Putting on the white glove cause a striking pain in Nesto left hand because it keeps bothering the bandage inside. He looks at his room, the morning sun fill his room with light and particle dust can be seen floating in the ray. After he readies the tray of fresh baked bread and teas, Nesto carries it with both of his hand and walk out of the room.

After closing the door with his leg, Nesto walks down the hallway and are heading to Neya dorm room. While walking down the hallways, Nesto past a familiar student from Neya class, the one who almost hit him in the cafeteria. The student had a large number of maid and butler following him from behind,

They both exchange glances at each other before walking away from each other. While exchanging a glance with each other, Nesto notices that the student had a look of disdain and bitter in his eyes. The only thing that Nesto could do is to ignore the look and continue walking.

After a couple more hallways and stair that Nesto used; he finally arrived at the Neya room door. Before he enters the room, Nesto took a couple more breath to calm his mind and form a smile with his lips.

He opens the doors without making any sound when he looks at Neya's top bunk, his mind immediately panic. Neya is not in her bed; he placed the tray on the floor then rushes to the top bunk and lifts her blanket to make sure.

He drops down to Lilia's bottom bunk then he shakes her shoulder before speaking.

"Lilia! Wake up!" Nesto said.

"W-what...?" Lilia asks while blinking her eyes many times.

"Where is Neya?" Nesto ask.

"She is laying... the top bunk," Lilia answers.

"No, she not. Did you come back with her last night?" Nesto ask.

"Yes... of course, but she seems a little bit off when we head back... She became so quiet on the way back," Lilia said as she wipes her eyes.

"What happen?" Nesto ask.

"I saw her speak to Princess Caretena during the ball, I was surprised that she was there last night," Lilia answers.

Digia grunt as she rolls around her bed, trying to sleep with the noise around her. Nesto turns his head to glance at the satyr before looking back at the elf girl.

"What's going on?" Lilia ask.

"Nothing, everything is okay, enjoy the bread and tea. Sorry to bother you," Nesto said as he back away.

"Nesto?" Lilia said.

"And by the way, you had a little bit drool on your lips," Nesto said before leaving the room.

Lilia sucks her lips in and hides her self under the blanket in embarrassment. After Nesto leaves the room, she let out a grunt for her unkempt appearance. The satyr on the other bed throws her pillow at her friend to silence her.

"Shhhh..." The satyr girl hiss then she goes back to sleep.

*

Princess Caretena takes a sip of tea while in her own room, the maid beside her serve her freshly baked bread with strawberry jam spread on it. She brings the bread closer to her lips and takes a small bite with her teeth. She chews on the food in her mouth while looking out the window and sees the rising sun overlap by the mountain range.

"It's a beautiful rising sun, isn't it?" Caretena said.

"It is, my princess," the maid replied.

The doors open and a human wearing a butler uniform walk into the room with a calm face, but his eyes show otherwise.

"Nesto, it's good to see you again," Caretena greet the man with joy in her tone.

"What did you say to her?" Nesto ask.

Caretena look at her maid then wave her hand, dismissing her from the room. The maid walks out of the room and closes the door behind her.

"You know, living in that castle when I was still a kid was the most suffocating things that I have ever experience. I was constant surround by people that always put on a fake face, most of the times, they didn't even realize that I notice it,"

"Always watching out what I say, what I do, and not to be trick by their agenda. I always thought that people are untrustworthy except for my own family. Then mom brought you in, you were emotion were raw and your kindness has no agenda. I felt like I can be myself around you," Caretena said as she looks out the window.

"What did you tell her?" Nesto ask.

Caretena let out a short sight before standing up from her chair and turn to face the man.

"I tell her everything, about her mother putting a bounty on her own daughter head, about you being her father enemy; the legendary silver flame," Caretena smile as she remembers the girl shocked expression.

"Why?" Nesto ask.

"I wanted to test her loyalty, to see if she deserves you," Caretena said.

"She just a kid," Nesto said.

"A kid needs to know before she causes more harm than good," Caretena said. After hearing those word, Nesto's fingers begin to dig into his palm.

