It was mid-morning when Blumiere returned to the castle. Timpani had led him to a small hill that was about a mile from a secret entrance in the Sunstone Forest. He returned through the barrier and took hidden paths through the village back to the castle. When he arrived at the front gate, he dismounted from Marcel and went to the two guards standing in front of it.

Aramis and Audric were brothers who had been looking after Blumiere for as long as he could remember. Aramis looked at him in confusion while Audric held a tighter grip on his weapon. "State your purpose here," The latter said.

Blumiere pulled his hood down and gave a slight smile. "H-Hello, you two…"

Once they got over the shock of seeing the young heir outside the castle, they took him back inside while telling him how worried his family was. Apparently, Father had been studying the Dark Prognosticus in his bedroom all morning. Whether that was due to looking for answers to find his son or because he simply couldn't look away from the book was anyone's guess.

After the guards left, Father gestured for his son to come inside his room. Blumiere listened reluctantly and shut the door behind him. "My son...Where were you this morning? I do not recall giving you permission to leave."

Blumiere went over the lie he had put together on the way back. Father narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms during the explanation, not interrupting to ask questions. When he was done, Father said, "Let me see if I am understanding this correctly...You couldn't sleep and instead of staying on the castle grounds, you decided to venture out to the very woods I told you and your siblings to avoid, all in the middle of the night and without telling anyone?"

The heir felt his cheeks grow hot. He knew that lie was stupid, but he couldn't think of anything else, let alone something that would convince Father. "Y-Yes."

Father stared at him for a moment. "Do you take me for a fool, Blumiere?"

"No, sir."

"Then tell me the true reason why you left. Were you planning to run away?"

Blumiere knew that he would be in hot water no matter how he answered. If he said yes, Father would punish him. If he said no, the chief would see through him anyway. He decided to give some of the truth. "I've been overwhelmed, Father! I only have three years until I take your place and there's so much I don't know! I haven't seen any of the world outside of the Tribe and on top of all that, you expect me to marry a stranger!"

"Blumiere! That is enough." The eldest son had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything else. "You're becoming a man," Father went on. "I shouldn't have to punish you but I will if you continue to disrespect me."

The young lord nodded, lowering his head. "I'm...sorry, Father."

"Is that really why you left? You were overwhelmed?" He asked with disbelief and contempt, as if to say, That's it?

"Yes. I just got lost, but I had every intention of coming back!" Blumiere said. Well, at least that part was somewhat true.

The chief examined his bandaged eye. "I see. Who dressed this wound for you?"

Blumiere felt his shoulders grow tense. Why did Father have to ask so many questions? "Um...I did. I brought supplies with me just in case."

After a brief moment, Father sighed. "Very well. I will forget about this incident as long as you promise not to do anything like this again."

"I promise, Father."

"Good." The patriarch took a moment to sip the earl gray tea he left on his nightstand. "Now that you're back, why don't you tell me about your experience at the ball last night?"

Blumiere relaxed somewhat. "I had a nice time."

"Did you meet anyone?"

The lord hesitated. If I am being honest, I found no one that I am interested in that way...But Father will get angry if I tell him that. "Yes. I met the most beautiful girl last night. She was so kind as well."

"And what was her name?"

"Timp-" Blumiere cut himself off in the nick of time. Father raised an eyebrow. The lord faked a cough. "Excuse me. It was…" He searched the back of his mind for anyone's presence that he tolerated. Luckily, there was one person he liked. "Arianna Darkmoon."

"Alexander's daughter?" Blumiere nodded. Father thought for a moment, staring into his teacup. "He is a successful merchant. If she married into our family, that would add even more wealth to us."

"Yes. I would be lying if I said I didn't think of that as well," The lord said, even though it was a detail he had thought about only briefly.

"I will invite this young lady to dinner tonight. You will let her know of your interest. And I expect you to propose to her within a month."

That caught Blumiere off guard. For a moment, he forgot that he actually had to marry Arianna and not just go on outings with her. "A-A month?"

