After Seri left with Simon, Lona and Joel walked away and found Kane, Sharon, and Oliver.

Kane smiled, "Lona! It's nice to see you again."

She bowed, "The pleasure is all mine, my lord."

Kane chuckled, "You don't need to act so formal." He looked at Joel, "Ah Joel, how have you been? Has my daughter been doing well in class?"

Joel chuckled, "Depends on what you mean by well."

Kane sighed, "Somehow I know what you mean without you even explaining it."

Sharon spoke, "By the way, where is my daughter? She came after us, but I haven't had the chance to speak with her yet."

Lona explained, "Simon came to find her. I believe they are talking privately now."

Both Sharon and Kane made a grimace. Lona knew this was because they both didn't like Seri hanging around Simon. Although Kane and Simon were considered friends, Kane also recognized that Simon wasn't the best influence on Seri.

They weren't concerned about marriage, but rather something else entirely.

Sharon sighed, "Why didn't you stop her from speaking with him? You know it will only cause trouble."

Lona nodded, "I know, but there was nothing I could do."

Kane chuckled dryly, "I see that my daughter is still stubborn."

Oliver looked up, "Mama, papa. Where's sister? I want to see her."

Sharon smiled at him, "Don't worry. She's talking to Simon right now, but we will see her after."

He pouted, sticking out his chubby cheeks. "But I don't like Simon. He's mean. He's always fighting with sister. He's also scary. Sister told me that he eats children who are plump like me."

Sharon had the sudden urge to lecture Seri. Why was she always causing trouble? Sharon sighed, "Is that why you keep having nightmares about being eaten?"

He looked down guiltily, "Yes..."

She bent over and rubbed his head, "Nobody is going to eat you."

Kane joined in, "That's right! If someone tries, Daddy will beat them senseless!!"

Oliver looked up at his father in disbelief, "How could Daddy beat anyone up? He's too old. Sister is the only one who can protect me."

Kane looked as if he had received a fatal blow. He looked at Oliver with a pitiful expression, "Daddy's strong too..."

"Does Daddy know how to use a sword? Cuz sister does." His round doe eyes sparkled, "I want to be just like sister when I grow up!"

"No!!" The adults said simultaneously.

Suddenly an argument could be heard from the corner of the room. Everyone went silent and saw William and Seri standing together.

____

William had been waiting for the greetings to be over so that way he could go and find Seri. When he left his mother's side, he first went to the dessert table.

"Hmm. She's not here." He looked around the room.

A woman noticed him looking around and walked up to him gracefully. She opened her fan and looked coyly over it at William. She spoke, "Prince William... Are you perhaps looking for Seri?"

William heard Seri's name and looked at the woman with an obvious scowl. He was aware of who this was. Her name was Penelope and she was the daughter of a Duke. It was one of his distant cousins that he was barely related to. Yet, she was always trying to marry him throughout childhood.

When he and Ilene ended their engagement, she turned her attention to him again and was annoying him incessantly about marriage. He didn't like her at all and found her to be quite annoying.

He spoke coldly, "You know where she is?"

Her smile turned upwards with malicious intent. "I do. I happened to see her walk over to somewhere private with Sir Simon in hand."

William clenched his jaw. He was filled with anger and envy and it showed clearly on his face.

She smiled noticing his contempt. She feigned ignorance, "I heard a rumor that Seri had proposed to Sir Simon when she was younger." She gasped, "Could that have been true??"

William made a sour face but didn't say anything. His eyes glared at the corner where Seri and Simon were at. Penelope smiled realizing that she succeeding in sowing discord between the two.

She continued, "I bet that he wanted to talk to her about the engagement then. He seemed pretty happy when he was talking to her. I even saw him touch her face lovingly."

She sighed as if she was jealous, "I wish I could have a love like that. They seemed to really enjoy each other's company."

William wasn't able to withstand her words any longer. His face twisted from jealousy and he pushed her to the side as he stomped over to Seri.

