NoGift

"You are going to stay here and behave while me and Aurum will go somewhere," Argent answered, finis.h.i.+ng her checking.

"Black wants to go too!" Black immediately said.

"You can"t." Even if she wanted to bring Black, she really couldn"t. She"s going to meet the King and she couldn"t have a kid with her during that conversation. Aurum, on the other hand, would join a ladies only tea party. So, of course, her sister couldn"t bring Black with her as well.

Black wanted to convince his Master to bring him along but then he saw the firm expression on her face, he knew he wouldn"t be able to convince her no matter what he said. So he could only pout in the end. "Fine, Black will stay here."

"But I have a mission for you."

Black"s ears perked up when he heard that. "Mission?"

"Yes. While we"re away, I want you to observe the maid with the burn scars on her face. Ask her informations about her past, the more, the better. Understand?"

"Yes, Master. Black understand! Black will do as Master says."

Argent stroked Black"s hair, her pair of purple eyes bent into a smile. "Good."

"Black will start to do the mission now." Black jumped off the chair he was sitting on and excitedly ran out of the room.

Argent just shook her head before going outside her room as well. She already has an idea as to who Merissa could be. But having additional information wouldn"t hurt. She walked towards her sister"s room and knocked.

"Come in!" called her sister"s voice.

Argent opened the door and came in. Aurum was currently brus.h.i.+ng her long golden hair. She was wearing an elegant white gown with a beautiful poppy pattern on the flowing skirt.

"Do you need help?" Argent asked.

Aurum smiled at her through the mirror. She put down the brush she was holding and picked up a pink ribbon. "Then could you tie this ribbon for me?"

"Certainly." Argent walked behind her back and picked up the brush. She started brus.h.i.+ng her sister"s hair before doing a half-ponytail and tying it with the pink ribbon. "There. You look beautiful as always."

Aurum smiled widely. "Thank you, Brother." She stood up. "Shall we go?"

Argent nodded and Aurum immediately hugged her arm. They walked outside the manor where Gregory was waiting with the carriage. Gregory opened the carriage"s door. Aurum went in first, followed by Argent. Once inside, the coachman immediately drove the carriage. While travelling, Argent suddenly remembered a part of a conversation she had with the second prince yesterday. Something that slightly puzzled her.

She turned to her sister. "Aurum, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Brother. You can ask me anything."

"Did you perhaps receive a defaro crystal from the second prince before we left for Amexem seven years ago?" Aurum turned silent for a few seconds and then she lowered her gaze. "Aurum, no matter what your answer is, I won"t get angry at you."

Aurum raised her head. "Really?"

"Really. How could I get angry with the most beautiful girl in the world?" Argent teased, pinching her sister"s cheek.

What she said obviously loosened Aurum"s nerved because she no longer hesitated telling Argent what she wanted to know. "Mishla asked me to give you a defaro crystal that connects directly to the popsicle prince"s own defaro crystal. I broke it. Because I don"t want you to have a connection with him. You might not know this Brother, but when I had that talk with the King, he practically told me that he considers me as a fiancee candidate for that popsicle. Even seven year old me understood that. So when suddenly that popsicle wanted to have a permanent contact with you right after that, I didn"t hesitate to stop it. Who knew what kind of ulterior motive he had." Aurum glanced at Argent, a bit hesitant. "You"re not going to be angry at me because of what I did, right?"

"I told you, I won"t get angry at you. I understand why you did what you did." And Argent did understand. Aurum just got out of the tower that time. It was understandable for her to be a bit overprotective of the brother who took her out of that tower. "But next time, you should consult with me first when it comes to things like this. So I could decide myself on what to do. Understand, Aurum?"

Aurum turned her gaze down, her golden eyelashes casted a dark shadow on her delicate white cheeks. "Yes, Brother."

Argent picked her sister"s chin up. "Hey, don"t be sad. I didn"t say what you did was wrong. Even if I received that defaro crystal, I probably wouldn"t have the time nor the inclination to answer the prince"s calls. So, technically, what you did or didn"t do wouldn"t really change anything. Now, cheer up. I want to see that pretty smile on your lovely face."

Aurum finally smiled and didn"t hesitate to throw herself into her brother"s arms. "Brother, you"re really the best." Her brother just gently patted her back. Aurum looked up at her. "Then you won"t get close to that popsicle?"

"I don"t think you have to worry about the second prince. He, himself, told me yesterday that the King ordered him to court you. But he doesn"t plan to obey that order. And even if on the off chance that he does, do you really think I will let you be married against your will?"

Aurum shook her head. No, her brother would never allow that. "Then, you believe what that popsicle said? That he doesn"t want to marry me?"

"The second prince may be cold and expressionless, but it"s easy to see that he"s a man of his words. If he say he wouldn"t, then he probably won"t."

"Should I apologize to him, then?"

"It"s up to you."

During their talk, the two didn"t even notice that they would soon reach the royal palace.

"Looks like we"re near," Argent commented, looking outside the carriage"s window.

"Brother, the Queen won"t try to kill me, won"t she? I heard she really hates the sPhones because a lot of hate posts about her appear on [Jiffy]."

Argent chuckled because of what Aurum said. "Then if you feel like the Queen will try to kill you, press the b.u.t.ton on your limiter." Aside from limiting the use of her Gift, the bracelet Aurum wore also has an alarm function. Once she pressed the b.u.t.ton, it would release a signal that would immediately be transferred to Argent"s light brain. That way, she would immediately knew where Aurum was and saved her. "I"ll definitely come running to save you."

Aurum raised her pinky finger. "Promise?"

Argent smiled and hooked her own pinky finger to Aurum"s. "Promise."

And the carriage they were riding just entered the royal palace"s driveway. It"s time to meet the King and the Queen.

*****

NOTE: The reaction to the new cover was divided. So, I"m making a poll. Do you see that number at the end of the paragraph? Yes, that one. Just click it and two comments will appear - Old Cover and New Cover. Click the like b.u.t.ton for "Old Cover" if you prefer the old cover and click the like b.u.t.ton for "New Cover" if you think otherwise. The one with the most likes by Monday will win. (≧∇≦)/

PS. If you don"t see a number, then your App is probably not updated. If you"re reading on your desktop, then you could just write on the comment section which cover you liked more. (≧∀≦)/