I recollected my thoughts before I finally decided to turn around and think of what to do for later.

Once I did however, I froze at the sight of Prince Nathaniel James leaning against the wall right next to the Heir's private office door.

Since when was he-

"What were you doing inside Eugene's private office?" he probed, eyeing at my small figure like a hawk.

Quick, Rosette! Think of something!

"N-Nothing, Your Highness. He j-just had to ask me a few q-questions." I mumbled in quick defense.

I mentally slapped myself.

Ugh, me and my stupid mouth.

Stammering out my reason, Prince Nathaniel squinted his eyes out, just like he always does whenever he seemed suspicious of me.

After observing my flustered expression, he once again continued on throwing questions like a soldier who caught a bandit red-handed.

"Then why do you keep s-s-stuttering?" Prince Nathaniel teased, a hint of sarcasm overflowing from the tone of his voice as he imitated me and snickered mockingly.

I dipped my head in embarrassment.

"You're up to something," he concluded, crossing his arms, "If you try and harm any of my brothers, I'll banish you from our kingdom myself." He added, but this time his tone is dead serious as he spat a warning.

Somehow, instead of feeling threatened, I found myself smiling at him.

At this particular moment between the two of us, it was my turn to say something. "You really care about your brothers, don't you?"

My question had thrown him off balance.

Clearly, he didn't see this coming. As if trying to act like it was not a big deal for him, he regained his confident composure back.

"Of course... They're family." Prince Nathaniel simply stated. He whipped his head away from my direction, his cheeks were turning red.

Much to his confusion however, I smirked and looked at the door to the office.

"That's what he said, Prince Eugene. Did you hear it?"

A grinning prince then emerged from the door. It was no other than Prince Eugene who had been listening to the conversation all along.

"Loud and clear, Miss Rosette." He responded, standing next to the sophisticated door frame.

We both exchanged evil grins. Prince Nathaniel could only stand there and watch us with wide eyes.

"Brother?! Since when were you-"

The young prince was about to protest, but he was immediately cut off by his older brother from speaking any further.

"Nathaniel, we've talked about this already. Give our guest the respect of privacy that she needs." Prince Eugene reprimanded in an unexpected gentle pitch.

"But-"

"I shall hear no more of this nonsense." He held up his hand as a gesture to stop. "Miss Rosette, I apologize for Nathaniel's actions. You may now go."

I felt the Heir's dominating air of nobility the second his brother instantly obeyed and pressed his lips together, but the moment he spun around to look at me, his serious face was long gone and was replaced by a wink instead.

I stifled a laugh. The future King's gonna be a great actor if given the chance do to so.

Shortly after, I gave him a bow. "Thank you, Your Highness."

I slowly made my way towards the silent Prince Nathaniel. Once I got close to him, I made my revenge with a hushed voice. "Now you know the feeling of being eavesdropped upon. Not a nice feeling, isn't it?"

He released a short dumbfounded exhale. "This is not the end yet, Miss Stuttering Liar."

I merely smiled at him, despite the irritation welling up inside me. This prince has quite the poisonous tongue.

"Of course it's not. I'll be looking forward to our next meeting, Prince Eavesdropping Spectacles."

I snickered as I strutted away from him, sneaking a peek just to see an offended prince adjusting the rims of his glasses and another prince giving me a proud thumbs up.

Man, I am starting to like this job!

Now, how am I going to do this in a very organized and stable order?

I began to think of ideas, but alas, this poor human girl cannot come up with a genius plan.

"I need advice! Ugh, but where can I-"

As if a light bulb suddenly lightened up from the inside of my head, I remembered the last conversation I had with Prince Jacob at the training ground.

"If you need any more tips, I'll be right here."

A sly grin spread across my face.

"You actually are a genius, Rosette! Oh, what better than to ask the target themselves?" I gushed like a despicable witch, walking towards the Training Field with a plan in mind already set in motion.

I was greeted with the passionate sounds of swords, spears, daggers, arrows, shields, hammers, and other weapons heard within the Training Field. I stared at all these people in awe. How cool it must be to wield a weapon like that, to have control, to have power.

But the person who's most eye-catching in this range... Of course, it's him.

The constantly accurate whooshing sound of arrows hitting the center mark caught my attention once again.

I stepped forward just to get a closer look, but unexpectedly the prince regarded my presence and placed his bow down just to call me over.

"Oh! You actually came, Miss Rosette! Over here!" Prince Jacob waved his arms high, enthused to see me somehow.

I smiled at him as polite and friendly as I could.

I am a spy. I have no choice but to stick to them like gum so I can gather more information about them and what they know about the kingdom. But lingering around them like a stalker is ridiculously wrong. The public might get the wrong idea and suspect me for being a spy.

