Mare POV

When I get home, Charlotte asks me how my day went. She was "on break" then, resting from her vigorous training. But what was surprising was that she asked about Cal. It was a brief inquiry about how he was. My response seemed to make her relax. It's best if I didn't pry into her personal life, though her reaction gives me a very good idea about what went between them.

Right afterwards, she went back to training. I didn't see her at all for the rest of the day. I guess it's because our ring is located in a secure place. My abilities were supposed to be kept secret so Uncle thought it was appropriate for me to train somewhere discreet.

Discreet, meaning the basement.

No one would ever think about looking underground. And the entrance is well so hidden that even I have trouble finding it. It's hidden behind underneath a mat, the smooth marble of it fitting perfectly into its gap. We had a training ring above ground so people wouldn't get suspicious. And people never did. No one would even expect me to have powers.

After dinner, I sit in my room and read. I study. I make myself knowledgeable. In other words, I make myself more useful to the family. After all, I wouldn't want to be dead weight for my sister and for my parents. Studying means doing anything I can to become smarter. Sometimes my uncle would write his inscriptions down on the pages of his books to help us study. After all, if I can't use my powers in public, I wouldn't need them to inflict pain. Words mean much more than any ability. Even if they are few in number, they have the power to harm and heal anybody. Abilities can injure you physically but words poke at your open mental wounds specifically. And Silvers like to hold onto their pride more than anything making this method much more lethal.

The book in front of me lies open. I'm almost finished rereading it with a couple chapters to go before it ends. It's not a history book as you'd expect, but rather a fictional story written by one of our most esteemed writers of the age. It's a hard cover book with gold and silver lining at the edges and the inside bears my ownership.

This book belongs to: Mareena Titanos

I had received it on my birthday. We never had a lot of time to celebrate for Aunt and Uncle were always busy, but Charlotte and I were kind enough to give each other gifts. This book was the gift for my thirteenth birthday, the year that Charlotte went to court. She believed that the novel would help prepare me for the environment of court life. Charlotte was not entirely wrong. I could see the mirror between the fictional world of the main character Minerva, to the one I'm in now.

But even as I stare at the novel, intent on finishing it, my mind wanders. I guess the trappings of court life are keeping me occupied by the day. In fact, it has become an tolerable environment for me. I find myself going there more and more often when I can. Before it was in place of Charlotte's absence, but I'm beginning to enjoy the life of a king's court. The days I'm present increase slowly. First three, four, now five. And time is ticking by for me to get used to adding another day.

"I can't focus," I mumble to myself, closing the book. Part of me instantly regrets it. Which page am I supposed to flip to tomorrow? A feeling of panic sets in, but I brush it aside. Forget it. I should probably get a good sleep tomorrow just so I can wake up early. And be social again.

I find myself looking forward for court.

Maven POV

Games, no matter how fun, will always bore you at some point. And Cal's won at least sixty percent of the matches so far. Playing with a person who's of lower skill can also bore you.

"Mavey, I put the board set away already," Cal says returning back from wherever he went. I think I zoned out from the last few minutes. "What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know," I reply, lying across the bed. "Really, what answer did you expect from me?"

"Well, since you don't know, why don't we talk about the Titanos siblings?" Cal suggests. The heat in the room grows, partially from me, and from Cal. There are two reasons for this. Cal likes Charlotte and might want someone to listen to him about it. And Mareena recently became more acquainted with me. Cal will certainly be interested about her, even though he could speak to her himself.

I sit up from the bed so quickly I think I might have startled by brother. "Why do you want to talk about them now?"

"I haven't seen Charlotte for some time," Cal replies. The room cools on my end but it's still warm.

"The last time you saw her was two days ago."

"Hey that's a long time!" My brother whitens, the heat growing by the second. "Two days...I don't know if I'll ever see her again."

Even though I don't know what he feels like completely, I understand him. I wonder what the future queen will do to Charlotte if she doesn't win but it will be bad if the queen isn't one of her friends. And even then, I wouldn't count on friends. You can get more out of your enemies than friends because they always have more to prove. Friend's can always turn your back on you and not feel a thing.

"She'll win," I reply with such fervor that I even I believe it. "Trust me."

I want Charlotte to win. She deserves it. From the first time I met her 'till now, she seemed like such a strong, confident woman who was unafraid of challenge. And she didn't fall for my brother's physical charms easily. It was the type of challenge that Cal needed to have in order to wake him up. He was so used to having people fall for him without working.

