Twinkle Star's heart began to beat faster. Finally! Her mother was going to reveal to her, to all of them, the truth of why Reine didn't become queen. She was extremely curious, but her mother once again drank some water and whispered a bit with Damina, before she continiued to speak.

"That talk with my mother took place late that afternoon. My mother told me after that, if I wanted to let everybody know dinner would be soon, because she had things she wanted to discuss with Reine that evening. I assume she wanted to talk to Reine after dinner, so she could tell her first the engagement was off. I wondered if it would be announced that night. It would be hard for Reine, but if mother didn't tell it as soon as possible, word might spread into the country, and damage repair would be even more painful for my sister, and she might have lost her entire reputation as reliable heir, or something like that. I wondered why my mother didn't want to talk with Reine before dinner, but maybe she would. I didn't know. Later I wondered so many times if things would have ended differently if my mother would have talked with Reine first, but she didn't, and things went the way they did.

I went to the guest house, to inform everybody dinner would be two hours early. I didn't find Taishi there, I assumed he was with Anrui, though I later heard he was with his mother, arguing and fighting, because she still didn't accept his choice and she was highly dissapointed in him. After I had been to the guest house, I went inside the castle to do the same thing, tell everybody dinner was going to be early. I went to all my aunts, cousins and other family members, untill I finally reached Anrui's room. I softly knocked on the door, and to my surprise, she was actually there, alone.
'Hello there, Regina. What can I do for you?' She said with her sweet voice.
'I come to tell you dinner will be two hours early. Mother wants to discuss things with Reine afterwards, well... I guess you understand, right?' I said, and she smiled and nodded.
'I do, Regina. It must be hard for Reine to hear, and Medina wants to take her time.'

I smiled at her.
'I'm happy for you, Anrui.' I told her, and she smiled back.
'I know you are, Regina. Taishi told me what you told him. You're a wise girl, aren't you? I've always known. I think you are even wiser than Reine, you know that? She might have inherited your mother's power, but you certainly have her brains.'
I didn't really know what to say at such a compliment. I think I just answered thank you, or something.
'You know what Regina, Taishi and I have agreed to meet at the large tree one more time. Why don't you come, too? We want to thank you for your help. We were going to meet at half past nine this evening.'
 She proposed to me, and I happily nodded. I finally could be with them without sneaking around!

I agreed with her, thanked her, and left. Not much later I went to the dining room, because dinner was served. nothing was announced, yet, but I was sure it would happen officially later tonoght or tomorrow morning. But I knew my sister knew. She looked depressed, sad, a little angry, and she was silent. She sat next to my mother, of course, as always, but she looked so alone. I really felt sorry for her at that moment. My mother was simply ignoring her, and talking with Tafide and others from Madash. Reine was alone at that moment. I wanted to go up, and help her, but that was something I couldn't do back then. I think somebody at some point even came up tp her to congratulate her, the poor girl. Back then, I really felt bad for her, but I was sure she'd cheer up in time.

After dinner I went to my room to refresh, but it didn't take long for Anrui to knock on my door. She asked if i was ready to come with her, and I said I was. While we walked to the castle, Anrui didn't say anything to me, but she looked really happy. When we left the castle through the front door, I noticed what a weird evening it was. I couldn't explain it, but right when I left the castle I felt something was different. The sky had turned bright red while the sun was sinking. There were no sounds of birds, there was no wind, none at all, and still it felt as if a chilly breeze was trying to freeze my bones.

'Are you in love with somebody, Regina?' Anrui asked, when we left the castle gate. I looked at her surprised, answering: 'No, why?'
Anrui smiled, saying: 'That's okay. You're young still.'
'What is it like to be in love?' I asked her, now curious about what she meant. She sighed and looked up at the red sky.
'It's hard to describe, Regina. I think love is different to everybody. But to me... It feels as if I have discovered the truth of the world. As if I am sure this is something that is right. It's like... I finally found somebody who totally loves me for what I am and respects me for that, you know. Sure mother and Matoe do that too, but... they're so protective, you know. They don't want me to get hurt and therefore never let me take any chances.'

I looked up at Anrui, not really knowing what to say, while we jumped on the cliff on the lower part. She noticed this, and she said: 'It's okay, Regina, really. You'll understand one day what love is to you.'
I nodded and agreed with her. I was sure at that moment that that would in fact happen one day, though that feeling would change in the next few moments.

We saw somebody standing next to the large tree when we walked towards it, and Anrui said it was probably Taishi, being early. He did that a lot, she said. She giggled, and whispered to me: 'Why don't we give him a little scare, okay? You hide next to the hill. When I mention your name, jump out. It'll scare Taishi. We'll have some fun.'
I looked at her a little confused, because this didn't really feel like Anrui to me, but then again I figured there was lots about her I didn't know yet. I agreed with her and I crawled through the high grass to the hill, where I could hide, and Anrui walked up to what we thought was Taishi.

