Estrella's POV:

"You know he's just manipulating you, right?"

The woman in the bed rolls over with a groan as I swiftly dodge a pillow aiming for my head. "Don't you get tired?"

"I'm just stating the facts." My eyes roll with a head shake. "He's probably using you."

"Hah," A laugh rings through the room. "Perhaps that is the case but I approached him with ulterior motives in the first place. So it's only fair if he does it as well."

I blink in shock at her words. What the… "You're willing to be a puppet for him? Do you hear yourself right now?"

She stays silent rolling on her back staring at the ceiling. Unbelievable… is this even my arrogant sister anymore? What happened to her pridefulness? What happened to her narcissistic personality? What happened to her… annoyingness?!

"Hey," I cautiously sit on the side of the bed. "What did you do with him for the whole day?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious."

My sister sits up with a bright smile gracing her lips. "Now I know why you like helping people so much." Huh? A dreamy look flashes on her face as she lays her chin on her hand. "It's such a warm sensation. Astral and I went to help at a soup kitchen. There's something about handing out food to the unfortunate… I don't know why but that feeling when the children runs up and hugs you tightly with tears in their eyes." She grips her chest with a bright smile. "It's so warm!"

…

..

…

What the…

"But you hate kids…" I choke out looking at the woman in front of me. "Didn't you say that you will never go near the poor because they might give you an incurable disease?"

"Yeah but beings change, Stella." She waves a hand dismissively. "I might have disliked them before but it doesn't mean I can't like them now."

B-But…

"Uh…"

A giggle escapes her lips along with a soft sigh. "Besides, it feels good helping others once in a while." Her purple eyes widen. "You should come with me next time. With the two of us, I bet we can feed them in record time!"

What on earth is going on?!

"You're sick right?" I lay my hand against her forehead as she wrinkles her nose. "Do you have a cold? Fever? Want me to call a physician?"

"Uh no," An arm removes my hand raising an eyebrow. "I'm perfectly healthy."

Then why… why is she acting so weird?! She hates helping people but all of a sudden… My eyes widen as something clicks into place like a puzzle. Hold on…

In front of Astral's office:

I push the door open revealing a guy laying on the bed couch. "Estrella, is there anything I can do for you?"

"What did you do to her?"

"Hm?" He blinks as I flick on the light making him wince. "What do you mean?"

"Katherine."

"I didn't do anything."

My eyes narrow as he sighs looking at the ceiling. "I took her to help the unfortunate. That's all I did."

Why does he sound so genuine and convincing?

"Besides," My friend speaks up after a moment. "Shouldn't you be glad there's change in her?"

Well…

My lips purse into a thin line. "But there's no way she could change so fast." My eyes narrow once more. "Be honest, you did something, didn't you?"

…

Gold and silver eyes look at me with a tiny smirk. "I don't know. Did I do something? I mean all I did was push her a bit to bring out her true nature."

Hm… perhaps this could be a good thing. The environment she was living in wasn't the best… plus, I've read that a change in environment could help beings. It's too early to tell but maybe, just maybe, this can bring her back.

Astral's POV:

"Master," Brown eyes meet mine with a desperate look. "You must rest. With the state your body's in right now…"

Hm… perhaps…

"Not yet."

"But in your current condition-"

"Then I just won't use my powers."

"How I wish it was that simple but they are creating situations where you must use them." I stay silent staring up at the ceiling. "I beg you, Master. Please, even if it's for a little while, rest."

My eyes shut. "Am I being too greedy?"

A long silence enters the room along with a sigh. "No. You're the opposite of greedy. I understand why you're refusing but have you ever thought of the consequences if you keep pushing yourself? If you collapse, what do you expect the Barians to do? Do you expect the guards of this palace are skilled enough to withstand their attacks? Or do you think The King will stand against them? Even though he has great power, you know he'll be no match for Don Thousand."

True… all of what you are saying is true but…

"If I rest now," My vision wavers a bit like a camera zooming in and out of focus. "Who knows when I'll awaken."

The last time I used it…

(Flash):

"Astraea!"

