The young Princess Victoria stood quietly in the hallway outside her sister's chambers.
The corridor was long and pale with morning light, the tall windows allowing thin ribbons of gold to fall across the marble floor. Palace servants passed occasionally, bowing as they hurried by, though none lingered. Everyone knew the elder princess's chambers were not a place one loitered near.
The guards stood at the door like statues carved from steel.
Victoria had grown accustomed to their intimidating presence since childhood, yet even now she could feel their subtle tension. Not fear exactly- imperial knights did not frighten easily- but the careful alertness of men guarding something unpredictable.
Princess Veronica was many things.
Predictable was not one of them.
Victoria clasped her hands neatly in front of her, the silver-wrapped cutting resting between her fingers. The delicate bundle was tied with a thin ribbon of moon-silk, the pale material shimmering faintly whenever the sunlight struck it.
She had prepared it carefully that morning.
AThermora Blossom.
It was not a flower easily obtained.
The Thermora Blossom grew only in the Royal Conservatory's inner gardens, where the magical soil had been cultivated for centuries. It was a flower that absorbs body heat and blooms more beautifully the feverish a person is.
They bloomed in a luminous, pale indigo, their petals vibrating slightly with a bioluminescent hum.
Victoria had brought it not for decoration, not to impress anyone, but as a gift. She had hoped that the flower might somehow bridge the gap between herself and Veronica- a way to show she wanted closeness, not indifference.
Victoria hoped the flower might communicate the truth words could not: that she was not an enemy, but a sister who wished only to be near her.
From inside the chamber, a voice spoke.
"…If you glare at the medicine any harder, it might surrender and jump out of the cup."
Victoria blinked.
That voice was unfamiliar.
Another voice responded, hoarse and irritated.
"Perhaps I should test that theory on you first."
Victoria recognized that one immediately.
Her sister, Veronica.
But-
Something was strange.
There was a pause.
Then the unfamiliar voice replied again, dryly.
"You're welcome to try, Your Highness, but I'd hate for history to remember you as the princess who lost a duel to her medicine."
There was a soft, raspy sound.
For a moment, Victoria didn't understand what it was.
Then it happened again.
A laugh.
Veronica was laughing.
Victoria froze.
The sound was quiet and hoarse, weakened by illness, but unmistakably genuine.
She had never heard her sister laugh like that before.
Not with anyone.
Not even when they were younger.
The realization felt oddly fragile, like discovering a hidden door in a familiar room.
Victoria's fingers tightened slightly around the Thermora Blossom.
Inside the room, the conversation continued.
"You're insufferable," Veronica muttered.
"And yet you keep me around," the other voice replied.
A small silence followed.
Then Veronica spoke again, softer this time.
"…Don't get used to it."
Victoria felt something twist faintly in her chest.
Perhaps she had arrived at the wrong moment.
Or perhaps-
The door suddenly opened.
Victoria straightened automatically.
The unfamiliar woman stepped out holding a tray with empty cups and folded cloths. She looked tired, her hair slightly disheveled, as if she had not slept properly.
Then the woman looked up.
And froze.
For a brief moment, Clara thought she had seen a ghost.
Not just any ghost.
The Empress's ghost.
The child standing in the hallway had the same calm eyes she had seen countless times in the enormous portraits decorating the palace halls. The same delicate features. The same quiet composure.
For one disorienting second, Clara wondered if the Empress had decided to haunt the palace in the form of her 10 year old self.
Then the child blinked politely.
Clara remembered how reality worked.
"Oh," Clara said faintly.
Victoria tilted her head slightly.
"…Good morning."
Clara coughed, recovering.
"Sorry," she said quickly. "You just… startled me."
Victoria's expression remained composed.
"That happens often," she replied mildly.
Clara studied her more carefully now.
Silver hair like Veronica's, but the resemblance ended there.
Where Veronica's presence was sharp and stormy, this girl was calm. Still. Observant.
Quiet in a way that suggested she missed very little.
Clara suddenly realized something.
"You must be Princess Victoria."
Victoria inclined her head slightly.
"Yes."
Her gaze flicked briefly toward the door behind Clara.
"How is my sister?"
Clara hesitated.
"She's recovering."
Victoria nodded once.
"That is good."
Clara noticed the silver-wrapped cutting in the girl's hands.
"A gift?"
