Where was the King's room when she needed it?! There was a rebel, right there in the palace right now, and she was lost in the very place she had lived all her life in. Great.

Ugh… He'd surely gotten back to whatever headquarters those pesky rebels had…

SLAM

"WHAO-"

Julia groaned as her head hit the ground, pain shooting up her spine.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

Julia tried to sit up, but her head spun. "What…"

"It's Elaina. You can hear me, right? Okay, just breathe."

Breathe.

"In, and out… In, and out…"

In… Out… In…

Her vision cleared and she could see the slim figure of Princess Elaina standing above her, her eyebrows arched in worry.

Princess Elaina had much lighter skin than her siblings, from sitting around in the palace too much. She never went outside, so her stature was so skinny that one might mistake her for a skeleton. That was a hyperbole. She had eyes and hair and, most importantly, a nose, so she probably wasn't a skeleton. Unless Julia was going crazy.

"Are you alright? Do you need water? Oh, I might need to get Alexei-"

"No, no, I'm fine!" Julia said loudly, finally summoning the will to prop herself up. It took all of her energy not to wince in pain. "It's alright, really. I was just shocked."

"Oh," Elaina said softly. "Oh, okay."

"What are you doing here, Your Highness?" Julia asked, rubbing her forehead. "You aren't usually around the Ares Quarters."

"Oh!" Elaina blushed a bit. "I was just… Nevermind."

"Elaina!"

Julia's head turned to see Alexei running towards them, his hand slightly wavering above his sword.

"Julia just fell, that's all!" Elaina yelled.

"Let me see!" Alexei started running towards them. Huh. He sure was a fast runner. Add that to the list of things Julia was worse at. He wasn't even panting when he got to them. "Where did she fall?"

"I think her back absorbed most of the damage, but she did seem unable to sit up for a few moments."

Alexei nodded and gently pushed Julia's head aside to check. She blinked. How did Alexei know all of this?

"I think she's alright," he said finally, standing up. "If it were someone older, there'd be more problems. But we're at the peak of our health, so…"

"I think we should bring her to your little place, Alexei," Elaina suggested.

"What?" He laughed. "No!"

"Bring her some medicine, just in case."

He looked very surprised by this statement. "Elaina, we can just bring her to the infirmary."

The Princess eyed him, then sighed. "Sure."

"I'm fine!" Julia protested. "I just need to tell the King something. You don't need to do anything!"

"Are you sure?" Alexei's eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm sure," Julia said. "See you later."

She struggled to stand, her legs wobbling, but she regained her balance quickly, striding away from the pair as fast as possible. Not that it mattered anyway. They weren't following her. She just wanted to talk to the King.

"Your Majesty!"

He sighed, looking up at her. "Again, Julia? Do you not have anything else to do?"

"No, the secret passage, I found where it leads to, we just need-"

"Please, Julia." King Eadger stood from his seat. His tone was strangely irritated. "You're starting to become a nuisance."

"But-"

"Please," he said, sighing again. "Escort yourself out of my room. I never gave you permission to enter."

She shook her head frantically. "Your Majesty-"

"That was an order, Julia." He sat back down on his velvet seat.

She went quiet, staring at him, shaking her head. "I-"

"Get out. Please. Don't make me call your parents. You're an adult, Julia. I can't give you this much leeway anymore."

"No, no, if you just hear me out-"

"Julia. Aren't you supposed to be by your father's side right now? Make him proud."

She opened her mouth to argue, but sighed. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I'll even accompany you." He stood up again, making his way towards her. "Come on."

She awkwardly shuffled out of his room and through the halls, making her way to Lord Ares' room. Who knew that it was so awkward to lead the King of Ethica through the halls of his own palace?

She clicked open the door, where her mother sat by her husband's bed, motionless.

She turned her head. "Julia! Oh, Your Majesty, too!"

"Where's Alexei?" Julia asked.

"He was here a few hours ago. He's taking a full day of work today, so he's unable to join us."

"Oh." Julia immediately felt bad. Alexei was doing his job and here she was, wooing Alexander…

No. She was doing her job. She was just doing it in a different way.

She avoided King Eadger's face and approached her father slowly.

He was laying still. So uncomfortably still. It almost felt like he was-

No. He wasn't dead.

Julia kneeled down so that she was face to face with the bed and her father. She could feel her breath hit the soft blanket that covered his body. It flowed from the blanket and into the air, melting into the rest of the room with naturality.

She could hear King Eadger and her mother murmur to each other in the corner of the room. She knew that they were talking about her. She didn't care.

That was a lie. She did care. She did care so much. And it hurt. It hurt that they brushed her off as some nuisance. It hurt that they didn't care. It hurt that her father was going to die without ever seeing his daughter succeed. It hurt that she was so powerless, even though she was basically a princess.

A tear slipped down her cheek and she felt her mother walk towards her, wrapping an arm around her.