Penelope waved herself with her fan as she watched on not even trying to hide her pleasure. She didn't mind the rough treatment from William as long as she could cause bad blood in his relationship with Seri.

William was filled with anger. He still never knew that Seri wasn't being serious when she made that proposal with Simon. Because he didn't know, he had dark thoughts that brewed beneath the surface.

Did she really still like Simon? He knew that she said she wanted to marry him as a child, but he didn't think she would still think that way.

He saw the way Simon bent down to kiss her forehead before leaving. She didn't make any move to reject it. Although he couldn't see her face, he knew that she must have wanted it. After all, if anyone were to try that she would instantly reject them.

Especially him.

And why wasn't he as good as Simon? Why wouldn't she not look at him? Sure he wasn't a natural at the sword, but he wasn't bad either. He was a fast runner and no one could beat him. Didn't that matter for anything?

And wasn't he the best in school? He was always placing first! He worked hard! He was the president of the student council!

So why?

Why wasn't he good enough? Why was he never good enough?

His internal thoughts tumbled around inside his head, causing him to get more agitated and irritable. He had the urge to hurt someone.

Seri left Simon's conversation and noticed William with an overwhelmingly angry face. She was clueless as to why he was so angry. But since she noticed him coming to her, she walked towards him as well.

Everyone in the room could sense something was about to happen and quickly stopped their conversations in order to listen.

Seri tilted her head, "William? What's wrong?"

His anger was boiling over. Years of ignoring his feelings of being told he wasn't enough were starting to come undone. His feelings were begging to lash out on whoever was near.

Unfortunately, that happened to Seri.

William spoke in a smug tone filled with rage, "You think you're so great, don't you?"

She blinked in confusion, "Huh?"

"You think that you can just stomp on anyone around you because they mean absolutely nothing to you?"

She spoke in a low tone, "William.. What's wrong? I'm a bit lost here."

He tossed his head and laughed. "You don't know!? Don't act so ignorant!"

He didn't even try to speak quietly, "Do you really think that you could just walk all over people and they would just let you!? All these years I was always a friend to you! Yet you just use our friendship to get what you want and get out of trouble!"

He shouted, "You don't even think about asking me about my feelings!!! The worse part is that you are aware of how I feel! Yet this is how you treat me!!!"

Seri noticed that they were the center of attention. She knew William would hate himself for acting so childishly and not conducting himself properly. Even though she didn't understand where this was coming from, she wanted to allow him to say it. Just not publicly.

Seri tugged on his hand, "William.... Let's talk about this somewhere privately..."

He pulled his hand away, "No!" He still wanted to make her hurt as much as he was.

He spoke in a cold and indifferent tone, "Why would I want to be alone with trash like you?"

Seri felt as if her body shattered. She lowered her head and pulled back her hand slowly.

Instantly, William was snapped out of his fit of rage. He knew he had crossed the line. Even though he didn't mean it, he still said it.

Seri mumbled inaudibly, "Trash...."

William froze. He wasn't expecting this reaction. Usually in the past, whenever he yelled at Seri, she would yell back. Whenever he insulted her, she would insult him back.

He hated himself whenever he said awful things to her, but he couldn't stop his mouth from talking. He considered reaching out to her and apologizing.

But before he could, she took a large step away from him. Her hands were drawn in so close to her side, it was if she was trying her best not to touch William.

She raised her head and smiled, "Ah. You're right. My apologies Prince William. Of course you wouldn't want someone as lowly as me to touch you. It was my mistake for being so arrogant."

William was speechless at the sudden change in the person in front of him. He didn't recognize Seri at all. He didn't recognize the smile that covered her face. He didn't recognize her tone that made it sound as if they were strangers.

He could only let out, "Ah... No... I-"

Everyone whispered around them. "What's happening?"

"Seri fell out of favor with the Prince."

"Really? It's about time."

"She was always too vulgar and wild."

"This is what she gets for acting so arrogant."

"What a joke."

"She really is trash."

William had the urge to shout at everyone gossiping in clear voices. But when he recalled it was his fault for their words, he was filled with overwhelming guilt.

