“Remember once when we went to watch Mother at work?” I suddenly asked. “What?” The sword was still pointed at my chest, but my breath was a bit more even now. “She worked really hard. And we made bracelets for each other, remember?” Pearl raised up her arm, showing the blue band. “Still have it. Doesn't matter anymore.” “This competition is turning you into a villain, someone who doesn’t care about other people, only power. That's not who we are.” “It’s turning you into a villain, too.” “Well, no, that’s not what I'm trying to do.” I chuckled bitterly. “I do care about someone. Who doesn’t care about me.” She shrugged. “Lexia?” When she saw that I had no response she continued, “Everyone knows it’s her you’re fighting for.” I didn’t know how they knew that, but I did know that this conversation should probably end. I swung my sword up above me, and let it swing down in an arc. The sound of it slicing the air was even more impressive than I imagined. Pearl stepped back, a frightened expression on her face. “You will not take my crown from me!” she stammered. “I’m not taking your crown from you!” I yelled. I’m taking Lexia away from you, I thought. But not the crown. What if I didn’t kill Pearl? Could I still have Lexia? It was her name that I whispered every day, her face that filled my mind every night. She was who I fought for. Not Pearl. I struggled to think clearly. This was so overwhelming. Was this—like how she said, turning me into a villain? “I knew it!” I threw my sword behind me to show that I wouldn’t fight. “You’re planning to kill me, then Lexia. Shouldn’t you thank me for killing Kareen? You’re a traitor,” I accused. She stood silent, affirming my claims. Finally she said quietly, “Just because it seems so doesn’t mean it’s true.” Her eyes darted though, so I could tell she was lying. “You were friends with Lexia.” I walked towards her. “I know, but...” “But now your best friend is power,” I said. “Power can corrupt you, you know.” “Aren’t—oh, right, you don’t want power.” She sighed. “You want Lexia to be Queen of all three provinces.” “Wouldn’t say so.” I smiled. She gasped. “You’re letting me live?” Pearl opened her eyes, which had been closed. “That’s a surprise?” I smiled again. “As long as you don’t kill Lexia, I'll let you live. But just know that if you attempt anything, I'll actually steal your crown from you. I have every reason to hurt you. You broke a promise. We take promises very seriously.” “So where are you going now?” “To find Lexia.” My smile disappeared when I said her name. All my emotions were pressing against me, and I couldn’t figure out which one to trust. I had said that promises were taken very seriously. And I promised Pearl I'd let her live. Was that really the right choice? “Well, good luck.” She waved good-bye to me as I picked up my sword and went on my way. ~-~-~
I stood at the very place where Lexia had hoped to be made Queen, looking around. I didn’t know where she was. I was guessing she was probably in the palace, so I entered it quietly. The Palace of the Night was really beautiful, with many decorations that lit up or floated in the air. “Hello?” All of the sudden I felt awkward, as if I was talking to the wall. I went past a few rooms and found the one I wanted to enter: the Queen’s suite. I went to one of the grander beds, holding my breath. Then I gasped. Lexia was here, the person I wanted to find. But she was lying in bed, and it seemed that she has been there for a while. She looked exhausted. I pressed for her pulse and let out the long breath I had been holding. But beside her bed was a note scribbled in silver pen. I’m sorry. I saw that you were determined to do it for me. And now I don’t know what to do anymore. I drank a sip of the poison I made for you. I don’t even know why. It doesn’t go into effect right away since I didn’t drink a lot, so I asked someone to take me back. It'll hurt me, but probably not kill me. But life’s meaningless without love, or friendship, or sisterhood. If you’re dead, then no one would be a sister to me anymore; I found out about Lily’s schemes, and right now I'm finding about Karene’s death. I don’t know who killed her, was it really you? If I can hold on to this bit of hope that you’re alive, then I'll stay alive, for you. I stared. How did she know? I flipped the sheet of paper, just to check if it had a back. P.S. You’re not nameless. When you were born, I was three years old. I secretly named you Arena in my heart. Arena... it was beautiful. Lexia had really cared about me when she was younger, and she still did. Slowly, I pressed my lips to her forehead. “You don’t even hate me,” I mumbled. “If you wrote this though, then how could you not care?” I felt tears come, but I pushed them down. “When you wake up, please call for me.” I spoke in whispers, as if speaking any louder would cause this moment to shatter. “I’ll stay alive, for you.” A tear escaped my eye. “I love you.”
