Unchangeable

After finding her, the Princess explained the situation to Delima. Delima and the other two priests combined their magic to cast a tracking spell. Normally this spell would require something which connects to the person that is being tracked, however, in the case of the Blossom, they only needed to track a strong magical presence. About an hour and a half had passed yet they remained resolute. They were well aware that failing the king was not an option and as a result they had a great deal of pressure on their shoulders. That pressure also helped to maintain their drive.

"I've found her!" Delima suddenly exclaimed triumphantly.

After advising the other priests who were with her, she promptly began to make preparations for them to leave. This was a golden opportunity for Delima to showcase her worth. It wasn't enough for her to be a teacher to the royal family, she wanted to be able to look directly at the nobles instead of looking up at them. If she were to succeed in bringing the Blossom back, who knows what her reward could be.

At the same time, the Princess, who was still with them, left to inform the King. The whereabouts of the Crown Prince and Queen were unknown so she didn't bother to waste time on searching. As the Princess entered the room where the king was, she saw him standing by an open window. The King didn't even notice her presence. As she looked at him she noticed he had a melancholic expression. She could only think of the issue with the ritual being the cause. She cleared her throat to alert him of her presence. As he looked at her, he tried to wear a smile. The Princess, however, could see through his forced smile by the look in his eyes. She suddenly felt forlorn. Despite her feelings, she got back to her task and informed the King that the Blossom had been found. The King became a bit relaxed upon hearing the news. He dismissed the Princess and as she left he remained in the tower by the open window.

Delima and the two priests were now gathered in the courtyard waiting to depart when they began to feel a change in the air pressure. There were waves of magic intertwined with the air that started to move in a circular pattern. The three could feel their magic becoming unstable. The area surrounding them was becoming a vacuum and with each breath they took they felt drained. The sudden change in pressure drew the attention of the King and other priests. In response they went towards it, however, it didn't last long and things were once again calm.

In a flash, Viola and Alexander appeared before them on the horse. They were now surrounded by curious eyes. Alexander got down from the horse then helped Viola down. The head priest made his way towards them. Upon seeing the woman with the second prince, he bowed. The other priests followed suit as it was now confirmed that the Blossom stood before them. Delima fell to her knees, defeated. She hung her head in shame. She resembled a dying flower. In that moment, she thought of how foolish she must've been to think it would be so easy to change one's status. It now seemed as though it wasn't meant to be. Was her only option to marry an old baron to see a change in her life? To others it looked as though she was showing reverence yet only she knew of the pain that gripped her heart.

The King looked at the second prince intently. He couldn't understand his objectives. Why was he the one to bring the Blossom back? As he walked over to the second prince he was blocked by Viola. The King was taken aback by her sudden motion. Alexander held Viola's hand, trying to pull her back but she could not be moved.

"I can sense his ill-intent towards you", whispered Viola as she looked at the king. Alexander was taken by surprise by what she said, however, was not surprised hearing his father's feelings. The commotion drew everyone to the courtyard. At this moment, the other royal family members and the second prince's mother were all at the courtyard.

"You have done a great service by bringing the Blossom back for the Crown Prince. Release her so we can complete the ritual," said the king in a commanding tone.

In response, the second prince respectfully bowed to greet his father.

"I'm sorry but the ritual was already completed," said the second prince. He could feel knots in his stomach.

Everyone was confused by the prince's words. It should've been the Crown Prince who was to complete the ceremony so how did things change to such a degree. Alexander held onto Viola's hand.

"She has pledged to serve me," Alexander continued.

"Ridiculous!" shouted the king. The veins on his forehead were protruding. The king stepped forward and began to release a strong pressure towards the second prince.

As Alexander was being pushed back, Viola stepped forth and neutralized the air pressure with a simple flick of the wrist. Alexander's words were proven true. The king was stunned. Seeing how easily she neutralized his air pressure he realized that he was far from being her match. They had succeeded in summoning a more powerful Blossom but she was now on the wrong side. If she were to stay with Alexander, who knows what he'd do. The king felt as though the second prince was now holding a loaded gun. The Crown Prince, William suddenly stepped forth.

