The Prince’s response was about what I expected. His face contorted into a mix of shock and confusion and his mouth fell so far open I worried it might break off. He stuttered, trying to find a way to respond, but nothing substantial came out. His eyes darted between me and Isla, and I could almost see his mind working through all the questions he wanted to ask. It was satisfying to see him like that, the cocky and smug look he had worn at the Mage’s Event completely gone, replaced by a bewildered mess.

The Princess, however, acted almost as if I asked nothing at all. Her face remained smooth, the same small smile on her face that she’d walked into the room with. She didn’t crack in any way, and I worried for a moment that only the Prince was a reincarnate. The possibility of only one of them having memories of their past life hadn’t even crossed my mind. It would make sense considering how child-like she had acted when we met in the garden. She really did just seem like a young girl.

I started to pull my hand away, afraid that I’d made a fool of myself. The plan wouldn’t work if only the Prince was a reincarnate. I couldn’t say anything if that was the case. As panic began to overwhelm me and my hand started shaking in the Princess’s grasp, I looked up into her eyes. They were pure red gems, and they were staring into me so wide I thought they might bulge out of her head. That was all I needed to see, and I felt my heart beat slow down a little.

It had only been a few moments since I greeted them, but I could hear a few mumbling voices behind me in the midst of the loudness of the party. A few moments were more than I was supposed to take. This was just meant to be a greeting, and we were supposed to walk away right after. I wondered what Titus was doing behind me, curious if he’d even noticed I hadn’t followed him yet. The idea to disrupt the event even further popped into my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. That wouldn’t only anger Titus, but every other noble here and the King. I had to say what I needed to say, then leave.

“When the dance starts, call for us. Sean and Isla Phell. We can talk then,” I told them, letting go of her hand.

Wren was still flustered, not giving any indication that he understood anything that was going on, but Mae inclined her head once. I quickly took hold of Isla’s hand and started leading her down the steps, letting the frustrated nobleman who was standing behind us greet the Royal Twins. Titus had noticed us lagging behind, and the scowl on his face gave no mystery to how he felt about that. It didn’t matter. If everything went well, he’d be plenty pleased with me and Isla at the end of the night.

“Are you okay?” I asked Isla as we made our way back to our seats.

Her hand had been shaking in mine, and I worried she was regretting our decision. It was to late now, though

“I’m fine,” she answered, giving me a small smile. “It’s just… this is so crazy. A year ago I was all alone in the forest, in more ways than one. Then, you came along. Both of us are reincarnated. It was insane. Then we came here, and suddenly were nobles. It was so jarring that I still haven’t processed it. Now we’re talking to royalty, and they’re probably reincarnates too. I just don’t know what to think.”

“Yeah,” I responded, not sure what to say. “It all has been a lot.”

“I just hope they can give us some kind of answers. If anyone knows something about how we got here; about why we remember, it will be them.”

I frowned at that, but didn’t say anything. It didn’t matter how we got those memories. Those memories didn’t matter. However, she did bring up an interesting point. If anyone was going to know something about reincarnation, it would be some of the most powerful people in the country. I felt like a heavy weight had landed on my back and my nerves began to grow. For the first time in my entire life, there was something that I didn’t want to know.

A short while after we got back to our seats, a nobleman came up to Titus. He introduced himself, his wife, and his son. His voice was shaky and low, like speaking to Titus took him more effort than lifting a boulder over his head. Sweat beaded on his forehead so much I worried he might start dripping. Titus talked casually with the man, barely giving him the time of day, but the noble stuck around.

“Lord Phell, I assure you that he would be excellent,” the nobleman said.

Titus sighed, not even looking in his direction. “You should have a drink, Lord Gyrus.”

Lord Gyrus took the cup Titus had handed to him and gently took a drink. “Thank you, Lord Phell,” he said, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Titus responded, his voice changing into a cheery tone and a smile growing on his face, “It’d be a waste for the esteemed Lord Gyrus not to have a drink at such a glorious party.”

“Ah… yes. Thank you again, my Lord.”

“It’s no issue at all,” Titus said, waving his hand. “It’s the least I can do after what happened in First Steps.” The Lord’s face went pale. He looked like a ghost, all the sweat he had on him suddenly disappearing and his body going rigid. “A shame, really. I’m sure Lady Ilena is furious.”

The man was silent for a moment. He seemed all but dead until he managed to squeak out a few words. “Ye– yes. She has made her frustrations known.”

Titus and the nobleman continued talking, but the man’s son had walked over to us, and my focus landed on him. I wanted to hear more of their conversation, but the noble’s son walked past me and straight to Isla. He bowed in a flourish, saying, “Lady Isla Phell. I am Lord Lin Gyrus. It is a pleasure to meet you, truly. Your performance at the Mage’s Event was legendary, and I have been wishing to speak to you since.”

The boy smiled up at her, reaching out his hand in hope that she would take it. Isla looked like she was going to be sick. She recoiled, shrinking away into her seat and pulling herself back away from him. She looked even smaller than normal. I stood and got between them. “Leave her be, Lin.”

