Perhaps, one of the things she finds lovely—or at least not entirely terrible—about herself is the way people call her Diana. It’s not her real name, but the meaning behind it is what makes her love it anyways. Diana, or Artemis, is the goddess of the hunt and the moon. Now, she doesn’t care too much about this so-called hunt, but the latter part—the part about the moon—pleases her.

The moon glows in the evenings, quiets loud hearts, and kisses skin so gently as to leave no mark. Tides die and live by the face of the moon, and all beings fall prey to the sight of the it, tucked behind eaves yet shining through clouds. And Diana! Oh, Diana. She is a graceful, ethereal goddess. More of a gift to existence than Jupiter ever was.

Something about the moon, she thinks, and being nicknamed after such a goddess fertilizes blooms of scarlets on her cheeks.

“But mother!”

Lei snaps her eyes open, rolling them at the sound of her brother’s voice. How dare he interrupt her thoughts like that? She quickly closes them again, however (since ethereal, nicknamed-after-goddesses beings such as her don’t trouble themselves with peasant affairs), and crosses her arms as she follows him and her mother.

But with every step she takes, it begins to prick at her. The Golden Boy, as he is known by anyone who can follow the news, is back at it with the self-righteousness. Always fighting for what he believes is right—or some other nonsense.

She opens her eyes and watches Kai’s shoulders move with every motion he takes.

“This isn’t a good idea,” he announces for the fifth time. He stops in the middle of a grove and turns so that Lei can finally see his face. It twists and contorts with disapproval, and his black hair sweeps across the top of his brows. “I don’t understand why it has to be us, either. Helios is one nation out of hundreds. Why can’t he go somewhere else?”

“Because,” the Queen, their mother, rebuts, “he is the only heir to the throne of Yosul. He needs our help, and it’s urgent.”

“But Yosul?” Kai draws his head back in response. “Mother, no.”

Lei frowns, suddenly remembering what this discourse revolves around. The details lose themselves somewhere in her head, but she knows that her brother has argued with their mother for the past hour. She knows it’s disrespectful to daydream while her brother the “Golden Prince” and her mother the Queen have sacrificed their time for one another, but his voice grew tiresome. Well, his voice isn’t dull or shrill, but the tone of it forced her into daydream.

Still, she wasn’t stuck in limbo. She knows exactly what the topic of their debate is—and why it’s so important that they have to ignore her.

“I agree,” Lei speaks up. When their eyes turn to her, she bites her cheek to suppress a small smile. “Yosul and Helios are barely allies. We’ve been trading partners, sure, but they’re known for their strict monarchy and endless civil unrest—not to mention all these wars. If we house their son, we’ll give the wrong message to other nations. Our allies, more specifically.”

Kai straightens his back and slings an arm over Lei’s shoulders, and she freezes at the suddenness. “See mother?” He tilts his chin up. “Lei agrees with me. And she’s right. Imagine how the media will react. They’ll murder us on fine print.”

The Queen purses her lips and says nothing—does nothing, but Lei knows about the torrent of words in that mouth. She isn’t the type for arguments and debates, but she isn’t the type to stand by idly either. Sure enough, the Queen abruptly breaks the silence.

“Baekhyun will arrive in a few days. And that’s the end of that.”

“What?” Kai exclaims. “Mother! Did you even talk to your advisors about this? I’m sure they won’t—”

“They’re the ones who suggested this entire thing.” The Queen silences Kai with one smoldering look. “This is the perfect thing to do after all that has happened.” She sighs and softens her tone. “My dear Kai, I love you and your will, but you can’t change my decision. Yosul is in the midst of a civil war that might tear the country into ruin and kill the only heir. If the same thing happened to us, we’d be seeking refuge like cats in the rain too.”

“But I don’t understand why we have to sacrifice our dignity—”

“What dignity are you talking about if we turn away someone in need of help? Where’s the dignity in that?” The Queen crosses her arms, and Lei shifts her weight from leg to leg under the now sweltering sun.

“I’m sorry.” Kai hangs his head low as he bows to the Queen. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

“Just welcome Baekhyun when he comes.” The Queen waves off the apology. “You know I’m going away on business, and the country’s image will be left to you to manage. You’re 20, Kai.” She shakes her head. “You should know better than to act as unprofessional as this.”

With that, she strides away, and the sun’s rays lessen their power, and Lei watches her mother’s slim figure disappear behind the grove of trees, her short black hair shining in the light. After she’s sure her mother can’t hear them anymore, Lei turns back to her brother and crosses her arms.

“It’s okay, Kai.” She shrugs. “I mean, it’s not like we’re going to be forced to spend time with him. We still have our duties to fulfill. Like the trade negotiations and charities. We can distance ourselves as much as possible.” She bites the inside of her cheek to suppress her smile. “You can even take a break from your duties. I’ll do them for you.”