(Flash)

I broke the seals. Considering the fact that I was injured beforehand and my power wasn't at its peak… if I go into slumber, it will be a long, long time until I will wake up again.

"Waltari," I turn towards him. "I know you mean well but I… don't want to miss any part of this life."

"Master…"

"I know," My lips curve downwards. "I know that I'll have to rest eventually but for now," A sparkle on my left hand catches my attention. "I want to spend time with the people I love."

His eyes shut with a nod. "If that's your wish."

"No need to worry. I'll rest soon just not now."

Why can't things be peaceful around here? Why do they pick this time to attack? Don Thousand… what is your purpose on taking innocent lives?

Zach's POV:

(Flash):

"Ativan works by calming the nervous system to balance activity in the brain, promoting a relaxing, calming effect. It also raises dopamine, and when taken in high doses, feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain increase, causing a euphoric feeling, which is one of the reasons it is addictive."

(Flash)

Is he really addicted to anxiety medication? Just how long has he been consuming such medicine? And how did Nistro not monitor his uses?

"Zach," I snap from my stupor to meet a woman with emerald green eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah. Where did you come from?" She definitely wasn't here a minute ago.

My friend blinks a few times raising an eyebrow. "My room. I walking on the way to the fridge and to my surprise, saw you staring into space with a knife in your hand."

A knife?

"What are you…" My eyes widen as a stainless steel kitchen knife lays within my grasp. What the? Where did I get this knife from?! I cautiously place it down on the counter rubbing my temples. I definitely need more rest.

"Yay!" The sound of a fridge door closing makes my ears perk up. "Someone restocked on my favorite sweet."

Favorite sweet?

In her hands lay a bowl filled with an unidentified orange substance. Hm…

"What's in the bowl?"

"It's a delicious peach soup essentially." She shoves it in my face as the faint aroma of peaches enters my nostrils. "It's delicious."

"Huh, peach blossom soup…" Where have I head that term before? A memory flickers in my brain as my eyes widen. "Ah," He mentioned it one time when he was with…

"Want some?"

I look back at my friend then to the bowl. "I'll pass,"

"Alrighty." She inserts a spoon in her mouth with a blissful smile. "You're really missing out."

"Hey, once you're done throw all the remaining soup away."

"Mph!" Green eyes meet mine with a shocked expression. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Just trust me on this one."

The being in front of me gives me an incredulous blink hugging the bowl closer towards her chest. "But why? Plus, it would be a waste of food."

"Star," I let out a sigh. "Once you finish that, throw it away."

"Why though?"

Do I really have to tell her the reason?

I bite the inside of my cheek. "Let's just say some of us don't find it that all appetizing."

"Oh come on," A groan escapes her lips. "Just because you don't find it good, doesn't mean you have the authority to throw out food. Not to mention, you could just not eat it."

"I wasn't talking about me," I mutter beneath my breath. "Alright then. Since you don't want to waste food and throw it out, why don't you just take all of it to your room?"

"My room?"

I nod. "That way you can eat in peace." And if he decides to come down here for some reason and look in the fridge, it wouldn't stir up any memories.

"There's no way I would be able to finish all of this." Her hand gestures to the leftover soup with a sigh. "Hm,"

"Well duh. I'm saying you should split it among multiple days."

"Or," A flicker lights up in her eyes. Our gazes meet as her lips curve into a smile. "I could ask if our friends want any. I remember that Astral has a thing for sweets and-"

"No!"

My eyes widen as I immediately cover my mouth. If there's anyone who shouldn't eat this, it's him.

The being in front of me blinks tilting her head to the side. "You know, you're acting really weird."

"Am I?" I rub the back of my neck with a chuckle. "I just don't want you to disturb his rest that's all."

"Huh… true." She nods as I let out a soft breath. "I'll just ask him tomorrow."

Darn it!

"Star," What should I say? I'm not in a position to reveal this… "He's allergic to peaches."

Green eyes widen as her face morphs into understanding. "Oh… that's why you…"

"Yup." My eyes shut with a nod. "He doesn't like anyone talking about it so it's best if you stay silent about this matter."