"That should give you plenty of time to grow close to her."

Again, the lord held his tongue. "Yes, Father."

He stood and gave his son a quick pat on the back. "I am glad you're back to your normal self now. Come along, Blumiere. You missed your morning lessons, so your tutor will have to cover twice as much material this afternoon."

Blumiere nodded. As they left the room, his mind trailed back to that earlier moment, when Father asked about the young lady he was interested in. Why did he nearly say Timpani's name?

Around dinnertime, Blumiere examined his appearance in the mirror. His hair was combed neatly and he picked the nicest gray suit he could find. He even asked one of the servants to shine his shoes for him, something he usually saw as pointless. Father wanted him to put his best foot forward. Still, it would be difficult to do so when everyone would be staring at his bandaged eye. They had visited Layla earlier in the day, but she said that he had lost a lot of his vision and she had to look for a way to fix it.

"My lord, Lady Arianna is here," A voice with a robotic undertone said.

The eldest son turned and nodded. "Tell her that I'm coming, Tock. Just a couple more minutes."

Tock was a friendly Pixl that resembled a brown clock, only missing the numbers and maybe a hand to count the seconds. He had a short hour hand, a long minute hand, and small blue eyes. Tock's purpose was to keep the leading family on time by remembering all of their commitments, reminding them when necessary, and cracking an occasional time pun. He had belonged to Grandfather, but was so close with Erik that the former promised to give Tock to the latter one day.

Once Tock had flown off, Blumiere put on a gray top hat with a band of gold towards the bottom. He thought the situation over one more time and forced himself to smile. "It can't be a bad thing to marry Arianna," He said. "She was decent last night. Surely, I will fall in love with time, just as Father did with Mother…" Even after saying it, Blumiere still was not convinced, but he went to join his family anyway.

As he approached the staircase, he looked down and noticed Mother and Father were already there along with his younger siblings. Erik and Ben bowed before their guest while Roselyn curtised. Father said, "Welcome, Lady Arianna. Thank you for accepting our invitation."

The lady smiled. "Thank you for inviting me. I am honored."

"Yes. As you know, we have kept the purpose of this occasion secret. Now we might as well let you know why you are here." Just then, Father looked up and saw Blumiere watching them. With the way the arch above the staircase was positioned, Arianna still could not see him. He frowned. "Son, are you coming?"

Blumiere swallowed hard before taking a deep breath. He walked down the staircase with his head held high, but kept a hand on the railing. As he came into the light, Arianna's eyes grew wide. Blumiere stopped when he was a few feet in front of her.

Father continued. "Lady Arianna, my son. Lord Blumiere. I am sure you recognize him from last night."

Arianna stared, not saying a word. There was a moment of awkward silence. Blumiere realized he would have to be the one to break it and quickly bowed before her. "Hello, Lady Arianna. It is a pleasure."

She stammered before finding her voice again. "Y-Yes! I didn't think I would see you again." Blumiere smiled at that. He was about to say more when she blurted out, "What happened to your eye?"

Another moment of silence, only this one was more tense and uncomfortable. Blumiere forced a grin. "I fell down a cliff."

Arianna chuckled before breaking into laughter. The others joined in and the oldest child felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Well, he wasn't lying. Before she could ask for a serious answer, he took her hand. "The chefs should have dinner prepared about now. Come, follow me."

Dinner was more lively than usual. Father took on the act of the cheerful, friendly host again while Mother and Grandfather were genuinely glad to have someone new over. Erik was quiet, but Ben shared embarrassing stories that happened to Blumiere when they were small while Roselyn offered to make her a new dress. The heir made himself talk when he could think of things to say, but mostly focused on eating.

After dinner, they were left to their own devices and Blumiere had to spend less time with Arianna. His brothers decided to give her a tour of the garden while he sat in his room and lost himself in books, or at least tried to. The gray cloud that made him want to run away swept over him again. He knew he should be grateful to Father. He could have made him marry someone vain or selfish, but didn't. Was Blumiere acting like a spoiled child by not being happy about this?