"It's alright, darling," she said tenderly. "It's hard for all of us."

NO! She wanted to say. NO! She just didn't understand. She didn't care about her father. He never cared about her anyway. She was crying because it was just so unfair.

But she couldn't speak. Her hands were chained to the marble floor and she quietly sobbed, her voice drowned out in her sorrows. In her powerlessness. In her uselessness.

She was never going to be able to do anything. She was never going to say anything. They were never going to listen.

They were all going to die.

"I'll be taking my leave," King Eadger said. Her mother nodded and he stood, walking away and closing the door behind him. Her mother turned back to her.

She let go of the embrace, and for a moment it seemed like she was going to leave, too. But instead she sighed.

"How are you doing, Julia?"

Julia could feel anger rise in her chest again. "I don't want to talk to you."

Her mother nodded and looked at the floor.

A beat.

"I know it's probably going to be salt on your wound," she said slowly. Julia looked up at her. Her eyes were darting from side to side. "But I think it's best to tell you as soon as possible."

Julia wiped her tears from her face and looked at the wall as her mother took out a small sheet of paper.

She looked back at her mother, who bit her lip, gingerly taking her hands and placing the piece of paper on them.

Julia looked down at the piece of paper.

Disownment Certificate of Julia Ares

This document certifies that Julia Ares will be removed from the House of Ares effective the morning after this document was signed.

She looked up, her eyes wide, her body frozen deeply in shock.

What?

"I'm so sorry, Julia." Her mother's eyes filled with tears. "I… I love you, darling. You will always be my daughter, no matter what the law says."

"What…?" Julia croaked. Her heart pounded against her chest.

"I…" Heather Ares clenched her collar, a tear slipping out of her eye. "Julia… to be a part of this family is to hold a lifelong career. I knew what I was getting into when I married your father. But you and Alexei… you never had a choice. Alexei is doing well, but you…" Her voice cracked. "Julia. Just… think of this as if you are being fired from your job."

"I don't understand-"

"Please, Julia. I know it's hard, but… Your father and I have been talking about this for a while, and… We both decided that we can't let you go on like this. You have complete disrespect for the people you were born to serve… And now that Joseph is…" A sob escaped from her throat. Julia couldn't help but add pity to the plethora of emotions that were swirling in her chest. "Alexei's going to be Lord Ares soon, and he's always had a soft spot for you. So… I just thought doing it now would save time…"

She studied her face, and Julia looked away from her.

"I really am sorry, Julia," she said, after a long moment of silence.

"Where do I go?" Julia whispered.

"Wherever you want. Just not the Palace." Her mother smiled, though it looked very forced. "See? You're going to have complete freedom."

And this is what broke her.

"Freedom?!" Julia stood, a flood of tears bulging from her eyes and dripping straight down to the floor. "I don't need your FREEDOM! I never needed freedom! Why can't anyone understand that?!"

"Julia-"

"I just want someone to listen to me!" she screamed. Heather flinched. "But you- you- you're taking away the last thing I had to lose! My job was the only thing I had left! And you- you-"

"I'm sorry, Julia."

"Sorry? You're sorry?!" A terrible, hollow laugh escaped Julia's lips. "I trusted you!"

"We all have our duties," she said. Julia scoffed. "Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lady Ares. My father is dying and then you kick me out of the family! That's just a sacrifice to you?!"

Heather Ares stared at her, her lips trembling. "This is hard for me, too, Julia."

Julia spun around and marched to the door. No. Not march. Only soldiers march. And she wasn't a soldier anymore, was she? She walked to the door. No, she stomped to the door. Like a commoner. Like the trash she was.

"Julia, please-"

"I'm not wasting my breath with you," Julia snapped. Her mother's eyes widened, but Julia didn't care. "I'm leaving. Goodbye."

She slammed the door, leaving Lord and Lady Ares in their room.

"We're leaving."

Mary was, reasonably, stunned by Natasha's sharp tone. Her sister had just come back from her date with Alexander, her ashen face red and her lips pursed, looking very, very angry.

"What?"

"We're leaving. Now."

Natasha grabbed her arm and began dragging her out the door.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked, frowning. "Where are we leaving to?"

"Home. We're not coming back here."

"What?" Mary wrestled herself out of Natasha's grasp, stumbling back, her eyes wide with horror. "Were we eliminated?"

"No," she spat. "I don't want us to be near this sorry excuse for a Prince ever again. I've had my qualms about him, but now…"

"What did he do?!"

Natasha sighed, exasperated. "Mercedes."

"Nat, please-"

"He kissed me without my damn consent!" Natasha shouted, her hand slamming on the doorknob. She turned it so violently Mary almost expected it to tear right out of the door. "We don't need to pack—we barely had anything to begin with."

"But-"

"No buts! We're going. Now."

Mary looked directly at her stepsister, biting her lip. "But…"

"Mhm?" Natasha crossed her arms, looking very impatient.

