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And since the carnival had come to town, you’d found the perfect excuse. The whole group had been dragged out to enjoy the festivities. There is a vague memory of rusty rides and fried food hovering in the back of your mind, but you struggle to piece the memory together.

“Damn, I think the guys beat us to it.” Katelyn directs all of your eyes to the boys of the group, huddled around one of the various games.

It’s one of those strength-testing machines — you slam down a cartoonishly-shaped hammer with all the force you can muster, hoping to win big. An attendant stands to the side, apathetically observing their attempts. You hear a series of dings before most of the guys groan in disappointment.

“Boys, huh?” Lucinda carefully nudges you with her elbow before skipping ahead. She points at the barely-lit metre, as the light is halted on the words ‘Too bad!’ in red lettering. She snorts at the result. “Well, which one of you losers did that?”

Dante scoffs, suddenly waving the hammer around in Lucinda’s face. “A perfectly strong and capable man playing a rigged game. That’s who.”

“Sounds like something a loser might say,” Katelyn chuckles. She pushes in between the centre of the group, bragging about “how it’s really done” with rolled-up sleeves.

Ahead of you, the park's concrete paths had turned into aisles of classic games. Plastic fishing rods, water guns, lines of milk bottles — all beneath striped marquees. There’s even one or two photobooths down the line. Jaunty music blares on crappy speakers as people stroll by.

It’s kind of fun getting to see the park all decorated. If you look to the left, they’ve transformed empty grass patches into a section for carnival rides. The intensity seems to go from slides and carousels, to drop towers and Tilt-A-Whirls. You’re not sure if you trust the more thrill-seeking rides to have every screw in place, but everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

Since zoning out, it seems the group has already divided themselves.

Aphmau is standing off to the side with Travis, Dante and a sweet boy named Vylad, who turned out to be one of Garroth’s brothers. It was going to take you a while to get used to how interlinked everyone at this school seemed to be. The group is prepared to walk off towards the assortment of rides.

“Hey, does anyone wanna come do some rides with us?” Aphmau asks.

Katelyn latches onto Lucinda almost immediately, a wide grin across her face. “Ooh, let’s do it, Luce.”

Reluctantly, the ginger accepts, and the five of them come together. The only ones leftover are Laurance, Garroth, and Cadenza. And of course, you.

“I think I’ll be sticking to the games,” Laurance says. He turns his head towards you, a hopeful look spread across his face. “Hey, why don’t you join us?”

Cadenza stands behind him, slipping you a teasing smirk. She slowly nods at you while wiggling her eyebrows. You attempt to slyly shoot her down, but instead face Laurance.

“Uh, sure!”

Aphmau’s group waves you goodbye. You can already hear them debating which to take first on the way out. You can’t look at them for too long before regretting your decision to stay over here.

Maybe you could get a break from your schoolwork, but unfortunately, there was no break from your resurfaced crush. And now that you were in such a small group, you would have to interact.

Cadenza walks ahead of you three, pointing at the stalls as you walk past. “Ooh, they have such cute prizes.”

Garroth chuckles. “Yeah, it just depends on how hard it is to actually win them…”

In an instant, Cadenza’s eyes light up. A look you can only describe as playfully mischievous covers her face. She skips over to Garroth, suddenly clutching his arm. 

“I’m sure the Baseball Captain will do just fine.” She points at a stack of bottles; one of those knock-em-down games. “Hurry up, I wanna win one of the little cat plushies.”

Garroth looks back at you and Laurance with a shrug of acceptance. “I guess you two can keep going ahead if you want.”

Cadenza’s wingwoman tendencies always seemed to have a way. It might be lucky that both of the guys were totally oblivious that there was a wingwoman here. You were truly trying to forget about your crush, but that wouldn’t work while you’re forced to be together. Alone.

“Yeah, we’ll find something.” Laurance taps your arm with the back of his hand. “Anything you wanna do?”

Something manages to catch your eye.

In a distant stall, there’s a triangular formation of thin bottles. At the front bench, there’s a collection of small, neon-colored rings, sitting in a plastic bucket. Two small children have just lost out on a prize — scurrying off to the next stall.