The woman in front of me ponders my request for a moment shifting her eyes up and down. "Alright."

That takes care of that. Silence flows between us as I remember the doctor's words once more. Now how can I help him?

Maria's POV:

"Brandon?" My friend jumps immediately swirling around to meet my gaze. What is he… My arms cross as the guy before giggles nervously. "Care to explain why you're in my room first thing in the morning?"

The birds from outside squawks as my friend abruptly closes the drawer avoiding my gaze. Weird… he's definitely hiding something. I narrow my eyes at him. "Spill it. Are you doing something bad?"

"Why would you assume that?"

"If not then why are you in my room?"

"Am I not allowed in your room?"

"Without my permission?" I raise an eyebrow. "You should know a girl's room is like her sanctuary."

We lock gazes with one another as he huffs sitting down on the bed. "Okay. Fine. You want to know the reason I'm here? I'll tell you." His cheeks changes color to a pinkish hue as he clears his throat. "I… I was cleaning…"

Well that's a new one. With him, I was sort of expecting to take something back or at least something along those lines but never in a million years would I thought…

I blink as his face grows even more red. "I saw how you were taking care of Lily and motivating her so I thought I would do something in return." His voice decreases in a whisper. So he picked cleaning?

"You… do realize there's a cleaning staff that comes into the rooms to clean everyday, right?"

His face burns even more. "That's why I took the liberty of cleaning your room today. Not the staff."

Really?! My eyes drift around the room. Huh… I thought the staff done it already.

"But… it wasn't that dirty to begin with and-"

"I did a good deed for a friend!" He shouts looking at me with his cheeks as red as a tomato. "Are you just going to cast it aside like this?"

Is he… embarrassed?

My eyes narrow as he scoffs looking at the window. "Whatever. It's not like I wanted your appreciation anyways."

Aw, that's so adorable! I stifle a laugh as a small smile crosses my lips. He's embarrassed about cleaning my room.

"Brandon, thank you for cleaning-"

"If anyone asks, I didn't do anything!" He shouts suddenly as my eyes widen. Hah… as to be expected.

"Mhm." It's just like him to get embarrassed at these things. After all, he's a junior lord. If word gets out that he's acting like a cleaner, it wouldn't be the best. Still… A smirk crawls on my lips. "I won't tell the others if you do one thing for me."

He blinks placing his hand underneath his chin. "And that is?"

Derek's POV:

Huh…

My eyebrow raises as a certain gray haired individual with brown eyes escorts a lady with dark blue hair into the palace. Her dress sways with every movement she makes as my eyes narrow. Have I seen her before?

I immediately hide myself behind a pillar as her sapphire blue eyes scan the hallway cautiously. She lowers her head as maids pass by carrying trays of food. Why would she…

"His Highness is expecting you." The guy next to her chimes in breaking the silence as the both of them walk towards my friend's room.

His highness? Could he mean Astral? But… why?

My legs follow them at a safe distance. I've never seen her in the palace before. Something is suspicious here…

"Lord Derek," I jump as a voice rings though my ears. Who the heck! I swerve around to meet a smiling demeanor. His brown eyes open. "May I do something for you?"

How did he notice? I hid perfectly!

"Waltari," I clear my throat after a moment glancing past him at the shut office door. Has she entered the room already? She was right next to him a moment ago… "What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that, Lord Derek?" He raises an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you doing standing here of all places?"

Was I being too obvious?

My arms cross. "Do you have a problem with me standing here?"

"Of course not but I do have a problem with you spying on my Master." A weird aura surrounds him making me shiver. What the… what's with this energy all of a sudden? The being in front of me smiles. "Tell me, why would you do such a thing?"

"I…" Why am I hesitating? "I was curious who that lady you were escorting was."

"Oh?" His tone raises as alarms ring in my head. What is up with him today? Why is he radiating such a… dark energy? "Please pardon my rudeness but I don't think she's any of your concern."

"Well I just-"

"I wasn't finished." Brown eyes narrow as I gulp clenching my fist trying to not show any weakness. How can a butler have such a deadly gaze? "Spying on someone is incredibly disrespectful and since you are doing it to my master, does that mean you don't respect him?"