But Mareena is different. She's sweet, kind, caring, and has a sense of innocence. It's a rare type of personality in the Silver world and one that I like very much. She has enough intelligence to navigate a world filled with snakes and enough purity to not come off as scheming. Besides, Mareena is not the scheming type. She isn't greedy.

"What is Mareena like?" my brother asks as he tosses the flame ball from hand to hand. It's a habit of his whenever he's nervous. And I can tell that he is, just by his question. He must know to tread carefully on this subject. "You hang around her a lot."

Right when I finish my thought, Cal has to ask that question. "A nicer version of Charlotte," I reply as neutrally as possible. It's hard. "She doesn't bite as much."

I don't want to reveal too much to my brother. Why should I anyway? He's had plenty of time to know her. Besides, it would be better if she wasn't in the same spotlight as Charlotte was. If I had to name one thing the Titanos siblings definitely have in common, it would be their strangeness. Charlotte didn't break down so easily to Cal and neither did Mareena. Neither of them wanted to be in the spotlight. When showered with some sort of favour from us, they didn't step over others. Such a thing makes me wonder. Maybe House Titanos is a house that just produces the most unique women.

"She's seems like a good companion for you."

I colour instantly, turning a bright shade of white. "What?"

It's like Cal can read my thoughts as well as Mother can. And if he can without being a whisper, is my attention towards Mare too obvious? How many people know? Does Father know? Does Mother? She definitely does. My mind instantly clouds itself with questions.

But Cal merely laughs at my reaction, the flame in his hand disappearing into the air. "It's funny you know. Charlotte and Mareena mirror us a lot."

"Oh do they?" I quirk an eyebrow, pretending to be disinterested. "I- I thought a little differently."

I said those words to throw him off a little bit, but it seems that Cal is adamant on sniffing around. "How so?"

"Ah, well," my face colours again as I find my voice, "Mareena is much sweeter than I am. She's also quite pure. She's nothing at all like me!"

The memory of the garden pops up inside my head again. She looked so peaceful that day when she was observing the chrysanthemums. And her conscience is untainted by the ways of the Silver world. Such mentality is a true rarity in this society. It's the reason why she's such a sweet person. And she's one of the very few who've actually cared about me. Just thinking about it makes me melt a little.

"Pure?" The flame is back again in my brother's hand as he tosses it up and down. "I understand that she is a very sophisticated, elegant lady but I've never thought of her as pure."

I send a playful glare at my brother. "Why are you so curious about Mareena? You already have Charlotte."

"Are you claiming people now?"

"If anything, that's what you've been doing your entire life."

"Me? Claim?" The air around us turns warm then cold again. "I didn't ask for all that attention."

"I know you didn't," I reply. "You didn't choose to be the Crown Prince. It just so happens that you were born first."

He smiles sadly. "I know. Anyway, you should get going to bed. I need to sleep too."

I nod and leave his room after mumbling "good night". It is pretty late and if I don't go to bed soon, I might not wake up on time. And not waking up on time would mean a scolding from both Mother and Father. After all, I am a representation of the royal family. Besides, I'll do this for Mareena too. I want to see her tomorrow. Hopefully I will.

Maybe I'll sketch her blue eyes someday as a reminder of who she is to me.

Mare POV

I play my part perfectly as a lady in the king's court. I feel as though my time here, however short, has shaped me slightly from the innocent being to a more complex person. Without Charlotte to guide me on ho to act, I learned to direct myself. Although my true nature is quite pure, I wear a double mask to hide that. Only when I'm around my friends do I let myself loose just a little bit.

Today's conversation starts out about the Queenstrial.

"Mother wants me to be queen," Theresa says glumly. She sighs at the fact. "I won't win, but I can't back out of this competition now."

"Don't all parents want their daughter to be queen?" The greeny bites her lip and the flower she wears in her hair quivers just the slightest bit. "It's a great honour."

"But...I'm just nervous," the telky replies. "I think you know why."

The atmosphere becomes tense as neither of us speak. Charlotte is the reason why. My friends will feel guilty if they ruin a happy ending. And Cal will have to deal with a replacement. Neither party will be happy.

"Someone will be queen," I say, trying to soothe everyone's unease. "If it were not you, it would be someone else. If it were someone else, I would rather it be you."

Both Heron and Theresa smile. "We know," they whisper. "I just hope that Charlotte is not mad."

My breath hitches but I still respond. "It's a matter of duty. I'm sure she'll understand."

It's silent for a while. It seems like a million years.

"Well, for a change of topic, my brother just returned from the war front," Heron says casually, almost as if it's common news. She even yawns at the fact. "Long time, no see from him and now he's back."

"That sounds wonderful," I comment, smiling kindly. "It must have been ages since you've seen him."

