dare tell her I said that!"

" I can't promise anything," Diana said with a wink. "Where is mother anyway?"

The sound of a splash came from the bathroom turning her head towards it, she looked at her father with a raised eyebrow.

"She has been there for an hour." He said answering her unspoken question. "What are you doing here?"

Diana smiled cheekily, her fingers reaching into the pocket of her kaftan and gripping the paper. "I have something that will increase my rank from the third favourite daughter to the first one."

"Really?" Her father asked supporting the same grin as her. He looked her in the eyes and asked in a serious tone. "What do you have for me?"

Diana's fingers wrapped around the paper ready to pull it out in an exaggerated gesture when the doors opened and Zagan stepped in. Her hold over the paper loosened.

"I am sorry to bother you, Your Highness but there has been a revolt in the villages." His gaze wandered to Diana before snapping back to the king. "I fear that this news is not fit to be heard by young ears."

Her father nodded, his lopsided grin disappearing and being replaced by a serious look. The look of a king. "Why don't we talk later Ana?"

Diana wanted to protest. She didn't want to talk later, she wanted to talk now but the way her father said the words made it clear that he wasn't giving her a choice.

"Okay." She mumbled hoping that her father would stop and ask her as to what she was going to tell him but he didn't.

He nodded at her without looking at her and followed Zagan out of the room slamming the doors shut as he left.

Diana felt like crying, her eyes filled with unshed tears and she wiped them away as she heard the bathroom door open. The sound of barefoot slapping the wooden floor filled the room. They paused as the woman causing the sound froze when she saw the eight summers old girl facing the doorway. 

Genevie Cameria didn't notice the drooping shoulders and the cloud of despair she carried.

"Diana? What are you doing here?" She asked, walking towards the dressing mirror and looking at her velvet gown. She turned, admiring her dress before pinching her cheeks to bring colour.

"I wanted to show you something," Diana said hesitantly, her fingers sliding back in her pocket to retrieve the piece of paper. "Master Redmond corrected my maths paper and-"

"Sweet Celeste, I forgot that I have a charity event I need to attend and I also promised to take your sister shopping. You know how she gets, don't you? How about you tell this news when your father gets here? We will all hear it then alright?" Her mother said quickly and when she turned towards her for an answer, she did not quite look at her.

Diana's heart thumped against her chest a little sadly. She tried not to let her feelings show on her face. 

"Alright." She said looking down at her toes. 

Her mother gave her a smile before walking past her and out the door leaving behind a dejected daughter and a scent of lavenders.

Diana crumpled the paper in her kaftan, feeling her sorrow turn into anger. She walked to her room, looking a bit lost.

She pulled out a canvas depicting a half-finished sunset, dipped her brush in black paint and proceeded to colour the canvas until nothing but blackness covered the page. 

She waited for the 'let's talk later' for three days but it never came up. In her anger, she didn't talk to her parents for weeks.

And they never noticed.

****

The end.

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