(One Hour Later)

"Are you sure?"

Arte glanced up at the sound of Levi's voice, blinking groggily to wake herself up fully. She'd somehow dozed off in the hard, sterile cell, and had received a very unpleasant awakening, she noted with a hint of part-amusement, part-irritation. As she fully took in the situation at hand, the tranquilizer called sleepiness wore off swiftly, and she was ready for action. For business.

Standing in front of her cell, speaking to Levi, was none other than her foster sister, Alice, with Ada Vessalius standing behind her with a detached expression the suggested she didn't care much for what was happening.

"Yes, Levi, I'm sure." Alice said firmly. "Open the cell door, please."

Without any more argument, Levi took a key from the belt at his waist and unlocked the door. Alice reached forward to push her way into the cell, Ada following her. As the other two girls entered her prison, Arte held her head high and rearranged her face into a scornful smirk. "Alice. Ada." she greeted icily.

"Arte..." her foster sister stared at the floor for a minute, but Ada glared at her with hard eyes. Lifting her eyebrows, Arte granted her an very-obviously-fake smile.

"Arte, I know...I know you can't be the one behind all this." Alice burst out. "I've known you since you were six. You're too kind to manipulate Xerxes Break into committing atrocities like that. This was all his doing, right? He...he did it all from his own free will, right?"

Her sister's eyes boring desperately into her, Arte found herself hesitating. Not for her own life, but for Alice's own emotions. If she knew, or at least believed, that Arte was the one that caused all of the deaths of innocents, her poor sister would be crushed, utterly, completely, thinking that the sister she loved had been the reason so many innocents died. Should she tell the truth?

But no.

Xerxes.

This was all for him. There was nothing Arte would not do for him. Lie, cheat, steal, deceive, manipulate, murder. All of those - it didn't matter. For Xerxes, she would do them all. And more.

"You really are a fool, aren't you?" Arte spat out. "Even now, even when I'm rightly arrested, you're still trying to convince yourself that your precious sister can't really be responsible for all those deaths. Well, guess what? You're wrong. It was me all along, get that through your thick, idiotic skull, Alice."

Hurt flashed through Alice's eyes as those words left the maid's mouth, but she didn't stop. "Honestly, how do you ever thing you're going to avenge Shelly in this way? She would be disappointed in you, wherever she is, up in the skies. Just imagine - here she thought you were so fierce and strong, but you turned out, in the end, to be a cowering, sniveling little brat who can't face reality. Yes, Mother would be so proud." her words dripped with utter sarcasm. Out of the corner of her eye, Arte spotted Levi watching the whole exchange, expression a mix of shock, disdain, and respect. She wasn't sure which emotion went to which person, action, or thing, but she ignored him. Right now, she had a job to do.

Unexpectedly, Alice's face hardened, though, Arte supposed, it wasn't truly surprising. Her foster sister always did have a remarkable knack for being stubborn.

"Don't be stupid." Alice hissed, grabbing the girl's arm and squeezing it tightly. "I'm not stupid or gullible - I can tell that you're lying, Arte. You're lying, and you know it!" her voice rose in pitch and octave rapidly, making Arte want to wince.

"That tyrant of a prince is to blame for all of this. You don't have to carry his burden any longer, Arte. You're free. We'll track him down, we'll kill him and avenge everyone, including Mother. And then...and then you and I can run somewhere far away, and pretend none of this ever happened. We can put the past behind us and it can be just like it was before. Don't you want that, Arte?"

The maid hesitated. She could feel everyone watching her, waiting for an answer - Alice's burning gaze, Ada's detached eyes, and Levi's apathetic yet interested gaze. With a smile, Arte freed herself from her sister's grasp and faced her fully, standing up.

"No, Alice. I don't want that. That's not what's going to happen. You're going to have me executed, with the citizens believing that I was the one behind everything, and free Xer from all blame, so he can be safe."

"Why?" Alice whispered, stubling backwards as if in denial. "Why would you want that, Arte? That Xer has sent countless peopleto be executed simply because he was in a bad mood. He's a tyrant, Arte, a monster! Don't you see?"

"Let me ask you something, Alice." Arte murmured. "Why did you start this revolution, knowing and willing to kill anyone who stood in your way, even the palace servants who were doing nothing, who were innocent - why did you spark the flame of rebellion within the citizens' hearts, all for on goal - to kill Xerxes?"

"Because it's only right!" her sister shouted. "Because Xerxes has killed dozens using his absolute power, dozens that didn't deserve to die! No, not dozens - hundreds! It's justice, Arte! Don't you think it's only fair that - "

"Liar."

"H-huh?"

"You're lying."

That simple declaration from Arte seemed to stop the world briefly. She caught the puzzled look on Ada's face, the shock on Levi's at her blatant statement, and the uncomprehending on Alice's. The maid allowed a triumphant smile to cross her lips, a genuine one, because while Alice might be able to fool others with her lies about "justice", even herself, she certainly couldn't fool Arte.

"You don't care one bit about justice, Alice."

"What do you - "

"I know the real reason for this whole revolution. It's revenge. You want vengeance, plain and simple."

Alice's head shook slowly. "No...t-that's not - "

"You want to avenge Shelly, our mother, and to do it..." Arte sneered. "...to do it, you were willing to use the citizens. You were willing to kill innocents."

"I - I didn't...I don't know what you're..."

"You may try to deny it all you want, Alice, but you know the truth deep inside. You're willing to stoop to such methods to get what you want - revenge. Both resorting to vile acts for their own purposes - then in that aspect, aren't you and Xerxes just the same?"

"I don't...that's not true..." Alice stuttered, backing up. "Please...don't..."

"You want vengeance against the person who killed Shelly?" Arte drew herself up and looked at Alice full in the eyes, seeing the torment in their purple depths. But it was too late now. There was no turning back.

"Then I'll help you, Alice. For the person who killed our mother was me."

The maid watched as the uncomprehensive look on her sister's face, the last bit of sweet ignorance she'd have, fell away into nothing short of a mask of pure horror. "Y...you...?" Alice whispered. Her head was shaking wildly, and her limbs were trembling. "I...I can't believe..."

"Believe it. The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Arte asked. "It will always hurt, Alice. Remember this pain, because you'll be feeling it at the back of your mind until you die. Trust me, agony is part of this world. It's the price you pray for daring to be born."

"I killed our mother, and I'll help you take your revenge. Because..." the maid glanced out her cell window that offered a clear view of the church's clock and giant bell. "...I'll be leaving this world in little over two hours."

_

Arte's confession! I probably did the worst job ever playing out the scene, and I am so sorry. O_O

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys soon!