But it’s not the ring toss you cared about. It was the prize wall behind it.

Pinned right at the top was probably the largest plush bunny you’d ever seen. Covered in the thickest white fur, paired with beady button-sized eyes. One of its floppy ears would be enough to cover your entire arm.

Maybe you’d struggled to form the memory before, but not anymore. You didn’t notice the bunny simply because it was cute (although, it certainly was). You’d noticed it because you’d seen it, at this exact park, as a kid.

You were peeking over the edge of the stall. You, Laurance, and Cadenza each had a ring in hand, alternating turns. You vividly remember selecting it for its big prize — the bunny on the wall.

Never in a million years would your parents have let you keep a real bunny (of course, you’d tried), so you’d opted for the supersized version with plastic eyes. In your mind, it was cuter than the real thing. 

Unfortunately, the round ended with “better luck next time!” from the teenaged attendant. Somehow, you don’t recall any rides, or most of the other stalls, but you do recognise the floppy-eared bunny. Luckily, it’s just as cute as you remember it.

“Laurance!” You exclaim, and you must’ve had stars in your eyes as you looked back at him. “We came here when we were kids, right? I remember seeing that exact bunny.”

“Oh, yeah, we did. I think we tried to win it for you?” 

You nod enthusiastically. 

Laurance retrieves his wallet at the sight of your excitement. “Then I think we need a do-over.”

The two of you pause in front of the ring toss. You hold a hand out towards him. “You don’t have to pay for it; I’m the one who wants the bunny.”

Before you can retrieve your own money, he’s already handed his over. You cease your ruffling through your handbag.

“Sorry, you’ll need to be quicker than that.”

“Ugh, I’ll get you back for that,” you sigh. “But thank you, for real.”

In the furthest row, there’s about 6 bottles with painted rims. As long as you hit each one, the prize is yours. You hand him 3 of the rings from the bucket.

“Like old times,” you say, eyes glittering with excitement.

You alternate turns, both leaned over the bench.. During your first try, you’re only two rings off, but Laurance immediately demands a second round. You urge him not to get too sucked in after giggling at his laser focused look. As much as you’re also committed to earning the bunny, you don’t want him emptying his wallet over it.

Although, to your surprise… second times the charm!

The two of you instantly gasp at the last ring hooking over the painted bottle. You clutch his jacket sleeve, shaking him from side to side.

“You did it! You won!”

As the fluffy bunny is heaved onto the counter, Laurance rotates it to face you. “Well, it was a shared effort. But you do get the big prize.”

You wrap your arms around it, sweeping it into your arms — like someone pulling in stacks of poker chips. You’re not too clear on the cleanliness, but can’t resist leaning into the fluff. It’s just as thick and soft as you imagined. The kind of feeling you could melt into.

You pop your head over the top of the bunny. “Seriously, thank you so much.”

Laurance gently pats the plushies head. “Anything for a friend,” he smiles.

A friend. Right. 

Every time he was sweet to you, you had to remind yourself that it wasn’t some kind of special treatment. Laurance was just a sweet guy. He probably would’ve won that for any of his other friends.

You had to stop catching yourself leaning into these moments. Whenever you blushed, or got flustered, you’d look up to find Laurance failing to share the same expression. You had to break from your delusion fast. Or at least beg Cadenza to snap you out of it.

“Holy shit,” Garroth breathes out a laugh as he approaches. “Now our prize looks infinitely lamer.”

Cadenza holds out a little black cat, about the size of your two hands. She holds it beside the bunny, unable to stifle a laugh.

She nudges the blond boy beside her. “Damn, maybe ours really was rigged.”

“Sucks to suck, I guess,” Laurance says, throwing his hands in the air.

After a couple more rounds, and a few rides, you all regroup for food. You gather around one of the picnic tables, gossiping and giggling. The bunny is big enough to need its own seat — although it did just end up serving as Katelyn’s pillow.

