Selene ran through the palace, doing her best to avoid any servants she came across. Tears were streaming down her face, although she didn't know why—wait, that was a lie. She knew exactly why she was crying, she just didn't want to accept it.

She refused to accept the fact that she had never been in love.

Selene threw open the door to the room she'd be staying in while at the Eastern Commonwealth. Slamming the door behind her, she crumpled to the floor, allowing her sobs to overtake her. She allowed her glamour to fall, too, knowing that there was no point in keeping it up while she was alone.

Alone.

Just thinking of the word made her sob harder, ignoring the fact that the servants and guards outside could probably hear her.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Selene was about to yell at the person to go away when a familiar voice asked,

"Selene? Are you alright?"

It was Winter.

Sniffling, Selene mumbled "No."

Winter opened the door, and, after shutting it behind her, rushed to Selene's side. Selene started sobbing again, this time with her head in Winter's lap. Winter let her cry, stroking her hair and reassuring her that it was alright. They stayed like that until Selene's eyes could not produce anymore tears and she got back into a sitting position.

They were silent for a moment before Winter asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Selene nodded, and, after a few minutes of thinking, simply asked Winter, "Have you ever fallen in love?"

Winter paused. "I'm in love with Jacin," She said, after a moment. "But what does that have to do with the reason that your eyes are leaking?"

Sighing, Selene stood up, using the nearby dresser to help her. She walked over to the bedroom's window and looked down. The window stood right above the large, golden gates that separated the palace from the outside world. Adjacent to them was the array of colors that was the palace gardens, where she had been conversing with Kai just forty-five minutes ago. Selene squinted, trying to make out the prince's figure, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Eyes not leaving the gardens, Selene said, "In the gardens today, Ka—I mean, His Highness, was telling me about a beautiful red flower with many layers. A rose, it was called." Smiling faintly, she continued.

"He told me that this particular flower had multiple symbolizations—"

"Symbolizations?" Winter asked, tilting her head.

Selene turned to Winter. "Symbolizations are things that symbolize other things." Selene put her chin in her hand, trying to think of an example that Winter would understand. But none came to mind, so she decided to resume her talking.

"So as I was saying, he told me that a blue rose symbolized mystery, a pink rose symbolized grace, and that a red rose symbolized—" Selene stopped, unable to finish her sentence.

"Symbolized what?" Winter questioned.

Swallowing hard, Selene choked out, "True love."

Silence settled between the two. Then, so quietly that Winter almost missed it, Selene asked, "Winter?"

"Yes, dearest Selene?"

"Do-Do you think..." Selene stammered.

Winter waited.

"Do you think that I'll ever find true love?" Selene finally said.

Winter said nothing. Rather, she stood from her seat on the floor and joined Selene at the window. For a moment, the women just looked out the window, admiring Earth's beautiful scenery. Although Selene was unsure about her situation with Kai, she knew that she'd never seen anything like Earth, and was positive that she'd miss it when she left.

"True love is something that you come across once in a lifetime." Winter said suddenly. "Everyone finds it at some point, but very few realize it."

"Is your love for Jacin true?" Selene asked.

"I believe so. But it is extremely hard to tell, hence why a lot of people overlook it." Smiling, she turned to Selene. "Do not worry, dearest Selene. You will find your true love eventually."

"And who knows?" Winter said, walking to the door. "Maybe the prince is the one that you've been waiting for."

Then Winter opened the door, revealing Kai, who nearly fell on top of Winter. Selene quickly called her glamour back up as Kai was apologizing to Winter.

As soon as Winter left, Kai focused his attention on her. "Your Highness," He said, bowing.

"Please, call me Selene," Selene said, curtsying. She saw the corners of his lips turn up slightly, which caused her to give a small smile, too.

Closing the door, Selene asked, "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to apologize for what happened in the gardens. I didn't mean to offend you, I just—"

"Kai, I'm not offended." Selene interrupted.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "You're not?"

"No, just what you said about the red rose..." She pointed to her heart. "It hit a soft spot."

Kai nodded understandably. "Would you like me to avoid the subject, then?"

Selene nodded. "I think that would be best," She said.

They both went silent after that. After a minute or two of standing there awkwardly, Kai said, "Well, I guess I'll be going."

"W-Wait." Selene said, grabbing his wrist. Kai turned to look at her, a questioning look on his face. Why had she grabbed him? There was no reason for him to stay. Then she realized that she wanted him to stay. That had to be the reason why she grabbed him.

"Selene?" He asked. His expression was beginning to change from questioning to worried. She need an excuse, and fast.

"Um..." Selene said. "Could you tell me more about Earthen flowers?" She said, going with the first excuse she came up with.

Luckily, it worked, as Kai smiled and said, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. What their names are, what they look like, what they symbolize..." She trailed off.

Kai looked down at his wrist, her hand still gripping it tightly. Blushing, she released it, albeit reluctantly. He walked over to her bed, sitting on the end of it. He patted the spot next to him, and Selene giddily joined him.

Kai pulled up a picture of a white flower whose petals were outward and floppy, revealing is inner workings.

Holding it out for Selene to see, Kai said, "This is a Lily. They usually become visible in late spring or summer, in the Western Eastern Commonwealth, however we have seen a few pop up here occasionally."

Selene tilted her head. "What are those things sticking up in the middle?"

"Right, that's, uh..." He scratched his ears, which were beginning to turn slightly pink. "...The flower's reproductive system."

Selene was silent for a moment, before simply saying, "Oh."

"Moving on," Kai said, eager to change the subject. "Lilies come in many different colors, and many hybrids have been created."

"What are hybrids?" Selene asked.

"In terms of plants, a hybrid is the initial result of crossing two different plant or flower breeds. For example..." He pulled up a picture of another Lily, except this one was orange with black spots and looked to be upside down. "This is a Tiger Lily. They are a cross between an Asiatic Lily Hybrid and any flower from the species tigrinum or lancifolium."

"That's amazing." Selene said, staring in awe. "And what do they symbolize?"

"Purity, chastity and innocence." Kai recited.

Selene was about to ask Kai to tell her more when she heard the sound of a camera flash, causing her and Kai to jump. She heard Kai curse under his breath before getting up off the bed and walking over to her window.

"Kai?" Selene asked as he closed the curtains. "What was that?"

Turning to look at her, Kai sighed before saying one word.

"Paparazzi."

Author's Note: Yes, I know I didn't update last week, which is why I'm hoping to get another chapter out for this story as well as a chapter for my other story, Hybrid. So hopefully, you'll get another chapter today. Anyway, PEACE OUT PPLS!

P.S. #WintertheWise