But Seri didn't seem to mind the words being thrown at her. She curtsied to him correctly, "Since I am bothering you, I shall take my leave."

He wanted to reach out and stop her, but his body was frozen to the spot.

As she walked away she held her head high. She bumped into someone, but paid them no attention. She nodded, "My apologies."

Then she left the room. Once she left and was alone, she broke out into a run with tears dampening her cheeks.

The room burst with excited chatter at the scene they just had witnessed. William could only stare at the door she left from.

Lona stomped over to William, pulled her hand back, and put all her strength behind it.

*SLAP*

His face was thrown to the side as the loud slap echoed off the walls. He only blinked in surprise. His cheek had a red hand mark across it.

Joel shrieked and ran over, "Lona! What are you doing!?! You can't hit the Prince! Don't you know such an action is punishable by death?!?"

"I DON'T GIVE A D*MN IF I DIE!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. She glared at William with such intense anger no one knew she was capable of.

She jabbed his chest with her finger, "Do you even know what she went through these past years?!? NO! YOU DON'T!! BUT I DO!" Her eyes watered, "I was there and forced to watch her waste away! To be helpless as she suffered in agony!!!"

William couldn't think of anything to say. Queen Luna and The King heard the commotion and rushed over.

Queen Luna shouted, "Lona!! What is wrong with you!? You dare take such action against a member of the Royal family!?"

"Mother!" William quickly shouted startling her. He looked at her with a guilty expression, "It wasn't her fault... I did something awful..."

Queen Luna turned to him with a serious expression, "What happened?"

He looked at his feet, "I insulted Seri in a horrible way."

Lona tossed her head and laughed angrily, "Horrible?! Horrible doesn't even begin to cut it! You. Destroyed. Her."

Kane, Sharon, and Oliver now joined with serious expressions.

Lona spoke with a pained expression as if it was to herself. "Everything she went through... Then she just disappeared on us... When she finally returned to us, she was convinced she was nothing more than trash. It took us so long to convince her otherwise!!!"

Kane and Sharon also shared the same pained expression as if recalling unpleasant memories.

Queen Luna noticed this and sighed, "Since it's like this, I will pardon you this once. But you are not to so something so impulsive again."

Lona clicked her tongue angrily and Joel rubbed her shoulders to comfort her.

Queen Luna continued, "Shall we go talk somewhere more private about this matter? There seems to be too many ears in this room."

The others in the room looked away guiltily knowing they had been caught observing with keen interest.

____

Dante was outside the room when he heard William shouting. He opened the door, only to have Seri bump into him. But she didn't seem to notice.

His heart stopped when he saw the expression on her face. It was one he had only seen once before. Seri never looked upset. She never cried. It had been so rare, he had only seen it once before.

But tonight... He had seen it for a second time.

His heart ached uncontrollably. It felt as if he would double over in pain. He had the urge to kill whoever had caused Seri to make such a face.... But he couldn't kill them. It was William after all.

But if it had been someone else....

He heard Lona begin to explain, but he didn't bother with it. Right now, he only wanted to find one person. He began to search the corridors for her.

Eventually, he paused in front of a staircase. Under it was completely dark and held various potted plants in front of it.

He leaned against it and looked away, "I think you're getting worse at hiding."

Silence answered him.

Then a clear voice spoke, "I'm still good at hiding... I just can't think clearly right now..."

Although Seri didn't sound like she was crying, somehow he knew she was. Sure enough, she was under the stairs grabbing her knees while tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't even be bothered to wipe them off.

He sighed, "He didn't mean it, you know..."

"...."

She answered in a low tone, "I know... But it still hurt just the same."

He spoke in a low voice, "Lona slapped him."

"... Is she in trouble?"

"No. She's probably fine."

"..."

He continued, "She also told him a little about what you went through those three years."

".... Did you listen?"

"I left before."

"...Why? Don't you want to know?"

He gave a faint smile, "Yes... But I only want to hear it from you..."

Silence answered him.

After a while, a timid voice spoke. "I'll... I'll tell you..."