Eventually, the evening draws near. The crowds have just begun to dissipate; a few leaving spots of trash behind. Once declining a ride from your friends, you split from each other.

Feeling in need of a moment alone, you delay calling for a ride. And since you were already in the park, you might as well return to your usual spot for a moment of reflection.

Today, the fading sun was accompanied by a gentle breeze. The minute you felt any heat; the wind would sweep across your warming skin, soothing the red from your face. 

Of course, you admired this from the bridge.

The water stretching for miles, the sky blending from orange to dark blue, with small dollops of cloud sprinkled across. It was the sheer amount of space you had that made this area so relaxing. With the crowds gone home, and the carnival lights switching off, this place was just perfect.

“Funny, we keep meeting like this.”

Oh, so close.

You flinched at first. But you recognised that voice… which unfortunately, meant you knew exactly what you'd find when you turned around. 

There, lingering on the other side, was none other than Gene. 

You must've not bothered to hide how swiftly your face fell, because Gene’s lips curl up at your new expression. He's anticipated your disgust, and yet that doesn't deter him.

“...Um, we've only met here once.”

Hands in his pockets, Gene strolls up to your side. “Didn’t realise you were counting, bunny.”

Although your lips part, you're physically unable to conjure a single word. Your saliva catches in your throat; sending you into a slight coughing fit. 

You're trying to avoid looking at Gene, though you can tell he's finding this hilarious. He's not pointing and laughing. But the smirk on his face tells you more than enough. He retains that shit-eating grin as he patiently waits for you to compose yourself.

Finally relaxed, you clear your throat. You clutch the plush closer to your chest. “I'm sorry, bunny? When did…”

“Well, I had to call you something. And now that I look at you two beside each other, I think I see some resemblance.” He replies, leaning over.

You scan his face for a moment. “...What's that supposed to mean?” You can’t tell if you’re flustered or if your whole body is cringing. And aside from that, you had a name. One that he’s scarcely used so far.

“It means don't think about it too hard, sweetheart.”

You give him a doubtful look, eyes narrowing. Although, the effect is overridden by the reddening of your ears.

Whenever you had a moment to yourself, Gene always happened to pop up. It’s as if each interaction was perfectly orchestrated. You couldn’t even enjoy your spot for long, because he somehow turned it into your meeting room.

Although, if he was going to be so suspicious about approaching you, you needed to be sure why. It’s not that you didn’t believe Katelyn, but you needed to cut his “friendly” act short.

“Gene, why are you even talking to me?”

When he begins to chuckle, you wonder if he's laughing at you. You've only really spoken once, but both times you felt like you were missing something. Like Gene was always one step ahead — even if that step was just a centimeter.

“You don't remember what I said last time? I just want to be friends.” 

“...Well, I just don't believe that,” you sigh. “Are you sure you don't just want me in the Shadow Knights?”

You'd hoped that might knock him off his game a bit — but he hardly seems phased by it. Just saying the name made you cringe a little.

“So your friends beat me to it. Who's to say that wouldn't make you a friend?”

You fold your arms, turning your nose up at him. “Hm… Depends how you plan on convincing me.”

“Well, there's not much I can do.” Gene rests his arm on the railing, head cocked to the side. “You can come find us whenever you like.”

Your head tilts in confusion. “Uh, where exactly is that? I've never even seen you in the cafeteria.”

“No use looking there, bunny.” He says, and you can tell he's enjoying your embarrassment of the nickname. “Check under the bleachers.”

There's a small delay in response. You squint, eyeing him with hesitance. “Uh, isn't that kinda off limits during lunch?”

Gene bursts into a laugh. You retain your puzzled expression. What were you missing here? You'd probably get written up for going there.

“You really are a goody two shoes, huh? Holed up in that library or something.”

You frown. “How'd you know about that?”

It wasn't like you attempted to hide it, but how would he have seen that from the bleachers?

“Uh, because it's something a goody two shoes would do. Either way, I'm right.”

There is nothing else you can muster but a dejected huff. With furrowed brows, you turn away from him. What kind of strategy is this? Is he planning to bully you into wanting to be friends? 