"What?" My eyes immediately widen as I place my hands in front of my chest. "I-"

"Waltari,"

A being with gold and silver eyes stare directly into brown eyes with a neutral expression. "What did I say about breaking the seal without my permission?"

The butler immediately freezes like a deer in headlights. Sweat drips from his forehead as he gulps. "M-Master…"

Wow… he is really devoted towards Astral. I kind of wish for a servant like him.

My friend emits a sigh rubbing his temples. "I thought you knew better after all these years,"

"M-Master," He bows with a pale face. "I disappointed you. Please punish me."

He keeps that emotionless gaze as he shuts his eyes. Suddenly, the weird aura decreases as his butler flinches buckling his knees together. Is he… binding his power?

After a moment, he reopens them locking eyes with his servant. "It's not your fault. The seal I placed began to deteriorate."

"Master but you shouldn't waste your power on-"

"This is my decision."

…

Okay… My eyes drift back and forth at the two beings in front of me. Why do I feel so out of placed suddenly?

"So," I clear my throat with a cough as they turn to me. "Um… who was that lady?"

The two pair of eyes meet each other once more then gold and silver meet mine. "Ah, that lady. She's relevant to the crime I'm currently in charge of."

Oh…

"What crime?"

"Sorry but I can't disclose." A minuscule smile appears on his lips. "You'll know at the trial."

Trial?! There's going to be an actual trial this time?

Brandon's POV:

"Thanks for walking with me today." A melodic voice chimes right next to me as her hand grips my arm. "I really appreciate it."

My blue eyes meet her purples as I let out a sigh. "For the last time, you don't need to keep saying that. It's the least I could do."

"Are you not afraid that I will get you ill?"

She stops, glancing down at the lotuses. "If I was afraid of that, why would I have stayed with you that night?"

My friend blinks as her eyes widen with smile. "That's right! You were the only one in my room that night right?"

"Yup."

I highly doubt that anyone would've came in that late anyway.

She blinks with a bright smile as a pair of arms wrap around my chest. I immediately stiffen as her head rests on my shoulder. W-What is going on?

I gulp as my chest thumps. "Uh, w-why are you hugging me all of a sudden?"

"Thank you," A murmur rings through my ear as her arms wrap tighter around my body. "Thank you for being so good to me, Brandon."

Oh…

"Why would I not be good to you?" My hand unconsciously reach to cup her cheek as she stares at me. What a minute… what am I doing? Why is my hand not listening to me? Her long eyelashes flutter with each blink as my heart thumps rapidly. Oh come on! This is not fair! "I'm your… friend."

That's right. We are strictly friends. She's married to The Prince. We are… just friends.

A bright smile curves on her lips with a soft giggle. "And I'm grateful and appreciative of having you by my side. I love you, you know that?"

"I…" How can she say the words 'I love you' so easily to another guy? Especially when she's married?

"How can you say that when you're married?" I ask after a moment as I reluctantly retract my hand from her cheek. "Don't you think your husband will misunderstand if he hears?"

She scoffs waving a hand. "It's not like he care anymore about this relationship. What's there to misunderstand?"

She's still under the impression of… My lips purse into a thin lip. Ay ya. What is the right thing to do?

"And if he does misunderstand," Her arms fold across her chest. "Then good. At least it shows I'm not desperate for his attention and I still have my options open."

Options?

My eyes drift down to her small bump then back to her gorgeous purples. "What options? You're pregnant."

Her face grows crimson. "W-Well, at the very least it shows I'm not desperate! And who says I don't have options? Mind you, a lot of suitors showed up at the doorstep. I'll guarantee that at least one of them will be willing to make me his wife."

I beg to differ.

"Not when you're The Princess Consort and his woman that is." She looks the other way with an angry frown as I stifle a laugh. "Not to mention, you're bearing royalties and I'm willing to bet one million dollars that no man will ever risk his life to-"

"Ok! I get it!"

