By the time we’d made it to the hangar of King Nicholas’ private plane, I still hadn’t made any progress on my manuscripts or my notes. And as we boarded and began our flight, I sat deep in thought, trying my best to write something, anything. But as I tried to put pen to paper, the sudden realisation hit me that I could no longer find the words to continue the story I’d spent most of my life so invested in. The girl I’d written about had come to the end of her story, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t force her to continue. Or perhaps I was the problem. Perhaps things had changed so drastically that I couldn’t bring myself to continue writing about a world unknown and exciting because my very own was becoming unknown and horribly frightening. As I thought this, I almost instinctively pulled out one of my newer notebooks. It had been a gift from Ophelia earlier on in the year. One which I’d been subconsciously saving for something new and special. The moment the ink of my

Nicholas and I had spent most of the evening arguing over the bed, and although I was usually good at winning arguments, I somehow lost this one. But Nicholas was not joking when he informed me that it was colder in Lakspur at night time- with me basically shivering myself into agreement with him. And so, in the end, we lay in the same bed, facing away from each other, but it did nothing to prevent the burning awkwardness from consuming the both of us. It was all hidden in the inescapable heat radiating from his body and the sound of his heavy breathing filling the air. Eventually I became overwhelmed by the suffocating concept that was *him*, so much so that I knew sleep wouldn’t find me anytime soon. But it seemed that sleep would not be finding Nicholas soon either.“So, what did you think of my family?”I hesitated a moment, surprised by his question and then decided to answer him truthfully. “They were a bit… strange. But compared to you, not strange enough.”I heard him shuffle

Aura’s servants worked silently as they practically escorted everyone to their seats. They all looked dead inside and eager to get breakfast over and done with. I suppose I fit right in with them.Aura was seated at the head of the table and right next to her was a man whose appearance, although exceptionally beautiful like the rest of his siblings, reminded me of a sculpture with his perfect, high cheekbones, sharp nose and unnaturally smooth and blemishless olive skin. Like his siblings, his most striking feature was his eyes. They were a bright and almost glossy shade of intense green, reminding me of emeralds. I assumed he was Griffen, the Carden sibling I’d not yet been acquainted with. He seemed awkward and very reserved… and tired. He yawned a lot and seemed to want this to be over sooner than the rest of us.“Ariya. I heard that you’ve met everyone here except for Griffen. He’s the youngest,” said Aura with an attempt of what seemed to be a smile.Griffen gazed up at me and sm

The sun had just set when Melissa decided to literally fetch me from my room to drag me down to the garden get-together. But the moment her eyes landed on my messy hair and my clothes− more suited for a daily dose of indoor writing than a fun outdoor occasion− she frowned and shook her head.“You’re not going looking like that.”I sighed and shrugged. “You’ve all seen me like this already. No one complained.”“Well, I’m complaining now! Let’s get you dressed, brushed and pretty.”I mouthed her words mockingly but didn’t protest any further. She rummaged through my closet and found a newish pair of blue jeans and an off-the-shoulder white blouse. Once I’d gotten myself into my clothes she got to work, brushing out my long, black hair and then tying it up and smoothing the front down.When she was done, she smiled and nodded to herself, proud that she’d made me look more presentable than I had before.When we made it to the gardens outside, I was surprised to find that it was decorated

While Nicholas was out, I decided to finally get out of the house as well, this time, to a place much further than the gardens. Dante had invited me out for the day to apologise for the previous night. Although Nicholas was hesitant to have me galivanting around without him, Dante suggested that Lovita and Floran come along with us. Their faces were as stoic as always and so I didn’t know whether they themselves were fond of the idea of babysitting me.“So, we’re definitely losing Lovita and Floran,” Dante said in a hushed tone. He’d taken me to the marketplace, and it was much larger than I’d ever anticipated. There were tons and tons of stalls. They were filled with fruit, food, trinkets, jewellery, gadgets and clothing. People filled the crowded streets and dirt paths, all huddling around all of the stalls. It was easy to see how we’d lose Lovita and Floran, I just didn’t understand why.“Where are we going without them?” I asked, matching his hushed tone.“You do trust me, don’t y