Nathaniel takes in a deep breath, a wave of anxiety rises within him as he stands in front of the grand entrance of the Emberlynn manor. Today is the day he will hear the verdict of his crime against Don Lothario. Edward pats his shoulders gently, making the blond straighten his posture as they walk through the gate, where they are welcomed by Alfred Emberlynn.

"Edward, Nathaniel! You both have made it."

"Uncle…" he scratches the back of his head awkwardly, unsure how to converse with the other man "I…"

"No need to say anything, son. Everything is under control now."

There is an underlying tone in what Alfred just said as he shares a knowing look with Edward, who nods his head, the expression on the older blond face is pure satisfactory. The head of House Emberlynn takes them to the audience chamber, where the elderly councils are sitting in their designated seat, with one left empty.

Nathaniel raises his head, observing the space. Despite the warm light and welcoming aura, he can sense an air of hostility as the elders look at him and Edward with a mixture of defeat and reluctance splashing across their faces. It seems like whatever pressure his father and uncle have brought them is too much for the Honorable Ones of House Emberlynn.

Standing on the podium, the blond turns to Edward, who is standing not far away from him with observing blue eyes. He mouths something to Nathaniel, telling him to not fret and that he will be okay. He doesn't know if what his father says is true or not, but the thought of having him here somewhat brings him a sense of relief. Knowing Edward, he will never allow his children near danger if he does not have a foolproof plan in his hands.

"Let us commence today's meeting." Alfred, sitting on the highest seat that oversees the room, speaks up. His voice is booming with sternness and authority "Nathaniel, we were not able to hear your side of the story in regards to Don Lothario's incident. Explain what happened between you both that led you to commit your crime?"

Sending his father a glance, Nathaniel takes in a deep breath and recalls the story of that night, when he almost killed Don Lothario. The way he witnessed that scumbag of a human laid his hands on Ember Feng, the woman he once called his girlfriend, had sent him to his downward spiral. He cited how that man insulted Primrose, using derogatory words and taunting his older sister. The last straw for Nathaniel was when that bastard threatened to humiliate Ember right in front of everyone's eyes. After that…

"I understand that you did it without any malice intention, but using magic against civilians is the first rule House Emberlynn stands against." Alfred looks at his nephew, raising a brow "You could have ended his life."

"I understand," lowering his head, the blond mutters "I have no excuses for my actions."

Alfred turns his attention to Edward, who still keeps a keen eye on his son. The elders look at each other, whispering and passing notes with each other. While the majority of them want to give the blond the most extreme punishment, the incident where one of the elders laid his hands on Primrose Emberlynn has sparked another controversy within the family. With Primrose being Edward's daughter, Alfred's niece, and the Lady of House Vatore, the cards are against them and it will only complicate the matter of Nathaniel even more if they choose to lock his magic energy.

"However, despite your crime, you have also done us a favor…" Alfred's statement hangs in the air, heavy and fierce "Don Lothario is involved in a human trafficking case that many are investigating. The stunt you did disrupted his illegal business, allowing the authority to investigate the Pulse Paradiso Club and build a case against him."

Nathaniel raises an eyebrow, confused at the revelation. But before he can question Alfred's words, a chill runs down his spine as Edward stares at him, a silent warning shining through his icy blue eyes.

"So, Honorable Ones, how are we going to take care of this incident?" setting one hand on the armrest, there is an underlying tone in the way he speaks "I would say that a year of community service at Glimmerbrook School of Magic is a good punishment, yeah?"

The elders look at each other, knowing that they can not say no to what their lord just said. With one of them committing several crimes, including assaulting a member of House Vatore, they lose their authority to have any voice in this matter. Primrose Emberlynn has not filed a charge against them, Alfred and Edward are using this opportunity to negotiate a fair and just punishment for Nathaniel.

"My lord, if I may add, I still believe that the young Nathaniel Emberlynn should have his magic temporarily locked away." one of them voices their opinion "A month, at most, along with his one-year community service."

"And please elaborate on that." Alfred turns to the middle-aged woman, tapping his finger on the armrest with a calm expression.

"M-mainly because he is your nephew and Edward Emberlynn's son. If we choose such a soft punishment for what Nathaniel has done, it will prove to everyone that he is using his connection to settle this meeting." she stammers "A-also, Primrose and her family should be punished too for assist the prison break, a month of community service at least."