Well, they're not wrong. I am a spy.

The harbinger of The Revolution.

I am bad news.

The Heir made a mistake. He chose me as a spy. I'm like a double-edge sword.

I worked for him, but I also worked for the sake of my own benefits. Is this what the Painter felt when she back-stabbed the royal family? Guilt? Am I repeating the same fate over and over? Is it because I am the Painter?

Rosette. Focus. You have to solve this case and get out of this time period, remember?

I started to recall my plan again.

In order to have an excuse, ahem, a reason to always follow them around, I have to create some sort of relationship with them. Bond with them. Create more schedules with them.

And the first target is here-Prince Jacob Erhart, since he's already invited me to come over anytime.

"So? What kind of advice does our dear Painter seek for?" Prince Jacob playfully asked, his body moved in an excited bounce.

The way he said it was like a ray of sunshine. It felt warm... and real. As if I was important for a prince to spend his time with.

The way he welcomed me so openly made my guilt rise even higher. He's a prince, yet he remained to be humble.

Unexpectedly, I felt like I needed to learn from him. In order to survive through my fated death, I had to know how to at least defend myself.

Words spilled from my mouth before I even realized it.

"Become my mentor."

Prince Jacob's eyes widened, blinking. "Miss Khaleesi, I mean, Rosette, what-"

"Teach me how to fight, how to wield a weapon, how to defend myself from any possible attacks." I went on, a new spark of determination igniting in my irises.

For a moment he looked at me with concern flashing in his expression. Soon, he placed both hands onto my shoulders.

"Miss Rosette, please correct me if I'm wrong, but... is someone coming after you?"

I nodded. He caught up very quickly.

"I can hire a few soldiers to guard you. I'd be more than willing to protect you myself if that's what you prefer." He suggested, his worried gaze locked onto me.

I hitched a breath. Why is he so sweet and considerate?

Despite his kind offer, I denied it in an instant. "You're already doing a great job protecting the people of your kingdom. Besides, I want to become strong and independent for a change."

He stared at me for a while, his interest perking up.

"You're quite the odd one. But I like it." Prince Jacob admitted, tilting his head with a slight smirk.

I grinned at him sheepishly.

After giving it a thought, Prince Jacob gave up on his proposal and agreed to my request.

"Alright! You're in!" he said at last, "Meet me here tomorrow. I won't go easy on you though." He reminded, implementing that training is not going to be easy.

"Sir, yes sir!" with an awkward salute, I then ran away, afraid to show him how embarrassed I actually was.

Third Person's POV

After Rosette escaped, she left Prince Jacob smiling to himself. He softly chuckled, somehow attracted to her strange charms.

"A painter learning how to fight? That's new." He wondered, head glancing at nowhere specifically. "And I'm her mentor? It oddly has a nice ring to it."

He then recalled the reason why the young lady had to learn how to fight in the first place. His smile faded, and his presence flickered serious authorization. He strolled towards a group of laughing men, busy enjoying their break. As soon as he arrived, they immediately made themselves proper.

"Increase the security of the palace. I want a group of intuitive men who can track down dangerous stalkers as accurate as possible." Prince Jacob ordered, mentally noting the mess they created. "And clean that up. It's not a nice sight suited in this area."

One of his soldiers was brave enough to ask. "Sir Jacob? Why so sudden-"

"She could be in danger!" the noble higher-up yelled at them, letting his nervousness get the best of him.

His soldier stared, flabbergasted. After realizing what he just said, the prince faked a cough before he continued.

"I meant they. They could be in danger, the innocent people. Now get going!"

"Right away, sir!"

The man in heavy armor marched off, his comrades followed after him. Prince Jacob pondered all by himself, rubbing his chin inquisitively.

"Who could it be, I wonder? No, the more pressing question is..."

"Why would they be after the Painter? What did she do?"

That's when Prince Jacob realized, that there was more to her than what meets the eye.

Rosette's POV

Okay, so I made a relationship with two princes, including the Heir. Prince Jacob Erhart, my mentor. Prince Eugene Brancen, my partner-in-investigation.

Who's next on the list?

As if on cue, I noticed a figure of a prince sneaking past the bushes.

Chuckling, I made my way towards him. "Seems like I caught a prince in the act who just came home from the mysterious beyond."

Prince Vante Osburne stood up and dusted the dirt off his commoner clothes, completely ignoring me.

"Even if you try to ignore me, I won't stop pestering you until you tell me where you'd been." I persisted, skipping right next to him.

He looked at me, a bit nervous this time.

