The world was changing. It was time Marietta changed with it. The time in front of the Dikastario really opened Marietta’s eyes to the man her best friend was- a monster. They exchanged words, with Lord Adrestus not coming to the aid of the woman he was to be courting. Marietta didn’t necessarily hold that accountable to Adrestus. It was a precarious situation. But Marietta found herself questioning many things, things that usually boiled down to: Is this right? Is it right the way Elias is acting, even though the law changed and put him farther from a throne he thought always was his? Is it right for Attia to burn, even though allegedly the Queen was hiding in those woods? Is it right… for Marietta to continue to be blind and happy, when the world around her falls apart?

Was she blind? Yes, yes she was. But was she happy? That was another question. Adrestus was always a dear friend of Marietta’s. He was so kind, so funny. He just wanted to make her smile and laugh and when she was around him she got nervous. She felt the need to hiccup and blush. He was a distraction. He kept her from seeing the hurt that was around her. The hurt… that managed to effect her sisters. Evi who now sees the man she fell in love with, and Hebe who works in a palatai that’s controlled by a monster. While Marietta giggled with her sailor, her sisters faced terrors they don’t even completely comprehend.

She had no qualms with Adrestus. He was no bad man. (Then again, Marietta thought the same of Elias.) But… he wasn’t serious. He didn’t see the world, in part because he had been gone from it so long. But also Marietta just couldn’t devote her heart to a relationship right now. How could she when so many things were happening around her? Power in Duty, that was the motto of the Antonis. Marietta had her duty and it was to her family. She had to be there for them.

She met Adre at the merchant stores. While it still had people flitting about, it was desolate compared to what it once was. The only ones who could afford food were the rich. And even the food that was sold was no where near the quality that Marietta had come to expect. When did all this happen? She had been watching and observing, but… it really only now started to click.

Could she had done anything to help?

Something is wrong, isn’t there, Beautiful?

Marietta’s eyes returned to Adrestus, to the moment before her. Yes something was wrong. The world was wrong. “Let’s,” She agreed, as she walked with him down the road. They turned a corner, then another, before they had a stretch of stores that were shuttered and closed. The street was empty.

She was quiet for a bit. She didn’t know quite how to explain her feelings. Marietta wasn’t very good with feelings. They were often so confusing. But she had to try. She had to right. “I don’t believe right now is a good time for us… for us to be courting.” She finally spoke. “I need to be with my family. You need… you need to take responsibility. For your people. We shouldn’t be together. Not now.”

This was hard enough as it was. Marietta was not a heartbreaker. And she didn’t want to hurt someone who had been so kind and thoughtful towards her. But… relationships were meant to be serious. Courting was meant to be serious. And as the world unraveled around her, she didn’t find herself growing closer to Adrestus, but apart.

Marietta was not like some of the noble girls who thought that love and marriage was something completely separate, something reserved only for the common born. She saw it in parents, love and marriage. Look at the stars, look how they shine for you and everything you do. Her father once whispered to her mother when he thought his daughters weren’t in earshot. Proof that marriage and love could happen.

But duty was involved with that too. Despite the love that her father had for her mother, he never lost sight of his duty. He always led the Antonis to be fair and strong. When the Antonis got involved in politics, it was always level headed and to be a voice of reason. And what she could see from Adrestus was that he was… neither of these things.

Marietta… please… I love you… That hurt to hear. It honestly did. But she also didn’t… believe it? She didn’t know if he thought he loved her or just wanted to love someone. But either way, it didn’t feel real. If he loved her, he wouldn’t first say it at a break up. And he’d understand why she was doing this. He’d understand… responsibility. He’d understand what she needed.

“If you love me, then you know why this has to happen.” Marietta responded quietly. She blinked back her own tears. Marietta never cried, and she didn’t want to cry here. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to be sure. She wanted Adrestus to understand. He might hate her after this. He might not ever want to speak with her again. But… she at least wanted him to understand. This was not meant to be malicious. And the month she spent with him was fun. It was… a break from the terrible reality that they faced.

But now was the time to acknowledge it.

She felt like she was being cruel. That was never the point. But it’d be worse if she strung him along. It’d be worse if she acted like this was okay. She couldn’t change Adrestus, and as he currently was her parents would never approve of him, nor should they.

After all, as the Antonis say: Power in Duty.