"You're lucky you got a sister." Theresa cuts in between us and puts a hand on my shoulder. "I don't know if it's just me, but guys mature so much later. It's annoying."

"Yeah right," Heron replies scrunching up her face. "My brother took care of me."

"You're only lucky because you have an older brother Heron!" Theresa fires back. "Do you know how annoying Noah can be? Well let me tell you, not pleasant!"

"It's nice that you have an older brother." My response drowns out any retort they might have for each other. Both my friends look back at me, forgetting their argument in an instant. "Older siblings are always good mentors. And come to think of it, I haven't met anyone from House Welle other than you."

"Trust me, you don't want to meet my brother," Heron replies. "He's an annoying piece of actual-"

"Actually you would," Theresa smiles slyly, her trademark expression. "Why don't you bring him over here Heron?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea Heron," I say. "I'm sure your brother is a wonderful person."

My friend sighs and scrunches up her face. "I'll be right back. Give me a minute."

It was less than a minute when Heron arrived back at our group. Surprisingly, she has enough strength to forcibly drags a person along who is much taller than she is towards us.

"This is my annoying lump of a brother," Heron says, pushing an older male in front of us who looks no more than eighteen. "Say hello to Tristan."

The older male blinks, slightly disoriented, before peering down at us. That's when I finally get a good look at his face. The family resemblance between the two siblings is astounding. Both of them have the same blue eyes and auburn hair, though Heron's hair slightly curlier than her brother's.

"Now you've seen him," the greeny says somewhat annoyed. "Just letting you know Tristan, I just brought you here so I could show my friend who you were."

He looks at all of us with a quizzical expression as he puts the dots together in his mind. Then, a bright, charming smile appears on his face. "It's a pleasure to see you again Adeline, Theresa, and"- his eyes land on me- "and I haven't seen you around."

"Ah," my eyes widen and I quickly curtsy. "I have forgotten my manners my lord. My name is Mareena Titanos."

"Greetings Lady Mareena," Tristan says, bowing. "If I am not mistaken, you Lord Henry's daughter?"

"I am."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The male greenwarden smiles kindly at me. "Has your adjustment to court been a smooth journey?"

"Thank you for your concern Lord Tristan," I reply with a smile of my own. "My adjustment has been quite easy thanks to your sister and my friends."

"I'm glad to hear that," he smooths back bits of his hair that has fallen into his face back. It's when I realize that he's wearing pearly white gloves. "Well, I look forward to seeing you here more often Lady Mareena."

"And I of you."

Tristan gives me a small smile before leaving. "Heron, please tell Mother that I will be home a little later after if you can."

"This isn't the first time you've asked me to do that," my friend pouts. "Why don't you ever pass the message onto her yourself?"

"Because she's softer towards you little sister," the elder replies. "Pretty please?"

I almost laugh. It's amusing to watch two siblings communicate in a casual manner in such a formal environment. To do so would be improper. But that is the sort of rare affection that most families like to keep hidden.

"Fine," Heron sends her brother a smile. "You owe me one."

"Okay." Tristan takes a step back, widening the distance between us. "I have to go now."

"Then go," the younger replies simply. "I'll tell Mother for you."

The male greeny bows shallowly. "It was a pleasure meeting you Lady Mareena."

I don't reply, but I wave goodbye. He leaves shortly afterward, disappearing into the thinning crowd.

"Well, that was fun," Adeline says plainly. She looks a little bit sorrowful even though she tries her best to to hide it. "Heron, did he say anything before he left to the army?"

"Only that he was sorry."

"Oh." The oblivion seems disheartened by this news. "It's old stuff now. I don't mind."

I know not to push it. My friends know too.

Whatever it is, it must be extremely sensitive.

Heron POV

When my brother finally arrives home, I do the usual. He's been away for a long time at the war front so I spend a lot of time with him. I don't know if this will be the last time I'll see him. But something about his return to court troubles me. I can't pinpoint it, but something about him is just...off. He seems happier than usual which isn't bad, but he's also a lot less aware of reality. I chew on my lip, thinking about the reason for his strange-ish behaviour.

I get the best time to confront him when we're both reading in our library. He sits across from me on the couch and my parents are out of earshot. The circumstances are good enough for me.

"You should be careful Tristan," I say. My words aren't filled with much bite behind them, but the tone should be enough to caution him. "A lot has changed since you left."

"Is Adeline still upset?"

I almost roll my eyes. He has really been out of touch with court these days. I might need to spell it out for him.