Gene leans further out toward you, in hopes of meeting your gaze. “Alright, alright, I didn't mean to make fun of  you. I wouldn't be talking to you otherwise. You know that, don't you?”

You scoff. “I'm not sure. Maybe it would do you some good to be around a goody two shoes.”

His eyebrows raise. He stares at you like he's finally gotten the reaction he's been waiting for. Grinning, Gene asks, “Now what does that mean?”

You get the feeling you should've just told him to go away, but now you were here, so you might as well prove your point. From the way she spoke about him, Katelyn would probably scold you for getting this far. 

“Nothing, it's just… maybe you wouldn’t need to beg me to join.” You fidget with your hem, innocently looking off to the side.

You enjoy the few seconds in which you have left Gene speechless. He's probably got a witty remark he's been saving for such a moment, anyway, but it did feel nice. 

“...Oh, really?”

Suddenly, you feel quite warm, palms sweating as you rush to explain yourself. “W-Well, it's just that typically people who actually show up tend to find more friends. Like, I think it makes me more… reliable. That's all.”

“Is that so?” Gene looks at you mischievously. “If I was more like you, I'd be more successful?”

Your lips purse. “Er, I mean, not like that—”

Gene shakes his head. “No, no, I'm not mad. You don't have to hide it — I admire how confident you are. So confident, in fact, that I could make you an offer.”

While you blankly stare at him, the only thing between you is a cricket-chirping silence. Surely, you believed yourself to be strong enough not to let him get to you — especially after your previous lectures, plus before anymore to come. But if Gene had wormed his way into suggesting an offer; then he likely already has.

Amidst all your anxiety surrounding what's to come, you've partially zoned out. Gene clears his throat to disrupt the quiet.

“Listen, I get it, you clearly don't like me. Your friends don't. It's whatever.” He digs his hands into his pockets. “But you like me enough to keep this conversation going. And don't think I didn't notice you tried to look for me.”

Your fingers curl over the railing; grip slightly tightening. You can't defend yourself against his argument, but felt uneasy nonetheless. Shifting the weight on your feet, you question him.

“...Okay, where are you going with this?”

“I'm willing to bet that your little theory is wrong. And I think being around me more might prove that.” Gene pauses to examine your reaction. Despite the mix of shock and confusion, he adds: “I'd bet even more on you not turning me down.”

You blink at Gene; like your eyelids are window-wipers, and he's merely a pesky bug or a drop of rain. Once, then twice. Yup, he's still there. 

There's another one of those faithful pauses you use to conjure up a response — and despite aiming for witty, you always wind up asking more questions. His words echo in the recesses of your mind when you realise; Gene is being dead serious. He wants to form a real bet — all because you couldn't keep your mouth shut. The worst part of it was your intrigue.

Feigning disinterest as best you can, your arms tightly fold. “...Are you serious? What makes you say that?”

“Your curiosity does. Not that you have to, but I’m sure you’d enjoy proving me wrong.” He raises his hands in surrender. “But that's just me.”

Gene wasn't wrong in how he read you — but he was probably wrong in how seriously you're willing to take this. Despite not seeming it; you are the competitive type, and with someone as bothersome as him, you'd pop confetti getting to prove him wrong. 

Then again, is this how you want to go through your year? Katelyn’s warnings were so serious that she didn't even delve into the details. The same went for Laurance. You'd basically just met the guy, so there was no knowing what was in store for you. As far as you knew, he could toss you in his trunk and drive into a lake. 

This was rational thinking. Weighing the options, deciding you don't know enough about him, deciding your friend might be right. On paper, this was it. All the information you needed to turn on your heels and walk away. 

So none of that explained this invisible pull you had to say yes. To throw out all logic, and agree. It was something much bigger than mere competitiveness. 

…It was, maybe, your first impression of him.

If there was anything you knew you'd struggle with this year, it was knowing Laurance. Admittedly, he was also just some guy — some guy you hadn't seen in years, and should have no connection to. But seeing him again has sparked more than just your past friendship. Every time you looked at the stupid bunny, you’d just think of him again.

