Breaking Impact

"Oh. Helena."

"Sister." Helena looked surprised as they were returning to the castle, stopping in the courtyard where Helena's older sister greeted her, "You're back."

"As are you." Helena's sister eyed Roko with suspicion.

"Oh. Sister, this is Roko, the special case that you've been told about. Roko, this is the Antecedent Princess of Hellestia, Diana Caterwight."

"Pleasure, I'm sure." Diana just gave Roko a slight nod, "What have you been doing since you arrived?"

"Just ate breakfast a bit ago."

"I meant since coming to our world."

"Well...I passed my exams."

"Did you now?" Diana's eyes narrowed. She was keen enough to see though the half joke that Roko was using to distract her and the cheek that came with it but she wasn't sure how to react to it.

"Roko had done plenty on behalf of me and the school." Helena frowned, "I'd appreciate it if you'd treat him properly."

"Hm. Well it would be in poor taste to judge a friend of my sister. Now. How have you been, Helena?"

"I've been doing fine, sister."

"Have you been taking your classes seriously? I know how you can be with things that don't interest you."

"Yes. I have." Helena spoke through clenched teeth, the conversation steering harrowingly close to her argument with Melia only a few minutes ago.

"Find a good use of your time then? There are activities and time aplenty back in my days with the Auspice. I hope you at least found something to entertain yourself with."

"Well...eventually."

"Mmhm. I'm glad to hear you managed to distract yourself but do not forget to do proper studies. There is much we have not taught you and much that the school has to offer. Do immerse yourself in the culture of the school. You'll scarcely find people of so many countries in the same place together. This is a rare opportunity."

"Not like you did anything with that opportunity yourself." Helena muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Hm." Diana's brow crinkled. She probably heard what Helena had muttered though she didn't seem intent to chase it, "All said, do remember to stay within the school rules."

"I got it already!" Helena snapped, "This is basic stuff, I don't need you to tell me this!"

"Excuse me?" Diana frowned, "It's only because you're so free spirited that we have to worry about you this much. You'd hardly find another princess so keen on running out into town all the time."

"You kept me locked up in the castle all day, taking lesson after lesson! What did you expect me to do?!"

"Bring that up with your own mother." Diana scoffed, "She was the one who decided to marry into the royal line while you were already a young girl. Your express training in proper behavior as a princess was due to father and your own mother. Don't go blaming me for what happened to you."

"Oh don't go acting all innocent in front of me." Helena rolled her eyes, "If nothing else, you were a willing participant! If you think it was an issue then why didn't you do anything about it?"

"Who said it was an issue?" Diana scoffed, "It was necessary. That's all. And I see all that training did nothing for your mannerisms. Why don't you do something yourself instead of blaming other people?"

"I DID!" Helena's screamed, "I did everything you all wanted but it was just never enough! I just wanted some time outside, was that so much to ask?!"

"Maybe you should have asked instead of sneaking away."

"You think I didn't do that?!" Helena snapped, "I sneaked away because I had no other choice! Don't pretend like you're some sort of outsider! You already know all this!"

"Do I though?" Diana smirked, "This is all matters for the Crown Princess. I'm just the Antecedent Princess."

"Oh you're going to bring that up?! Are you sure?! I mean, you were the one who threw a fit after losing the right to inheritance and forced our parents to give you that pretty little title. You want to talk about proper princess-ly behavior?! You want to talk about that then, big sis?!"

"I was just a child!" Diana scowled.

"You were older than me! Made for a good role model then did you?! Besides, I don't see you telling people to stop calling you the Antecedent Princess."

"Oh? Ohoho..." Diana's eye twitched, "I see all those lessons were for nothing if you're daring to speak like that. Perhaps we need to reeducate you from the ground up."

"If it didn't work the first time why would you think it would work this time?"

"Perhaps Memoria Auspice has been a bad influence if you're acting up like this. Need we have a word with your teachers?"

"Yeah yeah. While you're there maybe you can retake the manners class because it seems like you need it yourself."

"Hmm. So this is the future queen of the Hellestia Nation? How troubling. If you were to take the throne as you are, I dread to see how our home will develop. That's not considering how you would possibly develop."

"How magnanimous of you." Helena said sarcastically, "How about before you go talking about other people's lives, you think about yourself for once."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you kidding me, 'Antecedent Princess'? You clearly have a lot of issues to work out on your own. You want to talk about lazy, I don't see any effort being made to self reflect and improve."

"I can't imagine what you're talking about."

"Don't you think it's about time you consider what to do with your own life for once? You're not getting any younger and I haven't seen you get a job, big sis."

"What's it matter to you if I get a job?"

"Why does my future matter to you?"

"Because you're the Crown Princess! Do I need to remind you of the immense responsibility that you hold over your shoulders?"

Helena's bravado shrunk a bit when Diana said that.

"Life is unfair and lives are unequal. It's because of this that we, as royalty, have duties to ensure peace and liberty for their people."

"But not for themselves is that it?" Helena muttered.

