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After he said that, I started to back away slightly because I didn't really want them to see me. Then the door then opened to show a man with red hair, I woman with brown hair, and a boy with brown hair.

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"Alex, it's so good to see you again. How have you been?" his majesty asked as Alex walked closer. "I've been good Victor, it took a long time to get here but it was worth it."

His majesty then nodded his head and turned towards my mother saying "Josephine, you look as stunning as always." My mother smiled at him saying "Thank you Victor. I see you haven't changed."

His majesty smiled saying "I hope not, I'm still young." He then looked at my older brother saying "How have you been Ren?"

Ren looked at him saying "I've been fine but where is my sister?" This seemed to have caught his majesty's attention as he looked around the room for me. You see while they were talking, I moved into a dark corner that was behind Kai so I could hide from them.

His majesty then said "Kai, where has Maria gone? You must know, you two have not been out of each others sight since you entered the room."

Kai then said "She's hiding behind me." I then heard footsteps coming towards Kai so I backed up as much as I could into the corner but it didn't help. I opened my eyes to see my mother's cry face as she looked at me, "Maria!"

The next thing I knew, my mother had pulled me out of the corner and hugged me as she cried. I froze, I did miss my mother but for me to see her face like that, to see what I have put her through.

When my mother finally let me go, I got pulled into another hug from my older brother, Ren. "You worried us half to death. I think mother almost had a heart attack when she found that letter in your room."

Once again, I didn't hug him back and I think he was fine with that. But then he let me go, all I had left to do was to face my father, the man that I have so much in common with.

I looked at the ground as I heard him walking towards me. Once he was in front of me, he said "Maria, please look at me." But I didn't I was to afraid to see his face, to see what emotions he has in his eyes.

My father then pulled me into a hug saying "You could have talked to me Maria, I would have listened to what you had to say." I still said nothing as my father was hugging me.

He then continued on by saying "I understand why you ran away and I did the same thing when I found out I was going to be marrying your mother."

My father then let me go as he said "Please talk to me, say something Maria. We haven't seen you in 3 years." That was when a voice said "Maria, remember what we talked about under the tree."

I looked over to Kai to see him smiling at me. So I looked up at my father saying "I... I just... I just don't want to be the same person that I was before I left. I wanted to change and I didn't want to marry someone I never met before. But I missed you guys so much and I wanted to come back but I was scared that you all would be mad at me for running away."

By now I was crying as I said everything and I wanted to get out of this room, I wanted to go to the tree. I need to get out, so before my father could say anything else.

I ran out the door and towards the garden, I could hear my family yelling at me to come back but I kept on running. When I finally made it to the tree, I sat under it and looked at the sky saying "Why can't everything be as peaceful as this?"

After a few minutes of sitting under the tree, I heard some people walking towards me but I was too busy looking up at the sky to care who it was.

That was when I heard one of the people say "Kai told us that we would find you here." That was when I looked down to see my father and my older brother. I sigh and look away from them both as they walked closer to the tree.

I then heard Ren say "You know, running from your problems isn't something you should do." I still don't look at them as they stand in front of me but then the next thing I knew, a hand grabbed my chin to make me look at them.

It was my father who did it. By now he was kneeling in front of me with Ren leaning against the tree watching as this all happened. "Please talk to me Maria." my father asked.

I looked into his eyes to see sadness, love, and understanding. I then said "I couldn't be in that room anymore, I felt like I was suffocating. Also seeing the look in mom's eyes, I just didn't want to see the same in your eyes or Ren's. It's makes me feel bad about everything I have put you through because I wanted to be selfish."

I saw my father's eyes soften as he said "Maria, I told you that all you needed to do was talk to me. None of us are mad at you and your not being selfish about anything. It's understandable to be scared of something as big as this. Expectantly for a 13 year old girl to find out that she is engaged to someone she has never met before."

I was trying to hold back my tears and I was doing so well until Ren said "Don't hold back your tears Maria. It's fine to cry, nothing is going to happen. Like dad said, we're not mad or upset with you. We get it, we really do. Dad went through this same thing when he was young, I almost ran away when dad told me I was going to have to find a wife soon."

I then looked at dad as if asking what he said was true. Dad then let go of my head saying "Yeah, your brother almost made it to the palace gates but the guards caught him before he could leave. But knowing your brother, he would have went to the forest for about a week or two and have returned home."

I then gave out a small laugh as Ren said "I would not have! I mean, I would have gone to the forest but I would not return back home!"

I then saw dad smiling as he said "But when I read your journal, it said that if you were to ever run away that you would return home within a couple of weeks. You can't lie to me."

Ren then got really close to dad's face saying "You went through my stuff!" Dad then said "You sound like you mother when you do that." By now I was laughing really loudly at the small fight they were having with one another.

When I finally stopped laughing, I saw that they were both looking at me with smiles on their faces. I tilted my head saying "What?" Ren was still smiling at me as he said "You're smiling finally."

A blush made its way to my face but before I could say anything else, one of the butlers came over saying "Your carriage is ready to go." I saw my father nodded his head saying "Thank you." With that the butler left us.

I moved my head back to its normal position and said "Carriage?" Dad then rubbed the back of his head saying "Victor got the servants to get your stuff packed and into the carriage, we were sent by your mother to tell you to go say your goodbyes."

My eyes widened at my father's words and before I could think of anything to say, I got off of the ground and went off running again without a word.

I ran past servants that were in the hall and I passed by Professor Heine as well. But I didn't stop running until I got to Kai's room, I had lost all of my breath because of that run.

Once I finally got my breath back, I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. About a minute later, the door opened to show Kai in his normal clothes but with bed hair.

He then looked at me saying "I thought you were leaving already?" I shook my head saying "I have to say goodbye, don't I? I mean, we won't know when we get to see each other again."