If you'd let Laurance consume your mind in 2 weeks, what'd the rest of the year hold? You couldn't escape lunch periods, classes, or his sister. 

But this was new.

This was irrational, illogical, and slightly out of character. Maybe this would be your way of spicing up the year. Maybe, this would be a distraction. Plus, you were confident in your ability to win.

You knew that if you thought about this any deeper, it'd take forever for you to stutter out your answer. So you don't think about it, and you blurt whatever comes to mind. Good or bad.

“Fine. What are the terms?”

Even if you really wanted to take it back, Gene was already one-hundred percent prepared to seal it.

Gene claps his hands together. “I'm glad you asked, bunny. Let's say… we can hang around each other for a while. If I have any influence on you, I win and you'll join us.”

“...Okay, and if I win?”

“Well, it's up to you. Shoot for the moon, sweetheart, ‘cause it's not happening.” He buries his hands in his pockets. “You gonna make me hand in my homework?”

You deadpan. 

“Okay. If I win, you'll shut up about the whole Shadow Knight thing. Like, to everyone.”

The way Gene looks at you holds so much self-pride — like he thinks he's already won. But you were now committing to not letting that happen.

He holds a hand out. “Alright. Deal?”

“Fine.” You shake it. “Deal.”

1. "Why must I have to be the one to marry him?! He's so... odd and menacing!" Aphmau complained whilst pacing around the living room, her long skirt swirling against her calves as she did. "Because he chose you, my darling. Why he did, I do not know. However, you mustn't look at this so negatively, Aphmau. While the Lord may have a blunt personality, you have known him since childhood! He may treat you better than the rest of the commune!" Sylvanna tried to relax her daughter while following her around the room.

2. "But mother, we are NOT as close as we were as children! Now, we only talk when necessary and whenever we do, he's all peevish!" Aphmau said in a panic while continuing to pace around the room. Sylvanna grabbed Aphmau's arms after letting out a sigh, making sure that her daughter could no longer continue her pacing. "Oh, dearest... Please, I urge you to try. I know Lord Zane is not the sweet boy you once knew... but we need him. I hate to have to rely on you for coins, but... having you marry him is the best way to get us out of the debts your father put us in. Please, my dear... If not for love, do it for me..." Sylvanna pleaded as she caressed Aph's face.

3. After a few, careful seconds of consideration, Aphmau let out a sigh before nodding and sighing. "Okay, Mother... I'll marry him... But I'll marry him to help us, not for love." She stated whilst giving her mother a hug, her mind racing with the potential future she had with her fiancé. She still did not understand why she, of all ladies, had to marry the seemingly constantly annoyed man. They no longer got along like they once did when they were children, and Aphmau had not noticed any hints of romantic feelings in the few interactions they've shared over the past few years. Was he hiding his feelings from her? Was his supposedly hidden feelings the reason why they grew incredibly distant and they grew from children to teenagers to adults?

4. All questions and no answers were all she had for days. She thought these questions as she bathed, as she dressed, as she shopped, as she worked... She never stopped wondering, not even when she finally had the chance to speak with him. Once she had him alone, she slowly walked up to him with a stern face. "Lord Ro'Meave, may we speak?" Aph asked with slight exasperation. "You are to be my wife in 9 days, Aphmau. You may refer to me by my first name." Zane said through gritted teeth, seeming to try to keep at least some emotional distance between them as he flipped through some notes.

5. "Alright... Well, Zane... I'd like to know why you chose me to marry out of everyone in the commune." Aph cut to the chase, making sure to maintain eye contact with her former friend. Zane sighed whilst avoiding her eyes, looking back at his finance notes for the rather than answering her. Aphmau wanted to raise her voice, but instead, she kept herself eased and spoke again in a calm, soft voice. "Zane... Were we not friends once? I understand that we are no longer as close as we once were, but those years of being close friends must still mean as much to you as they do to me. Please, Zane... tell me why. I deserve to know."

