The mansion soon died down, and was quiet with only the sound of the crickets.

"It's time."

It was time for me to explore the mansion. I had changed into a light night gown with a shawl. I lit a small candle to illuminate the night for me to make my way around the mansion.

I slowly and quietly crept out of my room into the hall. I looked out the large windows, my bedroom seemed to be on the second floor of the mansion. 

I began to walk throughout the mansion seeing the dining room, servants quarters, rooms that seemed to belong to my brothers, but I soon came across closed large doors. The room had light leaking out from under the door. 

'I think this is Alina's fathers office."

With that thought I quickly crept away to not be caught snooping in the mansion. I soon came across the garden room. It was a large room with the Eirlys' family rose blooming throughout the room. There was a lovely tea table with two chairs, but what caught my eyes was not the beauty of the room but the moon that illuminated room giving it a magic feel. 

I began to feel emotional at the beautiful moon, before I came here the moon my only constant comfort. Since a child it was the ever constant friend I would whisper my secrets, and it would listen silently without judgement. 

The reason I got emotional I cannot say, but the beauty of the moon in this world was many times more beautiful. I began to cry without realizing.

'Beautiful.' It was the only word I could think.

"I don't have much time left."

I whispered to the moon, trying to convey my secrets to the only one that would understand. I didn't have much time left before the start of the novel. 

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

A young man with black hair and ruby red eyes approached quietly. I turned shocked with my eyes wide, and slightly embarrassed to find that someone saw me whispering to the moon.

".....Ethan?" 

I called his name with wide eyes of embarrassment before lowering my head quickly. Ethan was Alina's oldest half brother.

"Why are you crying?" He asked curtly, but there was no sign of disgust that I had last felt.

At his question I finally realized I was crying, but I quickly answered for fear of another situation like yesterday night happening.

"N,no reason. I'm sorry for bothering you, brother." While answering I lowered my head to hide my face.

But at my response Ethan seemed to tense slightly, and I flinched at the response. I had no idea what I had done for him to react like that.

"Well, if you say so. It is late out, go back to bed...sister."

After loosing the tension in his body, he quickly sent me away while awkwardly saying sister.

"Yes, sleep good brother." I quickly bid him goodnight to escape before he changed his mind. 

*

*

*

Once he came to his senses, he left alone in the garden room.

"Brother...?"

He was shocked at how Alina gently called him brother, and how she didn't throw a fit for him to leave her alone. He knew Alina very well, she was a spoiled and arrogant person. She disliked her family ever since she could talk, he and Seth didn't meet Alina until she was 5 years of age due to attending boarding school after their fathers remarriage. 

'Ever since meeting her she was rude, and bitter. She wanted nothing to do with father or either of us.' Father was never a loving man, and Alina's mother died when she was born. She never had affection, and it was especially hard to love her with her bitterness. 

'It seems like she has changed.'

He noticed her change when giving her her punishment. She would always vent all her emotions in anger, so he was surprised to see her crying silently.

'She doesn't have much time left for what?'

He did not understand what she was talking to herself about, but he could see the sadness and dread in her crying face. He couldn't help but feel like he had to protect his little sister when seeing her crying face. 

He shook his head as if he were thinking nonsense before heading to bed.