The boy’s smile turned into a frown. “Ah– Lord Sean Phell. I’m ashamed to not have greeted you yet, but seeing as Lady Isla is the older sibling, it would be ill-mannered of me not to greet her first. iIf you don’t mind, I would love to speak to her alone for just a–”

“No. Go scurry back to your father.”

The young noble stood and did his best to get close to my face, despite the fact that he was a head shorter than me. “I am a Lord of House Gyrus, Lord Sean. Any offense you do to me is done toward the entirety of my family.”

“Oh well,” I answered with a shrug, waiting for him to leave before I went and sat down beside Isla again.

“That was… strange,” she said when the Gyrus Lords and Ladies finally left.

“Expect more,” Titus told us. “Everyone here will do anything to climb just a bit higher. Take it as a lesson.”

Titus, unfortunately, had been right. As the night continued, even to the point where the servants had brought out the meal, more and more nobles kept coming up to Titus. Their children would either come to me or Isla, begging to speak with us. It once again reminded me of the Frost Feast, and how Blair had to spend most of his time keeping noble’s away from his sister, Senga. That comparison between me and Blair caused me to be even less cordial with the young noble’s coming up to us, and I found that I was better at making enemies than friends. Isla didn’t seem to care, though. She seemed just as tired as I did with everyone coming up to us. It made the night feel endless until, finally, the man with the greased gray hair returned.

He stood in front of the twins, at the bottom of the stairs, his back straight and eyes level with everyone in the room. Before he spoke, he took a small glance at the king, who gave him a nod. “And now,” the man spoke, “The Prince and Princess will begin their dance.”

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He took a bow, then slunk away as the Royal Twins stood. The Twin’s Dance. It was the main event of the evening and their birthday celebration. Dancing was more than just a performance. At least, according to Maylene, my dance instructor. It was a demonstration and an explanation of one’s poise and grace. If one couldn’t even run through the moves of a dance, then one shouldn’t be expected to understand the many intricacies that came with ruling a kingdom. The Twin’s Dance had been held every year since the end of the war, and was the perfect way to show that the King still held power, despite how Vistaria had lost. The details of the war were still pretty murky, the subject seeming to be some kind of taboo, but I had pieced some of it together.

The Prince and Princess were meant to choose someone to dance with, showing their favor for that noble and their family, as well as giving them the chance to demonstrate their own grace. According to Maylene, the Royal Twins always chose to dance with each other. Whether that was their own choice or something they were told to do by the King, I didn’t know, but I hoped it was the former. If it was the latter, my plan wouldn’t work. Part of me felt happy about that, or rather most of me did, but I ignored the feeling. This was for Isla. Once she was able to talk to the other reincarnates, I could ignore them. I just had to get them to have one conversation, and have a single conversation of my own. Then, I could forget about reincarnation and past memories forever.

The Prince took a step forward, his eyes glued to Isla and me. His posture was far from the straight back he had walked in with, and he kept shifting his weight from one leg to the other. When he spoke, his voice was shaky and rough, causing him to pause and clear his throat. “Isla Phell. It would be a pleasure if you would honor me with a dance,” he said, extending his hand slightly in our general direction.

The noble’s were delicate enough to keep their voices hushed as the music began to build. There were some surprised gasps and murmurs here and there, but most of them kept quiet. I glanced over at Titus as Isla stood and made her way to the center of the room. The Lord was scowling at me, his eyebrows so scrunched it looked like they merged. It startled me. I figured something like this would make him ecstatic, but instead, he was angry?

I didn’t have time to think about it, though, because the Princess stood shortly after her brother. Her voice was smooth. It came out in a light tone, reminiscent of the way she spoke when we were together at the tree. “Sean Phell. Would you do me the favor of offering me a dance?”

The noble’s seemed to find it hard to restrain themselves as I stood. I thought Titus’ eyes would bulge out of his head, but instead, his eyebrows seemed to furrow even more, which I didn’t think was possible. I stood, forming the ice prosthetic as I did so, and made my way to the center of the room to meet up with Mae. My heart pounded as I heard the whispers of every noble I passed. There were idle mentions of my missing cane, a few comments on the Royal;’s choices, and jealous remarks about House Phell. Their confusion and questions made sense, but I wished I didn’t have to hear them right now. It just added to my nerves.

Isla and Wren met up first, and I could see the worry plain on my sister’s face. Wren smiled with absolute glee, but I could tell he was still confused. He wasn’t a hard person to read, it seemed. Mae, however, seemed completely normal. She stood in front of me, her freckled face only coming up to my shoulders, and reached out her hands. I took them, and when the orchestra’s music began to build, the four of us began to dance.

Everything was silent except for the music and the sound of our footsteps. Mae didn’t utter a single word or question. Her ruby eyes just stared into mine as we moved, our steps in time and synchronized. When I managed to take a glance over at Isla and Wren, I could see their mouths moving. That was good. That was what was supposed to happen, but Mae didn’t ask me anything. Instead, she was reading.

“How is your flower coming along?” she finally asked, her voice so quiet I barely heard it under the music.

She remembered me. That made me feel better than I thought it would. For some reason, being forgotten left a bad taste in my mouth. Her question left me stumped for a minute, though. It was nothing about reincarnation. “I've been improving it everyday,” I assured her. “I’m certain it will be able to compete with your’s soon.”