"The truth is…" Mary scratched her neck. "I don't want to go," she admitted.

Natasha went silent, studying her.

"Are you… f***ing… serious?"

"Nat-"

"That spoiled brat is a monster!" Natasha shouted. "What do you see in him?"

"I just-"

"Might as well leave before the rebels assassinate that pighead, he has it coming, you know-"

"What?" Mary's eyes widened. "You really want him dead?"

Natasha looked at her again, a deep frown on her face, before leaning in, lowering her voice so only Mary could hear.

"I've heard whispers. Rumors. They're going to kill him. They're going to kill them all. It's best to leave before it becomes dangerous."

Mercedes bit her lip.

"Look. You already know what's going to happen. He's going to pick Giavanna—or Eva, if he's smarter, which I seriously doubt—and you're just going to be cast aside. And, what's worse, there's probably going to be an all out bloodbath. So…"

"You want me to come with you," Mary said. "You want me to escape."

"Mhm."

"It could work," she said slowly. "But… you really don't think I'll win?"

Natasha seemed both intrigued and annoyed at her pathetic argument. "Really? You think you'll win?"

"I've made it this far-"

"Do you like him?" she demanded. Mary opened her mouth.

"I…"

"Save it," she snapped. Mercedes closed her mouth and looked to the side. Natasha sighed, her eyes softening ever so slightly. "Maybe… you can sabotage one of them. Get Giavanna or Eva out."

She shook her head. "We shouldn't sink to their level."

"Well, then what do you want to do?" she demanded. Mary flinched.

"I… I don't know, okay?! This is all too complicated!"

She leaned back, and Mary hesitated for a moment before looking at the floor.

"I'm not leaving."

Natasha tried to grab her wrist again, but Mary pulled away.

"I'm not leaving. I've made so many friends, Natasha! My servants depend on me! And, you know, Alexander isn't that bad…"

"Friends?!" Natasha's already red face became scarlet. "This is a competition, Mercedes! Do you think they won't turn on you as soon as it benefits them?!"

"I know this is a competition, but Eva makes the best jokes, and Amaya-"

"You don't think any of it is a front?!" Natasha shook her head. "They're only trying to get on your good side-"

"And Alexander… he's proud, I know, but he can be sweet…"

"You can't be serious."

"A-and the Palace is so beautiful-"

"Yeah, until the rebels come and there'll be blood everywhere."

"That's not going to happen, Nat."

"How do you know that?" she said quietly, almost like a warning.

Mary struggled for words. "Well… it just can't… I mean… it's not like they can hurt us more-"

"Oh, really?" Natasha took a step towards her, her voice strained. "Have you already forgotten your first date? Alexander eliminated you without a second thought. He doesn't care, because we're poor, and that's all that matters to him. Don't you get it, Mercedes? No one cares."

"But he took it back!" Mary protested.

Natasha gave her a long look, then sighed, turning back to the door. "Whatever. Fine. Stay if you like this place so much. I'm leaving."

Mary watched in dismay as her sister turned the doorknob and stepped out. Her breath hitched in her throat. "Nat!"

Natasha stopped, though she didn't turn back.

"Please," Mary said. She felt her voice shake. "Don't go."

A beat.

Then a laugh.

"I'm already doing you a favor by letting you stay. And you're telling me to stay?"

Mary held out an arm, but it wavered. "I… I don't want to be alone."

Natasha scoffed. "I thought you said you had friends."

Mary flushed pink. "I know, but-"

"Don't you understand?! Alexander kissed me!"

Mary clenched her teeth, trying to find something, anything that could justify what she knew wasn't okay. "That means he likes you-"

"Mary." Natasha closed the door again, grabbing her shoulders. "Snap out of it, okay? You're going to get hurt with your… naïveté- you're just like Princess Annalisa-"

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Natasha opened her mouth, then closed it, realizing what she had just said. She crossed her arms.

"Fine!" Natasha turned to the door, then back to her. She sighed. "Alright. I'll stay. But only because you need someone to protect you. I'll be your Ares."

Mary felt a surge of relief in her chest. Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled, trying to find Natasha's eyes, which were averting her gaze. "Thank you. I'll make sure you don't have to go near Alexander ever again."

"Can you even do that?"

In response, Mary leaped forward, embracing her sister with a warm hug. "I can't. But I'll try."

To her delight, Natasha had no rebuttal this time.

They parted and Natasha shut the door. She met her eyes and for a moment Mary thought she was going to say something, but she started walking past her, back into the main ladies' room.

Mercedes turned, a small smile on her face. She had won.

"Wait up!" she yelled, running after her.

A/N So after chapter 20 comes the writers' block, and... haha. Hahaha. *Screams in frustration*

You probably can read the lack of energy I had in this chapter compared to the past few. I swear, I tried to fix it, but there wasn't really much of a point. So, behold- chapter 21! I hope it was at least acceptable besides the obvious loss of energy.