"Nesto, can I tell you something?" Caretena asks while clasping her hand together.

"I love you Nesto, I don't care if you are my stepbrother. I lost you once and I'm not going to lose you again," Caretena confess as she gazes into Nesto eyes.

Nesto was dumbfounded by her little sister delusion. He is not even angry at her by now, he just felt pity for her own little sister.

"Caretena..."

"Yes..."

"I don't love you like that because you're my sister," Nesto said.

"What? But I'm pouring my heart over here and you reject me. I love you since we were a child, I waited for you to return my love but you went with that slut Eilna!" Nearing the end of her word, Caretena begins to shout.

Nesto lifts his left hand and slaps her own little sister face. The slap produces an echo that bounces around the room, Caretena faces turn to shock and disbelief. Her eyes begin to water, and she sniffed her nose while placing a hand on the reddened cheek.

She never once had her father or brother or even mother slap her on the face.

"Listen to yourself, Caretena. Wake up, you're my little sister. Haven't you realize that yet," Nesto said.

The cut begins to open and the bandage inside begins to soak up the blood. He felt a sharp pain when the cut open again, he then clenches his teeth to withstand the pain.

"What's wrong with me being your little sister?!" Caretena seethes in white anger.

"Everything is wrong with it!" Nesto shouts in anger.

Caretena lips quiver, her hand dig to her fabric while she looks down at the floor and trying not to cry.

"What's wrong with you?" Nesto ask.

"I don't want you to leave me! Like Mom did. Every time you go out of the castle, I worried that you won't come back or worst came back in a coffin," Caretena said.

A sense of guilt weighs Nesto's heart. "You were in pain and I didn't realize it."

"I'm sorry for what I did, please forgive me, please don't hate me," Caretena said.

"No, it's my fault, I have been occupied by my own pain and other strangers that I forgot my own family. You have been there when I was in pain, but I fail to do the same to you," Nesto said.

Caretena wail as droplets of water starts pouring out of her eyes and flow down her cheek. Nesto quickly rushes to her and pull her closer into a hug. Her little sister grabs the Nesto's jacket tightly as she cries.

"I'm never going to hate you, you're my little sister," Nesto said.

"I've been trying to be strong for you after mom gone. It was painful, but when you left the castle to fight the war, I was alone and scared. The only thing that I can do was pray for your safety, and it works. You came back, but you lost yourself."

"Then when I heard you were going to endanger your own life again and I just snap, I couldn't go through that again, I don't want to lose you like mom," Caretena said.

"Mom never left, she has always been here in our heart. I know it painful to lose someone, but they won't truly be gone. They will always be here with us, so will I because I know that one day. It will be my time to leave," Nesto said.

"And when that time came, I will always by your side, in your memories and mind," Nesto continues.

"You right... Mom never did truly leave, she is here with me," Caretena said letting Nesto go.

"I'm sorry, but I need to find her," Nesto said.

"I know, she is in the underground garden, one of my maids is keeping an eye on her," Caretena said.

Caretena wipes her eyes as she saw her brother walk out of the room in a hurry. One of the maid enter, she also wipes her eyes. Her maid must hear everything that just happens.

"Princess, what should we do now?" The maid asks.

"I think, it's times that we go back home," Caretena said her tone flatten then she turns and looks out of the window.

*

Underground garden.

The elf girl with un-braided ginger hair lay on the center of the flower garden. Her body is surrounded by beautiful white flowers, while she looks up at the light above her dangling from the ceiling. The light is warm and strong.

The shallow cut on her knuckle has begun to heal and leaving a light scar. It doesn't make difference, it's a small scar just like the rest that's on her body.

"Neya..." Nesto left glove has been soaking a lot of blood until it begins to drip from his glove to the white flower below.

"The flower here is just like me, they believe that the light above them is the sun, but it not true. It's an artificial light meaning that it's a fake light that was made to imitate the sun," Neya said.

"I know you would be like this if I told you the truth," Nesto said.

