"That hurts," Otto said with a weak smile. I realized I was still gripping his arm and quickly loosened my fingers.

"I'm so sorry, Otto!" I said, snapping out of my thoughts. "I need to go—"

"You're going?" Otto asked with his doe eyes, looking hurt. "You've hardly stayed for a moment." I sighed in defeat.

"Oh, fine, I'll stay for a while." Although I wasn't glad at always being so easily swayed—especially by his sister and him, I couldn't help but smile once his face lit up.

"Thank you so much, Karina. Oh, that reminds me, I wanted to tell you I really like your name before." I smiled to myself, knowing this was the name his sister gave me. He patted the space on his bed and I wavered before I sat down rigidly.

"Thank you Prince Otto."

"Please don't call me prince. I'm not a prince here." He gestured at the grey room. "Here I'm Otto." I couldn't argue.

"Yes, Otto. Then I'll call you by that."

"Tell me, Karina, who are you? I'd like to know more about you."

I smiled.

"Well, I'm a Dandelion System contestant. I am a Middle Class contestant and I have an older sister. I only recently met Princess Oda at the ball and started living in the castle yesterday. It's beautiful, but it also feels a bit lonely because it is so big and people are always bustling about and doing their own thing. I can relate to you in that way, Prince Otto."

He nodded.

"Yes. I don't care for being King because that would mean I would have to continue living like this."

"Like this?"

"I can never leave this place." He looked at his lap. "The Kings of Taraxac aren't allowed to leave the castle because they have many enemies. Our royal family have done wrong to many people."

"Done wrong?" He looked at me and smiled softly, almost like in pity.

"Yes. You don't know, do you? I didn't either. Not until I came of age and had to learn about it. About the places we conquered, the people we made into slaves, the villages we pillaged, the wars we created, lives we killed." Tears fell down as he frowned, anger lining his face.

It was the first time I saw him like that.

"What do you want to do, Otto?"

"I—I don't know."

He looked helpless, too. I didn't want to see that face, so I quickly spoke again.

"Recently I made several new friends, like Princess Oda, Aideen, Oriana, Annabelle, and just today, two more girls. And you, too."

"That's wonderful," he mused.

"And what about you? How have you been recently?"

"Well, a few days after I met you, some strangers came into the tower. They said they only wanted my hair, and so they cut my hair and took it—not a piece of hair was left—and went away."

"That's funny!" He seemed truly happy talking to someone. It was like he had bottled everything up and was relieved to spill it to me.

"And one time, Oda came bringing me cake, pie, and many other pastries. Right after she left, Mother came, bringing me more. Then my daily cooks sent me sweets, too, I don't know why." I concluded this was because the prince's birthday had just passed and he was freshly eighteen.

"That must be wonderful."

"Oh no, not at all. By the end of the day I felt sick."

On and on we spoke like that. It made me realize how he viewed the world; every time he was yelled at it was like being hated by the world; every smile was heavenly bliss, in contrast. He also didn't seem to like his tutors and doctors. Also, since the King fell ill, the Queen, who was keeping Taraxac in line, couldn't visit him.

"Tell me more about you, Karina." he suddenly decided. I stiffened at the attention.

"What about me?"

"Things that you like, or anything."

"My life isn't interesting at all," I began. "I enjoy certain things like playing the piano, but I don't play very good. When I play the piano my older sister, Catalina, sings. We play music for the children in the schoolhouse. People have always said I'm mature for my age." I realized it was getting dull, and laughed at his silence. "I'm a bore, aren't I?"

"No, you aren't!" Otto defended. A knock came at the door. I eyed Otto.

"Otto, stay here, let me check who it is." He nodded obediently. Was it a guard? Princess Oda? I walk to the the door and open the door a tiny fraction and peeked out.

"Karina!" I sighed: it was Aideen. I had forgot about her.

"I'm sorry, Aideen, could you go back first?" I asked apologetically.

"Sure, but it'll be supper soon," she reminded me. I turned to look out the tower window, realizing the sky was dark already.

"I see, I'll tell Otto I have to leave soon."

"Yes. Goodbye, and get back safely."

"Goodbye."

She left, and I bit my lip, imagining the fuss he would make to make it hard for me to leave. It would definitely take me some time to pacify him into letting me leave. As I closed the door, the candle in the room suddenly blew out.

"Otto?" I called into the room, now dark. There was no reply and I took a small step, stumbling without light. Suddenly, a hand roughly grabbed my arm and pushed me backwards. I gasped as the bone of my back hit the stone wall.

"Otto? What are you doing—"

"No." A deep and cold voice, different from Otto's, responded instead.

How? Nobody else is in the room. Just as sudden as before, Otto's face was pressed close to mine. I could see it faintly in the dark, the eyes narrowed like Oda's and a wary frown to match.

"You are just like the others, aren't you?" he muttered angrily, and places his hands on the wall behind me, caging me in.

"I don't get it Otto, what—"

"Don't call me Otto!"

There was a chill in me. This was not the boy I was chatting with before. The boy who had cried for the cruel things that happened in the world. The boy who laughed and smiled.

Who was he?

"I hate people like you," he hissed, "just because I'm the prince, you take advantage. But you don't realize, as the prince, I can do more harm than good. It's funny, isn't it? Pitying me like an animal, taking advantage of—"

"Its not like that!" I protested. He wasn't Otto at all. "I don't want anything, I just thought you seemed lonely!"

"Lonely?!" he shouted. "You have the right calling me lonely when you locked me here?"

"It's not me!" I exclaimed. "I only met you a day ago!"

"Oh, so you're just an innocent victim, aren't you?" he taunted. "You don't help them lock me up? But you stay silent knowing about this? You come into the tower knowing I live in a state like this? You're saying you're innocent?"

He was right.

"I'm not saying that I'm innocent, but I'm with Princess Oda—I'm trying to help you!"

"Oda? That girl can't do a thing!" He sneered. "She can't even help herself. She's a Princess who can only use her status!"

I thought of that night, and fury drowned me.

"Even so, she's trying to help you, Otto!" I scratched at his hands, but they only tighten their grip.

"If you want to help me so much maybe I can use you."

He was smiling ominously. His lashes were almost touching me and I could feel his warm breath on me.

Without warning, he kissed me.

He kissed me feverishly, his hand tilting my chin towards him and his body pressed up against mine.

"No—"

I struggled to break free but I couldn't make him budge. It was only after I felt like I couldn't breath that he pulled away.

"Otto!" I screamed whilst pushing him away. He laughed in reply.

I couldn't believe it—this is a monster, like Oda had said. I was in more danger than I thought, and Aideen had just left and no one else knew I was here.

I raised my hand, no longer caring about his status, and slapped his face.

"You're disgusting!"

Hot tears streamed from my face. I had been helping him. I had wanted to help him, truly, from the bottom of my heart. And worse—I had trusted him. Argued against Oda for his sake.

"Is it my fault? I haven't had any fun ever since I was locked in here. You can do, and I won't be as 'lonely' that way," he mocked, a smirk on his face.

On Otto's face. I feel chills crawl up my spine. He wasn't Otto. He was something dangerous—something they wanted locked away.

"You're a monster."

He ran his ice-cold finger over my lips, and I shivered at the belittling touch.

"I always knew I was."