Victoria looked down at it. Then hid it behind her back.
"Yes."
She paused briefly.
"It seems I will bring it another time."
There was no bitterness in her voice.
No disappointment.
Which somehow made it sadder.
Clara opened her mouth to say something.
But Victoria had already stepped back gracefully.
"Please continue taking care of her," the girl said politely.
Clara blinked.
"You're… leaving?"
Victoria nodded.
"My sister has made her feelings clear."
She spoke it like a simple observation.
Not a complaint.
Not an accusation.
Just a fact.
Clara wasn't sure why that made her chest feel tight.
Victoria bowed slightly with perfect court etiquette.
"Thank you for your time."
Then she turned and walked down the corridor with quiet dignity.
Clara watched her go.
"…That kid is terrifying," she murmured under her breath.
***
Clara carried the tea tray through the palace corridors, heading toward the kitchens.
At least that had been her intention.
Instead, her feet took a small detour.
The Royal Conservatory was quiet in the afternoon.
Tall glass walls allowed sunlight to flood the room, illuminating rows of rare plants and delicate magical flowers cultivated for centuries.
The air smelled faintly of damp soil and sweet nectar.
Clara spotted her immediately.
Princess Victoria sat alone on a stone bench near the lily garden.
The silver wrapping rested beside her.
The Thermora Blossom cutting lay across her lap.
Its petals had begun to droop slightly.
Clara slowed her steps.
Victoria wasn't crying.
She wasn't even frowning.
She simply stared at the flower with calm concentration.
Which somehow made the scene feel even lonelier.
Clara approached quietly.
"You know," she said lightly, "flowers tend to survive longer if they aren't subjected to intense staring."
"That's nonsense-"
Victoria looked up. Her eyes sharpened instantly.
Recognition flickered there.
"You're the tutor."
Clara sat down on the opposite bench.
"That obvious?"
Victoria studied her thoughtfully.
"You're the first person who has stayed by her side for more than a month without quitting."
A pause.
"Are you a witch in disguise," the girl asked calmly, "or just very brave?"
Clara laughed softly.
"Mostly stubborn."
Victoria considered this.
"That is also possible."
Her gaze shifted back to the flower.
"I thought she might like it."
Clara picked up the cutting carefully.
"The Thermora Blossom."
Victoria nodded.
"My brother liked them."
The words were spoken quietly.
Clara exhaled softly.
"She probably would have liked this one too."
Clara smiled gently. Victoria tilted her head slightly.
"Veronica would surely appreciate them."
Victoria scoffed, "It seems you don't know our relationship very well."
Then Clara said gently,
"You know… Veronica doesn't hate you."
Victoria did not react immediately.
But Clara noticed her fingers tighten slightly.
"That is unlikely," the girl replied calmly. "She refused to see me."
Clara leaned back against the bench.
"That's because she's scared."
Victoria blinked.
"…Scared?"
"Not of you," Clara clarified.
"She's scared of the cold."
Victoria frowned slightly.
"That sentence makes no sense."
Clara grinned.
"It will eventually."
She leaned forward conspiratorially.
"Tell me something, Princess Victoria."
"Yes?"
"Are you good at solving problems?"
Victoria's expression became faintly offended.
"I am very good at solving problems."
These siblings are more alike than I thought. Clara nodded approvingly.
"Excellent."
She pointed at Victoria, challenging her.
"Then I will help you."
Victoria's curiosity sparked immediately.
"Your sister," Clara said, "has a weakness."
Victoria's eyes sharpened.
"She does?"
Clara smiled.
"She cannot resist good food."
Victoria considered this carefully.
"…That seems believable."
Clara clapped her hands once.
"Perfect."
She leaned closer.
"We're going to engineer a snack."
Victoria stared at her.
"…Engineer."
"One so delicious," Clara continued, "that Veronica will have no choice but to accept it."
Victoria slowly tilted her head.
"And then?"
Clara smiled.
"And then you give it to her. I'll do my part in making sure it's so good, she can't resist it."
The young princess looked down at the Thermora Blossom.
Then back at Clara.
Her eyes glinted with quiet interest.
"…This is a strategic operation."
Clara grinned.
"Exactly."
Victoria sat up straighter.
For the first time that afternoon, she looked like a thirteen-year-old girl instead of a miniature court scholar.
"Very well," she said. "Where do we begin?"