Just then, there was a gentle knock at the door and Blumiere got up to open it. Roselyn was standing on the other side. "Hello, Rose."

She looked around before whispering, "Can I come in?"

Blumiere nodded. Since the focus had shifted to him, Roselyn had been visiting more often. Perhaps it was because she knew they would have less time together in a short while. "Always, little one."

Roselyn walked in and sat on his bed, as she had done so many times before. Blumiere didn't even get a word in when she said, "You don't really love Lady Arianna, do you?"

His smile faltered. "...What gave you that idea?"

"Well, you didn't really seem in love to me. I've read books. You're supposed to feel your heart race, the weight of the world lift from your shoulders, and not stop talking about them. You seemed like your usual self, just a little more talkative. Plus, we have a few free hours before bedtime, yet you're spending it in your room by yourself instead of with her."

The young man sighed, burying a hand into his hair. "Sweet girl, you are too invested in my love life for your own good."

The girl gave a solemn smile. "That means no."

"No, I don't love her. I do like her though and that's enough."

Roselyn groaned. "Nooooooo, that's so boring."

Blumiere sat on the bed beside her, pulling her closer to him with his arm. "What would you rather have me say? Arianna is a perfectly fine girl and yet I don't feel love for her. I think this just means I am the type of person who can't fall in love," He said, as if stating a fact.

Even back when marriage was far off, Blumiere hadn't been interested in girls. This was normal when he was a child, as most boys go through a phase when they think all girls are inferior. However, as he matured, he noticed Erik talk about wanting to have a wife one day and Ben had a new infatuation every other week. His cousins wanted to meet girls too. As for Blumiere, he didn't find anyone that he wanted to be with romantically. After awhile, he accepted that he wouldn't find love for a long time, if at all.

"I doubt it!" Roselyn said, bringing him back to the present moment. "There's someone out there for everyone." Looking up at him, she asked, "When you find a girl that you want to spend the rest of your life with, will you tell me?"

The blue-skinned man knew that her request was both ridiculous and impossible. If he was going to marry Arianna within the next few months, then when and where would he have the opportunity to find someone he could truly love? Maybe the nine-year-old hadn't quite processed the information about his engagement yet. Still, he nodded. "When that happens, I will be sure to tell you."

Roselyn nodded before tugging at his shirt. "Come on."

"What is it?"

"Even if you don't like Lady Arianna, you should at least pretend you do. You won't fool Father into thinking that if you're hiding in your room!"

Blumiere frowned. "I'm not hiding…" Still, she did make a good point and Arianna was a guest here. It would be rude to avoid her.

"Sure you aren't. Now, come on! I think she's still in the garden!"

Blumiere went outside, not only because his sister wanted him to, but because he knew that he owed Arianna an explanation. She was sitting at the base of the fountain, reading a book. He approached her quietly and cleared his throat.

Arianna looked up. She put her book down and stood. "Oh, my lord! I-I didn't expect to see you."

His smile faltered. "Please...Just call me Blumiere."

"Alright," She said. She patted next to her on the polished marble and he sat down. "What did you want to speak to me about, my...erm...Blumiere?"

He sighed. "I should have told you who I was, but...I preferred being a random face in the crowd for just a moment. All I wanted was for you to not put me on a pedestal."

She was quiet for a few seconds, thinking of what to say. "I'm not angry with you, if that's what you're here for. I'm mostly shocked, if anything...Is it true? What you said last night?"

"Which part?"

She turned to look at his face. "When you said your father was forcing you into this."

Blumiere nodded quickly. Arianna pursed her lips. "But I really did enjoy your company the most out of all the ladies I met," He continued. "As you would expect, the others put on a facade to try and impress me. You were honest."

Arianna smiled. "I am glad you invited me. It's been so long, but I still remember the day we met."

His eyes widened. "We've met before?"