"You were supposed to choose me… Why didn't you? I am the Crown Prince!" shouted William. He couldn't hold back his emotions. Viola looked at him with indifference then focused her attention back to the King.

As he began approaching the Blossom the Queen quickly pulled him back to prevent him from making a further scene. She managed to restrain with a few words and after he had calmed down a bit she straightened his collar and adjusted his hair. As she looked around the courtyard, she noticed that the second prince's mother was also present. Her calm comforting demeanor changed in an instant.

"Is this how you raised your son, Amelia… to take what isn't his? Seems you two want to rebel!" said the queen in a cold tone as she looked over at the second prince's mother. Her burning hatred could be seen clearly from the look in her eyes. The tension in the air had now increased to a frightening degree.

Amelia calmly walked over to her son, the two guards followed closely. The two looked alike. Their green eyes and brown hair were distinct traits of the royal family of Hayon, Amelia's homeland.

"If we wanted to rebel, we wouldn't do it in such a manner. It would be foolish of you to spout such unproven nonsense, your highness," responded Amelia as she brushed her son's hair back.

"Nonsense? Then how do you explain what is happening right now?!" retorted the Queen.

"Your Highness, it was not my intention to be synced with the Blossom. Regardless, I will do whatever is commanded to rectify the situation. You can be assured that my mother and I have never had any rebellious thoughts," rebutted Alexander as he blocked his mother.

"Fine, then release the Blossom so that she can be synced with the Crown Prince and I will not bother with you or your mother," responded the Queen. The King nodded in agreement.

Before Alexander could respond, one of the head priests, Zaylin interjected.

"Your Majesties, I'm afraid that's not possible. Once the synchronization has been completed it cannot be undone," advised Head Priest Zaylin as he stood.

"There must be another way! We can re-do the ritual, can't we?!" suggested the Crown Prince.

"I'm afraid not. We do not have the power to perform another ritual this quickly and even if we did, it could not be done. Two Blossoms cannot exist in the same space within our realm as the amount of magic and energy they possess could cause an imbalance within nature," cautioned Head Priest Zaylin.

"We must do something! William's banquet will begin soon," urged the Queen as she tugged the King's sleeve.

"What's done cannot be undone... To prove his loyalty the second prince in conjunction with the Blossom will serve by the Crown Prince's side. No one will speak of what happened today," ordered the King.

"I will do as you command your Majesty," replied the second prince. Viola also nodded in agreement.

"Get dressed for the banquet, both of you," said the King as he walked off.

The Crown Prince and Queen were dissatisfied but knew nothing else could be done. All preparations had been made, it would be too late to cancel things now. They both headed off to the direction of the banquet hall. With their departure the tension was greatly eased. The other priests got to their feet and encircled Viola. For some, it was their first time seeing a Blossom in person.

"What do they want?" asked Viola.

"It seems they just want to look at you more closely I guess," replied Alexander.

"I must apologize if we made you feel uncomfortable Blossom, please excuse them," said Head Priest Zaylin as he dispersed the crowd.

"My name is Viola, you should address me as such," advised Viola.

"As you wish, I shall not make that mistake again. Please come to the temple if you need us for anything," responded Head Priest Zaylin respectfully. He offered another bow then left with the other priests.

Alexander then left with his mother and Viola to get ready for the banquet. Even with Viola's powerful presence the two guards continued to follow closely until one of them left with the horse.

The Princess noticed Delima was still on her knees. She rushed over to her.

"Delima you can get up now, everyone's leaving," said Cecilia as she helped Delima to her feet. "Who could've imagined things would turn out like this?"

"You're right, the outcome was quite… unexpected," replied Delima as she forced a smile. Delima thanked the princess for her help then left.

The Princess looked around the empty courtyard and as she did, a gust of wind blew her raven hair. As she pulled her hair back, she thought of her father. She used to enjoy when he would brush her hair. Although she resembled her mother and had blue eyes, her hair was the same colour as her father's. As she got older and failed to show progress in awakening her magic she noticed that he wasn't as warm as before. Things had changed and she hoped she could find the answer to fix it. As she stood there, she felt an unnerving wave of loneliness. She too, soon left the courtyard.