Edward listens to her words attentively, watching his son standing on the podium letting out a big sigh. He can take on the community service but to lock his son's power away? Of course, they also want to avoid being unfair and unjust, but what if the elders do not hold up to their promise and keep Nathaniel's magic lock forever? There must be a way to go around this…

"Then may I suggest a contract between the elders and Nathaniel Emberlynn? One that will punish anyone who dares to break it?" the older blond's voice is cold and steady, he doesn't hold back when it comes to anything that affects his family "My lord and Honorable Ones, you all understand what I mean, yes?"

"You want to form an unbreakable contract between the elders and Nathaniel…" Alfred nods his head, agreeing with his brother "That is a good idea. Any objection?"

The elderly council looks at each other, commenting on the possible agreement and how it may affect them as well. They can just back down from pushing a magic lock on the blond, but they also need to save their faces from being embarrassed by a bunch of youngsters who think they have an upper hand in this discussion. On top of that, the elders must maintain the laws and orders of this family. If Nathaniel faces one year of community service, it does not make up for the crime he committed on Don Lothario, even when that bastard deserved it.

"We agree to form a contract." after a few minutes of back and forth, the middle-aged woman speaks up "For the sake of House Emberlynn."

"Very good. We have concluded today's meeting. Nathaniel Emberlynn…" Alfred turns to his nephew, a small victorious smile forms on his lips "Your punishment is served as a reminder of the crime you have committed. I hope to never see you standing here ever again, do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord."

"What? I have to do one month of community service?"

Primrose's eyes widen at the announcement. She arrives at the Emberlynn manor with Marlin after they finish gathering information about Nathaniel's defamation case.

"I have one year, Prims." the blond turns to his sister "And a month of magic lock."

"They still want to lock your magic away?" she exclaims "Dad, you agree to this?"

"Calm down now, Primrose."

Edward rests a hand on his daughter's shoulders, not wanting to cause a scene. While they are outside of the manor, it is not a good idea for the raven head to walk around screaming like a headless chicken. He explains to her how a contract was formed between Nathaniel and the elderly council, one that promises to remove the lock on his wrist after one month. Those who go against the contract will suffer great consequences, mainly facing Edward's three-phase magic which is known to be able to imprison a person if they can not solve it.

"Alright, I guess that will work…" she huffs in response, knowing that there is nothing she can do "And look at this, Nat…"

Waving her phone in one hand, she shows the recording app with the verbal proof she and Marlin collected while Nathaniel was on trial. The fire mage's Oath of Truth has proven to be the best way to force someone to admit the truth, even when it sounds a bit unethical. Marlin scoffs at the idea, thinking that those who are willing to sell their dignity for money do not deserve to be respected, and Primrose agrees. To pin a crime on her brother for money, she can never forgive anyone who dares to do that.

"We have all the evidence we need, Nat. Are you ready to get Ember back?"

"Prims…" the blond stares at the evidence in his hand "C-can we truly…?"

"We can and we will. Emerald told me that his family will visit the school tomorrow, what better time to capture those scumbags along with the school's administration too?" there is a victorious smile on her lips.

"If you are both willing to do that, then allow me to give you guys another piece of evidence."

A folder appears in Edward's hand with a poof, the trace of Don Lothario's illegal business that the Feng family is willing to ignore just to acquire his funding and influence for Victor Feng's next election. While many business and political figures have noticed the connection the Fengs form with Don Lothario, his illegal business as part of the human trafficking ring has never surfaced to the public knowledge. If anyone found out about this dark side of the Fengs, it would be the end of their ruling reign over San Myshuno.

"Where did you get this?" Nathaniel stares in awe at the folder "You brought this up during the trial, but how…?"

"Caleb's sister proved to be a good lawyer." the older blond explains "She has been digging into this case for a while and got all the important evidence to build a case against Don Lothario."

"Ah, I see…" Marlin chimes in "She works at an attorney's office, that young Lilith Vatore."

"She is technically older than you, Marlin." Primrose raises a brow.

"Doesn't matter. Caleb will call Edward his father-in-law soon, won't he? That man is like 300 years old compared to your dad."

His comment makes her fluster as she playfully slaps Marlin's shoulders, feeling embarrassed at the thought. Just like Caleb has said, they have all the time in their lives to take things slow and there is no need to rush into things that they, particularly her, are not ready for.

Edward clears his voice, giving his disapproval sigh at Marlin before instructing his children to use the information carefully as they only want to bring Ember out of her engagement with Don Lothario, their job is not to bring the whole Feng empire down.

Nathaniel takes in a deep breath, thinking about the woman he once called his girlfriend. She has sacrificed her future to protect him, now is the time for him to give her the freedom she deserves.

"It's not too late, Nat. We can do this." patting his shoulders lightly, Primrose encourages her brother "We will bring justice to Ember."