"I don't know." My voice sounds a slight bit shaky. It's a white lie to keep my brother from questioning me. Perhaps he will be pained if I tell him the truth. Instead, I try using a different front.

"You've already apologized," I state. "What else were you expecting?"

"Nevermind." The plants in the room shift just a slight bit. "What's do you want?"

"Mareena is my friend," I reply. "I would rather it stay that way."

"Your point?"

"Please keep your boundaries. You don't know the full picture."

"Will you do me the honour of explaining everything to me?"

"Just wait until next time," I say through the corner of my mouth. "It will be enough of a warning."

My brother shifts, slightly uncomfortable, but his face betrays no other emotion that I can find. He's better at hiding his feelings than I am.

Here's a fun fact: Shipping is just something I do to entertain my long days. I just joke around with the possibilities of matchmaking and all. It's all my immature, seventeen year old mind can do to pass the time. Ever since I arrived to court, I found joy in it. I matchmake in secret, pairing one male and female together through a series of examinations and tests. For example, how they act, how they look, and social standing. I tease Mareena about her connection with Maven more often than I should, but my senses say that the relationship between her and that prince does have a chance of succeeding. I just feel it.

From the first day at court, I knew that Maven has always been such a lonely figure in the sea of nobles. He never really talked unless spoken to or unless it was absolutely necessary. And he always liked observing more than speaking. Maven was so unlike his brother Cal who was always outgoing and kind. Once Charlotte had Cal's heart, I admit, I was a little jealous. I liked Cal too, but it was weak enough for me to put aside that dream for my friend. I suffered my heartbreak alone. And from then on, I did the same thing as Maven did with his time; I observed others.

When I saw Mareena enter the scene with that unique personality of hers, I immediately looked towards Maven. It seemed that my suspicions were correct. Nothing seemed to amuse him so much than a strange red-silver child with an even stranger character. Mareena was quite innocent (even more so than I was at her age) and that sweet nature of hers was something so different from the rest of us. I wasn't the only one who was shocked. Maven was too and it drew him in almost immediately. He made the first step into forging a bond with her, however weak it was. For the first time, he took advantage of Cal's relationship with her cousin, making the entire affair seem natural. Even if everyone doubted the almost commonplace event, they couldn't say anything about it.

It didn't stop there. I wasn't the only one who caught him staring at Mareena like she was a puzzle. It was like my friend had somehow cast a spell upon him that could only be broken by her only. What shocked me the most was that Mareena was completely immune to it. In the beginning, I thought it was just a facade but it really does seem genuine. She's not educated in matters like love. And I don't know how she does it. She probably didn't think sending a very slight smile towards His Highness was awkward at all. But he turned away. I don't think I even need to remind myself that he also blushed. It seemed like an action from him that none of us had anticipated.

Maven made a second move. He openly greeted her at the end of court, in front of all of us and in front of anyone watching them. I was the one who sent the signal first to the rest of my friends to disperse. Not that they needed one. But sweet, naive Mareena was slightly worried. I'm sure their conversation could be heard by all of us without any repercussions, but giving them their own time was the best move for me to think of. I didn't leave that day. My plants were perfectly fine.

I'm an amateur expert in the affairs of romance. I understand enough to know how people act in situations like it. You might even call me an expert in some cases.

I'm only afraid that Tristan will step a little too far out of his bounds. Nothing is worse than stirring up the wrath of a royal. Knowing my brother, he might even do that unintentionally. I just hope that Maven isn't the type of person to kill everyone off. No. Of course he isn't. I don't think he'll be anything more than sad if things don't turn out properly, but it's always best to be safe. In the best scenario, he might not even do anything more than let Mareena go.

Here's one thing you need to know about Heron Welle: I might be immature on the outside, but don't think I'm as stupid as I look.

A/N: Hello! Long time no see.

I'm finally back with another chapter! After two months or so of waiting, the story continues.

Firstly, I'm going to apologize for not updating my stories often. This goes for all of them. The school system we have in place right not is not really agreeing with me and I've just been overwhelmed with so much work T^T

But I'll do my best to get chapters out as often as possible and make it up to you all!

A/N: Coming soon! I just want the plot out for now so I apologize once more! As of right now, I need to log off T^T

I might also edit this chapter heavily so I'll let you know when that happens XD

This chapter is much shorter, but I promise, I'll extend it! Just wait for me please :')

Edit: So here it is!

Heron was supposed to be a little bit of an Emma in this story (Emma from Jane Austen, a bit of a shipper). I just included a bit of her perspective just so she could have a bit more depth to her character. She isn't some simple minded child that you might assume. As described above, she's a capable, seventeen year old girl who is not as stupid as she looks.