Viva was happy to be back home with her long-lost father and sister, but something still nagged at her. Poppy's strange reaction to the rock concert lingered in her mind, making her curious, no, desperate to know the reason why she was so emotionally attached to Branch.

Determined to get answers, Viva went to Poppy's pod with Branch at her side. She hesitated for only a moment before knocking.

"Come in," Poppy's voice came softly from inside.

Viva and Branch stepped in, their eyes immediately landing on Poppy, who sat curled up on her bed, her blanket wrapped tightly around her. She rocked back and forth, her expression distant and troubled.

"Are you okay, Poppy?" Viva asked gently, stepping closer to her sister.

Poppy let out a shaky breath and wiped at a stray tear. "I'm sorry. I don't like talking about my sad feelings. Dad always taught me to be just PEPPY no matter what. But sometimes, I can't control my emotions, especially regarding Branch and what happened in our teenage years."

Viva's ears perked up at that, her curiosity spiking. "Wait, what in the sugarplum are you talking about? What happened in your teenage years?! Tell me everything, spill the tea, the drama, ALL of it!" She practically sang the last part, bouncing on her feet.

Branch gave a nervous chuckle but sat beside Poppy, keeping her close. "Well, Viva, it's hard to believe, but I was a troublemaker back then."

Poppy shot him a side-eye. "Kind of a troublemaker? Branchifer, you had a record so long, I'm shocked you're not on some Most Wanted list."

Viva's eyes widened as she gasped. "Wait, WHAT?! You were a criminal? Oh, this is getting good. Tell me everything!" She scrambled onto the edge of the bed, leaning in eagerly.

Poppy sighed but couldn't help the slight smirk playing on her lips. "Alright, fine. But brace yourself because of the story of me and Branch. It's not just a simple love story. It's a whirlwind of rebellion, secrets, and scandal."

Viva clasped her hands together, practically vibrating with anticipation.

"The pressure of royal expectations was already a hefty crown to bear," Poppy continued, her voice dipping into nostalgia, "but falling for a notorious criminal? That was downright scandalous! Can you even imagine what Dad would have said? Or how the entire kingdom would've reacted?"

Branch smirked. "They did react. Loudly. Like a roaring crowd in a concert."

Poppy shot him a playful glare before turning back to Viva. "It was outrageous, entirely against the rules. But I couldn't help myself. Branch-he wasn't just some rogue outlaw. He had this fire in him, this spark that challenged everything I thought I knew. He made me question what was right, wrong, and most importantly, what I wanted."

Her voice softened, and she glanced at Branch, her eyes filled with unspoken emotions. "And what I wanted was him."

Branch grabbed her hand and kissed it.

Viva's jaw nearly hit the floor. "OH. MY. POP-ROCKS. AHhhh. This is so juicy! Like, forbidden love, us against the world kind of stuff! I NEED MORE DETAILS."

Poppy laughed. "Well, buckle up, sis. This story? It's just getting started."

"I remember when I found out Branch was going to prison. The weight of the words crashed down on me, leaving my heart pounding in my chest. I barely thought before rushing to see him. The cold, sterile walls of the prison made my skin crawl, but what haunted me more was the emptiness in his eyes when I arrived. He looked resigned, as he had already accepted his fate."

"I shouldn't have been there. As the daughter of King Peppy, the future queen, I had a duty to uphold the kingdom's laws, not sympathize with those who broke them. But it was Branch. The outcast, the loner, someone my father saw as nothing more than a nuisance. But I noticed something else. Beneath his guarded, sarcastic demeanor, there was someone who had been abandoned too many times to believe anyone could care. And now, he was alone again. No family. No friends. No one was waiting for him on the other side of those iron bars."

"So I visited him repeatedly, ignoring the warnings in my head and the whispers of the guards as they watched me through the glass. I told myself to keep him company and ensure he didn't give up. But every visit chipped away at my defenses. Every moment I spent with him, I fell deeper into something I had no right to feel."

"Then Dad found out."

"I had never seen him so furious before. His voice thundered through the palace, his face dark with disappointment as he forbade me from ever going near Branch again."

Poppy failed miserably as she tried to mimic her dad's voice.

"' You are my daughter, Poppy. The future queen. What does it look like for royalty to be seen with a criminal?' His words stung, but I couldn't tell him the truth. I couldn't tell him that my heart ached for Branch, that the thought of never seeing him again made it hard to breathe."

"So, I swallowed my feelings. I pushed them down, locked them away, just as I had done for so long. And the worst part? Branch could never know. I had to pretend. Pretend that my visits were nothing more than a fleeting sense of responsibility. Pretend I wasn't counting down the days until I could see him again. Pretend that I wasn't in love with him. It could ruin everything if anyone ever found out, not just my father, but Branch himself."

"And yet, every time I looked into those tired blue eyes through the glass, I figured it was already too late."

Viva's mouth hung open as she processed everything. She blinked once, twice, and then.