"Yeah, we will." smiling at her kind words, Nathaniel gives her a firm nod "Thank you, Prims."

Ember exhales as she follows her parents to the dean's office. Under her parents' pressure, she accepts her fate and drops out of Foxbury. Emerald has done everything he can to stop her, telling his sister that it is not worth it for her to give up her future like that, but what else Ember can do?

Ever since Nathaniel got taken away, she has not spoken to him. The thought of him laying his hands on Don Lothario for her sake has pushed her further away from him. She wants to know about his whereabouts, how he is doing, is he even okay, but the thought of talking to him scares her to the point she can only hold her phone with shaking hands. Ember knows she can speak to Nathaniel's family, but she is too embarrassed and ashamed at the fact that she is the reason for his breakdown.

So she stays silent, pushing away the painful feelings that are corrupting her heart…

Had she been stronger, none of this would have happened…

After Don Lothario is admitted to the hospital, her wedding is pushed back and her parents are furious about this. The more irritated they are, the more they berate her. Victor and Lily Feng care nothing about their daughter, sneering at Ember every time they can because they can not marry her off sooner. As the election season draws closer, they become more abusive towards her.

While Ember does not suffer from any physical torment from them, the verbal insults are slowly driving her to insanity. Emerald steps in many times for her, arguing with their parents about how mistreated they are towards his sister. But just like the older Feng, he reluctantly stays silent the moment they dangle Nathaniel's defamation case on the air, threatening that they will have his life ruined forever. Ember can fight back anytime she wants, however, the moment they mention taking down the blond, she stops dead in her tracks, unable to say anything else.

Emerald admires his sister and her love for Nathaniel, but at the same time, it is a growing tumor that drives Ember to her madness. She chooses to break all ties with the blond, yet her heart still yearns for him. She chooses to marry Don Lothario for Nathaniel's sake, yet she is relieved when the marriage is held off. She chooses to turn away from the man she loves the most, yet never once does Emerald see his sister take off the ring that blond gave her years ago.

Ember is willing to sacrifice everything for Nathaniel and like a twisted fate, she chooses to give up her future as well. The future that fills with rainbow and sunshine, one where she will be by Nathaniel's side forever is ripped away from her in the cruelest way possible.

She snaps out of her train of thought when her phone rings, a message from Lilian appears on the screen. A small smile forms on her face as she reads the text, at least in her darkest moments, someone is there to shine a light into her life. That light, while small and fragile, helps her stay grounded in the present moment instead of letting her mind wander off to somewhere else, a cold and grim place.

"Hey sis…"

Ember turns to her brother, looking at him with a dulled expression. It pulls his heartstrings to see her depressed state and he wishes to help her in any way possible.

"What is it, Emerald?"

"Are you sure you want to do this? Giving up your future and becoming that scumbag's wife?"

The older Feng tears her gaze away from Emerald, finding his question odd and unreasonable. What else she can do to get herself out of this mess? Victor and Lily have pushed her to the corner, taunting and threatening her with Nathaniel's future. For him, she can do everything, even if it means selling herself to Don Lothario. Ember has cried herself to sleep many times to the point that she can no longer cry, her eyes are dried and painful, and they no longer shine that bright light of hopes and dreams.

The moment she chooses to push Nathaniel away and accepts this marriage, her future is no longer hers to hold. She is now at the mercy of those she calls her parents and they are using her as a stepping stone for their business and political gain.

In the end, Ember is nothing more than a disposal pawn in their hands…

"Don't worry, sis…" Emerald pulls his sister into a tight embrace, he can feel her shoulders shake in his hold "I will not let things end like this…"

His encouragement falls deaf on her ears, but she returns the hug, allowing herself to have a moment of peace and vulnerability.

"What is this? Trying to taint my son as well?"

A loud, sneering voice calls out to them as Lily and Victor turn their attention to their children.

"Remember what you must do, Ember. If you even dare to misspoke even a single word, I will make sure to end that boy's future in one phone call." Lily stares at her with scornful eyes "And you too, Emerald! Stay away from that girl, we don't want you to be tainted by her."

"I will do whatever I please, you have no right to tell me that when you both willfully choose to sell her away for your selfish gains." the younger Feng retorts, raising his brow disgustingly at his mother's hateful words.

"Such a silly child." Victor scoffs "You both will thank us later for this lifetime opportunity. Women are lining up just to be Don Lothario's mistress and here Ember is becoming his wife very soon."