“Don’t be silly.” He frowns. “Distancing ourselves? What good is that,” he scoffs, “if we’re still forced to the image of housing a Yosul prince?”

Not knowing how to answer, Lei purses her lips and continues to walk to the dock that had been their family’s destination. Kai follows her wordlessly, and the ocean fills in the silence with the crinkling of waves. Once reaching the dock, a strong wind blows Lei’s white dress, causing it to snap with resistance.

“It can’t be that bad.” Lei reassures herself, but Baekhyun’s family’s reputation precedes him, and nothing can change that. “I mean, maybe he’ll get homesick and not want to talk to anyone.”

“Really?” Kai snickers. He sits down on the dock, dipping his bare feet into the water, and Lei follows suit. “I don’t think so. Baekhyun’s a Byun. He’ll be rude to our people and abuse his guest privileges. Knowing his family’s tendencies, he’ll start a civil war here too.”

Lei sighs, agreeing with Kai’s logic. People like him—anyone attached to the Yosul Byun line—aren’t exactly the kindest or quietest. Unlike anyone from the Helios Kim line, the Byuns are outlandish: the epitome of contrast to the Kims. The thought of this causes Lei to kick her submerged feet out of frustration—frustration that she forgets within seconds. The hot sun on her back contrasted the frigid water, drawing her attention to the deep blues of the water. Her brother, however, doesn’t share the same sentiment, and he shudders.

“I’m going to go back in a few minutes,” he tells her. “I’m hungry.”

She glances over at him, her eyes narrowing. “What’s your deal?”

“My deal?” Kai looks at her up and down. “What ‘deal’ are you talking about?”

“Well, you’re tanner,” she notes. His skin is just like hers—rich in soft browns and easily darkened—but more beautiful. She knows this because when they were younger, only a few hours in the sun was all it took for them have complexions forged from bronze ores. Well, she grew bronze; he grew golden. “You’ve been spending too much time on the beach, I bet. Or here. In our garden. You do that when you’re thinking. And you don’t like thinking too much unless it has—”

“Okay, okay,” Kai interrupts her. “I don’t need a psychological profile. But yes, I’m fine. It’s exactly like what you said. I’m just thinking.”

“But what about?”

“Father.”

Lei freezes, and she stops her kicking in the water. There isn’t anything tabooer than their father. Why Kai has been thinking of him, she doesn’t know, and she doesn’t want to know.

“You shouldn’t be thinking about him.” Lei shakes her head slowly, watching how her brother’s face move. The only structures that he moves on his face are his parting lips. “He doesn’t deserve our thoughts or to even be in our heads.”

“I guess,” Kai murmurs, “but I still—”

“Do you think we should hire someone to look after Baekhyun?” Lei interrupts her brother’s ruinous thoughts. “To make sure he doesn’t screw anything up?”

Kai presses his lip into a thin smile. “I’ll take care of it, Lei. Just relax, okay? I’ll do the heavy lifting.”

“Prince Kai!” A voice interrupts them on the beach, and when Lei turns her head to track the sound, she sees that it’s Suho—one of their closest friends and advisor—striding towards her and her brother. “You’re needed at the embassy.” Suho glances at her and flashes a smile, turning his eyes into his crescents. “Good afternoon, Princess Lei.”

“Good afternoon.” Lei returns the smile. “How are you? Did you finish—”

“Sorry, Lei,” Kai interrupts her, “this is really important. I nearly forgot that I had this today.” He pulls her in for a tight hug. “I’ll see you, tonight, okay?”

“Okay.” Lei shrugs and watches as her brother strides down the dock to meet Suho. Even his gait is perfect. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come?” She calls out after them, hoping one or the other will extend the invitation. “I’m good with people.”

“I’m sorry, Lei. They asked for the Prince of Helios.” Suho bows his head, as if it disappoints him too. “Maybe next time.”

She catches Kai’s look of apology: lips pouting and shoulders shrugging. But she’s quick to turn back around and focus on angrily kicking her feet in the water.

Right. He’s the crown prince, and she’s only her.

- - - - -

Her only home has ever been Helios. Three thousand or so miles away from the Great Isle of Yosul and another few thousand miles from the United States. Home. An island in the middle of nowhere—with “nowhere” being a vast expanse of blue. Blue. The color she feels pounding against the length of her ribs on days where she falls too short of expectations. The—

“Lei,” a deep voice rounds the corner. “Lei, what are you doing?” She keeps her eyes on the mirror, but she raises them. It’s her brother, of course, and he dons a tan suit that accents his skin. “Come on. We’ll be late for Baekhyun’s arrival.”

“Does it really matter?”