"WAIT. HOLD UP. TIME OUT." She dramatically flung herself onto the bed, arms spread wide as she had just been hit with the juiciest gossip bomb of the century. "Branch was a criminal?! You were sneaking around behind Dad's back?! Was there a prison romance involved?! This is better than any soap opera I've ever heard!"

Branch groaned, running a hand down his face. "It wasn't that dramatic, Viva."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, Branchifer," Viva said, pointing a finger at him with exaggerated flair. "This is next-level, swooning-in-the-rain, sneaking-through-the-castle-halls, star-crossed-lovers type of drama. This is.." She gasped. "This is a royal scandal!"

Poppy sighed, rubbing her temples. "Viva, can you not make this sound like a dramatic Broadway musical."

Too late! The songs are already writing themselves in my head. Viva jumped to her feet, dramatically holding an invisible microphone. "Behind bars, behind fate, behind the walls of destiny!" She belted, spinning in circles.

Branch groaned. "Poppy, I'm begging you, stop her."

Poppy smirked. "Oh no, she's your problem now."

Viva ignored them and twirled onto the bed, landing with a dramatic swoon beside Branch. "So tell me, bad boy, did you ever write Poppy letters from prison? Did she ever press her hand against the glass and whisper, I'll wait for you?"

Branch rolled his eyes. "No, but she did smuggle in snacks."

Viva gasped. "ILLEGAL SNACKS?! Oh, you were so in love."

Poppy groaned. "Okay, enough about my teenage rebellion."

Viva grinned mischievously. "Fine, fine. I'll drop it." Then she added, "For now."

Branch sighed in relief.

Viva suddenly sat up, gasping again. "Wait. Does Dad know about all this now?"

Poppy and Branch exchanged a look.

"ahh, well, kind of," Poppy said hesitantly.

The branch crossed his arms. "More like he pretends he doesn't."

Viva's eyes sparkled. "Oh, I have to bring this up at family dinner."

Poppy and Branch groaned in unison.

"Viva, no."

"Viva, yes," she said with a devilish grin.

Poppy took a deep breath, glancing at Branch before returning to Viva. "Alright, you want the truth? Here it is. Back then, Branch wasn't just some random troublemaker. He had a reason for what he did."

Viva leaned in, eyes wide. "Ooooh, tragic backstory incoming."

Branch sighed, crossing his arms. "I wasn't out there causing chaos for fun, alright? I had circumstances." He hesitated, his voice quieter now.

"My foster home wasn't exactly the best place to grow up. Food was scarce, and I had to figure things out on my own if I wanted to survive."

Poppy's expression softened. "So he did what he had to do. He stole food, supplies, whatever he could handle."

Viva's jaw dropped. "Wait, wait, wait. You were a street rat?! Like full-on, steal to survive, scrappy lone wolf vibes?"

Branch groaned. "Please don't make this sound so romantic."

"But it is romantic!" Viva failed dramatically.

"You were a misunderstood rogue surviving against all odds! Oh my popcorn, Poppy, tell me you fell for him while he was out there being all broody and mysterious."

Poppy's face turned red. "That is not the point of the story!"

Viva smirked knowingly. "That's not a no."

Branch blushed and coughed. "Anyway. Yeah, I stole things. But I was careful about it. Made sure no one got hurt. Just took what I needed and disappeared. His expression darkened slightly. But eventually, I got caught."

Poppy sighed. "Yeah. That's where things got bad. The guards arrested him right in the middle of town. The moment Dad heard about it, he flipped."

Viva gasped. "Wait, Dad knew?!"

"Oh, he knew," Poppy muttered. "And he ensured everyone knew Branch was a menace to society." She made air quotes before groaning.

"But what no one knew, not even Dad knew, was that I didn't think Branch was some awful criminal. I just-"

She trailed off, her hands tightening into fists. Branch looked over at her softly. "You saw me," he finished for her.

Poppy swallowed, nodding. "Yeah. I saw someone who had no one. Who did what he had to do just to survive. And I couldn't just let him sit in that prison cell and think no one cared."

Branch gave her a small, appreciative smile.

Viva, meanwhile, was fanning herself. "Oh. My. Gosh. The angst! The longing! Poppy, this is prime forbidden love material!"

Poppy cut her off. "Nope! We are not calling it that."

Viva cackled. "Oh, but it was! Sneaking around behind Dad's back, visiting your criminal crush secretly, smuggling him snacks. Poppy, you were living the star-crossed romance!"

Poppy groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Viva, I swear-"

But Viva ignored her, dramatically grabbing Branch's hand. "Tell me, did you ever stare out your cell window at night, thinking of her? Whisper her name into the cold, empty air?"

Branch gave her a deadpan look. "No. I was too busy trying to not get shanked."

Viva sighed. "Ugh, fine, ruin the fantasy." Then she gasped. "Wait. How did you even get out of prison?"

Branch and Poppy exchanged a glance.

"That," Poppy said slowly, "is a whole other story."

Viva's eyes sparkled. "Oh, you better spill. I want every detail."