Every little girl dreams that she is a princess; that her parents are really a king and a queen, not common people. She wants to be whisked away to her kingdom and return to her fantasy parents, whom she was sure would love her more than her real parents ever could. Every little girl has that dream until she has to live it.

Every time I close my eyes, I see it; that horrible moment when that engine exploded. He looked almost like a marrionette whose strings had been cut, the beam of corrupted mana slicing through him like a hot knife through butter. And my mother laying there; crying for someone who had been dead to her long before that day. I had never known my father, I guess, even though I had met him several times to curse him, fight him, hate him. Mom says he was different before. I trust her.

But it hurts to see her now, drifting through the castle like a ghost; just on the verge of crying again. She doesn't cry as often as she used to, but the pain is still there. I wish I knew what she missed most and what would make her feel good inside again. Whenever I see her, I want to cry too; I want to hold her and cry until I cannot cry anymore, until I have cried us both empty of tears.

It's been hard for all of us to adjust, especially for Lucius. Maybe he loves me or at least did before he found out who I really am. I can't blame him though, for my father, the Emperor, killed his father when Lucius was merely a baby. He's never meantioned it to me, but I know its there beneath the surface. I don't think he sees me anymore when he looks into my eyes.

He left for Potos a half hour ago without telling me. Daddy -- Elman -- tried to comfort me by telling me that it must have just slipped his mind, but it didn't work. Lucius never forgets anything. I guess he still remembers his mother crying when she found out about his father's death. He left without telling me: maybe he's trying to forget. I don't want to be forgotten.

He's in the forest and his scent is all around me; sometimes barely distinguishable from the smell of the plants and other living things. I tense my muscles, my hand clenched inside my Aura Glove, at every sound and every rustle of the trees. Something leaps down and I lash out instinctively, knocking it to the ground. Lucius.

I look down at him and feel a sickness in the pit of my stomach. That's how it must have been all those years ago: a pair of frightened brown eyes looking up into a pair as green and emotionless as a dragon's -- just before my father jerked Serin's head back and slit the Mana Knight's throat.

The moment stretches into what seems like an eternity. I am so afraid that he will grab the Mana Sword at his side and kill me for whose blood I carry. "I'm sorry," I hear myself whisper, shocked at how loud my voice sounds after the silence. "P-please forgive me." A warm tear trickles down my cheek.

"It's not your fault, Persina," Lucius says as he sits up. This is the first time he has ever called me by my true given name. I don't know whether this is a good sign or not.

"But it still bothers you," I sigh, tears flowing freely. I turn around, ready to run back to Pandora.

"Wait," he stands up and places his hand on my shoulder.

"What is it?" I ask, turning to face him. Lucius says nothing, but kisses me gently on the lips. My life has changed so much in just a small span, everything I thought to be true about my life was found to wrong. But I know we can get through it together.

The End.

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