Reality and Truth

She didn't take it well.

"Why would you even consider such a thing?!" Her mother whispered loudly, lest she cause a scene.

"I am not happy here, mother," Lorelei replied.

"Happy?" Her mother laughed. "You have an excellent husband, plenty of money, and a wonderful heritage. How could you not be happy?!"

"What about freedom?" Lorelei asked quietly.

"Honey," her mother said. She placed her hand in Lorelei's. "Nobles do not get freedom. That is part of the package."

"If I leave, I will have that freedom," Lorelei said.

Her mother actually rolled her eyes. "Youths these days have it good. Your husband treats you well! When I was your age, nobles were little more than playthings for their husbands."

Nico's voice echoed in her head. Back in my day. . . 

"Lorelei," one of her brothers, Asher, cut in. "Be reasonable---"

"That is rich, coming from you," Lorelei responded cooly.

Her three brothers, Asher, Kian, and Oliver, were quite the handful. In their youths, Asher and Oliver had picked on her relentlessly for years. Kian, on the other hand, had stuck by her side regardless of what the other two had plotted. They were all past that, being adults, but Lorelei had not forgiven them for what they had put her through.

"Okay," Kian said suddenly. He looked at the nearby nobles, who had started leaning in to listen. "Perhaps we can take this elsewhere? We do not want to cause a scene, do we?"

Their mother scoffed. "Do what you wish. I am done discussing this."

"What is your problem?" Lorelei snapped, snatching her hand back from her mother's.

"Reality, my dear," her mother replied. "It is a concept that has escaped you all your life. You chase this reality that does not exist. It never has!"

"And what reality is that?" Lorelei asked, voice cold as the winter.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" Her mother sighed. "You need to face the truth, Lorelei. You are not some heroine in a story! You are not some martyr waiting to break free. You are a noble. Get your head out of the clouds, Lorelei!"

"It is always something, isn't it, mother?" Lorelei said. "I need to preserve my figure. It doesn't matter if I'm still hungry. I need to act more proper. Nobles don't fiddle with ribbons. I need to marry a man. Who cares about love? I need to stop telling people what happened to Sabine. No one would believe me, anyway."

"Perhaps they would believe you if you had crafted a better story," her mother said dismissively.

"Perhaps I wouldn't want to leave if I'd had a family that believed in me."

"All we have done is believe in you!" Her mother exclaimed. "I have spent countless hours ensuring your future!"

"I did not ask for this future!" Lorelei said, voice wavering.

"Lorelei, dear," her mother said tiredly. "That is simply how things are, here. We are a family. This is what family does for their children."

"Then I want no part of it," Lorelei said simply. She moved to pass her mother. "Excuse me."

Blinking her tears away, Lorelei walked to leave the ballroom. Sakura and Yasmine trailed behind her in silent support. She breezed past nobles, barely keeping it together. Should she go see Jason? He would likely be outside, as he always tended to be during events. No, she didn't need his help.

"Lorelei!"

Turning sharply, Lorelei saw Khan running after her, with Asher in tow. "What do you want?"

"To talk," Asher said.

"Please?" Kian begged.

Sophia could barely contain her excitement.

This was exactly what she had been waiting for. Dressed in glittering silver, Sophia was a dazzling image of moonlight. With the curve of her body, she was the crescent of the sky, sure to shine brighter than those below her. It was perfect for what was to come.

In the crowd waited every noble in the empire. While there would be a few nobles outside, Sophia was sure that they would be handled swiftly, as they always had been before. Dressed in shades from green to red to gold, these people were here for a show.

And she was going to give them one.

Paying no mind to the small crowd forming nearby, Sophia made her way to the stairs. From the top, she could get the attention of everyone in the ballroom. Attention, though not strictly necessary, made it a bit easier to pull off. Not to mention how entertaining that attention was.

Crown prince Akira suddenly appeared. "Where are you going?"

"Up the staircase," Sophia responded, flashing a falsely sweet smile at him.

"For what purpose?" The prince did not seem eager to allow her through.

"I have an announcement," Sophia replied calmly. "One that will not harm the sanctity of this event, I assure you."

That unnerving bird perched on the price's shoulder, leaning in. That thing always seemed as though it was watching her too closely. Perhaps it was its unnatural color. Perhaps it was simply because the spirit was a filthy animal. Sophia wished she could make him disappear.

"Alright." The prince turned to Sophia. "You may pass. Beau is quite curious to learn what this is about."

He speaks to that thing?!

Before he could change his mind, Sophia ascended the staircase. This was it. This was the revenge she had been planning. Ruining Lorelei's dress had merely been payback for what Lorelei had done at the tea party. This, however, would make sure that Lorelei could never cause problems for her.

This would ruin her.

It would be better than ruining Lady Jasmine's marriage prospects. It had only been fair after that wench had spoken out against her. It would be more satisfying than getting Sir Elliot dismissed, or his lover framed. That was what he deserved for breaking her heart, and that was what she deserved for stealing him. No, this was far deeper than that. This would be the best day of her life.

And it was all because of them.

From the first moment she had seen them, they had been hers. She had watched them grow beautifully. She had doted on them with a tenderness she had not even known she was capable of. She giggled as she remembered those days.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Cachonei!" Sophia's voice echoed clear in the ballroom, centering from the second floor where she stood.

As the nobles started looking at her, she flashed them a smile. "I have an announcement to make!" She did not see Lorelei in the crowd.

Perhaps that made this even better.

"Could I please borrow your attention for one second?" A hush fell over the crowd and, soon enough, Sophia had the attention of every noble in the room.

Perfect.

"As I am sure you all know, there has been an awful story going around about me," Sophia began. "For years, Lorelei has propagated this tale that I, as a child, had caused harm to her nanny." The nobles shuffled uneasily.

"Today, I set the record straight." Sophia took a dramatic breath. "Lorelei is a liar."

"I have kept silent for too long," Sophia said. "I am sure you all desire the truth."

As she watched, the nobles beneath her all obtained glassy eyes. Many of them held dazed expressions on their faces. A few of the weaker ones even swayed on their feet. The more she talked, the more they clutched onto her words. The more they listened, the deeper they fell. All she did was keep them in the room.

And her best friends did the rest.