Kai smiled at me and pulled me into a hug saying "I'm going to miss you Maria, I don't want you to go." I hugged Kai back saying "Same here but I have to go, I have no choice in the matter but I will write to you when I can."

I felt Kai nod his head saying "I will do the same." With that we let go of one another and then I looked at him with a big smile saying "Until we meet again." He smiled back saying "Until we meet again." With that I turned around and made my way outside to where the carriage was waiting for me.

Once I made it outside of the castle and to the door of the carriage, I turned around to look one more time to see all four of the princes, the king, and Heine standing on the landing above me.

I give them all one last smile before turning around and getting into the carriage. The door got closed by a guard and then off we went on our journey back to my kingdom.

**Time Skip**

After three days of being in the same carriage with stopping along the way to sleep; I was tired, we just got back and it was around noon.

I stretched my body as my father, brother, and mother got out of the carriage. They all did the same and we made our way to the doors of the castle.

As we were walking up the steps, my dad said "Maria, we are going to be hosting a party for your return but only the people of our kingdom shall be invited."

I sighed saying "Can't you just send out flyers or put it in the paper saying that I came back?" The doors to our castle was then opened up for us by some guards as my dad said "No."

I sighed once again and said "I'm heading to my room." But before I could walk away, Ren grabbed my arm saying "I'll walk you there." I then looked at his hand and then at him saying "Okay?"

He then let go of my arm as he started to walk in front of me as we made our way to my room. Once we reached the doors of my room, Ren opened them for me and I walked inside to see a completely different room then from when I left.

"Mother and Father updated it when they got word of where you were. King Granzreich gave us a description about how you were like now and your new favorite colors."

I nodded my head and say "I'm guessing the only reason you came to show me to my room was because of this and your afraid that I'll leave again now that I'm back. Is that not true?"

Ren then said "It's true but just know that just because your back we won't be watching you to make sure you don't leave. I know that it sounds like we are being overprotective but we don't want you to leave again."

I nodded my head and say "I would like some time for myself please." I heard Ren sigh as he walks out and closes the door behind him.

Once I was changed into something a little more comfortable for me to wear; I walked over to my balcony and opened up the doors and leaned against the railing.

 I then heard something walking under me so I looked down to see guards swapping places with other guards. My eyes widen at the realization; they have put guards under my window to make sure I don't run away!

Why?! They have meet the new me can't they see that I'm going to run away again?! Do they truly distrust me that much right now?! Tears started to run down my face as I thought more on the subject.

That was when I heard a knock on my door and so I turned around and walked over to my door saying "Yes?" That was when I heard my father say "It's your mother and I; Ren told us that you didn't look well and we came to check up on you."

I glared at the door as I said "I'm fine." That was when my father said "You don't sound fine Maria." I then backed away from the door and walked over to my new bed as father said "Maria, we're coming in."

I said nothing as they opened up the door. So, they opened up the door and I heard both of them walk inside and then one of them close the door. "Honey, what's wrong?" I heard mother say as she walks closer to me.

By now the both of them are standing in front of me. "What kind of parents puts guards under their daughter's balcony?" I say to them in an angered tone.

I then look up at them, glaring as I wait for their answer. My mother steps back a little because of my glare and my father just says "It to make sure you don't try to run away again." I then stand up as I say "I came back here thinking you would expect the new me but you both are boxing me in a cage!"

I watch as father's eyes turn stern as he says "Don't use that tone with me Maria." I then say "I will stop using it when you both learn to trust me better! I ran away, okay! It happened! I'm different now but you two are so afraid that your going to lose me again that you are both going to box me in a cage!"

My mother was now crying at my words and my father's stern face was still there but his eyes showed sadness as I continued on with my rant.

"I came back because I thought you both weren't going to do something like this! I came back because Kai told me that you all would accept the new me! But I can see that you two are only worried about me running away and by doing so, your just pushing me away!"

I then took in a breath as I said "Maybe I shouldn't have come back, I can see that you two don't trust me enough for me to be here. I think it would be best if I went back to where I was for the past three years. Maybe it will give you all some time to reflect on your actions."

Just like that I walked away from them and out of my room without looking back. I then heard my mother fall onto the fall crying and that was when she finally said "I told you Alex, we should have never put those guards there."

As I am walking down the hallway, Ren comes running towards me saying "One of the maids said you got into a fight with mom and dad. What happened?!"

I look up at him with a glare as I say "None of you seem to trust me enough, none of you seem to like the new me, and so I told our parents that I'm going back to the place I have been for three years so they can reflect on their actions."

Ren's eyes widen as he said "Maria that isn't true! We do accept who you are now and we do trust you!" I then say "Then why put guards under my window?"

Ren then said "What?" My eyes then soften as I said "I see, you did not know about the guards. Well, why don't you go ask father, I believe that he is still inside of my room." Ren then said "You are still going to leave again, are you not?"

I smile at him saying "Our parents need to rethink a few things and me being here is not such a good idea. The maids have yet to unpack my things, I shall take what I have and head back to Kai and his family."

Ren then said "Will you come back?" I kept the smile on face saying "Once they both realize that I can be trusted I will come back but until then, I shall stay with Kai's family. I'm sorry I didn't stay long but I will not be treated like this by my own family, I just won't."

Ren then pulled me into a hug as he said "At least write me a letter once in a while to let me know that you are okay." I nodded my head and he lets me go as we both walk in different directions; he went to my room and I went back to the carriage.

I walked up to one of the maids saying "Please put my things back in the carriage and get someone to drive me please. I am heading back to the Granzreich castle."

The maid nodded her head and once my stuff was back in the carriage, I got inside and the carriage started to move. I didn't even look back at my home as the carriage moved away.