6. "My mother wishes for me to marry soon, but she knows that I'd simply pick a girl at random and marry her just so she'd quit her bothersome behavior. She wants me to be in love... So, I decided to marry you. You and I were once friends, as you've said. She'll believe that I'm 'in love' with you due to our past, and she'll be glad that I haven't plucked a random girl off the street." Zane explained while putting his notes in a neat pile, stunning Aphmau a tad. Her brows furrowed as her mouth opened to let out a statement of sheer shock and awe. "Should you agree to this without more questions, I will do everything I can to provide for you and your mother, no matter the circumstances." Zane slipped in, not letting Aphmau state her shock verbally.

7. Aph's face softened a bit as she weighed her options. It was no secret that her father had abandoned her and her mother after racking up immense debt under their family name, leaving her and Silvanna as working class. On the other hand, she wanted to marry for love! She did not love Zane. She only tolerated him now. However, her own mother had begged her to agree to the marriage so their family may go back to being nobles, so they wouldn't have to stoop to doing or selling undesirable things for coins. "If we should marry..." Aphmau started to say in a soft tone as she walked a little closer to Zane. "I wish for us to be friends once more. I can live with us not being in love, but I cannot be in a marriage where I merely tolerate you."

8. "If it shall convince you to go along with this..." Zane started to say with an exaggerated sigh. "Then, I guess, I shall attempt to rekindle our old friendship with you." A soft, subtle smile graced Aphmau's face at the compromise. With a soft 'thank you' to Zane, she exited the building. The next day, she had a letter from him, asking her to head to Zane's residence's parlor as soon as she possibly could. The moment she finished reading the letter, she dashed to his estate, fearing the worst. However, when she was allowed into the house and into the living room by one of the maids, everything was perfectly fine. Zane, wearing his signature scowl, was sitting on his bench across from a white-haired, green-eyed man.

9. With soft, hesitant steps, Aphmau walked further into the living room before sitting beside Zane, her eyes glaring at the other man warily. "You must be the fake bride we've been waiting for! My name is Travis, and I'll be helping you two be 'in love' before the wedding!" Said the white-haired boy, who's apparently named Travis, in a cheerful tone. "Oh... Is that right...? May I simply ask who in the name of Irene you are...?" Aph asked in a very off-put tone as her body tensed up. "...My name is Travis-" "I understood that. I meant... where did you come from? I do not recognize you from the commune." Aphmau cut him off with a twinge of irritation, wanting to know exactly who this albino boy was.

10. "Oh, I'm a mage and a love expert! That's why the Lord chose me to train you two!" Travis stated with a proud smile. "No, I hired you to make us a love potion, not for these ludicrous lessons." Zane immediately corrected bluntly, Aphmau still looking rather confused next to him. "Unfortunately, those cute little potions require ingredients that I've run out of. So, until then, Love Lessons!" Said Travis with a pout before standing up, somehow bringing out a board and chalk, and beginning to write. 'How to Love 101' Travis wrote on the board before turning back to the dark-haired 'couple.'

11. "First things first," The white-haired boy started to say before taking Zane's left hand and placing it on Aphmau's thigh. The two panicked at the sudden touch, for some reason panicking harder when Travis made Aph hold the hand that was on her thigh. "Learning how to touch each other! Zane here is a public figure, so you two need to learn how to make everyone believe you're in love through touch! Since you'll be his wife, Miss Shalashaska, you'll be right there with him, so this is important!" Travis explained, completely ignoring the increasing redness of the faces in front of him, as he turned back to the board and wrote 'Loving Touches' underneath his original writings.

12. Zane immediately pulled his hand away and rose to his feet, his usually pale face rapidly turning red with anger and embarrassment. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I- ... I will BEGRUDINGLY go along with wherever idiotic plans you have in mind for the time being, but NOT this! I refuse to be affectionate with her in public! It is HIGHLY unseemly for a man like me to be so.. indecent." He said whilst trying his best to keep his temper in check. Aphmau rose to her feet as well, her voice just as upset and concerned. "I have to agree with the Lor-.. with Zane. How do you think the commune would react if they saw him intimately touching a woman in public? Not only would it greatly ruin Zane's image, but it would paint me as a.. worker of the night who got lucky."

