Once Nate finished his story, I felt that all of his tension eased up. I was ducking my head and wiping tears from my eyes. I couldn't let him see that I was crying, so I pretended to sleep.

Nate chuckled and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "Thank you for being a good listener." He whispered, and I felt him carrying me to a bed and covering me with a blanket.

"Goodnight, princess." He said, and suddenly, lights dimmed.

I opened one of my eyes and saw Nate heading for the couch and using his cape as a blanket. I suddenly felt terrible for taking his bed from him. He needs it more than me.

But after his story, I just couldn't say anything to him. I mean, what would I say? What happened to him wasn't a typical situation in my world. I covered myself with the blanket and thought of things to say to him.

***

To be honest, I couldn’t get enough sleep last night. I sat up from the bed and turned to my right to see a still sleeping Nate on the couch. Seeing him there made me realize something - despite his cheerful and flirty self is the opposite of what he truly feels.

I felt terrible. I didn't realize that he had been through all of that. No wonder he looked at Princess Camille the way he did at the ball. He loved Kascada, and I think that he still does. I realize that when Nate loves, he loves a person wholeheartedly so much that it drove him to be the person that he is now.

I looked around in his room which was shrouded with darkness - a complete epitome of Nate's reality. And it's a reality that I want to change. I got up, slipped on my shoes, and headed for the curtains. I looked back hesitantly at Nate before I parted it open.

Bright morning light immediately flowed through the glass windows and lit up his room in a wonderful hue. But since I wasn’t a morning person as well, I fought the urge to shut the curtains back.

"What are you doing!?" I gasped when I heard Nate behind me. His hair was disheveled and sticking out in different places. He squinted his eyes at the light and was about to close it again when I stopped him.

"No, don't." I told him. "Keep it open."

Nate grunted. "But I hate seeing my room. Close it."

"Psh, please! It's not like you are going to die from this. Look, I know why you keep your room in the dark, but do you really think it is wise to always hide from it? Face it, Nate. At this point, you resemble the stories of vampires from my world." I grinned. And lucky for him, I know some cringey ass sentimental lines from books and movies to back me up.

He looked away and closed his eyes as if he were in pain. "If you know the reason why I keep it in the dark, then you will understand that there are painful memories that I wish to hide."

I shook my head and placed a hand on his cheek to make him look at me. "You can't escape from your memories, but you can use them as a tool to be better - both the good and the bad ones. You have to move on, Nate. Think about the future. About what it might bring." He didn't say anything for a moment, and I thought for sure that it was too early for him. "B-But if you're not ready then - I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this." I said in defeat and was about to close the curtains when Nate stopped me. I looked up at him in surprise and found him giving me a small smile.

"What? Are you stuttering now? Don't tell me my charms are starting to affect you." He said, and with one hard yank, he was able to rip the curtains down. Sunlight entered through the now naked windows as he looked back at me, grinning.

"How's that, love?" Hearing him be his flirty old self made me smile in contentment since I knew that he was once again back to his old self.

I smiled warmly and hugged him in a comforting manner. "Better." Nate seemed surprised by the action, but he returned the hug nonetheless.

The door suddenly burst open, and the twins came in painting. "Nate! We have an emergency." Said Dan as Ren continued.

"We can't find Rose anywhere!" As soon as they said it, they paused and turned in my direction. As soon as they saw me, I gave them both a wave.

"Rose!" Both said at the same time and ran in my direction. I almost lost my balance when they engulfed me in a tight hug.

"Guys, can't breath," I said. Immediately, they stepped back after apologizing.

Once that was over, they turned to look at Nate before turning their gazes back at me. Their eyebrows raised in wonder. "What are you doing here in Nate's room anyway?" Asked Ren.

I shrugged. "I fell asleep here."

"What!?" The twins exclaimed with a look of disbelief and horror on their faces. Then, their expression turned into anger very slowly as they turned to Nate.

"What have you done!?"

"I'm going to kill you!!"

Upon hearing their remarks, I'm guessing that this isn't going very well.

Nate, now the center of attention, held his hand out in front of him as a sort of 'calm down' gesture. "Woah Woah, wolf twins. Nothing happened. I slept with the couch."

