Dee

The next day, Moniri got up very early in the morning. She put on some casual clothes, tied her hair back in a ponytail with a ribbon, and after slipping on some casual shoes, she climbed out the window. It wasn’t very high; with a little jump, she landed on the ground without losing her balance.

Almond was already waiting for her there; as soon as he saw her climb up to the window and get ready to jump, he ran over in a panic to try to catch her.

“Moniri! Have you lost your mind? Why did you do that?”

Ηe said, shouting in a whisper as he approached her.

“It was the only way to get out of the room without them noticing me. Besides, I’m on the first floor, it’s not even that high.”

Almond wasn’t convinced by that answer. Nothing would convince him that what he’d just seen his sister do wasn’t dangerous. But he didn’t say anything else and followed her to the flower bed.

“So, what was it you wanted to tell me yesterday?”

“From now on, every morning, at the same time, in the same place as today—”

“Oh, come on! Just say it already!”

Moniri took it the wrong way, but she was so impatient that she decided to let it slide.

“I’m going to practice my powers!”

“Is that it?”

Almond processed what he’d just heard a little more.

“Wait! What? What are you going to do?”

“We’ll practice here, in this flower bed. It’s a way for me to learn to control my powers without worrying that they might suddenly come to the surface.”

“What if they figure you out? What if they discover you? What will you do then?”

“That’s exactly why I’m practicing. If I learn to control them, they won’t get out of hand in front of others.”

“Really? Is that the solution you’ve come up with for this problem?”

“Yes! And I want your help, Almond.”

Almond was speechless. On the one hand, he didn’t agree with this and didn’t want to get involved with her. On the other hand, though, he didn’t want to leave her on her own. He had decided that he would stand by his new little sister no matter what she did.

Then, things became clear to him.

Why am I hesitating? I said I’d back her up in everything. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do!

“Okay. I’m with you.”

“Thank you!”

“But you won’t do anything on your own. If I’m going to cover for you, I need to know everything. And please, don’t get yourself into any trouble.”

“Oh, don’t worry! I’ve got everything under control. Do you want to see how much progress I’ve made?”

Moniri knelt down and, spreading her hands, tried to make a flower bloom. Although all she managed to do was create a bud, she was very proud of it.

~~~~~~~

A week had passed, and the training program was going very well. So well, in fact, that Moniri had managed to make the entire flowerbed bloom with beautiful flowers. Almond, for his part, kept a close watch and covered for her whenever anyone asked where she was.

With a little help from the curious old maid, who had “accidentally” caught her climbing out the window into the back yard, she had figured out almost everything about her powers. Except, of course, for the most important thing: just how great her powers were.

She would come every morning to help Moniri by giving her advice.

“What’s your name?”

“Huh?”

The question startled the old maid, who was standing next to Moniri and observing her progress.

“You’ve helped me a lot since I came to the palace. I want to know more about you. It seems like you know everything.”

The elderly servant laughed nervously.

“My name is Dee.

“Dee? A strange but beautiful name.”

“Where I’m from, it’s a fairly common name.”

“Where are you from, Dee?”

“My country is very, very far from here. It’s a beautiful country, but right now it’s ruled by someone completely incapable of appreciating that beauty.”

The atmosphere grew tense. For a moment, they both fell silent, and Moniri continued her practice.

Less than five minutes later, Almond came running over.

“Moniri, our parents are looking for you. We’re waiting for you for breakfast, and they told me to come get you. What are you still doing here?”

Moniri followed Almond, and Dee went back to her work.

~~~~~~~

In the dining room, the imperial couple was already seated, waiting for their children to arrive. But as they approached the door, the children could hear their parents talking about something that sounded very important.

However, just as Almond opened the door, the voices fell silent, the conversation stopped, and their parents smiled nervously at them as if nothing had happened.

“Moniri, Almond! Come on in and sit down for breakfast.”

Empress Tchanna greeted the children in her usual cheerful tone, and they sat down.

The mood was quite light, and it seemed as if the previous heavy atmosphere during their conversation had never existed. And it seemed that breakfast would continue like this, until the moment Tanna looked up at Moniri.

“Moniri, my dear, is there something you’d like to tell me?”

“Hmm, like what?”

Moniri replied spontaneously. She hadn’t suspected that her mother might know something and simply continued eating.

“Are you sure there’s nothing you’re hiding from us? Both you and Almond.”

Moniri froze. She hesitated to answer. But then again, she didn’t even know what to say.

Could it be… that they know? Is that what they were talking about before we went inside? Oh, what should I do???

She tried to regain her composure. She realized that panicking wouldn’t help her at all.

“W-what do you mean, Mother?”

The Emperor and Empress exchanged glances.

“I would have expected you to tell us yourself; your mother and I had agreed on that, but this is a serious matter, Moniri.”

“A few days ago, I saw you in the backyard of your room. I saw everything by accident, but before I jump to any conclusions, I’d like you to explain it to us yourself.”

Moniri remained silent. She had stopped eating, and her head was bowed.

“I-I don’t understand… nothing… is happening.”

She could only stammer. Fear, anxiety, worst-case scenarios, and panic had all flooded her mind.

“Moniri, please. The best thing you can do is explain yourself.”

Emperor Kaspen was serious. He wasn’t looking at her sternly, but he was quite insistent on what he wanted to know from her.