13. Travis thought for a second before slumping down a bit with a pout. "Fine, fine... You two are rather up-tight." The white-haired boy said spitefully as he walked over to his chalkboard and erased everything he wrote with an eraser he somehow managed to get. As Travis erased his work on the board, one of Zane's staff entered the room with a bow. "I'm very sorry to interrupt, but your mother is here, Lord Ro'Meave. She's currently waiting for you in the parlor. Should you like for me to send her up here?" The worker informed the two politely. Zane and Aphmau shared a nervous look before looking back to where the mage was... only to see that the boy was no longer there. Not only that, but he had taken his magically appearing and reappearing chalkboard and accessories with him!

14. "Uhh... Yes, that's perfect. We'll wait here for her." Zane responded after a second of hesitation, making Aphmau panic a bit more. Once the worker exited the room, Zane turned his attention back to Aphmau and placed his hand on top of hers before speaking once more. "You CANNOT panic like this, Aphmau. Remember, we are 'in love.' We are to be wed in 8 days. We are happy, eager. Before she gets here, what will ease your nerves? Anything at all?" Zane spoke with urgency in his tone, his one visible eye staring directly into hers.

15. "Y-You should take off your mask... a-and take your hair away from your face! It'll make your mother believe that you're comfortable with me!" Aphmau blurted out the first thought that came to mind through deep breaths. Zane paused in shock for a few seconds before hastily doing as told, putting his mask in one of his pockets as he moved his hair to the side, letting his almost invisible iris be seen.

16. He did it just in time, as his mother walked into the room just a few seconds later. "Good evening, my son... Miss Shalashaska! Oh, how wonderful it is to see you! The last I saw you, you were still in your pinafores! Wait... does this mean you are to marry my darling boy?!" The Lady Ro'Meave exclaimed happily as she sat on the bench opposite of them, her lengthy black hair done in a curled updo. She paused and stared at her son's bare face for a few seconds before letting a smile return to her face. Having them in the same room together, it was clear that Zane took almost all of his mother's genes. "Yes, mother. Aphmau is to be my bride. All that's left to do is get her bridal gown finished for the wedding." Zane responded calmly as he fidgeted with his dress shirt subtly, his nerves getting to him a tad.

17. Unfortunately, Lady Ro'Meave immediately noticed her son's fidgeting and sighed softly. "Miss Shalashaska, may you leave my son and I to talk in privacy?" Aphmau and Zane both remained silent before Aph slowly stood up and gracefully, but quickly, exited the room with a bow. She couldn't help the relieved exhale she let out once she had left the room. She was pleased to see Lady Ro'Meave again after all these years, but she doubted that she'd be able to convince her of her and Zane's relationship. Having nothing else to do, Aphmau began to wander the halls and examine the many portraits that dawned the walls.

18. Among the many portraits was a full family portrait. A blonde father, a black-haired mother, a blonde older brother, Zane, and a completely different looking son. The odd-one-out kid wasn't the one that caught Aphmau's attention, though; it was Child Zane. His face was uncovered, and he wasn't blind! His right eye looked perfectly normal, the same beautiful cyan shade as his left. Aph caught herself staring at the family portrait before she moved onto the next , occasionally taking another glance at it. Eventually, as she made her way down the hall, she was called back into the parlor by Lady Ro'Meave.

19. With her hands folded, the door clicked shut, leaving only the faint crackle of the fireplace between her and Zane as Lady Ro'Meave left the room with a soft smile. For a few seconds, neither spoke. Aphmau's gaze drifted upward - not to his uncovered face, but to the memory of the portrait still etched into her mind. "Zane..." She began softly, her voice lacking its usual sharpness. "In the hall... I saw the family portrait. Your face was uncovered. And your eye..." She hesitated before forcing herself to meet his gaze. "What happened to it? Why do you cover it?"

