The Valdnrosa family hadn’t always consisted of the four.

When Odetta first entered the palace at the age of fifteen, there were seven of them. Originally, the previous king had nine children. Two were killed by Casrian, leading him to win out of the heir apparents and ascend the throne.

Casrian was a rather passive ruler during his first eight years as king. He let the kingdom of Andalia slowly build itself back up after years of war instigated by the previous king for decades on end. Odetta didn’t understand most of it back then, so it was hard to imagine the amount of work Casrian had to go through even until now. It wasn’t like he was going to tell her about it, either.

Those first few months that Odetta experienced living in the palace from two years ago would be the most peaceful months she would ever have there.

Odetta recounted that day multiple times in her head as she sat on the windowsill of her bedroom. She had sat there since dawn came, yet didn’t seem to care.

No, there was only the image of the woman that hung over the palace walls, the darkened sky, and that one night during the month it took for the sky to clear whilst seven of her siblings died…

That hellish, hellish month.

How ironic that although this bedroom was the exact place she almost met death, it was also the place she considered the safest.

At one point during the day, maids Odetta were unfamiliar with came in to clean up her bedroom. Figured, since she had been cleaning it up herself all this time when her previous maids made a point of ignoring her. When one of them came up to her and ushered her to the bath, she complied without a word. However, that was as far as she let them get close to her. Once she got out of the bath, she told them to leave her to dress up alone, which made them glance at each other.

Odetta sighed inwardly when she noticed their hesitation. She’d already gone through this with the previous groups of maids Rhylis hired before.

She picked up one of the cosmetic containers from the vanity where she sat. Without a word, she twisted to face the maids behind her. The container felt round and heavy in her hand.

When the container flew and struck the head of the unfortunate maid who stood closest to her, plumes of white powder burst forth as its lid popped off. “Ah!” the maid yelped, stumbling backwards.

As the maids frantically fanned away the powder from the air, Odetta crossed her legs and glared at them. It wasn’t so hard to do now that she’s done it a few times.

“Don’t you fools know that I hate when my room is tainted by the likes of you? Get out of my sight.”

“Y-yes, Your Highness!” And with that, the maids left her bedroom at once.

Odetta got up from her seat and retrieved the powder container from the ground. Either a maid would come in later to sweep up the mess or, if they knew what the previous group of maids would have done, come by to drop some cleaning supplies for Odetta to clean it up herself. To the people in the palace who did not know the princess very well, she was notorious for being so controlling as to micromanage down to the last speck of dust in her bedroom. Not that they complained, though—it meant less work for her maids and fuel for even more gossip that already surrounded her.

Too lazy to dress extravagantly, Odetta decided to sling a fuchsia colored mantle over her shoulder, wrapping it around her waist and using a silver brooch to pin it on her side over her plain white dress. It was basically the type of clothing she wore back when she didn’t live in the palace, except her clothing now were dyed full of vibrant colors with dozens of precious jewels to adorn it whilst before, she could only afford threadbare fabrics made of wool.

As for her hair, she let it hang down in waves down her back. She was long used to the murmurs about the color of her hair, how a few even thought that she must not be washing it enough for it to be this black.

After Odetta got done dressing up, she went out to get a breath of fresh air at the palace gardens. It was probably one of the few other places she willingly went to in the palace. However, the last time she went there was also the same day she went to the throne room. How many days have passed since then? Not that she cared much.

She finally reached the arbor that marked the entrance of the gardens. The curved structure was covered in lush vines and the very same cornflowers she had picked before.

Before Odetta knew it, the sound of footsteps appeared near her. The first thing she saw when she turned her head to the side was hair the color of dried blood. Her heart clenched.

“Odette!” Rhylis waved at her. “It looks like we’re going the same way. Want to have some snacks with me?”

***

Odetta clutched her hands together as she watched Rhylis’ servants lay out the table before her, setting down slices of honey cake and cups of tea for them each along with an assortment of diced fruit in the center. A napkin was then given to her, which she placed upon her lap just as she was taught during those tiring etiquette lessons.

It wasn’t like she could refuse Rhylis’ invitation. Even she knew how he was adored by the residents in the palace, including the king himself. No one knew why he himself seemed to hate Casrian, but as long as it wasn’t the same the other way around, he remained a favorite around here.

“It looks like you’re feeling better from the poison,” Rhylis said after all the servants left them in the gardens. “I thought you were building up your immunity. Have you already stopped?”

Odetta considered not telling him the truth, staring down at her reflection upon the tea’s surface. After a few seconds of pondering, she answered, “No. I was working on it as you suggested. I consumed every amount you gave to my maids, but one of them decided to give me a bit more than usual.” Perhaps that maid did it as a cruel joke, knowing she wouldn’t die. If only the reason for it could still be found out.

“Hmm, then it looks like she deserved to get executed.” Rhylis sipped his tea without batting an eyelash. It was an unspoken rule to not discuss whatever happened whenever Casrian went on a rampage.

Not wanting to face him directly, Odetta unintentionally gazed at his fingers and counted the number of rings he wore.

‘Three on one hand, two on the other.’ One of the rings on his left hand caught her eye in particular as it was inlaid with a large ruby jewel that shone spectacularly in the daylight.

Noticing her gaze on his rings, Rhylis grinned. “If you’re so interested in jewelry and fashion, we have enough money in the coffers to fill up the whole palace with them. Casrian wouldn’t mind even if half of the treasury suddenly disappears.”

‘He won’t mind if it’s you emptying the treasury.’ But Odetta didn’t say that out loud and only kept her gaze on his ruby ring. “You’re right, jewels can be just so pretty. Especially the ones on your rings.” She gently reached out to his hands after he set down his cup of tea. Rhylis, knowing none the better, let her examine his fingers.

“Live… by your… creed,” Odetta read each word etched onto one of the rings aloud. She was still working on her reading, but she was nowhere near as fluent as a member of the royal family should be. She still remembered being too embarrassed—and afraid—to admit about being illiterate until months after her arrival at the palace.

Fortunately, Rhylis didn’t comment on it despite being the one who caught her. “Isn’t it nice? That one doesn’t have a jewel but the band’s made entirely out of gold.”

“Yes, they’re all pretty, with or without jewels.” She smiled then withdrew her hands from his. “Perhaps I should get some myself—ouch!”

Odetta flinched hard, bending down to check on her foot underneath the table. She acted distracted enough to strongly sweep her hand over Rhylis’ ruby ring.

When she looked back towards him, she noticed that she had hit the jewel hard enough for it to fly off the ring and straight into his tea.

She watched, frozen, as the jewel gradually dissolved and turned the tea a bright crimson.