She closes her eyes, choosing to ignore her father's ignorance. She is too tired to even talk back, dealing with her parents has taken a toll on both her physical and mental health. But Emerald holds her tight in his arms, reassuring his sister that there is nothing she can not face with him by her side. There is a glint of amusement in his green orbs as he holds himself back from speaking.

His parents have pushed Ember to her limit, seeing her as a business tool that they can easily dispose of. But not anymore…

Looking at the wooden double door as they arrive at the dean's office, whatever awaits them behind those doors will be the key to Ember's future. He will make sure that Victor and Lily pay a hefty price for forcing his sister into this nonsense…

As they step into the dean's office, Victor and Lily's faces turn pale as they are welcomed with a big screen filled with all the monetary transactions under the name of Lily Feng. At the big conference table, they see two men dressed in fine suits, one is the dean of the Engineering department, and the other is the dean of the Life Science department. Next to them is a young woman with raven hair and a young man with dashing blue eyes and blond hair that shine as bright as the sun.

"Hello there, Mr. and Mrs. Feng…" he speaks up, his gaze softens as he sees the woman he loves standing next to Emerald, staring at him with widened green eyes "And hello to you too, Ember…"

Her lips quiver at the sight of him, green orbs slowly well up and her heart flutters as Ember looks at him. Even after so many weeks of trying to erase him from her mind, this man is still as handsome as she can remember.

"Nathaniel…"

"W-what is the meaning of this?" Lily raises her voice, almost panicking at the information on the screen "I-is this some kind of prank?"

But they say nothing and turn their attention to the deans, silently asking them to carry the conversation for now. The two men ease the Feng family to their seats, but Emerald is smarter not letting his sister sit close to their abusive parents. He guides her to where Nathaniel is, pressing firmly on her shoulders so she can take a seat next to the blond.

Ember becomes panicked, scrambling to get out of her brother's protective hold, she is not ready to meet Nathaniel, let alone sit this close to him. But the moment she feels that tendered hand on her wrist, the older Feng swallows a big lump in her throat as she turns her attention to the owner of the hand, a mixture of longing and fright appears on her face.

"L-let go of my daughter!" Victor exclaims "She has a fiancé, who are you thinking that you can touch her like that?"

"Sit here, sis! It will be much safer for you than staying by theirside." Emerald's voice is filled to the brim with sarcasm as he takes a seat next to her.

Ember bites her bottom lips lightly, there is a roller coaster of emotions in her heart as she stares at the man she loves, contemplating the idea of sitting next to him. His blue eyes are as bright and clear as she can remember, a silent plead as his hold tightens a bit, reassuring her that everything is okay. She struggles to escape those eyes and before Ember realizes what she is doing, she already makes herself comfortable by his side.

Primrose smiles at the two, nodding her head in approval when Emerald gives her a thumb up.

"Right, since we are all here, let us start the meeting." she stands up, handing each person in the room a folder "Today, we have both the deans of the Engineering department and the Life Science department here to witness the false accusations the Feng family has put on my brother, Nathaniel."

In the folder is a copy of the Feng family's recent monetary transactions, with the name of the dean of the Engineering department and the accomplice female student highlighted in yellow, a transcript of the verbal disclosure about the contract of her and the Feng family, and pictures of their meeting collected from the CCTV camera.

Victor and Lily's faces become paler at the sight of the evidence as they shift uncomfortably in their seat, wearing composed expressions to hide their fear. They try to brush it off as part of Nathaniel's prank, demanding to meet this female student who dares to slander the Feng family like this.

But Nathaniel ignores them and turns to the dean of the Engineering department, asking him to tell the truth. Victor sends him a warning look, silently threatening him to keep his mouth shut. The dean swallows a big lump in his throat, unsure how to respond. On one hand, his job is hanging by the thread when he sees the evidence of his corruption, however, the Fengs are a fearsome family that will ruin his life if he chooses to provoke them.

"No need to be afraid." Primrose sets down her phone "Even if you choose to side with the Fengs, I have more evidence to bring down all of you. For example, the fake id…"

The dean of the Engineering department freezes in his spot when those words escape her lips. Nathaniel sets down his student id on the table, tapping the surface with an amused glint in his eyes.

"How admirable of you to prepare a new one, Nathaniel Emberlynn." Lily scoffs at the item on the table.

"Oh no, I never lose my id. If you think that this is a new one after the incident, you can ask administration and records, they can tell you that I have not requested a new id."

Ember's ears perk up at the declaration, her heart flutters in joy when she sees the id. She knows that what her parents had before is a fake one, she knows that Nathaniel would never do such a horrible thing to anyone, let alone harassing a female student on campus.

