Jia had been kind enough to grant Mina a break from all her cleaning duties, allowing her some time to recover after the recent cascade of messes she had gotten herself into. After about a week, Mina was mostly physically healed aside from the lingering bruises on her face, arms, and abdomen. The cuts on her hands had begun to form scars matching those on the prince's own hands, but at least they didn't hurt.

Mina still felt awful and disgusting inside, but she knew those feelings would take much longer to fade than the pain of her beaten body. Just thinking about what those guards would've done to her made her sick to her stomach. They very well could have...if not for the prince.

Between her poor town and the rebels, everyone she knew was too busy trying to keep themselves alive to worry about anyone else. Small acts of kindness were rare but appreciated; Mina never forgot the time Griffin the baker let her have a small cinnamon roll for free on her tenth birthday. But it was understandable why people would always prioritize themselves, and no one would fault each other for it. That was just how the world worked.

The only person Mina knew would sacrifice everything for her was her father. Raising her alone was not easy, but Han Carpenter did everything in his power to give her a good life. He loved her, and she knew that, but despite everything, she had thrown it all away. Still, even after all these years, she knew deep down that her father would still love her and still welcome her home. Maybe it was shame or pride or both, but she never attempted to try to visit. Part of her couldn't imagine how anyone could find any reason to love her, especially since she felt nothing but hatred for herself and the person she had become.

But now, here was the prince, someone with no reason or obligation to bring himself down to her level to defend her, and yet he did. His discomfort and apprehension around his father was almost tangible in that room, but he somehow managed to stuff it all away in order to save her. Why would he do that? Why would anyone do that? And for her of all people? He had nothing at all to gain. In fact, he had everything to lose. And for what?

Mina felt a pang of guilt form in her chest to her dismay. She felt indebted to him. It was as if her life was almost in death's dark clutches, but he braved through the fires of hell in order to steal it back. And now it was his, right? He saved her and now she was his. Maybe he didn't see it that way, but that's what it felt like to her. There was no way she could ever even the score. She could never protect him or save him. She was here to kill him for goodness sake. But the thought of killing the person who had shown her the greatest act of compassion in such a cruel world felt so wrong on so many levels. She had always thought that killing him and his father was what she wanted, what she needed to be at peace, but now she wasn't so sure. And that terrified her.

A clump of hair had come loose in her hand, and she discarded it in the dustpan she was currently sweeping into.

"You okay?" Sophie asked, noticing Mina's distant demeanor. Mina had never been one to talk much, but the silence felt heavier than usual. Sophie had been constantly checking up on her, but for once, Mina didn't have it in herself to get annoyed at her partner. She knew Sophie meant well.

"I'm fine, Sophie," Mina responded, keeping her eyes focused on her work. "I'll get over it."

"No rush though. Things like this take time." Sophie tilted her head. "Hopefully you're just a little better today than you were yesterday, and that's good enough."

Mina paused, looking up from her work and glancing over. Sophie shot her a reassuring smile.

"That's what keeps me going, at least," Sophie added, a certain heaviness hanging on her words.

Mina felt a twinge of sympathy and guilt form in her chest. It was obvious Sophie could not outrun the terrors of her past, but she always tried not to let that show. Words bubbled up in Mina's throat and came flowing out before her pride could try to suppress her honesty.

"Sophie, I...I'm sorry I've been rude to you. And thank you for having my back." She bit her lip. "You don't have to, but you do, and I appreciate it."

Sophie's eyebrow quirked, not expecting her bullheaded partner to actually apologize. A smile formed on her face and grew bigger and brighter than anything Mina had seen before. Maybe it was because her feelings were genuine for once.

"Apology accepted. It's nice to know you're not totally a Mean-a. Get it? It's because your name's Mina and you're mean."

Mina almost rolled her eyes, but she just shook her head. "I try not to be."

"And I'm trying to be more forgiving. See, we can both change."

Turning, Sophie threw open the balcony doors and stepped out into the cool air. Mina joined her, and they both leaned on the banister, staring out past the castle walls at the rolling hills beyond. It was late in the evening, and the sun was just about to set, turning the sky a mix of purple and orange hues. Sophie closed her eyes, enjoying the tickle of the breeze on his skin.

"Would you like to hear of the tragedy of poor young Sophie Tailor?" Sophie asked, her voice lower and softer than usual. "It's not a tale I'd share with most."

Mina hesitated. She had sometimes wondered about Sophie's life prior to working in the castle, but she was usually too focused on herself and her own goals to care too much. But at this moment, it seemed like Sophie needed someone to talk it through with, and Mina figured it was the least she could do.

"If you don't mind sharing."

