2 Who is she?

"Brother?"

Reality slapped her across the face at that point. Her father was no longer alive, and it was apparent that her brother had murdered him. "Why?" she inquired, her voice trembling and cracking on that one word.

Selene was firmly planted in place. She couldn't take her gaze away from her husband, and she couldn't move to soothe her daughter, who was in dire need of it.

Astrophel lowered his head and turned to face the final members of his family. He put on his customary charming grin, despite the fact that his clothing was stained with his father's blood. When he approached Astraea, she didn't move or flinch as he put his arms around her.

"It's a dream, right, just a bad nightmare, brother?" Astraea choked out between sobs, yet she knew this wasn't a nightmare. 'How could such a lovely day turn like this?' she wondered.

Astraea noticed her brother's hand moving. She heard her mother gasp, then a thud and something liquidy brushed her fingertips that were touching the floor to assist her to retain balance.

Astraea didn't want to turn around, she didn't want to see what had occurred, and she didn't want to inquire, but the words spilled out before she could stop them. "Are you alright, Mother?"

There was no response. As Astraea's tears came to a halt, the room was silent. "Brother, what happened to mother?" She dreaded the response yet couldn't stop herself from asking.

"I murdered her," he replied, his blank and indifferent as if he wasn't talking about his mother's death. Astraea couldn't force herself to cry, so she asked the question she most needed answered.

"Why did you kill them?" Her eyes welled up again, but she didn't blink them away before hearing his response. Astraea was curious as to why he had slain the individuals who had loved and cared for him since the beginning of his life.

"Their reign has come to an end. It's my time now." His voice was muffled as he hugged her, his mouth pushed against her back.

Astraea sobbed as he explained his reasoning. "Even if you didn't murder them, you were going to obtain the throne." Tears streamed down her cheeks and cries left her lips, but she refused to leave her brother's warm embrace.

"Shh, shh, don't cry, sweetie," Astrophel murmured softly. Regardless of how much he despises his parents, Astrophel will always adore his sister with all of his heart. "They were taking much too long to abdicate the crown," he added. "They believed I was too immature."

As she listened to his selfish excuse for killing the people who brought him into the world, Astraea's sobbing became even louder. For what purpose? Power? Why couldn't he be patient? She had so many questions, but before she could ask, a man entered the room and gave Astrophel a glance that hid a message only the two could comprehend.

"I'm sorry, sister; I'll be back shortly." Her brother stood up and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him after giving Astraea a look that screamed, 'don't even try to go.' Even if her brother hadn't warned her, she wouldn't have gone after seeing the two frightening guards stationed just outside the door.

Astraea was lying on the floor, looking blankly at her parents' lifeless bodies, with no sound emanating from her. She was certain that even if she watched someone die in front of her, it would not bother her.

She jerked her head to the door and noticed that the handle was rattling, which was the cause of the irritating sound she had heard before. Her eyes returned to her parents, and her thoughts returned to her brother. She was confident he'd be crowned shortly, but this wasn't right. He wasn't going to be crowned in this manner. The crown is meant to be placed on his head by her father.

Realizing how terrible everything was, she knew she had to stop her brother at whatever cost, even if it meant forcibly removing him from the kingdom. Astraea had no desire to enter politics or the sphere in which her parents were involved, but her parents cared about this country, and she felt it was her job to look after the people.

The door, which had been difficult to open, had finally opened, and she turned to see who had entered. Astraea realized it couldn't have been her brother since he wouldn't have had such a difficult time getting in.

Astraea was taken aback when she noticed who had entered the room. It was her maid, Charlotte, whom she regarded as the closest friend, and David, the guard who had accompanied her to town earlier. She had no idea why they were there, but the door opening and the guards collapsing on the floor was the second greatest thing that had occurred to her today.

"Are you okay, princess?" Charlotte sobbed as she dashed over to Astraea, who gave her a tiny, comforting smile. Charlotte didn't care that she was overstepping her limits as a maid as she drew the princess into an embrace.

Charlotte allowed her gaze to stray into the hall for the first time, catching sight of the murdered king and queen. She screamed in terror and clenched her eyes tight. She turned aside and held the girl closer, providing consolation. "I'm sorry," Charlotte said quietly to the girl who was still smiling. Even if they weren't paying closely, anyone could tell it was a hoax since the tears in her eyes ready to be unleashed didn't appear like tears of joy.

David exhaled in sorrow as he gazed at the bodies. His Majesty was a stern and fierce monarch, but he was kind and fair, and Her Majesty was a lovely queen that everyone adored. It was a sad sight for him to behold, so he averted his gaze.

David stared out the window, becoming uncomfortable and restless as he realized that anybody may step around the corner at any minute. David yelled out to the girls as he walked closer to them. "Look, I don't want to ruin this moment, but we have to go before his highness returns."

When they heard the prince declare that he had succeeded in killing the king and queen, David and Charlotte were strolling together, talking about trivial topics and sharing a few chuckles. That's why David and Charlotte dashed down to the dining hall, knowing Astraea would be there at this hour. David couldn't get his brain around the notion that someone with whom he had joked, spoken, and trained had done something so heinous as murdering his parents.

Charlotte pulled Astraea up from the floor, and the two of them hastily exited the room. David paused for a while before leading the girls down a corridor. They made numerous twists and turns, and Astraea lost track of how many doors they passed through, and nothing seemed recognizable to her. They were finally outside after a time. Even though Astraea grew up in the palace, it seemed like David and Charlotte - who hadn't been working there for long - understood it better than her.

Seeing Astraea's puzzled expression, David said, "This is the exit and entrance that the palace laborers used; someone your age and in the main family wouldn't have known about it yet."

They began to approach the two horses chained to a fence. They agreed that Astraea would ride with David and Charlotte would take the other part of the journey. No one could see David quietly cheering to himself on the arrangement.

Astraea observed that Charlotte was frowning and fidgeting with her fingers. Astraea approached her and grasped her hand in hers, her eyes full of compassion. "What's the matter?" She inquired.

David gazed at the two females, but his gaze was drawn to Astraea, whom he had a long-standing infatuation on. It began when her brother wouldn't stop talking about her to him throughout their training, and he had discreetly gone to visit her since he was intrigued by her. David noticed her smiling as she joyfully played with a bunny. He had observed her a couple more times after that. He admired her upbeat and childlike demeanor, as well as her ability to be mature when necessary.

Charlotte was unable to meet her gaze as she murmured. "I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you." She then removed something from her skirt's pocket and presented it to Astraea. It was a spherical object. "Take this, remember me, and I'll be able to speak to you." She sighed and looked Astraea in the eyes, while Astraea pondered how she had gotten such a valuable treasure. "There's a village not far east, and a man named Nox will aid you."

She fled without answering the numerous questions Astraea had for her. The most important question Astraea wished to ask was

"Who exactly is she?"