She smiled and gave a small laugh. “I sincerely doubt that. I’ve been perfecting mine for years. I do hope it’s true though.”

I tried to keep my face straight, but my confusion was making it hard. “You hope? Is it because red and blue make purple?”

She nodded, but then her smile disappeared. “Yes, but fire and water don’t mix.”

Once again, there was silence after that. I wish she would just rip the bandage off. It was inevitable, and she was peeling it nice and slowly, making me sit in agony. So, I ripped it off myself. “Do you have any questions about reincarnation?”

She looked up at me, her smile reappearing, but different somehow. It felt cold. “Do you have the answers?”

I missed a step, interrupting the beat of the dance and almost tripping. I felt the spell around my leg falter as well, and I had to take a second to reform it before starting the dance again. There were a few snickers from behind me, but I ignored them. “Wha– What do you mean?” I stuttered.

“I recognized you the moment you walked up the steps, Sean Phell.”

“You– you did?” I asked, my disappointment drifting away.

“I did. I thought about talking to you there, saying hello or something, but there really was no time. Then you asked about cars, and my mind whirled. It was such a shock that my thoughts were running faster than my body could react. It wasn’t until you mentioned the dance that I came back to earth.”

It didn’t seem like that to me. She seemed perfectly in control of herself back then. “Then what were the questions your thoughts were asking?”

“Like I said, I doubt you have the answers.” I tried to protest, but she kept talking, “I’ve been thinking about this the entire party. We met outside the Mage’s Event. If you knew I had been reincarnated; that I had memories of my previous life, you would have asked about it then. Of course, you could’ve been testing me, but it didn’t seem like that. Which means you didn’t know who I was, and didn’t know I was reincarnated. That means you’re probably not some messenger coming to tell me and my brother why we’re here. It probably means you're just like us. Am I wrong?”

I hesitated, but then answered truthfully. “No. You're not.”

“So you probably know as much as we do. Wren and I were born knowing everything and nothing, and we get memories of our past life from time to time. Is that about it?”

“Yes. Yes it is.”

“So, Sean. What answers do you have for me then?”

I took in a breath, but it wasn’t from nervousness. It was a relief. “None. I have nothing to tell you.”

Her smile grew warm. “I thought so. That’s fine with me.”

“It–it is?”

Her laugh was like a chiming of bells. It wasn’t loud, but it rang with the music. “I thought Wren and I were alone. What reason would I have to think that there were more of us, then you and Isla pop out of nowhere. And you're both twins too. What are the chances?”

I gave her a nervous chuckle. I still didn’t quite believe that she knew nothing, but I had no desire to push her. I didn’t want to know anyway. However, I didn’t trust her fully. “Yeah. I thought it was strange when I figured the two of you out.”

“And how exactly did you do that?” Mae asked, taking control of the dance for a moment and leading me away from the crowd. As the dance had progressed, several young nobles were allowed to join in, and the ballroom floor was starting to get a bit crowded.

Her question shook me for a moment. I couldn’t say it was because of our shared birthdays. I didn’t want to talk about Blair and Isla and I being twins was a story I wanted to keep alive. Luckily, I prepared myself for this. “Magic,” I said nonchalantly, as if the answer was normal.

Mae frowned. “You expect me to believe that?” she asked with pouted lips.

I gave her a nervous laugh. “No, not really. Isla and I have a strange relationship with Nex. We attract it, and it looks sort of strange when you focus on it with your Soul.”

It was a bluff. The relationship with Nex was true, but it wasn’t something especially easy to notice. There was a chance I could have sensed it when Mae was showing me her flowers, but I didn’t, and Wren never did any magic around me.

“I see. That’s… interesting.”

Once again, I sighed in relief. We continued our dance, and I could feel time running out as we remained in silence. “You’re not… curious? About me or Isla? About our memories?”

“Are you not curious about mine?”

I frowned. She seemed to have a habit of redirecting questions, and it annoyed me. After a few moments of pause, I decided to tell her the truth. “No. I’m not.”

Her smile seemed to brighten. “Past lives. Our strange flashing memories. I just see little in caring about them, you know? I have a family here. A brother. A father. I was born here. Hell, I’m even a princess. Why should I worry about memories of my past self from an entirely different world? Those aren’t me. I’m me.”

Her words hit me like a hammer to the head. “Exactly,” I managed to whisper.

Mae let out a small laugh. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was interested in that relationship with Nex we have, but that doesn’t matter right now. We can worry about that later. We’re at a party, and it’s my birthday. Why don’t we just have fun and finish this dance?”

I smiled. “It’s my birthday too,” I muttered.

“Really?” She asked, and for the first time she sounded surprised. “Well then. Happy birthday, Sean. Your present is getting to dance with the cutest girl in the kingdom.”

I finally laughed with her, and I felt all my muscles relax at once. They had been so stiff, filled with nerves for what might happen today. What had I even been worried about? I squeezed her hand that I held in mine. “Who am I to turn down such a gift?”

Mae giggled, and the two of us continued our dance.