-HER-

It was quite late that night when I snuck back into my old wing.

"Where have you been all this time?" Selma tried to confront me when I arrived, but I ignored her like air and went straight to my room.

"I'm talking to you!" She demanded. "If you don't tell me, then I will report to—" I slammed my bedroom door in her face, went to the bathroom, and filled the tub with hot water. Outside I heard Selma banging on the door several times before she gave up and left me alone for the night.

Judging by how she acted, I realised that no one was back from the celebrations. It would be good if they didn't find out that I had gone missing for a few hours.

I took my clothes off and sat in the warm water as I thought about what Herran had told me. It was eating me away. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind, but the only person that I could think about was Vittoria.

If only that bitch were here, I would have...

I sighed deeply. I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me. It was most likely that Herran was trying to drive a wedge between me and Vittoria by telling me all those things about her. But at the same time, it couldn't be denied that Vittoria had a dark past... way darker than mine.

It wouldn't be surprising if she murdered a priestess or two to get to the top...

But at the same time, if she really had stained her hands with the blood of other priestesses then nature wouldn't have allowed her to sit on the Shrine's throne.

The more I thought about it, the less it made sense. I didn't know who to trust. Herran was a noble, so he was instantly the least trustworthy, but for some reason, only he seemed to know the truth behind Vittoria's coronation. On the other hand, Vittoria was the high priestess, chosen by the laws of nature, but why was her coronation shrouded in such mystery?

Despite all these doubts, I was sure about one thing— I was being dragged into this. Otherwise, I personally had nothing to do with either Herran or Vittoria... or did I?

For all I knew right now, I am just another of their pawns in their power struggle. No matter who won in this game, I was definitely the one to lose something— either this kingdom or my brother.

~

The next morning, I woke up quite late— past breakfast time. When I got ready and left my room, Fiona had already left for court with Arke and Doria. Nuncia was working on some new pieces for Fiona.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Nuncia told me as I plopped down beside her, looking at the beautiful silk fabric she was working with.

"Yeah, I woke up quite late," I told her, fighting a yawn. Nuncia kept the clothes away for a bit and looked around before leaning into me and whispering, "So, how does it feel to be back at home?"

It was the first time when we were alone together here.

"At home?" I raised my eyebrow, "what makes you think this place makes me feel like home?"

"What about your brother?" She asked me, "Isn't he happy to see back?" She asked, some hope in her eyes.

"Of course, he's over the moon to see me. Can't you tell by the fact that he has chosen another girl to impersonate me while I'm alive and breathing the same air as him?" I asked her with a dry laugh. She shifted in her place uncomfortably.

"What about you?" I asked her. "How do you feel to be back?"

"You're asking me as if I lived in this palace,"

"Still, you did live in the capital city. Do you have any plans to visit your family?" I asked.

"I would love to, but I don't think Vittoria would be too happy if she found out," She sighed deeply.

"She wouldn't mind, trust me. She isn't the one to follow the rules," I assured her.

"I-I would love to meet them, but I don't know how they will react to me being a priestess... I mean, they probably think that I ran away or got kidnapped by the gipsies. They must think I'm dead by now,"

I sighed deeply.

"Do you remember the day she came for you?" I asked her. She fell silent for a while. I knew what that harrowing silence meant.

"I was taken in the night," she spoke after a while. "I woke up in the middle of the night due to an odd dream. No, it was a nightmare. I don't remember what it was, but I remember how it made me feel. It made me feel like someone was about to get me and take me somewhere far away from where I might never return. Then I woke up and saw Vittoria sitting in my room, watching me from the shadows," She shuddered.

"The shadow of her scythe was the first thing I saw in my dimly moonlit room. I thought I was dead, and the grim reaper was here to take me to the underworld," she recalled.

"Well, it isn't anything different than that," I laughed.

"Then she rose from the shadows and told me that she had a vision about me and that I must go to the shrine with her or die that night. I didn't know what I was thinking when I agreed to go with her,"

"She conceived you in a vision?" I asked in shock after getting to know this detail for the first time. It was rare.

She nodded.

"What about you? When did she conceive you? In a dream or a vision?"

"I don't know," I whispered, remembering the day Vittoria had come to take me.

~

It was sometime before noon when Fiona and the pair returned. Fiona looked flushed for some reason, her eyes twinkling with excitement. The first thing she did after coming back was berating Nuncia for a new dress.

When asked about her sudden demand for a brand-new dress, she told us about her new job as a tour guide to the infamous king.

"Did he ask you himself to show you around?" I couldn't help but ask. For the first time, I was a bit concerned for Fiona for being alone with that mutt king.

"No, the Emperor told me to show him around," She told me, her voice quivering with excitement.

"He wants you alone with that king?" I gritted, trying to see why my brother was getting her involved in this.

I thought she was just for the show...

Fiona's eyes widened when she heard me.

"Y-you think so?" She asked me, looking more flushed. I gave her a long, hard stare.

"Why? You sound rather pleased with the idea of being alone with him?" I asked carefully. Suddenly, she looked taken off guard. She schooled her features and gave me a sharp look before declaring, "It would be better to be a queen someday than a play princess,"

_