"The presses are hungry for this kind of information, especially when the election season is drawing near." Nathaniel agrees "I'm not sure if Don Lothario can do anything to help you both, Mr. and Mrs. Feng."

"Be careful with your words, boy!" Lily grips her black, pencil skirt tightly "I will sue you for defamation and slandering if that is what you wish."

"By all means, go ahead." the blond smiles cheerfully at her threatening words "I would love to bring this meeting into public as well, people are eager to see how the Feng family conspires with the Foxbury administration to defame a student just to force their daughter into a political marriage with Don Lothario to ensure his support for Victor Feng this upcoming election."

The dean of the Life Science department tries to mediate the situation. If the news broke out, it would cause an uproar among the students and faculties. He turns to his colleague, asking the man to speak the truth as not only he, but all the faculties in the university will face the consequences of the defamation lawsuit. The dean of the Engineering department lowers his head, fearing for his life and career, and confesses his crime.

Victor slams his hand onto the table, yelling and sneering at the man for such slanderous words. However, the moment Primrose moves to the next slide, where all the information about Don Lothario's business with the Feng enterprise appears on the screen, his eyes almost pop out of the sockets. Lily is baffled, her jaws drop to the floor, all the monetary transactions leading up to this day are laid bare in front of everyone's eyes.

"W-what is the meaning of this?"

"Oh you know…" Primrose sings "Just a little research about your connection with that scumbag."

Emerald and Ember stare at the screen and then back to their parents. The longer Lily and Victor keep their eyes on the presentation, the paler their faces become. The older Feng turns to her side, an unspoken question lies on her face as she looks at Nathaniel, searching for any kind of answer. His lips curl up to a smile and the warmth of his hand is the reassuring anchor of her pounding heart.

"Honestly, the thought of you guys working with him still amazed me, but then again…" Nathaniel straightens his posture, his pierce through their souls "I should have known how low you both can go to gain more influence in the political world, you even sell off your daughter to a bastard like Don Lothario."

"This is preposterous!" Lily stands up and points her finger at the blond "I will sue you and your family, you will face the wrath of the Fengs!"

"Sue us! We'll see who wins in the end!" Primrose scoffs, rolling her eyes annoyingly "You both should know, I have more than enough proof to end your whole enterprise with one snap of my fingers."

"You little…! Emerald, say something!" Lily turns to her son, raising her voice "We are being attacked here!"

But the younger Feng shakes his head, refusing to give in. He may be the son of Victor and Lily Feng, but he has no obligation to walk on eggshells just to please them. After what they have done to Ember, he wants nothing more than to cut all ties with them.

"You brought this on yourself, Mother. Deal with it."

"Emerald!"

Both of the deans look at each other, unsure how they fit into this argument between the Feng family and Nathaniel Emberlynn. It sounds more personal than the overall defamation issues and the blond does not look like he is dropping this case. While the dean of the Engineering department has never disclosed this to anyone, how Nathaniel found out about this baffles him.

"You have underestimated me, all of you…" the blond tightens his grip on Ember's wrist "You force Ember to give up her life for the sake of your own career, I will never forgive you for hurting her."

"And what are you going to do, boy? You think that I can not wipe you and your whole family out of this country?" Victor snaps back at him "If you choose to disclose this to the public, I will make sure that little girl will never see you again."

Primrose scoffs at his words, shaking her head in disappointment. She has hope that they would at least be afraid enough to back down but it seems like both Victor and Lily are being pushed to their limit. They say backing a dog up in the corner it is gonna bite, the Fengs are spurting out nonsense and using their daughter as a shield to avoid being charged with a crime.

She steals a glance at Ember, who lowers her head and says nothing. There is no light in her green orbs, only grim and sorrow. The older Feng sibling has given up her hope in her parents, in her eyes, they are nothing more than strangers. Emerald exhales, looking anywhere but at his parents' faces.

"Let's see, I can sue you for defamation, ID forgery, domestic violence, and…"

She steps closer to them, setting one hand firmly on Lily's shoulder and crunching down a bit, just low enough to whisper the next few words into their ears.

Need I remind you about Don Lothario's involvement in the current human trafficking crime?

Lily stares at her, green eyes meet her onyx one. There is no light in those midnight-colored orbs, they are empty and soulless, staring at them like a black canvas. The depth of her eyes threatens to swallow both Lily and Victor and send chills down their spines. Primrose's hand still rests firmly on her shoulders, a warning of how they should choose their next word carefully.

"W-what do you want?"

"Call off the engagement. Ember is not yours to own anymore." Nathaniel looks at them, his hand never once letting go of hers "She is no longer your subservient pawn."