The absolute fear I had being surrounded by so much wealth was no joke. After spending more than a year in the east wing my body and mind had adapted to a less...wealthier lifestyle. Now it was strange to see so much gold and dark plated ornaments and artefacts in nearly every available space. I didn't know what to look at. Candlelit chandeliers hung from ceiling with arrays of hanging crystal prisms which illuminated the room with refracted light. The more I stared the more I realised that there were intricate arabesques of leaves, flowers and magical creatures that were enriched by coloured glass, seemingly made possible by a glass-like material that had to be infused with magic. Otherwise I had no idea what was causing those shapes to move as if they were alive.

There was something about walking the halls of this palace that made time stop. It was almost as if you could hear the orchestra playing in the theatre and see a rich duchess sitting on her chaise surrounded by her maids, not to mention the beauty of the building. The gold richly-woven fabrics and brocades, the grey heavy gilded plaster moulding, large sculpted side boards, and heavy marbling was completely overwhelming. It screamed wealth of an entirely different level—so unavoidably opulent.

It was vieux riche.

Kael was old money.

It was as if every material and colour had to be visually appealing as well as gothic, creating an overall sense of floating through a gilded, satin cloud. This aesthetic was maintained not only in the walls and ceilings of the room, but in the furniture, flatware, silverware, paintings, and decorations. Everything matched and everything looked so incredibly lavish that it appeared as if everything were handmade individually by skilled craftspeople.

An incredible waste of money. My heart hurt looking at this and trying to imagine the sheer cost of it all.

It was also clear that magic was of no consequence in the main wing.

Beautiful orbs of light floated around the chandeliers, giving off a softer glow and providing more light inside. The light they exuded almost made it feel as if we were standing outside in the sun.

Lucius and Rounen, however, appeared completely indifferent to the absolute extravagance that oozed from the walls of this place.

Meanwhile, it felt as if I had walked straight into prince charming's palace in the book of my favourite childhood fairytale.

There were no words.

Looking down at me, Rounen grinned. "It is hard to stare at such handsomeness and not be stunned."

"I highly doubt that." Lucius was walking calmly behind with his hands behind his head. "She was looking at anything but your ugly ass face."

Rounen shot Lucius a withering glare. "We're twins, you're pretty much calling yourself ugly."

Lucius waved his finger. "Fraternal twins, dear brother." His words confirmed my suspicions as Lucius continued. "It only makes sense that your ugliness would have to compensate for my lack thereof. There must always be balance."

Wow. Judging from how these conversations were flowing, this appeared to be normal banter between the boys.

Rounen appeared to be about to lash out in response, before he looked down at me and smiled. "See this Bones? Your brother Rounen is so forgiving. I should be breaking brother Lucius's neck, but instead I choose to show mercy." He nodded to himself.

Lucius folded his arms. "Just because you always lose when it comes to a battle of wits."

I swear I could see a vein throb on Rounen's forehead as he continued to show me a forced smile while ignoring Lucius. "Do you hear that? My stomach is rumbling. Hopefully there is a feast waiting for us!"

"We just had breakfast." Lucius sighed.

"Well." Rounen spun around to face Lucius. "You don't have to come. Bones and I will have lunch together, we don't need you."

Lucius looked caught off guard as he stared at the two of us. For a rare moment, he looked as if he was lost for words before he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Of course I have to be there. How else is Bones meant to know when you're lying?"

They both looked at me and I felt the heat creep up into my cheeks. Were they expecting me to say something?

Before I could reply, Rounen hugged me tighter. "Don't listen to him Bones. I only ever tell the truth. Honest."

"And that right there, is a lie."

"Shush."

Lucius ran a hand through his dark blue hair in exasperation, making a few stray hairs fall in front of his eyes. These brothers truly were a sight for sore eyes.

After that, the scenery around me lulled me into a lighter state of consciousness, where everything around me became a blur. Children's bodies seemed to become tired a lot quicker than adults. It felt quite shameful falling asleep so often. Although I didn't fall asleep this time, I did doze off for a bit. When I finally felt Rounen change his position, I opened my eyes to find ourselves in a large dining room at the end of a very long marble table. There was a beautiful table runner that ran the length of the table, in the characteristic black and gold theme. At the end, there was already a set of food and assortments, most of which I didn't recognise.

Rounen sat down at the end, placing me on his lap. "Looks like we forgot to tell the maids you would be joining us."

Rounen carefully sat me on his leg and reached for a sandwich. "Here. Eat."

When I tried to reach for it, the sandwich was too large for my tiny hands. I felt my face flush in embarrassment.

Suddenly, there was a different food before my eyes. It was a smaller piece of sandwich that looked carefully cut. "Here."

I took the smaller piece before realising that Lucius had been holding it. Judging from the missing piece of his sandwich that he was currently eating, it looked as if he had quickly cut off a piece of his and given it to me.

"I was about to do that!" Rounen grumbled.

"Too slow." Lucius casually took a bite out of his own sandwich without looking up.

I stared at the bite size piece in my hands before looking up again. "Thank you, brother!"

Lucius seemed surprised by my praise, before giving Rounen a superior smirk. I noticed Rounen scrunch up his nose.

Without complaint, I bit into the sandwich and was surprised at the flavour. I hadn't been expecting the taste, but it seemed similar to Ruben sandwiches back on earth.

Heavenly.

I savoured the taste—while Rounen, ate his entire sandwich in two bites. He didn't even use the elegant silverware that looked as if it had been set up with painstaking precision. I almost felt sorry for the servants.

Meanwhile, Lucius appeared to be the one with manners. He used the silverware to cut up his meat before taking bites.

After I finished my bite-sized piece, Rounen tossed a few more unfamiliar pastries and fruits onto a smaller plate which he placed in front of me.

Rounen must have taken my hesitation to eat unfamiliar food as an invitation—because he then to began to chop the food into itty bitty littles pieces. He'd practically diced it all until it didn't look appetising anymore.

In fact, it looked almost like mush.

Rounen gave me a nod of approval, as if he had done me some great favour. "Just for you."

He must have felt challenged by Lucius's behaviour earlier.

Oh well, at least he tried. I took a piece of pastry and exclaimed. "Thank you, brother!"

Rounen crossed his arms and gave Lucius a superior smile. This sibling rivalry felt as if it was going to wear down my nerves in the future. But one thing was for certain.

They weren't against me.

Which was so much more than I'd ever hoped for. In fact, it was completely beyond my expectations. At least being cute worked on kids who were old enough to succumb to a cute face.

I had to work this to my advantage.

For a moment, as we all sat there eating in complete serenity, I was struck by a sudden unfamiliar feeling. I couldn't name it because I'd never felt it before. But it was strange being in a grand room, eating such grand food and for once not having to worry about how I should act in order to survive.

After eating and downing his glass of water, Rounen turned to me with a cunning smile.

I swallowed. Oh no.

For some reason, I wasn't liking this smile.

My inner peace was shattered just as quickly as it had been built.

"Do you know what is a must after a hearty meal?"

Across the table, Lucius gave the most condescending reply as he twirled a knife in his hands. "Let me guess." The knife glinted in the light as it spun dangerously fast. "An adventure."

Rounen was oblivious to his tone and nodded enthusiastically at me. "Exactly! I bet Bones hasn't been to the secret garden before."

Lucius stopped twirling the knife, catching it on its blade with inhuman precision and became serious. "Of course she hasn't. It's forbidden, not even we're allowed there. It's outside our territory."

Rounen's eyes were sparkling. "And that, my dear brother." He turned to look at me, his eyes were shining red with madness. "Is why it's called an adventure."