When I had reached the hill, I peeked over it, and through the high grass I could see it was actually not Taishi standing over there. It was a white pony with bright red and pink mane, and I knew only one such pony. But what on earth would my sister be doing here? Wasn't she supposed to talk to my mother right now? I looked at the scene, where my sister was waiting for someone, somebody below the tree, and Anrui was walking towards her. Looking at her confused face I was sure she was confused at this too.
When she had reached Reine, she said: 'Reine, what are you doing here? Are you not supposed to be at the castle?' Reine turned around and looked at Anrui. I was shocked to see the disgust in her eyes, to see how much she apparently loathed Anrui. She looked so much more confused and angry than in the castle at dinner before. But she wasn't here for Anrui, it seemed.

'I could ask the same of you, Anrui. Aren't you supposed to be there too, doing nothing important like you always do?' She asked, or rather stated, with a voice as cold as the air that night. I was shocked, and from that point on I didn't dare to move. I wasn't supposed to be there either, after all.In fact, I don't think I was allowed outside after dinner at all, but it didn't matter now.
'Why are you here, Reine?' Anrui's voice sounded so loving and caring next to my sister's at this moment, that I couldn't understand what had gotten hold of my sister. 'I'm here to see Taishi.' She stated.
'But... why are you meeting with him here? I thought he had agreed to meet with me?' Anrui said, confused.
'Oh, he did, Anrui. But I had expected him to come here first, so I could convince him not to leave me for you, so we could get married and rule this kingdom together later. Because that, Anrui, is how the world is supposed to be.'
To my surprise, Anrui remained extremely calm when my sister said these awful things to her. She even smiled to Reine, and I didn't understand, but then I remembered what she told me just a few minuted before.
'It feels as if I have discovered the truth of the world. As if I am sure this is something that is right.'
 She simply must have been so sure of the fact that she was right and Reine was, how to say this, deluded by her grieve. She probably thought Reine would maybe one day understand.

'Reine,' Anrui began, 'I am sorry, but I am sure you are wrong. Taishi loves me, he always did. He just acted like he wanted to be with you because he was afraid to dissapoint his mother. I am sure he thinks you're a great girl, but he... He simply doesn't loves you, Reine. If he was here he would have told you the same thing. I am sorry, Reine, but i am sure one day you'll find somebody who loves you as much as he loves me... and you'll love him like I love Taishi.'
Though maybe this sounds a bit harsh, to hear these things coming from Anrui, it sounded so completely believable, and true as well, at least it did to me. Reine didn't seem to get it. She shook her head and began to talk with a louder, more angry voice.
'You're wrong, Anrui, you're wrong! I am the one who loves Taishi and who should be with him. And I would be, if only you would haven't been here!'
'That's not true, Reine, and you know it isn't. You're just angry at this moment, but one day you will understand, and you'll see he is not the one for you.'
'He IS the one for me!' Reine yelled, 'and I should be with him! You don't love him! And even if you think you do, stop with it, and leave my life alone!' Reine was now completely furious, but Anrui still remained calm.
'My love for him will only die if my life is taken away from me.' She said softly.
'Then why don't you just die.' Reine said, with an extemely calm, almost ice-cold voice.

My heart almost couldn't beat harder at this point. I was so scared, so scared of my own sister, and maybe that is wat scared me the most. She didn't feel like my sister, so cold and angry, but somehow it was unmistakenly her.
 'What?' Anrui said, now with a little tremble in her voice.
'Die, Anrui. Dissapear from my life so it can go on the way I want it to!' At this moment, I felt as if the world became black. I didn't realise what it was first, but then I realised it were my sister's royal powers. She didn't hide them anymore, and they had turned completely black. They weren't there for guarding purposes anymore, or loving ones, protecting... They only excisted of the scariest feeling one can own, hate. And Anrui felt it too.

'Reine... I can't... Please...' She muttered, but it was already to late for her. The dark powers now had a hold over my sister. Nobody would be able to reason with her anymore.
'Die, Anrui. dissapear from the surface of the world.'
Reine just stood there, motionless, her eyes small and angry, focussing on Anrui, who was trying to walk away, but she already couldn't move anymore. My sister had caught her mind. She simply made her stop breathing. I saw Anrui struggling, fighting, falling in the high grass, but there was nothing she could do to save herself. Reine's powers were too great. Anrui was crying now, but it weren't tears. Blood was coming out of her eyes, blood as red as the sky above her. She lay in the grass now, still trying to fight but more and more realising this was not something she could win.
I heard my sister whisper 'Die...' once more, and then a last shock went through Anrui's body, a last sound of her voice, and all went quiet. Reine stood there, surrounded by an aura of black powers, that maybe nobody could see, but anyone could definately feel. For a while, all was quiet. I was in shock. I couldn't move, I even felt it hard to breath for myself. I thought the entire world, my entire world, was drowned in Anrui's blood. There was not a sound in the air, not a breeze to be felt. For a moment, the world had stopped.

But it awoke when I heard the sound of hooves approaching. They were gallopping. I could make my head move to look to the right, and I saw my mother running towards Anrui and Reine, followed by Medava and Taishi. When Reine noticed her mother, the black aura began to dissapear, and she fell on the ground, exhausted, maybe not even realising what she had done. I heard Medava scream when she saw Taishi, I saw my mother walking towards Reine in disbelief. I finally realised what exactly had happened. My sister had taken the life of Anrui away, only to remove her love from this world, so she could get what she wanted. I was finally able to move, and I ran towards my mother in tears, crying, screaming, and all I wanted that moment was to be safe with my mother."