"If I tell you, you're going to tell my brothers about this, and that's one thing you shouldn't do." He said, showing a bit of uneasy emotion in his two dark beautiful brown eyes.

"Why not?" I frowned. I can't think of a reason why I can't tell it to the others.

"I'm aware at least one of them is trying to catch me in the act. He must never know about it, because then he'll clearly tell Father-"

He pursed his lips, hesitating to continue.

"Prince Vante? What will King Eldred do?"

He examined my face, as if trudging down the depths of my soul. With a sigh, he finally answered.

"Father may not seem like it at first glance, but he's a really strict man. Once he knows about my rule breaking actions, sneaking outside the palace, I'll never be able to break free again." He lowered his head, a sad expression drawn to his face.

He deeply inhaled before he further explained, "I'll never be able to walk around as myself again. I'll be back to being a prince, a masked identity and a responsible First Degree Swordsman everyone expects me to be."

"...Especially my younger brother." He emphasized on the latter part.

I recall their birth order, Prince Vante is the sixth son, so there could be only one person he's referring to.

"You mean Jung-I mean Prince Jacque Darryl?" I tried to act casual on my habitual error.

Prince Vante nodded solemnly. "Yes. He is still young and new to the world of battles as he is a Second Degree Swordsman, therefore it is my duty to train him and be his role model."

After hearing what Prince Vante had to say, a memory of the Heir's words popped in my mind.

"I have to thank you for that. They haven't spoken to each other for a long time." Prince Eugene admitted.

"Really? Even though you guys are family?" I asked him, confused at the situation.

"Indeed. All of them are hiding a secret of their own, and I have no idea what it is. Which is another reason why I choose you. Gather more information about them."

Remembering my chat with Prince Eugene, I did notice how the princes act around each other. It felt different... It felt distant. It felt like they were magnets of the same electronic field yet they repel against one another.

"I don't see you guys together often. Nor have I seen you talk like you're actually siblings and not just strangers who share the same blood." I pointed out, placing my hands on my hips in the manner of interrogation.

"Ever since that night, we've all... changed." Prince Vante simply muttered, a hint of agony obvious in his body language. His eyes were downcast, his hands hidden from plain sight, and his voice in a low hum.

"What night? What do you mean by change?" I specified on the last part, confused as to what he meant.

Prince Vante shook his head, waving me off.

"You ask too much, Miss Khaleesi. Snooping around other people's lives isn't what you should be doing right now."

I blinked at him, perplexed. "What should I be doing then?"

He glanced up at me as if he wasn't sure who I was. "Aren't you here to paint us? To paint the Royal Family portrait? You are strange. Are all people from Duva like you and her?"

You and her? What does he mean by that?

Crap, I completely got carried away with my secret job. I forgot why I came to this kingdom in the first place.

I am here to paint. I am the Painter. Remember that the next time you try to interrogate princes, Rosette.

I wanted to think of an excuse. But of course, stuttering words were all that came out and Prince Vante was raising a brow at me, suspicious.

"I, um, well-" fidgeting nervously, I was about to answer when someone else spoke in my place.

"She's coming with me."

We both whipped our heads to the voice behind us. It turned out to be the very prince we've been talking about, Prince Jacque Darryl.

"She's a little lost, considering that she still needs time to get used to the palace walls. I'll be escorting her to her workplace now, brother." Prince Jacque stepped in, earning a small frown from Prince Vante himself.

Prince Jacque grabbed onto my hand gently, pulling me by his side. The two brothers exchanged long stares, before Prince Vante could give out his words.

"Well, why didn't you just say so? Carry on then."

Like he said, Prince Vante's character changed up a bit. He became more mature, as if he wasn't the childlike person when I first met him.

With a silent nod, Prince Jacque led the way as he dragged me alongside him.

Third Person's POV

Prince Vante Osburne walked into the Throne Room dressed in his princely attire, only to find The King seated there. He tried to sneak past him, but his father noticed him creeping almost in an instant.

"Vante, my son, come here." King Eldred announced, his voice echoed through the empty room filled with no one but them.

With a frustrated click of his tongue, Prince Vante had no choice but to follow. He stepped into the center, upon the Throne of his father.

That's when he realized someone else was with them.

Standing next to their father was his twin brother, Prince Tayden Pharrell.

Prince Vante greeted his brother with a cold glare.

"You are aware why I called you over, Vante, right? This is about your consecutive disappearances of every single day." King Eldred began. His voice was deep and husky, an indication of an old and experienced age.

He nodded, keeping his mouth shut. He would only speak once his father tells him to, because that's how he was trained to be-an obedient son.

But how ironic it is, for the obedient son kept on breaking rules in secret... Always escaping the palace walls.