20. Zane immediately whipped his head around to look at her, his face seeming shocked.. and a little distressed... A pause fell upon them, his eyes not leaving hers. After a few moments, Zane sighed and returned his gaze to the fireplace. "I see... It's not odd that you don't remember, as we were just children then." Zane muttered to himself as Aphmau sat in front of him where Zianna was once sitting. "Don't remember what..?" Another bout of silence befell them. Aphmau opened her mouth to speak once more when Zane finally answered her.

21. "My brother, Garroth, and I were in the midst of a private class. You and your parents were there since our families got on quite well." Zane started to explain, catching Aphmau's attention quickly. Her mind started to run rampant with ideas on how this happened before her fiancé could even finish. "We were being taught to wield magic using magical artifacts. I received an enchanted ring that was still a little too big for my finger, so I wore it as a necklace... Our goal was to be able to conjure a shield to protect us from an attack from the other."

22. Aphmau was practically on the edge of her seat. This was the first time she'd ever even heard of the priest using magic. He kept magic use very controlled in the commune, even making it so that you needed a certificate to use magic in their area. Maybe she'd know why now... "However... Garroth became too cocky. He threw out a spell without the instructor's permission, before I was ready... I didn't have time to react properly. Before I knew it, in the blink of an eye, I was being seen by a physician due to my odd vision... It was the first time I'd ever seen my brother so scared, and my mother so angry." Zane explained further, much to Aphmau's shock. She couldn't believe it, being hurt so heavily by his own brother at such a young age.

23. "Is that why you are so.. upset with magic use in the town..?" Aphmau asked softly as she put her hand to lips in her continued state of shock. Zane, still not breaking his gaze with the fireplace, nodded. Silence befell them again, only thing to be heard being their breathing and the crackling of the fireplace. "You moved to the countryside shortly after..." Zane muttered so quietly that Aphmau could barely make out a few words. Once again, before Aphmau could speak once more, Zane snapped out of his trance and regained most of his composure. "Though, none of that matters. We've lost focus of the real problem at hand; this farce of a relationship."

24. Of course, just when she thought she was getting somewhere... Instead of voicing her thoughts, Aphmau simply sighed and nodded before adding to their conversation on their situation. "Well... How long will your mother be staying? If she's staying for a while, it will be a bit more work to convince her of our love." She stated as her eyes shifted, still trying to process the prior information. "She will be staying with me until after the wedding. So, yes, it will be quite.. troublesome." Zane spoke bluntly as he rose from his seat and fixed his mask back onto his face.

25. After Zane made his hasty exit, Aphmau sat there for a moment longer. She had received something she hadn't expected from the usually cold and blunt priest; vulnerability. She had to know more of this traumatic situation. Making haste, Aphmau quickly left the estate and made her way home. Sitting in the parlor was her mother, Silvanna, looking quite worried. "Oh, my dearest! Where have you been? You took off the moment you received that letter! Do you know how scared you made me?" She spoke immediately, anger and worry lacing her tone as she gave Aphmau a big hug.

26. "I'm sorry, Mother... Th-The later was from Zane. His- uh- His mother unexpectedly came to town, and she wanted to see me before our big day!" Aphmau semi-explained, not wanting her mother to really know about her and Zane's 'love lessons.' "Oh? Zianna's here? Oh my.. I haven't seen her since you and her boys were children! I shall have to stop by and see how she's been doing." Silvanna said in a calmer tone as she released Aph from the hug. A small pause silenced the mother-daughter duo.

27. "Speaking of us as children.. is it really true about what happened to Zane's eye..?" Aphmau inquired curiously as she and her mother started to slowly walk upstairs. "About.. his older brother striking him in the eye with magic?" Sylvanna sighed and looked away from Aphmau's eyes. As she squeezed Aph's hands, the two stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Yes, dearest.. it is... How much did he tell you?" Sylvanna confirmed, her fingers gently rubbing Aphmau's hands. "Well... He told me that it happened during a lesson with.. 'Garroth'?" Sylvanna nodded in response before Aphmau continued speaking. "Garroth fired at him without instruction. He said that.. he had never seen his mother so furious before..?"