I guess I shall not tire of this view in all my days. The balcony overlooking the sea is truly quite serene. The morning light seems ethereal on the waves. Better than any painting can mimic. They do say art is a pale imitation of reality.

Though, in truth, I do also enjoy the works of Masser and Circen. Something about the way they work with colour is quite fascinating. It has a mathematical precision, and that is something I can appreciate.

Alas, the tea is depleted.

I guess I should get dressed. There are books to review and accounts to scrutinise.

I select the maroon and blue riding tunic and skirts with the red trim. Doubtless father will berate me again for not wearing a noble dress, but honestly, they are such a pain to adjust, and it gives me backache due to the lack of support and those insane corsets. Not suitable for work.

I brush my hair through several times with the comb that I got from Aria. The knots are painful. It's frustrating to maintain it when it is this long, but I think it suits me like this, so I bear with it.

Doubtless I could have maids aplenty to dress me and do my hair if I so wished, but I'm stubborn like that, I prefer to do it myself. It makes me feel like some disturbing doll otherwise.

Besides, if there is one thing I can truly be confident about, it is the fact that I could likely sleep in a hedgerow for a week and still have men swoon after me. That is not arrogance, it is simply fact. And to be honest, it’s actually rather tiresome.

Goodness knows whatever I would do without my intellect... but beauty... is convenient and troublesome in equal measure. Not that I would want to be ugly, for sure, but I could be fine with being more plain.

"Are you stuck in your own thoughts again, Melody? With that creepy look in your eyes, you'll never get a man." A voice stirs me from my reverie.

"I wouldn't care much either way, Cadence." I shrug.

"Tch, such a waste." My big sister tuts.

"Did you only come to taunt me today?" I ask her.

She rolls her eyes.

"Tch, of course not. Father wants you to go to the treasury. Leanne will see you there."

"Of course. I was going. You don't have to check on me, sis." I reprimand her.

"I do. Who knows what flight of fancy you'd be off on otherwise?" She grins.

Ugh. So annoying!

"Oh, and please don't forget you have an engagement with Duke Martrew this evening. Wear a dress."

"I was trying to forget. Sendervil's cock!" I curse.

"Only you, Melody, would keep trying to turn down the kingdoms most desirable bachelor. Please keep Aria's god out of your blaspheming at least. I know I'm a fusspot, but you just have to deal with it."

I sigh. She's right of course. Cadence is always right.

She rolls her eyes again and struts off. Nobody complains about her wearing a military uniform to prop out her little chest. Because she's always right.

Whatever. I have time for my true love for a while.

...

...

...

I've spent half an hour staring at this page.

It's wrong.

That's not the problem, though.

It's the fact that I knew it was wrong from the start.

I knew where the errors were.

My eyes flew to them straight away, instantly crossing them out, doing the calculations, and putting in the right answer.

I suddenly realised, with a start, that I even did this for the previous fifty pages.

"Is there something wrong, your majesty? Are you tired? Shall I get you some tea with mizris?" Leanne asks, ever helpful and concerned.

Wait...

Ever helpful and concerned?

That Leanne? That snarky old maid who basically raised me and Aria?

"Leanne." I say.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"What is the time of the cloud moon's roar?" I ask a stupid question from my childhood.

She blinks blankly.

Hah... I see.

I chew on my lip for a moment.

"You... you're not real, are you?"

She gives a gentle smile, but starts to seem translucent.

I grasp my head, suddenly feeling drowsy, my eyes closing of my own volition.

Wait! No! Remember! This! This is a dream! How many times have I lived it!?

No! I must resist! It will start all over again if I sleep!

Resist! Think of the truth! Remember!

Cadence is dead.

A demon killed her.

I tried to summon four heroes. That was stupid.

I thought logic would prevail over magic but...

I open my eyes, and squint with supreme difficulty, and I am now floating in darkness. Void. It seems that I am naked now.

I see. My mind must have blown out from the burden, and retreated into a shell, an endless loop of a memory.

I myself have fallen into the void. I tried to pull on the other worlds, but it was an unbalanced rope, and I tumbled in instead.

Who knows how long I was stuck there?

I guess it was a good day to be stuck in. The day before the war started. When Aria came back to me covered in mud. When I found several fraudsters in the accounts. When there was even a mildly charming intellectual gentleman who wasn't constantly staring at my breasts. Before Cadence summoned. Before she died. Before I...

Before it all started to go wrong.

Part of me wants to shut my eyes again. Would it be so bad to keep living that day forever?

Why would I go back to suffering?

I sigh.

Because… Because that's life... isn't it...?

I force myself awake. Force myself to keep remembering. Tears keep spilling off me. Over and over. I cry and cry. But no longer do I deny.

And suddenly, there is light.

I am groggy and it feels like my limbs are made of lead. It's noisy in here. Two of the maids are fussing furiously over me.

"Her eyes! Her eyes are open as well, Stephanie!"

"Holy crap! Errm... what do we do...!? It's not our fault!"

"C-call Mistress Leanne! Ser Arnas! Anybody! Princess Melody is awake!" One of them runs off squealing and the other joins her.

I guess I must have been gone some time, then.