He knew who the real obedient son is. It's not The Heir, since there are times when Prince Eugene would disagree with their father's choices, willing to rule based on his own decisions.

The real obedient son is-

He shifted his gaze onto his silent twin brother. Prince Tayden stood still like a statue.

Upon observing his son's quiet reply, King Eldred once again spoke. "Truthfully, I have asked Prince Tayden here to investigate you and your actions. I wanted him to follow you, so I'll know where you've been heading this whole time."

Prince Vante's heart began to beat louder in his chest. He took deep quiet breaths, anticipating for the worst.

"Unfortunately..." King Eldred continued, "Your brother was unreliable with this task. He told me he couldn't figure it out and suggested to give up the search."

The prince's eyes fluttered with surprise. He turned to look at his brother. Prince Tayden focused on another direction, evading his stare.

So he hasn't found out yet. That's a relief.

"Can you not tell me, son? About what you've been up to these days?" The King asked, his tone gradually turning into an emotional appeal. As for Prince Vante, he remained silent, earning his father's sigh.

"You remind me so much of your mother." The King uttered his remark.

The uneasy atmosphere thickened, it was as if everyone had a hard time spilling words. Both princes held in their breaths, their fists clenched.

"From the beautiful features of her face, down to the adventurous side of her personality. You're just like her." The King softly chuckled, as if reminiscing his long lost Queen, as if vivid images of the past flashed in his mind.

Prince Vante's expression softened. It was rare for The King to talk about The Queen.

"Vante, son, I just want you to be safe. I can't risk losing another loved one. I can't risk on losing you too." King Eldred said in a soft plea, as if to convince the prince from doing things he was not aware about.

Not wanting anymore of this conversation, Prince Tayden decided to finally speak up. "May I take my exit now, father?"

The fifth's words cut like sharp steel, his tone like cold iron. Prince Vante didn't expect an interruption from him.

"Not yet. We still have some things to discuss, unfortunately. Instill patience, Tayden." The King commanded, not even sparing a glance to him.

Prince Tayden hung his head low as Prince Vante watched him.

"I'm giving you another chance to tell me, Vante. Can you still not state where you've been?" their father's words pull him back to his senses, back to realizing that he was still being interrogated upon the Throne.

The prince shook his head, denying access to his secrets.

King Eldred heaved a disappointed sigh. With a flick of his wrist, he gave permission for him to leave. "Alright, I won't force you, my son. You may now leave."

For the first time in a long while, the two brothers exchanged eye contact. In a fleeting glimpse, Prince Vante saw a hidden emotion beneath his brother's firm guise. Prince Tayden saw something in the other's eyes too, something like flowing melancholy.

Despite the longing to reach out one another, the two chose not to. Things weren't the same as before.

The brief barter of stares didn't get to last long however, for Prince Vante quickly bowed and made his way outside, leaving his older twin brother alone with The King.

He also left the opportunity to talk to his brother again.

Prince Tayden watched his younger brother go, an indistinct sadness on his face.

"Let us go, my son. We have a lot of matters that need to be discussed right away." King Eldred commanded, his usual strict demeanor resurfaced. He glimpsed at his blackbird picture at the back of his Throne and gestured for his son to trail after him.

"Yes, father."

The two walked away, their footsteps fading in the empty Throne Room. The secrets of the family are yet to be uncovered.

Rosette's POV

I couldn't help but stare at the prince's hand holding mine. We remained like this for the last few minutes, walking along the corridor in silence.

I couldn't take it anymore. I had to say something.

"Um, Prince Jacque?"

"Hm? O-Oh, sorry."

Flustered, he hurriedly lets go of my hand. "Are you okay now? My brothers can be a bit intimidating at times. But don't worry, they're good people."

"You defend them even though you guys treat each other like strangers?" I asked him, puzzled as to how he act like this despite their limitless kingdom mysteries playing on loop in soap opera.

"Of course. They're family." He responded without any hesitation, smiling warmly at me.

After hearing Prince Jacque's reason, I unconsciously remembered that Prince Nathaniel said the exact same thing.

"Of course. They're family."

A smile escaped my lips. "That's what Prince Nathaniel said. He told me you guys were very important to him."

Prince Jacque blinked at me, a bit baffled. "Really? He said that?"

I nodded, and a smile formed on his surprised face.

Well, he didn't exactly say those specific words. Your brother actually threatened to banish me, but still I knew what he meant with his actions.

"I never thought he would be the type to say that. He's always so quiet but powerful words come out when he opens his mouth." He commented, still in the state of shock. His fingers ran across the nape of his neck and I couldn't help but stare.

