Vincha, Kingdom of Divinium, Eastern region of Rohana Federation, 2051 S.C., 170th day

  The group had squeezed into the men’s room of the Vincha Cask hostel. The space was too small, even with the bunk beds, let alone this many people. Heron found himself pressed against a wooden wardrobe. The air was stagnant, thick with the scent of dust and the lingering humidity.

  “Couldn’t we have done this somewhere with more air?” Alessia asked, fanning herself with her hand.

  It’s like she read my mind, Heron thought.

  “Sorry, Alessia, this will have to do. We can’t have other guests overhear any of this,” Richard responded, checking the thin wooden door before leaning back against it, arms crossed.

  Irene, who had been studying the princess, finally spoke up. “Alessia... as in Alessia Veles?”

  “Yes, it is me, Irene,” the princess replied with a weary but genuine smile. “And look at you all grown up.”

  “Wait, you two know each other?” May asked, her head swiveling between them in confusion.

  “Of course,” Alessia answered casually. “She is Richard’s little sister, after all.”

  “Wait, hold on.” May blinked, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose as if warding off a migraine. “I think I’ll need a minute.”

  “You two are related?” Heron asked, looking from Richard to Irene and back again, trying to find the resemblance in their features.

  “Oh, great,” Richard growled, rolling his eyes. “Yes, we are siblings. Same father, different mothers, though.”

  “Wait, you didn’t disclose this to your own members?” Alessia asked, an eyebrow raised in genuine curiosity.

  “Just add it to one of many things he hasn’t disclosed, apparently,” Lucia added snarkily from the corner near the window.

  Richard pushed off the door, his expression hardening. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that I viewed you as someone more reputable,” Lucia said, her voice rising with sudden venom. “But it seems you are the same scheming trash as other nobles.”

  “Lucia!” Almir stepped forward, trying to intervene.

  “You shut up!” she whipped around to face him. “You are even worse. You made me trust you!” Lucia’s eyes were glistening, her anger bordering on tears.

  “Can everyone just calm down for a moment?” Richard yelled.

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  The shout reverberated in the small room. Silence crashed down instantly. All eyes were locked on him. The atmosphere was so tense that everyone forgot about the stagnant air.

  “Let’s do this through discussion,” Richard said, lowering his voice. “It is obvious that I’m missing some information, Lucia. Feel free to ask away.”

  “What is with the idea of using pure crystal on Heron?” she yelled at him, the tremor in her voice betraying her fear. “And worse yet, you wanted to withhold it from us.”

  Richard shot a sharp glance at Irene before sighing deeply. “Yes, I proposed the idea of Heron being trained using pure crystals. I didn’t think it was something to disclose to the rest of you, since it was only concerning him and Irene. And he declined, so that is where matters ended for me.”

  “You know what pure crystals do, and you wanted him to be the catalyst,” Lucia growled, stepping closer. “So you know something you are withholding.”

  “I’m not withholding anything malicious,” Richard insisted. “You already know of Heron’s volatile condition regarding interactions with crystal technology. I may have found a lead to help him get control of it, that is all.”

  “He did it because he overthinks things,” Irene continued. “He always has. He was raised in an environment of constant scheming, so he feels compelled to think through every possible case before he dares to propose something.”

  Lucia wiped her eyes, her voice trembling. “Richard, remember when Icarus joined us? What did you say to convince him to do it?”

  Richard looked down, the fight draining out of him. “I said we were not a party, but a family,” he said, a note of embarrassment echoing in his voice.

  “And I hold that to my heart,” Lucia said, tears finally spilling over. “So why do you keep secrets from your family?”

  “No, don’t cry, Lulu! If you start, I’ll start too,” May whimpered, reaching out to clutch Lucia's sleeve.

  Richard sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry, Lucia. It is, as Irene said. I overthink things, and I was genuinely worried about what you would think of me for resorting to such an unconventional method.”

  “I would never judge you without cause,” Lucia sniffed. “At least I’d try to understand. And your explanation is reasonable. You didn’t even force it on him. So why the farce?”

  “Listen, I’m not perfect,” Richard admitted, looking at them with vulnerability. “Not all ideas I come up with are great. I just put more effort into making it look like they are. For that one... it was fresh in my mind, and I rushed my conclusions.”

  “You could have said it as simply as that, Richard,” Heron chimed in. “I would still have opposed the idea, but my mind would have been at ease. As it stands, the way everything played out is still stuck in the back of my head.”

  “Well, this is now turning into a therapy session,” Alessia deadpanned, looking between them with mild annoyance. “So can you all hug and get it over with?”

  “This does not concern you,” Lucia retorted with hostility. “Who is this woman anyway, Richard?”

  “She would be the princess of our kingdom,” Richard stated bluntly.

  Lucia froze. Her anger vanished instantly, and it was replaced by sheer mortification. “Your Highness! I deeply apologize for this whole debacle. What an unprofessional sight.” She dipped into a clumsy, frantic bow, then shot a venomous hiss toward Richard. “You could have opened with this sooner! I wouldn't have started anything!”

  “Don’t worry, our princess here is not acting in her official capacity,” Richard said, sounding tired. “She decided to run away from home, and then, unluckily for us, she ran into our three idiots.” He cast a pointed glance at Heron, May, and Almir.

  “I said we were sorry,” May mumbled, offering a contrite little bow.

  “What’s done is done,” Richard sighed, dismissing the apology with his hand. “We now have to decide what we are going to do about this whole situation.”

  “You could just let me be on my way, you know,” Alessia suggested lightly. “I will be fine on my own.”

  “And what exactly is your plan?” Richard asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.