"You slept with the couch!?!" Ren gave him a disgusted look. My mind processed what Ren just said, and I had to slap a hand over my mouth to cover my laugh because, trust me, now is not the right time to find this all amusing.

"Slept on the couch. Minor mistake." Explained Nate and rubbed his head. "It's too early in the morning to deal with you two."

Dan shook his head in dismay. "Shame on you, Nate. Because of that, we're going to have to kill you." He said and turned to his brother. "Brother, find something sharp to stab him."

Ren nodded and randomly picked something on the table beside him. "Here."

Dan stared at the object in Ren's hands before looking at him. "A butter knife? Seriously??" Despite Dan's hesitation about the butter knife Ren, on the other hand, looked determined.

"It's more painful when you stab it compared to a sharp object." He grinned evilly.

Dan pointed at his brother. "That is the most disturbing and the most horrible idea ever." He laughed but stopped quickly as he looked at Ren with a serious expression. "Do it." He said darkly.

With one swift move, Dan now stood behind Nate as he held him from the back. "What the!? You two are sick!" Yelled Nate as he struggled to get away from Dan's grip. Meanwhile, Ren smirks and approaches Nate while waving the knife in the air. "You guys are serious!? Hey, this is a crime punishable by death!"

Dan shrugged. "Oh, no worries. Ren will take full responsibility."

By then, Ren stopped in his tracks and looked at Dan furiously. "What!? Why me? It was your idea."

"True. But you're the oldest, so you take full responsibility."

"Only by a minute!!"

"Alright enough," I interjected. "Who's the eldest, who's the youngest I can tell you guys one thing. NO ONE CARES!!" I yelled at them, and they paused. I smirked and straightened up. "Okay, now that that is out of the way, can you two please just calm down? You make it sound like a girl crashing in a guy's room is a crime."

There was a sudden pause as Dan released Nate from his hold. They were now giving me looks of disbelief in which I had no idea why.

"She's kidding, right?"

"What a simpleton."

"Did she really just say that?"

"Hey! I'm right here, you know!!" I crossed my arms over my chest and gave them all a dirty look. Honestly, I found their statements very offensive and rude.

"It's not like that, Rose." Ren sighed and scratched the back of his head tiredly. "You see.....it's not proper for a lady to stay in another man's room unless they are in a relationship or are married."

"Exactly." Dan agreed. "And just so you know, my brother's room is just a couple of rooms to the left of Nate's." He winked, earning a slap at the back of his head from Ren along with a dirty look. "Ow! What?"

"You're not helping, brother."

Dan laughed. "If only you knew, brother. I am helping."

My eyebrow twitched in annoyance. So I am not supposed to stay in a guy's room because I'm a girl? Wow. What do they think of female popularity? Weak? In my annoyance, I started to head for the door.

"Rose? Where are you going?" Nate asked.

"To a place away from you lot."

"Oh? And where is that?"

"To the guest room." After saying it, I paused when I reached the door. Sweat dripped from my face as I realized that I had no idea where the guest room was. I gulped and started to turn back with my head held high in confidence. "And since I am a princess. Someone should walk me to my room."

The princes exchanged looks before looking back at me with an almost amused look. "You," Ren pointed at me. "Don't know the way, do you?" Finished Dan.

I blushed in embarrassment but still held my ground. "No." I denied. The twins gave me mischievous grins and started teasing me and poking my cheeks.

"Alright, you two. Cut it out." Said Nate, which I was glad for. "Why don't the two of you escort our princess to her room?" As Nate made his emphasis, he looked at me with a teasing grin. He's no better after all.

"We are taking her to her room not because you ask us to but because we want to," Dan told Nate as he gave him a look. And when he turned to me, his expression now became jolly. "What do you say, princess? Shall we go?"

I nodded.

"Good. Now," Dan looked at his brother with a frown. "Don't just stand there, you idiot! Offer your arm, sorry excuse a gentleman!"

"What?" Ren looked taken aback and gave his brother a weird outlook. "Why the heck are you telling me that? What about you?"

"The oldest has to escort the lady all the time."

"You're just making that up." Muttered Ren before looking at me with a faint smile as he winked. He looked at his brother now with a wicked grin as he walked behind me. "Well, if that is the case, brother," I yelped when Ren swooped me off of my feet in a princess carry. "Then we'll have to make a run for it!" Ren yelled as he ran away from his brother while carrying me.

