Late at night, after another day of training—mainly bickering with Renit—a quiet knock sounds on my door. I'm half asleep, barely able to open my eyes, but I hear the person shuffle in anyway and immediately know it's not Renit or Silas or a servant arriving late to prepare my outfit for the next day. Mani isn't that persistent.

Instead, Celestine's gentle hand nudges against my shoulder and I groan. My other shoulder is stuck underneath me, pressed against the wooden floorboards. And I had just started to drift off to sleep for the night, with my aching muscles and drained power. With the titanium band around my wrist, there isn't anything I can do to bring it back, not when the key is in the other room.

I suppose that's for the best, otherwise, my power might attack in the night while I'm sleeping. Besides, Renit never let me cross the threshold from the hallway into his chambers so I know sneaking in there to find the key would result in a fight to the death Renit has a strong chance of winning.

"What do you want?" I grumble.

Celestine rolls me over to face her. I'm met by her dark silhouette, her features brought out by only the moonlight swimming through the long wall of glass windows. Where I had been only an hour before, my nose so far in a book I didn't think I could dig myself back out. I didn't realize the castle had such a wide range of books and for the first time in my life; I was in the mood to read a little romance. Anything after a rough day of dealing with Renit.

Celestine shakes me harder, forcing me to wake and look up at her. In the moonlight, she looks gorgeous. She always has, my sister draws eyes wherever she goes but there's something about the gentleness of her face and the even softer manner that goes with it. My sister wouldn't hurt a fly and I have her power to thank for that.

Again, I ask, "What do you want?"

"I haven't talked to you in two days and that's how you greet me?" She hisses to the night.

I force myself to flash my teeth with my eyes closed. Her hand gently slaps my cheek.

"I wanted to tell you all about the gardens and the...new life I have." She lays down next to me, snatching a pillow, and tugs half the blanket over herself. The fire crackles to my right, warming me from head to toe.

"Go for it, I'm listening." That's not necessarily the case, I can feel myself falling back asleep. My eyes burn with exhaustion.

"It's so wonderful, Roux. I've never had this volume of access to my power and there's so much more I can do with it than I originally thought. The garden servants are the same as me, we share the same power, and they're helping me. Everyone is so kind and—"

Sleep takes me again and when a quiet snore leaves my lips, Celestine groans. She shifts against the pillows and shakes me again. "That's great," I mumble.

Then, my worse fear comes to life. She sniffles—once, twice. The sound is as horrid as I think; she hasn't cried in front of me in years except she's done plenty in the past few days. My eyes fly open and the fire illuminates her face to reveal a single tear rolling down her cheek and pressing to the pillow.

"I wish they were still here," she whispers. "I wish they weren't dead."

The tip of her button nose turns red, and her already swollen eyes are lined with silver. She's done enough crying over these days, we both have. I've found quiet moments myself when the grief takes over. After everything, the swift killing of my parents, the engagement...there is too much to cry over and not enough time to do so.

But in dark alcoves and when I'm alone in my chambers, I've found the time to let that ache push itself front and center so I can relieve it, same as my power. I'm getting better at control but it's difficult when all the power and emotion wants to do is burst at the seams.

"This is all my fault," I tell her. "If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have died."

She shakes her head. "No, this is the king's fault. He's the one who forced us here and killed them. We have to remember that. And we must protect each other from him and his power. As the older sister, I am responsible for you now and we can't lose each other here."

Celestine reaches down and grabs my hand, squeezing so tight I think my bones might crack. This is her one grip from the world to now, to our connection and our time apart. A single reminder that although we may be far apart, we still have blood to share. It stretches from one end of the castle to the next and when we're in the same room, our connection blossoms.

"You're not responsible for me," I say quietly. "I want you to protect yourself here and make a living while you still can. Surround yourself with good company and everything will fall into place. Please, don't lose hope. Maybe, in the end, this is the best thing that could have happened." She stares at me quizzingly. No, I don't mean the death of our parents. "Being right under the king's nose might help us survive. There's a use for me and you're working in the gardens—he can't hurt us now. And we're safe here."

She nods, forcing herself to see the bright side of the situation. There is always one, a silver lining, but it's hard to find when everything else is spiraling out of control. She sniffles one last time, wipes her nose, and takes a deep breath. Just like that, her sorrow departs.

"What's it like being engaged to a prince?" She mocks, elbowing me.

"Under normal circumstances, I don't think it would be bad but with Renit...there's no joy with him. He's as cold as ice and even before he knew me, he hated me."

