~Epilogue~

Riona was crowned a Hedylid. A queen who was born both a butterfly and a moth. Vance was sentenced to exile, his wings removed as a further punishment and as for Drystan, he was buried next to his parents. The new queen earned herself a ruthless name but she kept her family's honour. Drystan was meant to be buried as a prince next to his parents.

I laid back on the grass. It was wet, of course, it was grass after all. Grass tended to be wet. The fresh air tickled my senses but the letter wedged in my hand burned to the touch. My eyes slid easily through the words but not at easily as a tear slid from each of them. Guilt had trapped me... "It is for the kingdom, for the throne," I had told myself numerous of times.

I looked back to the piece of parchment. The letter contained confessions from no other than the ultimate sinner himself:

My dear friend

It breaks my heart to share such an unpleasant announcement by letter, but I do not have much time I predict... I have three confessions to make. They are heavy to keep to myself, therefore I would like to confide in you for one last time.

My first confession is not as unforeseen, though I would like to hand you the contentment of being right, as you've always been:

Yes, I am and always have been a jealous brat. Of Riona and you, I've always found envy crawling under the cage of my ribs. Riona has always been the favourite. Ever since birth, my father would always approve of everything she had done. She is skilled in sword fighting and I am not. I was meant to be engulfed in the endless pages of libraries and in front of empty canvases. I am a poet, a writer and a strategist. Yet, I repeatedly found myself covetous. She had everything and I? I only had my mother.

I remember the day you strolled into class. I was frowning deeply and yet you sat down next to me. You nudged me with a smirk. "Let us be friends," you said, "Let us reap havoc together." Now you would understand why I was upset when you laughed with my sister that one spring day in the garden. I was terrified you would befriend her, leaving me as the rest have done — you never did, until now. So I must thank you partially.

My second confession would now not come as shocking after the first. I am planning on assassinating Riona... Though, you already know that, hence why you must have left — to save her from my claws.

My third confession is the most strenuous secret I've kept:

I love you. Ever since day one. In spite of that, I never stepped forth with my true feelings. The reason for that is... I've seen the way you gazed at Riona in our school years. I was insecure. How couldn't I recognize that very same adoration in your eye that I had for you? But you seem to run after her, even after all this time.

Furthermore, it is remarkable, how even in a world inhabited by only magnificence, people still strive to find fault in everything. Even in a world filled with beauty, there shall inevitably remain jealousy and betrayal.

We are children born from tragedy. I shall face mine and you shall come to face yours if I survive.

Your right-wing

I closed my eyes. Too bad I had been the one with the arrow.