“Anyway! Back to Sir Félix,” Elena smiled before biting into a sliced apple. “I found out that he is known as the Lion of Emer,” she said as she chewed, covering her mouth with her hand. She gulped down the apple. “The King wanted to have him as the Commander of the Royal Knights but he refused and was instead given the title of Marquis for his amazing feats during the war.”

“Is that all you learned?”

Rocío’s sarcasm was lost on her younger sister. “No, Lorena,” a friend of Elena’s, “told me he’s still part of the Royal Knights and that they send him on various missions across the kingdom. It’s only been a few years since the war ended and he’s still stomping out embers that burn against the Royal Family.”

He goes on missions for the King? “I hear Valentina is quite the title…”

Elena nodded. “He was awarded half of the Duchy of Emer, can you believe that? I’m honestly in awe that he didn't get the entire thing, it’s the least they can do when he puts his life on the line for the Royal Family.”

Rocío sipped at her tea. “You shouldn’t talk ill of the Royal Family, Elena.” 

Elena rolled her eyes and shrugged. “I’m not saying anything bad, per se, but all I think is that the civil war cast a lot of doubt on their capability to reign. If it weren’t for Sir Félix, Santi, and all the other knights, we’d have a new royal family and the House of Emer would probably have taken our land.”

“Although it was split, the Duchy still produces nearly the same amount of emeralds we do, so we shouldn't take their threat lightly.”

Elena set her head on her hand and pouted. “If it weren’t for Sir Félix, they’d still be producing double what we do. I think the late Duke of Emer ruined everything by revolting.  Now his entire family suffered for it.”

“Exactly.” Rocío leaned back on her seat and crossed her legs.

“I understand why the King nearly snuffed them all out, but…it isn’t fair that we are supporting this kingdom's economy.”

Rocío frowned. “Elena, be careful who you express these sentiments to. We might provide economic stability, but the Royal Family provides protection for us as well. While our duchy and that of Emer’s focuses on mining, other duchies focus on agriculture, infrastructure, or other exports. We are a piece of what makes the kingdom whole.”

Elena shrugged, “We have farmers too.”

Rocío glared at her sister before crossing her arms. “You just debuted and you have little knowledge of the inner workings of a kingdom, Elena. There’s still a lot you need to study.”

Elena tapped her fingers on the table and bit her lips as she shook her head. “Well, I still think we got the short end of the stick.”

Rocío blinked before rubbing her eye. 

“Think about it, what did we get for our contributions? How many knights had to die for the King’s display of authority and what did we get as a reward? A few precious jewels?”

“What do you think paid for your extravagant debut ball, Elena?” Rocío questioned, her voice grave. “What do you think allowed you to wear crystals on your dress and diamonds on your neck? The war, Elena, the war.” Her jaw twitched. “War is sadly a business, Father was more than well compensated for it. That’s why it’s our duty as nobles to in turn care for the families that lost their loved ones. We are fortunate not to have lost Santiago in Emer, we still have a father, but many families in Estella didn’t get that blessing. Next time you want to dress to the nines, think about that.”

Elena kept silent but the defiant look in her eyes was enough to tell Rocío she didn’t want to be scolded.

“Do you even know what wearing El Corazón meant?” 

Elena looked down at her hand.

Rocío groaned, “Why am I even trying to explain it to you?” She stood from her seat with an exasperated sigh. “El Corazón makes us the strongest noble family, Elena, and wearing that was a political statement.”

Elena’s blue eyes drifted back up to her sister, a look of remorse within their expansive sea. “I’m sorry.”

“Why apologize? Father wanted to prove a point with you, and I’m sure all noble families are quite aware of it. Be happy, Father likes you.” Rocío regretted her words almost immediately as she saw the look in Elena’s eyes, she’d let the resentment take over her and she mentally scolded herself for it. She ran a hand through her hair and clenched her jaw.

Elena’s gaze dropped to her cup of tea.

Rocío eyed her sister for a moment. Maybe her words had been a bit too harsh, but no one was ever harsh with her, she needed someone to be a voice of reason. Rocío took a deep breath. “I should take my leave now. I enjoyed our tea time, Elena. And please do tell me if Mother ever does send out that invitation.”

“Thank you for your time, Rocío,” Elena mumbled, still not meeting her sister’s gaze.

“Maybe next time we could…ride together,” Rocío suggested, trying to ease the tension between them.

Elena finally looked up, a hopeful smile in her doe-like eyes. “Yes, I’d really like that.”

“Very well,” Rocío patted her dress to fix the creases, “I’ll arrange a day. I’ll see you at dinner.”

Elena’s lips slightly tipped upwards, “See you at dinner,” she gently spoke.

Rocío nodded and walked out of the gazebo, the light of the sun intense enough to make her wince. Leticia didn’t waste a moment in covering her with a lace umbrella before they continued their way towards the house once more.

If  Marquis Félix was still a Royal Knight could he be acting under the King’s orders in her dream? The only reason that would cause the King to turn against them would have to be treason. Would her family be capable of treason, even after fighting on the side of the King during the war in Emer? Rocío tried to remember the details of her dream, she never recalled him wearing a knight’s uniform… however, if he was acting like a hunting-dog for the King, he could very well be in casual clothes so as to not draw attention. Would bringing him closer to the family only put them at greater risk? She nibbled on the dead skin of her bottom lip. Was her father planning something against the king? Could this be related to why the King gifted them El Corazón? Was it that the family in possession of the emerald would be marked?

Rocío fidgeted with the gloves on her fingertips. There was a nagging feeling in her mind that the emerald was all part of the puzzle. Why did her father display it so brazenly at the debut ball? Why did Elena wear it? Her head began to ache with every thought that slithered into it, forcing her to leave it be.