"He doesn't hate you." The pillow shifts as she shakes her head. "His father forced him to marry someone he doesn't love. Renit can't take that out on his father so he's taking it out on you."

I laugh under my breath. "The last I recall, he tried to kill me before he knew we were to be engaged. I think he hated me the entire time."

"Don't worry. You'll get through. It takes time." She pats my hand. "Now get some sleep, I know you have training tomorrow."

I nod, already halfway there. I don't remember when she leaves or if she ever does but with the thought of her next to me, the sound of her breathing while she sleeps and the constant reminder I'm not alone in this room, I get the best sleep of my life. Sleeping on the floor, in front of the fire, is unconventional for most. But for me, it's a little slice of home—the last I have except for Celestine. Everything else is gone and I haven't given myself the chance to think whether Bren is dead or not. So many events are happening at once, my chance to mourn him hasn't come yet.

When I wake the next morning, light streaming in from the windows, my hip still aches but my head is clear. After hitting the wall of my power, there was enough pain to last two days that even a healing tonic wouldn't help. Renit didn't care, he forced me to get a servant myself to find a healer. If I had dropped dead right there, he would have shrugged and waited for someone else to find the body.

Now he stands over me again, as he has the past two mornings, and throws a pair of pants and a shirt onto my head. "Get dressed," he orders. But he doesn't leave the room this time. He knows I take more than a second to get up and if I don't move in enough time by his count, he'll rip me from the floor himself. "Roux, if you don't get up in two seconds—"

I groan loud enough to drown out his voice but he backs off and allows me the room to stand. When I hold out my hand, asking for help up, he rolls his eyes. "Help me," I say.

"You can get up yourself."

"No, I can't. Help me up and we can get started with the day." His chest rises and falls with a heavy, annoyed sigh. "The quicker you do this—"

His cold skin latches around mine and he nearly yanks my arm out of its socket as he pulls me to a standing position. "Eat more," he growls. "You're too thin." I look down at the twisted pajamas, revealing a small slit of stomach and my navel.

I snatch the clothes from the floor and turn towards the bathing room. "I thought this was how a princess is meant to look."

"No, princesses are supposed to look healthy. You look sickly." He looks me up and down with no hint of lust in his eyes. If I didn't know any better, he was looking at me in the same way he would look at a sister.

I gape at him. "You're not giving the best compliments to your betrothed."

Renit is either ready to kill me or throw me out one of the windows because he huffs like a bull and runs a hand through his hair. I've seen a temper before and I've seen someone who doesn't want to cooperate but I've never seen someone who is so difficult to understand as the prince of this kingdom. Princes are supposed to smile and support their people with handshakes and good deeds. Renit does neither of those things. All he cares about is himself, same as his father.

"Just let me know you can actually give compliments and I'll get dressed," I tell him, jerking my thumb towards the bathing room behind me.

"Roux." He says my name like a threat. Thunder rumbles deep in his throat.

"Only one, that's all I'm asking for. I'll even give you one in return." I look him up and down, searching for something I like, but find nothing. If I didn't absolutely despise him, I might consider him handsome. "Your hair is...nice."

He scoffs. "I'm not doing this, either you get dressed or I'll have the king drag you out himself. And he is not nearly as kind as I am."

Kind. When has Renit ever been kind?

I don't bother making the situation worse. But the sun is barely lighting the sky so there's plenty of time for me to waste before we have to do something. Not everyone wants to get up and move as early as the prince does.

"Listen, we're forced to marry someday; shouldn't it be a good idea to at least talk to each other?" I ask him, taking one step forward. Renit takes another step back. He doesn't want me close and more than anything, more than the hate we have for each other, I have to respect that. I've seen many women and men in the village who have had to put up with a situation like this.

His nostrils flare but for the first time since we met, merely weeks ago, his eyes soften. "Fine, your eyes are...pretty."

"My eyes are pretty?" I can't hide the quirk of my mouth to the side.

"Yes...yes, they're bright. Now go get changed." He points towards the bathing room and I go to it, happy with the results of my persistence. I prepared myself for an entire battle but he gave up much quicker than I expected. There is hope then, hope he won't be as cruel as everyone paints him to be.

By the time I'm changed and I brush my hair, he's already gone, likely waiting in the hall. When I go out there to find him leaning his shoulder against the wall, eyebrows raised in annoyance, he won't meet my eye in fear of seeing that mocking smirk plastered on my face.