"I mean," I place a hand under my chin. "You could hypothetically get a divorce and then remarry if you weren't carrying his children."

My friend blinks at me. "Really?"

I nod as she frowns. "But I thought the rules state if an individual marries into The Royal Palace, that individual couldn't remarry if divorced."

Is there such a rule? If there is then marrying someone in The Royal Family would be a life sentence. Man, imagine if the husband was abusive? The wife may get a divorce but has to spend the rest of her life without a proper guy by her side. That's just harsh if that is a law.

"No…" I said after a few minutes. "That may have been true some time ago but not now." The woman in front of me stays quiet as my eyes widen. "But your situation is different. Even if you were to divorce him now, you'll still be considered his wife and The Princess Consort until you given birth to the children. Since you know, the children are automatically considered as members of The Royal Family. Only after you'd given birth to them, you'll leave and officially considered as divorced."

"But… I still get to see my children… right?"

Hm…

My brows furrow. "I'm not exactly sure on that. My guess is that it depends. If he allows it, then yea. Of course you can see them but if he doesn't want anything to do with you, then probably not." I state at her once more. "Either way you look at it, you're at a disadvantage since he has most of the power in this."

"You're right," A mutter rings through my ears. "I am definitely at a disadvantage but considering how far our relationship goes back…" Her eyes narrow. "I'm pretty sure he would let me see them. It's only far since they are my kids."

"I agree," My lips curve a bit into a smile. "Astral has always had a soft spot for you even when you were his best friend. If you two were to divorce, most likely you'll be the one with the power because knowing him, he'll give into your demands."

"If that's the case," Amethyst eyes light up. "I wouldn't have to be separated from my children once we separate!"

"Exactly."

My eyes widen a bit at the topic we just discussed. Wait a moment… why are we discussing about divorce? Why is she asking about this in such great depth?

"Hey, you're not thinking of-"

"Thinking of what?"

She blinks with a head tilt as I bite the inside of my cheek. Hm… "Never mind." If she's just asking for curiosity sake, it wouldn't be the best to implant that idea in her head.

Astral's POV:

"Astral, you have got some explaining to do," A voice rings as a lady with aquamarine hair waltz into my office.

What is going on these days? Doesn't anyone knock anymore?

"What's up with everyone storming into my office demanding answers these days?" I mutter as I pull my drawer open to place a manila folder in it.

"Huh?" My sister raises an eyebrow approaching my desk placing her hands on it. "Demanding answers? Who?"

"Never mind." I let out a breath folding my arms across my chest. "Why are you intruding into my private office, little sis?"

"Mom and dad told me everything about-"

"Katherine?"

She nods as I let out another soft sigh. Didn't I tell them to not bring her into this matter? "These two," Do they not listen to their son anymore?

"Don't blame them. If they hadn't told me, I probably would've never forgiven you for doing that to your wife."

My eyes roll as I wave a hand to shut the door. "You really think I would have an affair?"

"Well, I saw you and her in the room-"

"And who do you think let you see that?" I ask cutting her off as gold eyes blink blankly.

…

…

…

A gasp escapes her lips as her index finger points at me. "You mean…"

I let out a huff. "You think you saw that scene by coincidence? You wish. "It was set up from the start." My legs cross as I lean back in my chair. "Honestly Astrana, do you think I wouldn't have sensed you spying on me?"

"S-So… you let me saw that on purpose?!"

Actually, It would've been better if my wife saw it but considering the circumstances, "Yes." I had this whole plan set up as well but because of their meddling…

"Wow…" She voices after a minute of silence as she claps. "But how did you know I was the one who was going to see it? It could've been someone else."

"Because of your nosey personality."

"Hey!"

"It didn't matter who saw it." I take a sip of tea smacking my lips. "It could've been you or any other being as long as they feel a sense of unjust and hatred towards my actions."

"Oh…"

"But… I still don't understand why you would seduce her like that…" A frown etched on her lips. "Even though I don't like her, playing with a woman's feelings is low, brother."

I hate it when she's right.

"Don't worry," My eyes drift towards the window. "I got it all figured out."

"Hopefully that's the case,"