"I have to talk with Maria, where is she?" I asked my brother.

Gabriel sighed. "At my room" he replied. I tried to hide my grin when I heard him said that.

Up until now, I didn't know how this rascal managed to seduce Maria. Their behavior is quite different you know... "If you're thinking something extraordinary, just keep that on your brain," My brother said.

I laughed when he said that. "I wasn't. You're just overthinking brother" I said. "Anyway, I have to talk with Maria about the preparations. Her father will come back tomorrow"

"Sister, are you sure that this will work?" Gabriel asked.

I tapped his shoulders to reassure him. "Trust your sister. I was the one who raised you, and you know that I am good at this" I took out a medallion from my pocket. "I think this is yours"

"What's this?" He asked.

"One of the Velasquez's heirloom" I replied. "Keep it. That will serve as our evidence for our real identities"

That medallion is a magical ancient item. It will only work with the person who has the blood of Velasquez. I haven't tried to use it but when we ran away I decided to take it in case of emergency.

And now is the emergency.

"But are you really sure that you wanted to take the position? If you became the heir you cannot live the way that you used to be" I asked him one last time. "You might lose your freedom"

He remained silent for a second. A sly smile appeared on his face. "Don't worry about me. You are the one who raised me, Do you really think that a mere title can restrain me?"

"That's my brother," I said as I walked away.

My brother is already a grown-up man! I'm so proud of him.

I went upstairs to talk with Maria. As soon as I went to my brother's room I knocked. "Maria Eleonor," I called her name. "Are you asleep? Can I talk to you?"

I heard light footsteps coming inside the room. The door creaked when a white-haired woman opened it.

"Maria" I spoke. The coldness inside the room touched my body. Maria looks like an Ice Queen who opened the door. The icy cold effect is thanks to the aircon of course. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

Her pretty face seemed to be in the gloom. She silently grabbed my arms to enter the room.

"I don't want to come back" she suddenly replied. "Gabriella, I want to stay here. I want to be with Gabriel, I want to be with you"

I carefully pats her white hair and sat on a chair beside the bed. "Don't stress out yourself. It might affect your baby" I noticed that her eyes are full of worry. I wonder if I could even tell her that she needs to go with her father.

"But, my father... He wants me to come back with him!" She said trying to contain her emotions. "I know I can't fight back my father's decisions, but why is he doing this now?"

I remained listening.

"I don't want to come back to that place." Maria held my hand. "You won't give me to my father. Right?"

I let out a deep sigh. "You know that I cannot contradict your father right?" I asked.

"Then does it mean..."

"Tomorrow, your father will be here to take you home" I bluntly replied. I'm sorry for being straightforward, Maria but... "You have to come with your father." Maria glanced at me. "I think you need to stop hiding and running away."

"I don't want you to be miserable but can you really be happy if you're still experiencing fear?"

"Gabriella, You cannot understand me" Maria coldly replied. "You don't know what kind of hell is that place!" The rage in her eyes is crystal clear. The hate is clear and visible.

To be abused by her nanny, to be mentally abused by her teachers, to be mocked, to be the topic of the negative rumors, to be judged because she's an illegitimate child and to be slowly molded into a monster because of society.

I know what kind of hell is she talking about.

"Don't you want your redemption?" I asked.

"Being in his place is my redemption" She raised her voice. "You're the angel who saved me"

"But your hatred is still here" I pointed at her heart. "It's not yet gone, right? It feels stuffy right?" I asked "Maria, Can you really live with these types of emotions? Aren't you curious about what happened to that place the moment you disappeared to run away with me?"

"What's the point?"

"You have been recovered. So stop running and face it..." I replied. Maria became silent. "You've grown a lot. You improved a lot. You are not the person you used to be. Maria"

"Do you trust me?" She didn't respond. I took a deep sigh and embraced her. "Trust me. This is only a temporary departure, do you really think that I will let you be taken away? You're my dearest friend"

"Then why? I can't just understand"

I let out a soft chuckle. "That handsome old man doesn't want you to marry a commoner. Do you want to know why?" I asked. Maria's lips twitched.

"He probably wanted me to marry a powerful person to add it on his connections" She answered me.

"He told me that power and money make people happy," I said. I gave her a meaningful look. "Marrying a commoner like my brother means lack of money and power. Probably one of the reasons why he wanted to take you away"

At first, that reason sounds like a bullsh*t but I realized that it was a point of view of a father who wanted the best for his child. Like come to think of it, does the duke really hates his daughter? Talking to him makes me realize how uninformed he is about familial relationships.

That's why I'm kind of curious about the Duke's point of view. Did he really do nothing to stop the execution of his daughter? There is no part of the novel where he really criticizes his daughter. I'm not saying that what if he is the only misunderstood, but I'm still curious.

"Anyway, To be able to be with you again. I proposed something to your father" I suddenly blurted out. "Give me and my brother ten days to become a noble. On the tenth day, we will come to your household and my brother will propose to you"

"Have you decided to enter the aristocratic society?" she asked. "I thought you don't want to get involved with the nobles, that's why you're hiding under Leonardo's nose"

I smirked appeared on my face. I crossed my arms as I focus on Maria's enchanting beauty "Well, it's time for us to retrieve our original status" I replied.

Maria's eyes went wide. "What do you... mean?"

"Gabriel and I..." I paused. "...Has always been a part of the aristocratic society"