"Your wrong, Nesto. I have been thinking, it wasn't the bounty that put on my head by my shitty mother or about you being the silver flame, it was the lie. I'm sick and tired of all this freaking lie that kept coming from the people around me," Neya clench her teeth as she held back the tears.

"I don't want you to know about my terrible past and about your mother. I don't want you to live a life burden with fear because of the bounty, because of me," Nesto said

"Well! How noble of you to think that for me?" She says in a sarcastic tone.

"You remember... when you said that you don't care about my past, and I said the same thing to you. I believe your words, I truly do but I guess you didn't believe mine. Because you lie to me," The words are like pouring a bunch of salt on an open wound for Nesto.

"YOU LIE TO ME!" Neya shouts as she raises her upper body to look at Nesto.

"YOU. LIE. TO. ME!" she slams her fist on the flower beside her.

Nesto felt his entire heart shatter into a million piece when he saw his master, looking at him with teary eyes and trembling lips. When he looked into her eyes, he can see it wasn't the anger that hides behind it. It was the disappointment, the feeling of betrayal again, a broken heart, and shattered trust.

The feeling of regret and guilt overwhelm Nesto, he wanted to make it up for her. He broke her trust in him, he then tries to reach her with his hand.

"STOP! Just stop, maybe it's my fault, I thought I could trust again. How hopeful of me, but I know the truth. That this is the world is shit, it's full of deceiver and liar and cheaters, when will I ever learn that?" Neya said with seething white-hot anger.

"I did it to protect you," Nesto tries to salvage what trust she had in her heart.

Neya proceeds to stand from her sitting position, she clenches the underside of her dress.

"I didn't want a protector! You said you know me then answer me! What do I want from you!?" Neya ask.

Nesto thought of a million answer but none of them are the true answers. To make it clear, he doesn't know the answers, so his flatten as he looks at her master.

"I want you to be my family, someone who I could trust again and someone I could depend," Neya said.

"You succeed, for a long moment when we were together, I thought of you as my family, not just any family member. I thought of you as my dad," Neya said the sniff her snort away.

Those words pierce Nesto heart, he didn't realize it before, it was the same feeling he had. Deep down, Neya was like a daughter that he wanted. A daughter that he would have if Eilna was still alive.

"Neya, please forgive me. We can turn back time, we can become the same as before," Nesto plead.

"You said that, but how could I trust you?" Neya said as she hugs herself.

"You can trust me," Nesto tries to reach her with his hand.

"I order you to stay away from me!" Neya order.

The moment Nesto tires to reach her, the collar shock his entire body causing him to fall to his knees and grunt in pain. Neya looks away from the painful expression that Nesto let out. She couldn't bear to see the person she cared about in pain, so she walks away.

"Neya, please... I'm sorry!" Nesto said but she ignored his word and walk away. He looks down in regret at his very own choice. He's the one who picks this choice, it was his fault.

Neya left the room without looking back. Her hand over her mouth, she tries to muffle the cries escaping her throat. Tears drop down from her chin to the floor one by one.

While she was walking, she saw two butlers walking toward her from the other hallway. Neya tries to gain composure by sniffing the snort and wiping her tear away. She straightens her posture and kept walking.

When she was close to the two butlers, they suddenly block her way by standing in front of her. She was confused when she looked behind her, she sees two maids that are heading her way.

Neya turns around and tries to walk to the other side but now the maids are blocking her path.

"Neya Nimmith, the queen order me to bring you back home."

Neya looks for the source of the voice and sees the student behind the butler. She recognizes him as the student that mock Nesto in the cafeteria the one that she yelled at.

"You will pay for humiliating me in the cafeteria," The student said.

Before Neya could scream for help, one of the butlers gag her mouth with a rag and grab hold of her arms. The fear is kicking in and her mind becomes cloudy; she wanted to scream, but couldn't. Nesto faces flash before her mind, a tear flow down as she felt being useless again.

Nobody is coming to save her because she orders him to stay away, Nesto couldn't come to save her even if he wanted to.