✶✶✶

Aster glared at her siblings, the traitors. They accepted everything far too easily. Clover she had understood, the poor girl's dream was to be a princess, but Basil. Aster mentelly shook her head, it was clear to anyone the tension that was between the emperor and Basil, he took everything that her brother did as a challenge. Basil on the other hand, seemed to antagonise him at every turn. They were too similar. Aster could see that the moment she met the emperor, both stoic, with inexpressive masks. It felt as if it were to start thundering. 

Clover hummed under her breath, she was excited, the empress had invited the three of them to join her for tea. Aster was dreading it. She wanted nothing to do with the woman, she avoided her at every turn, which was hard considering how much she decided to check in on the three. The emperor hadn’t visited which Aster counted herself lucky for, the empress always apoligzed about it, saying that he wanted to see them, but Aster strongly doubted that. 

Clover was trying on different head pieces and jewels, fumbling to try and find the right one. 

“Okay, how about this?” she turned to Aster, Aster looked unimpressed, it was the tenth one, none of them made a difference. The one she wore currently was an ivory comb decked with diamonds, it held Clover's tight bundle of hair. 

“It’s nice,” 

“Nice?” Clover frowned, “you've said that for the last four,” she stomped her feet. 

“Why does it matter? It's just tea.” 

Clover looked shocked, “just tea?!” Aster grimaced at the high pitched voice, “this is our mother Aster! I want her to like me, I need to make a good impression.” 

Aster snorted, “we shouldn’t have to impress her,” 

“Well I want to,” Clover retorted glumly. 

“Are the three of you ready?” 

Aster, Clover and basil turned to Kurcy startled. “We need to get you bell,”

Kurcy laughed at Aster words, “I did knock,” Aster stared at Kurcy doubtfully. “Come on, we can’t keep the empress waiting,” she giggled. 

Aster groaned, the three followed the girl out, she led them to the empress' apartments to her sitting room. In the centre of the room was a circle table, with cakes and sweets displayed, along with a cart with pots of tea. The empress sat regally in her chair, her gown flowing with a transparent pink, on top of a statin pink rose, it was simple and elegant. She smiled when she spotted her children trying to act as normal as she could, not telling them how anxious and happy she was. She motioned for them to sit, as maids stepped forward to push their chairs back. 

Aster avoids the empress' eyes, scolding to the surface of the table. 

“I’m glad you made it here,” 

“We didn’t have much choice,” Aster muttered, 

The empress' lips twitched but she held onto her smile, she was determined that their tea would go well. She waved her hand for the maids to begin pouring the tea, “please help yourselves to cake. I made them myselves,” 

Aster saw how Clover licked her lips, she sprung her hands forward, grabbing as many cakes she could fit on her plate, the empress chuckled lightly, “Wrenium?” she prompted for Basil, 

“No thank you,” Basil spoke dryly, 

“He hates sweets,” Clover says, “too sickly for him.” 

“Oh,” the empress looked dejected for a moment, she chewed her bottom lip much like Clover did, “it was thoughtless of me not to prepare something else.” 

“I’m fine with just the tea,” 

Clover chomped down on her cakes, scoffing them down, Aster was worried she was going to choke with the way she was going. Clover hummed, swallowing down her bites, “this is amazing,” she bursted, “you really made these all by yourself.” 

The empress smiled proudly, Aster rolled her eyes, “I did, I had always enjoyed baking as a child, when I went to the academy I worked part time at a tea room.” 

“I wish i knew how to bake,” Clover sighed, “i was banned for cooking at the temple by the priestesses,” she grumbled, 

“Only because she nearly burnt the place down twice,” 

“It wasn’t that bad,” 

“We had to get buckets and buckets of water to put the fire out, and we were breathing in smoke for hours.” Aster firmly put, “besides, even when you didn’t manage to burn anything, you gave everyone food poisoning.” 

“I said i was sorry,” Clover gritted, 

“I’m pretty sure it’s reason why Basil hates sweets now,” 

“It’s not!” Clover shrieked, 

“Is too,” 

“Girls,” the empress cut in calmly, “let us not dwell in the past. Eloise is hardly going burn the palace down ,” 

“Clover,” Aster hissed, “her name is Clover.”

“Aster-” Basil tried to calm her, 

“Her name isn’t Eloise-” 

“Well actually i’ve always wanted to be called-” 

“Her name is Clover,” Aster carried on over the top of Clover, “and Basil's name isn’t Wrenium, and I'm not Rhea. it’s Basil and Aster.” 

The empress' eyes hooded, and glassed over, “Rh-Aster, please, i am still getting used to your new names, I have always thought of you three with your birth names. The goddess herself had blessed them.” 

“Yeah, well I hate it. So don’t you dare call me Rhea.” she snarled, 

“Aster, please, just give me a chance, i have waited years to see you again-” 

“Well maybe you should have found us earlier.” 

“Aster we-” 

“I’m not going to sit here and play happy families with you, you're not my mother, I have no mother, so stop trying to be. It’s pathetic,” she raised up from her seat, the legs of her chair screeching along the stone floor. “Enjoy your stupid cakes and tea. I’m leaving.” Aster twisted away, storming out through the doors, leaving the room deathly quiet. 

✶✶✶

After the disaster of tea the other day, the empress hadn’t even attempted to come visit the siblings, which Clover blamed Aster internally, even Basil was disappointed with the way Aster acted. But she wouldn’t apologise, no matter how much they told her how cruel she was. 

Elron had strolled into their room with a whistle, he was grinning, a man followed, the same man who had performed the odd DNA test all those days ago. He looked as awkward and strange as he did before, he was glancing at the three with keen eyes, bouncing on his feet impatiently. 

“Your highnesses may i introduce Zelum, he is Empress Sila’s apprentice and starting from today your magic instructor.”

The three sat shocked, had they heard Elron right, magic instructor?

“The empress and emperor thinks it is important that you are educated in the matter, considering the raw power you hold.” 

“It is an honour for me to be given this position,” Zelum piped up giddily, “and here I thought was to collect potion items from bogs for the rest of my life,” he snorted with laughter. 

“You're going to have someone who spends their time in bogs to teach us magic?” Aster questioned. 

“He graduated from the academy with the highest grades.” 

Zelum bludshed next to him, “it was nothing,” 

“Academy?” Basil questioned, the three had heard alot about this academy yet knew nothing about it. 

“Oh yes, it is the most prestigious place to study magic, in fact it is here in the capital.” 

“A school just for magic,” Clover said with wonder, 

“Why don’t we just go there?” Aster grumbled, 

“We can’t let you leave the palace grounds. The emperor forbade it,” 

“Thanks Aster,” Clover muttered, Aster glared down at her, it wasn’t her fault she was the only one set on ecasping. 

“We can do magic,” Basil cut in, 

“Well actually-” 

“Basil is right this pointless,” 

“Oh, but it could be fun,” Clover argued, 

“This is just a ploy to keep us occupied, so we won’t try to escape.” 

“More like to keep you from escaping,” Clover said sly, 

“These people don’t have our best interest in their hearts,” Aster growled through her teeth, 

“Why, because we didn’t grow up here? That they didn’t find us sooner? They thought we were dead Aster!” 

Aster scoffed, “Because that's an excuse,”

 “It is!” 

Elron patted Zelum on his back, “good luck, you’ll need it,” Elron turned walking out. The apprentice mage gulped wishing he was back in the bogs.