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Fin was wrong, after the mayhem of organising the luggage, princess Ophilia invited her brother and his soulmate and siblings to have a quick meal in one of her drawing rooms. When they entered said drawing room, they were surrounded by cats, Fin snorted at the sight mumbling, “the cats still run about like they own the place then,” 

Ophilia sent a sour glare to the man servant, but quickly softened when one of the cats came bounding towards her, brushing up along her legs, purring. 

“If this is a dream, i don’t want to wake up,” Clover muttered, 

As they sat down, instead of going to their favourite human, the princess, they swarmed Clover, Aster and Basil, even the more aggressive and less affectionate of the lot came trotting forward. 

Ophilia looked on in shock, her cats had never been so friendly to another other than her. 

Clover was grinning as she rubbed the chin of a black chubby cat. Some of the cats even began to leave only to come back moments later with ‘gifts’, Clover and Aster had politely declined the creatures in a way that made all wonder if they thought the cats understood. One of the more reserved of the cats, dropped a bit of fish at Basil's feet, looking expectedly up at him , purring away as he did. 

“Thank you, but no, it’s your fish, you should eat it.” Basil told the cat in a stone-like voice. 

“Don’t be rude, whiskers went all the way to kitchens to get that for you,” Clover whispered. 

Basil passed a blank look to his sister, then the cat. Clover made a gruntle sound at the action, and got off her seat to kneel down by whiskers. 

“Thank you, Ser Whiskers for your abundant welcome,” Clover nodded seriously to the cat. 

Whiskers meowed, and Clover giggled, “yes, I guess fish isn’t for everyone.” the cat meowed again as if in answer, Clover shook her head, “no, no, he’s always like that, but he’s a big softie really,” 

The cat meowed again, “i would love to, but-”

She was interrupted by Aster, who broke into a fit of laughter that sounded staged to Fins ears. 

“Oh, clover, you know the cat can’t understand you. I know you always say animals are smarter than what we give them credit to but-” she giggled some more. 

But Clover didn’t look at assumed, in fact she was frighteningly pale, as she gulped in realisation that she had had a conversation with a cat in front of everyone. 

She tried to smile, “sorry, I guess my imagination just gets away from me sometimes.” she chuckled awkwardly. 

The first of many strange occurrences Fin noted during their stay at the princesses' country estate.   

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The second was during the morning, and this time it was not just Fin who noticed something odd, it was the king's personal guards as well. 

Fin was walking along next to his grumbling king, who looked ragged and tired, during last night's session in the drawing room, Cyrus had failed to find tio close the growing distance between himself and Clover. Each time he tried to engage her in conversation she would pull back, answering with single words and sentences, with timid nods, and held back smiles. It frustrated him above all means, and much to Fins dismay he had stayed up all during the night, paranoid to what it might be that has upset his sweet Clover. 

He chewed on his thumb nails, “i must have done something, something to have her act like this?” 

“This is her time leaving her city, it’s a lot of changes all at once. Just give her time,” Fin drawed tired of the constant consoling he had to do. 

When they arrived in the dining hall,everyone was already seated. Ophilia was giving her brother strange looks, but carried on with her conversation with the three siblings. Clover was nodding eagerly at everything Ophilia was saying, 

“Chestnut is of course the better one for ridding, due to gentle and resigned nature,” 

Clover grinned, “you’re so lucky! I wish I had so many horses. Imagine riding them everyday.”

“I do,” Ophilia smiled proudly. Clover stared at the girl in awe, “I shall take you riding after breakfast, it is good to get fresh air after a meal.” 

Clover looked as if she were to burst from joy at the prospect, which made Cyrus’s heavy heart all the bit lighter. But Fin wasn’t looking at Clover, he was far more interested in the blooming flowers that were set at the table, blooming as if someone had sped time up, it was beautiful, and somehow the flowers seemed to glow ever so brighter with an ethereal light. He didn’t miss the fact that when Aster gave her sister a hard wack on her arm and an even harder look, gesturing to flowers opposite them that the flowers immediately dimmed, and just as rapidly began to wilt and dry up, drooping downward. 

Ophilia made a gasp when she noticed the dead flowers around her. “Who placed dead flowers at my table!” she shouted beyond angry, “what can fresh flowers mean than freshly bloomed flowers from the garden!” she shrieked, which made everyone in the room grimace. She huffed out air turning back to Clover, as her servants began to take the dead flowers away. 

“My apologies, sometimes these things can not be helped. But that is no excuse for my temper.” Ophilia looked shyly down, “I only wanted everything to be perfect for you, we’re going to be sisters after all.” Her voice for the first time since Clover met Ophilia finally matched her age, and made her heart swell.

“It’s okay, I want you to like me too.” Both of the girls broke into giggles, but Fin couldn’t help the tightness that filled him, he needed to know what was going on, beyond all means. 

After breakfast was finished, the four guards cornered Fin in the corridor. All of them looked nervous and hesitant, yet determined. 

“Fin, we’ve, um, well noticed something.” Henry spoke, 

“Yes?” 

“It’s about the king's soulmate,” Daniel added. 

“In the breakfast hall we noticed, well, i-” 

“The flowers, they weren’t dead when we got that, the opposite in fact.” Alec said, cutting Henry short. 

Fin nodded gravely, “have you mentioned this to anyone?”

“No,” Kain finally said, “you were the first we thought we should inform.” 

“Good,” Fin sighed, “because I want you to keep this to yourselves till I figure this out.” 

“But Fin, this magic, sorcery-” 

“Quite,” Fin warned, stopping Alec before he said too much, “we don’t know that yet,” fin sighed brushing his hair back, “I shall keep an eye on her and siblings. But we are not to tell the king.” he ordered. All four guards nodded. And thus began the spying network to keep track of Clover. 

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