...Fifteen years later...

"Garan!" Peony shouted. "Get over here! You're keeping everyone waiting!"

Garan crawled out from under his desk. "Geez, you don't have to scream."

"You really don't," Thia and Rikan agreed.

"Mother and Father don't want to be late," Peony said. She spun on her heel and walked out of the room.

"I hope you don't get bossy like that when you're fifteen," Rikan said to his twin.

Thia shoved his shoulder. "Do I look like a bossy person?" she protested. She motioned to her messy black ponytail and casual white tank top and jeans. According to her father, leggings were not allowed.

"Point taken."

The whole royal family, including Torin, finally boarded the Rampion. They knew that they could just take a hover, but there were so many of them and Cinder didn't feel like it. Thorne was flying, and Cress and their kids, Leo and Stella, where there too. They finally arrived at Cinder's old apartment building.

"We'll wait for you here," Thorne said as they walked away.

Kai and Cinder herded their kids up the stairs to Cinder's old apartment. She knocked. Pearl opened.

"Cinder?" Pearl said, startled to see her former stepsister at the door.

"Hello, Pearl," Cinder replied coldly.

Then, Pearl's eyes found Kai and their four children. "Your Majesties." She dropped into a low curtsy. "Come in." When they were all seated except for Cinder and Torin, Pearl called for her mother.

"What is it, Pearl," Adri grumbled. She walked in the room and her eyes landed on Cinder and narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

Before Cinder could say anything, Torin spoke up. "I believe that is an inadequate way to address royalty in your home."

"Inadequate is putting it mildly," Cinder mumbled.

"Oh! My apologies, Your Majesties." Adri dipped into a curtsy before saying, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Kai thought that the children should meet their step-grandmother." Cinder spat the last word as if it were distasteful to say. "This is Peony. She is fifteen." She motioned to her eldest daughter. Pearl's eyes widened while Adri's narrowed, but neither of them interrupted. "This is Rikan and Thia. They are thirteen and twins." She motioned to her middle children.

"Twins are a disgrace," Adri muttered.

Cinder narrowed her eyes but ignored the comment. "And this is Garan. He is ten." At hearing the name of Cinder's youngest son, Adri's eyes widened, and Pearl's eyes became wide as disks.

Pearl spoke first. "How could you use her name! How could you when you never loved her! How could you use her name!" She became a fit of tears and attempted to calm herself down by taking deep breaths.

Cinder said nothing and let Adri speak. "How dare you use either of their names. How could you use her name. How could you use his! How dare you use his name! How dare you when it was your fault he died! How dare you insult them in this way! You have no right!"

When Cinder spoke, her voice was cold. "I loved her more than you did, Adri, because she was the only one who saw me for who I really was. He saw me as more than you ever did. Both of them loved me and I loved them. I do not care for your opinion on what I name my children. I named them after the people dearest to me and Kai and that has nothing to do with you. I am the Empress, and I can do whatever I want to do." She turned to her family. "Let's go. Kai, I told you we never should have come."

Kai, who was silent throughout the whole exchange, said, "Come on children. It is time for us to leave."

Before he left, Torin said, "The Empress has every right to do as she pleases. She may have been your stepdaughter, but she is under your care no longer. I advise you to think about what you say very carefully about what you say when you next see her, Miss Linh."

As the door shut behind them, Adri grumbled, "If I had it my way, I would never see her again."

---

"How did it go?" Leo asked as they were on their way to the palace.

"Mother went crazy!" Garan exclaimed.

"Not crazy," Thia corrected. "She was just really cold and angry. They don't like each other very much."

"That's an understatement," Rikan said.

"Father didn't say anything," Thia commented.

Peony was unusually silent and did not participate in the discussion.

"What's up with Peony?" Stella asked.

"I don't know," Rikan said. "Ask her."

But before they could do that, Thorne made a bumpy landing on the landing pad on the roof of the palace.

"Come on guys," Kai called. All the kids got up and ran to the door of the Rampion. It opened and Kai, Cinder, their kids, and Torin walked out. They waved to the Thorne's as they left.

"How did you like your step-aunt and step-grandmother?" Iko asked when they were in the family chambers. She had refused to go and meet Adri and Pearl again and had waited for them in the palace.

"They were horrible!" Thia exclaimed.

Her siblings gasped at her outburst, sure she was going to be punished.

Instead, Cinder snorted. "I agree."

"But they're your step-family!" Peony protested.

"That doesn't mean they were nice to me. In fact, they treated me like I was nothing more than a broken android servant, no offense Iko. Peony and Garan were the only nice ones and they both passed of letumosis," Cinder said.

"Oh," Peony said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Cinder hugged her daughter. "It's okay. You didn't know, though in all honesty, I should've told you before."

Torin spoke up. "Your Majesties-" Cinder glared at him. "Kai and Cinder, you have a meeting with the Earthen Union in five minutes."

Kai and Cinder stood. "I guess we have to go," Kai said.

"Iko, can you take them to their room and watch them? Peony, I trust you to be responsible," Cinder said.

As Iko herded the young royals out, Thia pulled her mother's hand.

"Thia, what is it? You know I have a meeting to get to," Cinder said.

"I know, it's just, why is my name Thia?" Thia asked.

Cinder frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, everyone else is named after someone special, everyone except for me." Thia looked on the verge of tears.

"Oh, Thia, honey." Cinder hugged her. "Your name means gift. That is why your name is Thia. Because you are our gift."

Thia smiled. "Thanks Mom. I love you."

"I love you too."

---

"We have a problem," President Vargas said once they had logged on to the meeting.

"And what is that?" Cinder asked impatiently.

"There has been an outbreak of letumosis on Luna that is said to be planted by Levana sympathizers."