Prince Jacque's the only one who talks so openly about his brothers. Maybe I can gain more information of them from him?

I should try to create a relationship with him as quick as possible.

...But what?

...And how?

Before I even realized where we were, Prince Jacque stopped at the front of a large wooden door. I just followed after him, wondering where this leads. I took note of the recently polished floor, the freshly wiped frame, the newly dusted corners of the ceiling free from webs.

"Gertrude must've forgotten to introduce you to your workplace. This is the palace's atelier. We've already customized it to your liking." He opened the door, resulting to a creaky echo throughout the hallway.

We then stepped inside.

An amazed breath escaped my lips the moment I entered the dim-lit room. It was a huge workplace and paintings were plastered on the walls for an aesthetic look.

The prince and I walked down the rickety stairs, his hand over my shoulder to prevent me from slipping my heels. I gripped onto the edges of his lush cream suit, afraid that if I loosen myself from him for even just a second, I might tumble down.

Once our feet touched the floor, Prince Jacque checked to see if I was okay and proceeded to let go.

"...Do you like it?" he hesitantly asked me, curious to see my reaction.

"Do I like it? I love it! This is more than enough!" I exclaimed, astounded as I whisked my head towards every direction, appreciating the view it showed me. Art materials were already laid out for me to use as much as I'd like, portraits of other famous paintings looked on.

Prince Jacque chuckled at my excited figure bouncing up and down.

"This used to be my hiding place ever since I was young. We never had any permanent Royal Painters so this place would be vacant from time to time." Prince Jacque explained.

My ears perked up and my curiosity immediately switched on. With a personality like this, maybe I was really meant for this job. Being a spy, and not a painter.

"Why would you want to hide, Your Highness?" I initiated, my head to the side in a questioning tilt.

Prince Jacque glanced at me, expression letting me know that he was still unsure to talk about it. He then spun around to leave.

He's leaving?! No no, I have to squeeze more information from him! What should I do?

"Wait!" I called out to him, my hands reached out to him without second thoughts.

Prince Jacque looked back at me, his steps put to a halt.

"Yes? Is something the matter, Miss Rosette?"

Judging by the way he gazed at this room, at these paintings, it can only mean one thing.

"Not only do you love music, but you secretly have a fondness to arts, don't you?"

The prince's doe eyes widened in surprise.

Bingo.

"It doesn't explain why you hide, but it does explain why you chose this atelier as a hiding spot. It's also a castle basement where only few know about." I deducted, narrowing my eyes at him as I observed every change of his expression to my words.

He could only drop his jaw in wonder.

"H-How did you...?" a muddled manifestation curdling from within.

I shook my head, smiling up at him.

"Do you want to paint with me, dear prince?" I suggested, inviting him to do something which holds value to his heart.

A hot rush of red spread on his cheeks up to his ears.

I could only release an amused giggle at his reaction.

"If it's alright with you... I would love to." Prince Jacque shyly answered in a murmur.

It wasn't long before both of us found a canvas to use and began setting up our work. I was a bit stunned at how he appeared to be a natural at this activity.

Paint dripped quietly onto the blank space. With a deep inhale, I began to ask him the question again, hoping this time he wouldn't walk out.

"Prince Jacque, do take my humble apology, but I still want to know. Why do you hide?"

The silence was deafening. Prince Jacque let out a heavy sigh as he avoided my stare, his brush gripped tightly.

"Because I can see the pain on my brothers' faces when they look at me, that's why I try to be out of their sight most of the day."

My eyes grew wide. I found it hard to speak.

This was a deeper view of their family feud.

I dragged my stool closer to where he was positioned so I can communicate with him better, my hand soon rested onto his. "Why would you say that? I'm sure your brothers love you as much as you love them."

"How can they when I'm the living breathing memory that haunts them of what happened that night?" he said in a pained whisper. Tears started to form in his eyes as he blinked them away.

I suddenly felt bad for asking him, a lump bulging in my throat.

It's not easy learning secrets, especially those kept in the hidden chambers of the heart.

Secrets are obscured within these castle walls and everyone hides their true self under a cracked mask.

...Somehow, it makes me want to unveil the truth.

A/N: As you noticed, we revealed that Taehyung (Prince Vante) and Jimin (Prince Tayden) are twins.

As you guys remembered in chapter 4 when the seven princes were introduced, Jimin then Taehyung. The two of them are actually fraternal twins, Jimin being born first making him the fifth child of Grand, but despite being twins they are the exact opposite of each other. They are nothing alike.

At least that's what they think.

We will reveal further in-depth details about the two twin brothers in the later chapters, so stay tuned *wink*

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Nocturnal Armys