"Is your self all you can think about?" Diana sighed, "Then why don't you look at the kind of company you keep?"

"What are you saying?" Helena frowned.

"Did Roland earn the new equipment he has? What do you think?"

"Hey! You don't get to say that about Roland! You don't even have a knight!"

"I chose not to have a knight. I didn't need one after my time at Memoria Auspice."

"You didn't need any friends either from what I could tell. Did you really achieve anything in Memoria Auspice?"

"I graduated as head of the student council president with the highest grades among my peers."

"Okay. Why?"

"Why?! That's the natural thing to do in a school."

"Yeah. But what are you going to do with those grades. I don't see you committing to anything."

"What I do is none of your business."

"But my business is a concern of yours."

"I doesn't matter how many times you try to reverse this on me. Your duty as a future queen needs to be taken seriously. For starters, find your dignity. Or at the very least, find somebody who can act dignified for you."

"What are you attacking my knight for?" Helena snapped, "Roland may not have a shred of dignity but at least he has self respect."

"Excuse me?" Diana's face crinkled at the insinuation.

"You want to talk about the company we keep? Let's talk about your boyfriend!"

"You wouldn't dare."

"You talk all day about how I'm royalty and we need proper company but you keep a complete commoner as your boyfriend. Hm? Can you tell where I'm going, you absolute hypocrite?"

"How dare you." Diana's face contorted into an ugly scowl, "Daniel is the love of my life. I love him."

"Oh is that what it is? Because I have the slightest inkling that you're only dating him out of pity."

"Pity?! Where would you get an idea like that?!"

"Oh let me think, have you told him anything about yourself?"

"Of course I have! He knows fully well who he's dating."

"Oh sure, he might know he's dating a princess but what about the person. If I asked him, I'm not sure if he could tell me a single thing about you."

"What would you know?"

"Oh I don't know a thing. All I have are these sneaking suspicion that you're keeping your precious Daniel an arm's length away from you."

"People have different kinds of relationships. This is just where we're comfortable."

"Did you ask Daniel about that as well? Because as nice a guy he is, this relationship has been going on for, what, nearly two months now? Have you two done anything other than hold hands with each other?"

"We're getting to it!"

"No, I'm pretty sure you're very comfortable where you are and have no intention to take things any further. Why would you string a nice man like him along for so long?"

"Are you expecting an answer for your delusions?"

"Oh you don't need to answer. I already know the answer. It's because you don't care about him at all!"

"How dare you!"

"Oh I'm not done. You want to know why you're wasting the effort to continue a relationship that you don't have the slightest interest in? Huh well let's see. What could it be. What could you possibly be concerned with so much that you'd fabricate a relationship over?"

"I have no idea what you're going on about."

"Well you seem pretty fine with telling mom and dad all about your relationship. It's quite strange really, how open you are with your lovey dovey relationship. Now why would that be? Could it be...because you're trying to gauge our parent's reaction to your affair?"

"You're talking nonsense."

"No no, let me continue because this has been a long time coming and I'm not nearly done. Let's just assume I'm right. Let's say that you're only using Daniel to make mom and dad concerned over your life. Why? Why would you possibly want something like that? You know how much my life gets scrutinized. Why would you want a piece of that? Unless...gasp! You're still not over it are you?! You don't care about Daniel. You just want mom and dad, the king and queen to treat you like a proper princess! Oh my, that makes sense doesn't it? Why else would you be so concerned about how I act? Oh that's right. I'm the Crown Princess and you...oh. You're just the Antecedent Princess. A title you only got because you lost your chance for the throne. So you're in a relationship you're only pretending to care about because you want the king and queen to talk to you like you're a princess because deep down, you're still a sad child, upset about the fact that mom and dad-"

Helena stopped as Diana slapped her hard across the face.

"We're done here." Diana said coldly as she turned and walked away.

Helena nursed the hit she had received, covering her cheek with a quivering hand. She kept her head down, making it hard for Roland and Roko to see her face but her shuddering body spoke to how hard it took for her to not shed a single tear.

"I hate this place." Helena said quietly, almost inaudibly as to try to make sure nobody actually head what she said.

Roland looked extremely worried but he had no idea how to approach her until Helena straightened up and said, without looking back at them, "I'm sorry. I have to go to my room for a bit. Roland will show you to your room is. I'll talk to you later."

And with that, Helena walked off towards the castle, leaving the two men there in the courtyard.

Roko just stood there, unsure of how to make of the family squabble that got perhaps a bit too heavy for an outsider like him to hear. What should he do? Should he do anything?

"I'm sure you've realized by now but..." Roland spoke up solemnly, "Helena...doesn't actually like being home. It's not just about how her family and friends treat her. Aproia is just extremely boring to her. There's nothing for her in this city. I was just about to convince her to stay at Memoria Auspice for the holiday before she found out you visited Corissa's hometown."

"..."

"Come on. I'll show you to your room. Let's just end this day quietly. Helena will be back tomorrow."