She nodded. "I don't blame you if you don't remember. We were still young, maybe 4 or 5 years old. Father brought me along to make some kind of deal with your father. We picked flowers together and chased each other in the grass…" Blushing, she added, "I think you were my first crush…"

"R-Really?"

"Yes. Still...I'm not sure how to feel about being welcomed by your family. My father actually grew up poor before discovering his work. We're new money, so we're not always respected by the other nobles."

Blumiere thought for a moment. Should he tell her what Father had in mind for them or keep the information to himself? He decided there was no point in keeping it secret. "Father wants me to propose to you within a month." She let out a small, quiet gasp and her eyes grew wide. He clasped his hands together. "I can count on him to make some kind of spectacle out of it in front of the others. We will have to do it at a party or in public, where all of the commoners can see us. Give them something to talk about…"

Arianna bit her lip. "If I marry you, I'll be a part of your family and have the title of Countess…"

"That you would."

She sighed. "Alright. When you ask for my hand, I'll accept. Just promise you'll be honest with me from now on."

"Of course. After all, I never was a good liar…" Blumiere said.

However, as soon as he spoke those words, he thought of all the things he would have to keep secret. She wouldn't know how Father would be calm one moment, then grow deathly silent and angry the next. Nor the dark thoughts that crept into the back of Blumiere's mind when he was trying to sleep. Most importantly, she wouldn't know about Timpani. He kept all of his worries hidden behind a shy grin.

That night, the young lord opened his bedroom door quietly. It was about 9 o'clock now and his parents were getting ready for bed. Grandfather had to have already been asleep. Even though he and his siblings were allowed to keep their lights on for another hour or so, the halls were mostly dark and silent.

Blumiere went downstairs, hiding behind a wall as guards walked past the staircase. He took a deep breath, trying his best to ignore his pounding heart. Then he took another turn and opened the door to the garden. He crept down the small stairs that were in front of this entrance and turned to the gate.

He only walked a few steps towards it when he heard a familiar voice. "Blumiere." He jumped and spun around. Father was right behind him, holding the door open with narrowed eyes. Where had he come from? "What are you doing?'

"I just...wanted to get some fresh air. W-Why are you out here?"

Father frowned and pulled a familiar book out of his coat. "The Dark Prognosticus told me you would be rebellious, but I didn't want to believe it. What are you trying to run from, Blumiere?"

He opened his mouth to answer only to find that he couldn't get the words out. He closed it, feeling his cheeks burn.

"Get back inside now…"

Blumiere nodded and followed Father back. He took him back to his room and said that he would not see him sneaking out again. The heir waited until the older man had returned to his own room. He sighed, knowing he would not be able to reach the outside world again. At least not tonight. Still, there was one thing he could do.

After looking both ways, Blumiere went to Erik's room and opened the door a crack. He whispered, "Tock?"

Within a few seconds, the Pixl flew out. "Lord Blumiere? What is it? You still have approximately 8 hours until your typical wake-up time."

"I know, I know. But...can I ask for a quick favor? And please do not tell Father."

Tock grinned. "I always have time for you, my lord."

"Then come in. Quickly." They both went to Blumiere's room. Grabbing an ink quill and a piece of parchment, he wrote a quick letter to Timpani explaining that he wouldn't be able to make it that night and that they would have to try again tomorrow. After letting the ink dry, he wrapped the paper securely and tied it before turning back to Tock. "Do you know how to get to the human village?"

The Pixl thought for a moment, his minute hand ticking by rapidly, before replying. "I do have a mental map of the Tribe of Darkness and the surrounding area in my head. The village is not far as long as you cross the woods and find a better way down than the cliffbase."

Blumiere nodded and handed him the letter. "A girl with a rainbow ribbon in her hair should be waiting by a lone tree. Bring this letter to her and return as quickly as you can."

Tock nodded, took the letter, and flew out the window. Blumiere watched him leave before sighing. Yes, he was a horrible liar, but this was one secret he intended to keep. He hoped Timpani would understand why he couldn't make it. There was still so much he wanted her to know.