Sophie smiled at Mina before returning her gaze to the horizon. "Well, once upon a time, there was a young girl in Jeidan. She was the eldest of five children, and they all helped their mother run a tailor shop. Sadly, her father had gotten sick and died when she was only eight years old, and nothing was ever the same since. Some years went by and a dashing, blue eyed boy pranced into her life. Naturally, the girl, only fourteen at the time, fell madly in love with him, never mind that he was...too many years older than her."

Mina gaped, and Sophie let out a dry chuckle upon seeing her expression. "Stupid, right? But he was pretty and knew the right words to say and she liked that. Anyway, a whirlwind 'romance' ensued. She never told her mother or any of her siblings about this boy; it was her little secret, and it went on like that for a while, a couple years maybe."

Sophie paused, tilting her head and biting her lip. Mina wondered if she was embarrassed or ashamed or if she had gotten over that by now. Sophie recounted the story in a detached sort of way, as if she wanted to separate herself from the girl in the tale even though it was about herself.

"One day, they were out together on a rooftop where they always secretly met. They were lying there together, looking up at the stars, when he asked her to run away with him. She didn't understand at first, so it was then that he revealed that he was part of a rebel gang that was leaving the area soon, and he wanted her to come with him."

At the mention of rebels, Mina could feel her skin crawl, and she shifted her gaze away. She never planned to tell Sophie her secret, but now it felt like even more of a betrayal. Here Sophie was, trusting Mina and pouring her heart out to her, and Mina knew she could never do the same. If Sophie ever found out who Mina really was, she'd want nothing to do with her.

Mina shook her head. Why did it even matter? She hardly had any real connection to Sophie. They could never really be friends; they were merely put together under temporary circumstances. Whatever connection they might have made was built on lies and deceit and would collapse as soon as the truth was revealed. There was no point in trying to hold onto something that was never really there.

Sophie failed to notice Mina's troubled look and continued on with her story. "That young naive girl was used to doing whatever he wanted, but this was different. To leave behind her home, her family, and everything she had known felt too scary and too sudden. So she said no. He insisted and pushed, but she couldn't agree to it. She thought he'd understand but..."

Sophie faltered, unable to keep her distance from the girl in the story anymore. "He told me that no one would ever love me like he did. He said that he'd ruined me for everyone else and no one would want someone like me if they found out about this. I didn't believe him, so he took it a step further." Her fingers traced her ruined lips. "And that's how I got this. It was his way of ensuring that no one else would ever want me. That I would always be his."

Mina watched as tears almost glistened in Sophie's eyes before she rapidly blinked them away. Despite how long it had been, Sophie still remembered the exact tone and cadence with which he had said those words. His voice still haunted her, in her thoughts while awake and in her dreams while she slept. She wanted to prove him wrong. She needed to prove him wrong because until she did, he would be right about her.

"Sophie, I..." Mina's breath caught in her throat. "I'm sorry."

Sophie shrugged. "It's my fault for being so stupid."

Mina shook her head. "You were young and vulnerable. He knew what he was doing."

"He certainly did."

"And I don't think he deserves forgiveness. Not after that."

"Perhaps..." Sophie murmured, her voice trailing off. "Maybe some people don't."

"What happened to him after?" Mina dared to ask. "Did you ever see him again?"

Sophie let out a puff of air. "I reported him and his rebel gang to the authorities after it all happened. Once he figured out that I had tipped them off, he tried to come for my family, but the soldiers protected us." Sophie's eyes met Mina's. "I watched that bastard hang. And I relished it."

Mina frowned, looking away again. That's the fate she faced if she was ever caught. Would Sophie feel the same about turning her in?

"So how did you end up here?" Mina asked, her voice soft.

"Well, Jia came to the shop one day, looking for a dress. Jeidan's just outside the capital and at our shop, we took old dresses that the nobles didn't want anymore and fixed them up before reselling them."

"Were you not happy there?"

Sophie sighed. "I thought I'd never leave, but after everything, I didn't feel safe in my own home anymore. I couldn't go anywhere by myself, and I couldn't walk the streets without jumping at every little noise. So I figured here in the castle would be the safest place away from those horrid rebels."

Mina bit her lip. "It's not entirely safe here either."

"Yeah, but it's better here than out there. Jia does her best to look after all of us, so there's hardly any incidents." Sophie paused. "So what happened to you hasn't happened for a while."

Mina nodded slowly. "I see."

Sophie sighed again, standing up straight and stretching. "But anyway, there you go. Now you know everything there is to know about me."

"I doubt that. There's more to people than just their past."

Sophie paused, eyeing Mina curiously. "I suppose that's true, but the past makes us who we are. We can't escape it."

"Yes, but we might still overcome it."

Sophie's eyes lingered on Mina for a moment longer before heading back inside the room. "Wise words, but something tells me you don't believe that yourself."