"Hmhmhmhmhm~. Thank you, my lord." Aleja responded to the man in front of her.

This man was one of the nobles from the western region of Fiore. Clearly he'd been trying to flirt with the Stellan but she wasn't at all interested. She feigned amusement because as a woman, especially one from a background like Aleja's, she was almost always cautious of how she interacted when it came to politics. She wouldn't outright disrespect a noble- not unless he crossed boundaries in his ploy to get into her pants. The geezer continued on, yapping about his house and their relations with the Celdrua House, simply talking out of his ass for cool points.

At this point, Aleja needed a savior. Only a moment had passed and suddenly the Elven Stellan felt a tap on her shoulder. Anyone would have been a good substitute for the man she'd currently been giving her attention to. Quickly Ale turned around and what she saw was enough to cause her to faint. However, the Elf stood her ground though she couldn't hide the fact that she was in awe. Her eyes widened and her hand clasped her mouth as she gasped. It was as if she'd seen a ghost because...well...she did.

The silver haired woman spoke, bringing memories Aleja had long forgotten about to shore. Plans...plots, all of which she had given up on game hurling back into her mind. Her wine glass managed to slip from her clutches, shattering upon impact with the marble floor. "My gods...." Aleja whispered. "R-rose...!?"

There were no words in this moment, the moment Aleja had finally reunited with her older sister after years of being away from her. The entire family thought she had been dead save for her mother. Rohan went through a depressive phase for a long time when he decided to accept fate, and Aleja? she had only just lost faith. The gods worked in mysterious ways, ways that even the vessel of Kama's spirit couldn't even understand. This was Maria. She knew those eyes anywhere. She looked so much like their mother. The staff quickly gathered around to clean the mess the lady made and all other eyes remained glued to the women. Celdrua's were famous so as one could imagine, family business was drama worthy of being plastered in news papers and magazines.

Eventually Aleja pulled herself together. Reluctantly, she accepted the glass of champagne her sister had brought her. Going on eleven years it'd been since the two stood this far apart. From the looks of things, Rose had already reunited with the family. I mean the style of her dress practically screamed the Celdrua bank account. Oddly enough, nobody told the young Celdruan that her older sister was home. "Rose, it's Ale..." the Stellan whispered. It was as if her feet had been stapled to the marble floors beneath them. "Is it really you...?" Aleja slowly inched forward, closing the cap between them.

Whether Rose confirmed that it was really her or not didn't matter. Aleja would throw her arms over her older sister and hug her. "Rose- hahaha! Oh my god, Rose!" she'd exclaimed. It all finally made sense. This was a real moment. Perhaps the greatest gift she would ever receive. As Ale held her sister she'd let out a sigh of relief.

At last, the gods seemed to be pulling through for the Celdrua Household just when all else seemed to go to shit. With the passing of her mother, Aleja had been carrying a burden that sometimes felt to heavy for her to bare. Not once did she allow the family to fall apart though, even when her father refused to evolve. Once upon a time, this particular weight landed on Aleja because she had a different identity, so to speak. Even when Rose was alive, Ale had been named the heir of the Celdrua family. It was how things worked in this world. Now, however, with Le's older sister back and no sons to assume the leadership role, this responsibility could go to Rose- if Rohan had willed it at least. This was an almost immediate thought the elven goddess had when she wrapped her arms around her sister. To think that Ale once had no drive to lead the family and now she was embracing it? Times have changed.

Still, the younger sister wiped tears from the corner of her eyes, elated to see that her older sister was alive and well. Whatever came in the following days, weeks, or months would all be worth this moment no matter what. Politics aside, Maria had always been the more capable sibling. "I have haven't I? You look beautiful though! You look healthy." Aleja sighed, still holding on to that warm, bright smile. Even if she wanted to she wouldn't be able to stop expressing just how happy she was. It felt like she was alive again. Rose wanted to go somewhere more private where the two of them weren't being watched by folks too nosey for their own good. The Arrow of Love trailed beside her sister as they approached the balcony. The stars danced above, greeting the two elven women as the gentle winds of early autumn brushed across their faces.

Ale pushed her hair behind her ears making way for her golden earrings to glisten in the moonlight. Gosh, she didn't realize that she'd have so much to tell her sister when they finally reunited. The Lady dreamed about this moment a thousand times over and never imagined that it would actually come into fruition. Now that this moment was here, like Rose, she had no idea where to begin. "And it doesn't help that we've only gotten more famous over the years." Those blinding electric blue eyes shifted to connect with her sister's Velvet-like irises. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again, sister..." The real question the younger woman wanted ask involved the details of where Rose had been all this time, but of course she didn't think simply diving into the nitty gritty was appropriate right now.

"When... how are you here right now? When did you even...?" It was hard to even get the words out. The glass of champagne stood still in Aleja's grasp. She wouldn't take one sip of alcohol tonight.

Aleja's mouth gaped. She simply just couldn't believe her ears. Her sister had been being tortured all this time. There were no words to express how terrible she felt for even considering giving up on her. Ale's eyes watered as she took a deep breath. Stuck in memories of her and her sister when they would play in the forests on visits to the North. Stuck on every time her sister had defended her when their father would say the most hurtful things. Here she was was, unable to protect the one person in the world who always spoke up and defended her. "Well...I'm just...I'm just glad you're back." She finally said. Truly, it was all she could muster.

"Lady Aleja?" a smaller more fragile shaped woman approached the pair of sisters. The Elf turned to face her, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. "Yes?" Quickly she fixed her posture. There was never any room for tears- not for long. Especially when you were a Celdrua. "Lord Seaman from House Kumm is looking for you." Aleja's eyes lit up. Lord Seaman was the Lord of another wealthy house. The two of them were working on a project together. "Excuse me sister. We still have much catching up to do, I'll find you after I have a quick chat. Duty calls." She said with a warm smile. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that dwelled at the pit of her stomach.