"Hey!" Dan said and ran after us.

"Lemme go you two legged wolf!!" I screamed at him and started to grab his shirt as I shook him back and forth. "I don't appreciate being carried when I have two fine legs to do that for me! Didn’t you guys just said something about proper behaviour!? Why are you guys running in a castle that’s not in Thalia?!"

"Hey, hey hey!!" Ren protested when I continued to struggle. "You're ruining my shirt!! And stop that. Dan is catching up."

"Well, you best put me down so you can run faster. I don't want to get involved with you guys when you get into trouble." I crossed my arms over my chest and gave Ren a stern look.

"But you already are, princess!!" Called Dan from behind us.

Ren smirked. "Oh? Did you just call yourself fat?" I frowned at him, and he laughed. In my annoyance, I punched him at his hard chest. It doesn't seem to affect him because he started to laugh, which only added fuel to the flames. I struggled and tried to get out of his grip. I felt one of my shoes fall, making Ren trip. "Holy crap!!" Just as we were about to fall, Ren used his body as he moved me on top of him and cushioned my fall.

I laughed and started clapping my hands. "Do it again!" I said in excitement. Dan hollered in laughter as well.

Ren ignored his brother as he looked at me worriedly. "Are you alright?" He asked. I was lying on top of him, our faces inches apart that I could see the perfect shades of brown on his eyes. I nodded at him, and he looked relieved. I got off of him and into a sitting position. "Well, that was fun. It turns out that wolves cannot run on two legs." I chuckled. Ren glared.

"Man, my back hurts. Ow." Grunted Ren as he sat up and rubbed his back.

I suddenly felt another presence close by, so I looked up behind Ren and saw him standing there. When Ren noticed me looking behind him, he turned around and followed my gaze. As soon as Ren saw Ace, he quickly stood up and offered a hand to me, which I took as he helped me up. Dan came to stand beside us and gave Ace a nervous wave. "Um...hehehe. Morning?"

Despite his greeting, Ace - like the rude person that he is - ignored him as he gave us a long cold look. "We're leaving in an hour so hurry up and get ready." That was all he said, then he left, leaving the three of us standing there and looking after him.

We exchanged glances. "What was that all about?" I asked.

Ren shrugged. "Beats me, but I think we should take you to your room now so you can change."

"Good idea."

After the twins left me, I quickly took a quick dip in the tub and changed into some clean clothes that the maids prepared for me, which I was actually surprised since I thought that Nate's parents must have found my behavior so offensive that they would make me wear rags instead. When I finished, the maids guided me around the castle and to the lower level where the princes were waiting.

Once we were all gathered, a guard came in and told us that everything was ready for our departure. We started to head out when I heard someone call my name.

"Princess Rosalie." We all turned around to see who it was. You could only imagine our surprise when we found out that it was queen Anya.

"Mother?" Nate stood beside me. At first, he looked shocked at seeing his mother, but he started to frown when he met my gaze. "What do you want from Rose?" He asked.

"I have no business with you, my son. I only wish to speak with princess Rosalie."

I took a side glance at Nate and saw him clench his fist. "Do you think I'll leave you alone with her? Mother, what kind of idiot do you think I am?!"

"Nate," Adam called up as he ran towards Nate. "Stop it. You might wake father."

Queen Anya looked at me. Her eyes went soft as she did. "Please." There was a look of urgency and sincerity in her eyes that almost made me forget what a horrible mother she was at Nate yesterday. Also, whatever she wanted to talk to me about seemed important.

"Alright. But just for a minute." I said. Nate gave me a bewildered look.

"Rose, no. We're leaving."

I shook my head at him. "It'll be over quickly. Wait for me outside." I told him and then turned towards the others as I addressed them. "All of you."

The princes exchanged glances. They seemed hesitant to leave, but when I gave them all a nod, they left and practically dragged Nate with them. As soon as they were gone, I approached the queen in a few strides. "What is it, your grace?" it almost looked like I was being respectful if I hadn't crossed my arms over my chest.

"Thank you." She said and gave me a genuine smile.

I was so taken aback by her action that I lost my 'I-don't-like-you' look. "What?" Is she thanking me for being rude?

