It was early morning in Crimea Castle, and Lucia was busy sharpening her blade (which had grown dull over the years) in the armory when her younger brother Geoffrey came in. It was completely silent inside the room, the only noise being the calls of morning doves outside.

Lucia didn't even need to turn around to tell if it was him, and she just said, "...Good morning, brother. Did you and her highness sleep well last night...?"

Geoffrey pretended not to have noticed the hint of animosity in his sister's voice and replied, "Yes. It was very comfortable. Anyway...what are you doing in here, Lucia? Every day, you come here and work on your sword..."

"...Just in case..." Lucia muttered under her breath.

Taking a seat on a bench against the wall, Geoffrey stared out the window for a while, the beams of sunlight hitting against his face. It was a beautiful, clear day; not a cloud in sight. After watching a eagle glide in circles for a moment, Geoffrey turned his attention back to Lucia.

"Lucia..."

"..."

"Lucia!"

"...What?"

Geoffrey sighed, closed his eyes, and quietly said, "I know..."

Lucia immediately froze, but she still kept her back to Geoffrey. "W-What are you talking about?" she asked, although the way she spoke clearly showed she had a good idea what Geoffrey meant.

"About you and Elincia...you're having an affair with her, aren't you?"

"I...I don't know what you're talking about! S-S-Stop s-saying such ridiculous things, brother..." Lucia stammered. Geoffrey figured he only had to speak a bit more to finally get her to admit it to him.

"I apologize for bringing up such a delicate subject, and so early in the morning," Geoffrey continued, "But I need you to know something...I will not get attempt to break you two apart, if being together is what makes both you and Elinica happy."

Lucia remained silent, so Geoffrey spoke on.

"I care for both of you very deeply. Elincia and I have married, yes, but I believe that the feelings we felt for each other on our wedding day was actually a misconception on our parts; truthfully, I see Elincia more as a sister or dear friend than a lover. Also, I believe she feels the same way. If you two wish to be in love with one another, then so be it. I am not bitter..."

Suddenly, Lucia interjected, "...What are you trying to say, brother?"

Geoffrey sighed deeply again. "I am saying that I am willing to give up everything I have for you and Elincia to be happy; even if she is my wife. Please believe me, Lucia. I wanted to tell you that and now that I have...it's time for the bad news."

Lucia raised her head in full attention; she still hadn't turned around to face her brother yet. "The...the bad news?"

"The problem is...I accept both of your desires, but I cannot allow it to go on any further."

"What are you saying, brother? You're completely contradicting your earlier statement!" Lucia snapped furiously, her grip on her sword tightening.

Speaking in a calm soft voice, Geoffrey explained, "Listen, Lucia...listen to me. You are the captain of the Palace Guard. Elincia is the Queen of Crimea. You are both women with very high positions in the government and you two are in love with each other. Tell me, Lucia...what do you think would happen if word of your relationship got out?"

"No one will find out..." Lucia hissed through clenched teeth. Her whole body was shaking, and Geoffrey could hear the faint sounds of sobbing.

"I found out, Lucia!" Geoffrey snapped, "It may have been because I just have a good sense of things like this and I just happened to notice the subtle hints of love between you two...but who's to say that possibly Kieran won't find out? Or Bastian? Or Astrid? Or-"

Suddenly, Lucia finally spun around and faced her brother. Tears were coming out of her eyes, but the look on her face was one of pure fury and rage.

"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE! FIRST YOU SAY THAT YOU SUPPORT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ELINCIA AND ME...AND NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT IT'S TOO DANGEROUS BECAUSE WE'LL BE FOUND OUT?" she screamed.

"Lucia, if the Kingdom of Crimea found out...what do you think will happen? Elincia will be hated and despised by her own people and you...they'll most likely tie you up and burn you to death! They'll call you a witch and a demon for tainting their beloved Queen! I don't want that to happen!" Geoffrey shouted, his voice booming.

Lucia was still for a few moments and she lowered her head, her eyes now obscured from Geoffrey's view. She knew that Geoffrey was right, but she just didn't want to believe it.

There was a silence between them that was soon broken when Geoffrey quietly said, "Lucia...I'm sorry about all of this. The thing is...I'm not even sure what to do. You two have been very careful about keeping your love a secret so far, but one little slip-up could cost both of you dearly. I...I'm going to go and fetch the Queen so we can work this out together..."

Geoffrey got up and opened the door to leave, but froze in his tracks when he saw Elincia standing before him. Tears were rolling down her cheeks; she had overheard the entire conversation.

"G-Geoffrey..." Elincia whispered, "Is...is what you said all true?"

The blue-haired king sighed again for the umpteenth time; it was going to be a long day for all three of them...