23 Chapter 23: Pull Yourself Together

~Sin-Vira's POV~

 "W-why won't it stop?" Sibylla asked as she kept rubbing her eyes to clear away the tears.

 Sin-Vira tilted his head to the side as he kept patting her head. "It's normal to cry, Bylla. It's my bad for causing it. I know you said not to do or say anything, but I won't stand by and watch someone bring you harm. Even if it's your father…"

 She held the cuff of his sleeve as she continued sobbing. "You're an idiot! A really big, stupid, sweet, idiot!" she cried while leaning into his hand.

 "I'll take that as a compliment!" He chuckled. "Now let's get you off the floor, you'll ruin your dress." Though when he looked at her face, her makeup seemed unaffected by the tears. Even when rubbing her gloves over her eyes, nothing smeared or even came off. He concluded it to be expensive makeup and helped her on her feet.

 Sibylla took deep breathes as she kept rubbing her tears away. Once she calmed down, she stared at him with a sad smile. "I'm going to go see him now… please wait in here until I get back…" she bowed slightly before turning to leave.

 He placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Wait! I know I keep butting into your familial issues, but what exactly are these punishments? If they're so bad, I can wait there for you instead?"

 Sibylla kept her head forward. "You know the saying 'pull yourself together'? He simply wants me to put myself back together. It's not that bad. Please enjoy your bath. If I'm quick, I can bring you clothes and we can see the fireworks. They're very beautiful…" She brushed his hand off before she continued walking.

 "I know we aren't close, but I'm always willing to give you a hug." Sin-Vira watched as she left without responding.

 Left with nothing else to do, he flipped the handle and watched as the water began filling the tub. The bottom of it was embedded with smoothed gems. When he took the time to acknowledge the decor of the room, all he could see were stolen gems and stones.

 Once he was in the tub, he reclined in the warm water before submerging himself in it briefly. The scent of the wine was still strong, but he at least wanted the liquid off of him.

 He reached out to the boxes he kept in his pocket and opened the one meant for Sibylla. It was a simple silver necklace since it was the one ore that they were able to keep. The only accessories she would wear were necklaces last he remembered. Though he had never seen her wear anything since he recently met her.

 "She probably doesn't even like them anymore. What the hell do I even know about her?" he asked himself out loud. "If we're supposed to pretend to be in love, I should probably get to know her better before things get more awkward…" He set it down and opened the box meant for Arika. A silver ring.

 Sin-Vira hadn't known much about Arika. He remembered her being mostly cold and reckless. But towards the end, she was more outspoken and protective. The few times they spoke, half ended in petty arguments.

 He knew he would've made more of an effort if he knew she'd pass so suddenly. But anyone would have as well.

 Sin-Vira held up his hand that was still throbbing. "That bastard of a king had the nerve to try and hit his only daughter. A punch like that could shatter bones… and what did she even mean by her punishment? Pull herself back together? Why does thinking about it seem… morbid?"

 He washed himself off as he continued thinking about the brief interaction he had with her father. Sin-Vira wanted to escort Sibylla around his kingdom. The main reason was for her to become familiar with it, but also to take her far away from her father. If they were lucky, she could stay for a few nights.

 The thought of it made his heart skip a beat.

 "Idiot…" he mumbled. "As if. I doubt I could explain it without our parents getting the wrong idea. Maybe I should ask, Ivy-" the sudden realization hit him. "I forgot about Ivy!" he slapped his forehead.

 Without a royal's approval, she wouldn't be allowed to enter the castle and the carriage wouldn't arrive until much later. All he could hope for was Suni taking care of her.

 Sin-Vira drained the water and dried himself off with a hung towel. His styled hair was now a curly mess once again. "Neat and tidy isn't my thing anyways…" he mumbled before wrapping himself in the towel. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub as he waited for Sibylla to arrive.

 After a while of waiting, he began to hear loud explosions and fell back and hit his head on the wall.

 "Shit! Bad idea…" he rubbed his head before getting out and heading towards the open window.

 The dark sky was lighting up with colorful fire-like explosions. They were so bright like the moon and were unlike anything he had ever seen. Just watching the colors appear throughout the sky brought him at ease.

 "Are these the fireworks Sibylla mentioned?" he mumbled.

 There was frantic pounding on the door that startled him. "Sin-Vira? Are you still there!" Sibylla shouted.

 He exhaled a sigh of relief as he looked at the door. "Yeah. You can come in."

 The door slowly opened as Sibylla peeked her head out. Her hair was tied into twin buns, wearing a long-sleeve nightgown. She held some folded clothes against her chest. Strangely enough, she was wearing long socks and gloves.

 "I brought you some clothes. I wasn't sure what would fit you, so I brought you this robe." She held them out to him with a weary smile.

 Sin-Vira took them and looked at her. "Are you okay? Why did you have to change?" he asked in a worried tone.

 "The guests are already gone and that dress was suffocating. I assume we missed the show?" she asked quietly.

 He glanced back at the window before looking back at her. "Yeah. I saw some of it from here…"

 Sibylla bit her lip as she clenched her hands into a fist. "Of course I was too late. I'll be outside, then we will visit her grave…" she turned away and left.

 "Our night won't get any better then…" he sighed as he began dressing. It was a long, blue robe with pink stars all over it. When he looked in the mirror, the robe went to his calves, and could barely rest on his shoulders with how tight-fitting it was.

 He put his shoes back on and took the boxes with him as he left. Sibylla was leaning against the wall with her head hanging low.

 "Is this your robe? It's cute." Sin-Vira teased.

 Sibylla eyed Sin-Vira's clothes and didn't even crack a smile. "I don't have a brother to borrow his clothes. Sorry…" she pushed herself off the wall and began walking off.

 He was quick to follow after her. "Sorry. It was a dumb joke! I just wanted to lighten the mood. But I was insensitive…"

 "I wanted to laugh. But my throat hurts… you're fine…" She continued walking with her head down.

 Fearing he would upset her again, Sin-Vira followed her down the long hall in silence. It felt endless with the awkward silence until she finally stopped at a door.

 "Beyond this door is the royal graveyard. Where Princess Arika's resting place is…"