"Thank you for taking this time to talk to me." She said and stared at the door where the princes had gone. She sighed. "I...I know you think I'm a horrible person and I can understand that. The way I treated Nathaniel yesterday was proof of it." I was confused, because it sounded like she’s regretful of her actions. "But despite the way I acted, I love my son. Both of them."

"Well, you sure have a weird way of showing it."

"I know." She whispered and looked at the ground for a second before returning her gaze at me. "But whatever I'm doing is all for the sake of his well-being."

I tilted my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Nate is-"

"Rose!! The minute is done! We're leaving!!" Dan yelled outside. "Ren is dying over here missing you - umf!!"

"Er...." I looked at the queen awkwardly and started to fidget. "I-I think I have to go now. Sorry." I said apologetically. The queen only gave me a faint smile as she nodded. Just before I could turn around, she grabbed my hand.

"Wait." I looked back at the queen. She smiled. The way a mother would to her child. "For what it's worth, I'm happy that Nathaniel went to Thalia and had the chance of meeting you and the princes. Please, take care of him for me."

I was speechless at her words that all I could do at that time was nod. That seemed to satisfy her as she bid me farewell.

As I got out of the castle, my mind swirled with thoughts. What just happened? Was Nate's mother not as bad as I think she is? And what was she trying to tell me about her protecting Nate? Is he in a gang or something?

"Hey.....Rose?......HEY!!" Ren snapped his fingers in front of my face to get my attention.

"What?"

He smirked. "You look troubled. Was it something Nate's mother said?"

"No. No, it's not." I denied. "Speaking of Nate, where is he?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Wow, I didn't know you’d miss me that much to look for me." I looked up to the sound of his voice and spotted Nate making his way towards us as he pulled a beautiful white horse with him. He stopped right in front of us and gave me a wide smile. "Here." He handed me the reins.

I stared at the reins then towards him. "Huh?"

Nate chuckled. "She's all yours, silly. Take her." he handed me the reins again, which I slowly took this time as I gave him a tentative glance.

I looked at the horse - dazzled by its beauty when I started petting her. "Wow, I don't know what to say, Nate," I whispered, still looking at the horse and not the giver.

"Well, you could just say thank you." He said. "You know. She was supposed to be my wedding gift for Kascada once we were married. But since it didn't work out, I kept her to myself. She doesn't have a name yet, though."

At his words, I paused and turned to stare at Nate. I let out a gasp,"Wait. Wedding gift? You don't mean...Oh no, Nate. If this is your way of proposing to me, I swear-"

"Proposal? What? No! She's a gift, Rose."

"WHO'S PROPOSING TO WHO!?!?" Dan screamed somewhere in the background.

"Really, huh? Why give her to me of all people?" I narrowed my gaze at Nate suspiciously.

"She's a thank you gift, Rose. For helping me." Said Nate tiredly. "I thought about what you said about moving on." He shrugged. "As of now, I am still healing. I don't even think that I can have a relationship at the moment, a serious one. But since old habits die hard, so I'll warn you that I might still....have my flirty attitude, so excuse me in advance if I make a move on you."

"Honesty appreciated." I smiled. "And don't worry, I'll help you to get over that habit by punching you in the face when you do. Oh, and I love her, Nate. I'll take good care of her. Thank you."

Nate grinned. "Thank you. Wouldn't have it any other way." He said and turned his attention back at the horse. "Now, I think it's about time that we give her a name. What do you think?"

I looked back at the horse and glided my finger to her mane as I wondered. "I think I want to name her Cloud."

"Cloud?"

"Yeah, because she's as white as a cloud. Her hair is soft too."

Nate grinned and stroked Cloud's mane affectionately. "Cloud it is."

Just then, Ace came to our side riding his horse. He looked down at us with a scowl. "If you two won't get on your damn horses, I swear that we'll leave you two behind." Then just like that, he left. Nate and I exchanged glances before we laughed.

"Okay. I assume you already know the basics of riding from Ren?" I nodded. Nate grinned. "Very well then. Let's get you on Cloud."

Nate grabbed my waist and hauled me up to ride on Cloud. Suddenly I felt something. "Nate! Where do you think you are touching, you animal!" There was a loud smack as I slapped him.