That night

Joseph looked at Aria, scoffed and said, "Of course you don't. Who is Helen to you anyway. She's nothing to you. Probably just a stepping stone. The same as me."

After saying this, Joseph turned around and walked to Helen's study table to stroke a book written in Braille on her table.

"If you really cared about them, you wouldn't have let them sneak away like that." he had added, almost like the cherry on top of the cake. Joseph was pretty sure he heard Aria sniffle once before she left, but . . . . . .

Joseph opened his eyes and shook his head. He was ashamed to admit it, even now, even to himself, but that sniffle had made him a little happy. Joseph groaned aloud and wanted to strangle himself to death for that. How could he ever have been happy realizing Aria was sad. "Maybe it's true. I have never really loved her." he mumbled and closed his eyes once again.

Joseph had no idea how long he continued to cry in Helen's room. The next thing he knew, was someone bursting in the room and pulling him from his thoughts.

"I. . . . I'm so glad I found . . . . . . found you Joseph." It was one of his father's friends who was panting like he had run through the whole mansion. Joseph wiped away his tears and calmed himself in the time it took the man to catch his breath.

"What happened?" he asked, no longer Joseph, the hurt and sad boy, but Master Scott, the son of the commander-in-chief, one of the best warriors in the making.

"Queen Amber is here with your father. They were planning to go in search of Helen, but the Queen wants to talk with you and Aria first." he said. Joseph nodded and followed the man to the parlor. He looked at the time on the way and was very surprised to see that it had almost been two hours since he yelled at Aria.

He wondered how could he have been crying the whole time, or had he fallen asleep due to exhaustion?

Joseph pushed the confused, tired and scared boy out of himself and by the time he burst into the parlor, he was only his father's son, a mirror image of the calm he was exhibiting.

He greeted his dad and the queen solemnly and stood to the side. His father had always taught him to always let the more powerful person speak first in official gatherings, and Joseph had not forgotten it, even in the current situation.

But his patience soon began to run out when no one said anything. Finally, after a long while of shifting from one foot to another and tapping his heels, Joseph spoke up, "What is the plan?"

His father looked at him with narrowed eyes but Queen Amber did not seem to be offended by him speaking. She looked at Joseph with a small smile and said, "I'm very sorry. I know how much you must be worried about your sister Joseph. Your father wanted to leave right away in search of her, but two things. First, we have no idea where she is, and running around without a proper plan will be jumping into the night warriors' trap."