I should apologize

"Did something happen?" Crystal asked, gazing at Marina with her worried aqua orbs.

Marina hesitantly looked into her lap for a moment before replying while looking into her friend's eyes, "Your question causes me further distress as it appears that you are unaware of the impact of your actions."

She looked away from Crystal, feeling troubled. She didn't want to confront her friend, but her emotions were just too bottled up.

Sensing the tension, Crystal stood up and walked over to Marina's bed, taking a seat in front of her. "Hey, if I really did something to upset you, I am really sorry, but believe me, I would never do something like that to you on purpose," she said, her voice soft and sincere.

Marina took a deep breath before continuing, "That I am aware of, but I also experience anger towards myself when I feel this way, recognizing that you likely have valid reasons for your actions." She sighed and gazed down at her lap once again.

"I have observed that our conversations often conclude abruptly and that you maintain a reserved demeanor, preferring to spend most of your time outside of the dorms except during class hours. While I respect your personal space and understand that you may have other commitments, I must admit that I had previously cherished our friendship as one of great significance. I approached you as my first choice for companionship and found comfort in your presence in a relatively short time. Thus, I had hoped that our friendship would remain meaningful."

Crystal listened patiently as Marina poured out her feelings, nodding in understanding. She knew that she had been distant lately, but there were reasons for that -- reasons that she wasn't quite ready to share yet or more so wasn't supposed to.

"Although I am somewhat hesitant to voice my grievances in such a childish manner, I recognize that expressing my feelings is crucial in preventing resentment from taking hold," Marina said, wiping away a tear.

Crystal smiled sympathetically. "I get it, you must be frustrated, and I am really sorry as well for making you feel like that. But I promise when the time comes, I will tell you everything."

Marina chuckled, grateful for her friend's reassurance. "Could it be considered childish of me to have reacted in that manner?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Crystal shook her head. "Not at all. It's okay to feel the way you do, and it takes a lot of courage to express it."

"Forgive me for prying, but I couldn't help but notice the closeness between you and Sir Flores. Is there something special between the two of you?" Marina asked curiously, wiping her nose.

Crystal rolled her eyes, feeling a tinge of embarrassment. "There's nothing going on between us. We accidentally met when I was touring the campus alone while you were busy and somehow became friends. And please stop calling him Sir Flores; it makes me feel weird." Crystal shivered with cringe.

Marina looked disappointed that there really seemed to be no spark in Crystal's eyes when she talked about Aurelius, and they were really just friends, at least from Crystal's perspective since Aurelius's actions and gestures gave another idea of the situation.

"Sir Flores comes from a highly influential faerie family," Marina explained, "The family he belongs to holds a significant status, second only to that of the imperial family. Therefore, I feel it would be inappropriate to address him in any manner other than his proper title." She was trying to describe to her the delicate social hierarchy of the faerie realm, where families and clans held a great deal of influence but Crystal just scratched her head, not understanding the point.

"I mean," Marina continued, "he told me the same thing, but I would feel awkward if I addressed him as Sir Flores. We have gotten quite close as well." Marina nodded her head, understanding that Crystal must be more comfortable with the customs of the Earthly Realm.

As the conversation progressed, Crystal's thoughts drifted to the crown prince. She couldn't help but feel a sense of worry and guilt as she thought about him. She had managed to offend him not once but twice, and she knew that her actions had not gone unnoticed.

"Oh, the imperial family reminds me, what happened to the crown prince?" Crystal asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I believe that His Highness was greatly embarrassed by the entire situation," Marina replied. "Subsequent to that incident, His Highness withdrew from the garden and had not been seen." Crystal bit her lip in frustration, wondering if it was just the calm before the storm.

Crystal remembered something that had been bothering her for a while. She had overheard some of her fellow faeries referring to the crown prince as the cursed one, and she couldn't help but wonder why.

"Marina, I heard others referring to the crown prince as the cursed one. Why do they think so? I mean, he could have not shown his wings because of many other reasons, but they did not have to go as far as to call him the cursed one," Crystal asked, more like reassuring herself that the crown prince was not cursed and her life was not at the verge of ending.

"Undoubtedly, I have heard numerous references to him as the 'cursed one', yet I remain impartial in my judgment. His status as a faerie endowed with exceptional powers, as well as his association with the imperial family, is fundamental. However, I believe that his tendency to maintain a certain degree of distance from others should not automatically cast him as a bad character," Marina replied, impressing Crystal. Her roommate was indeed one of a kind.

"I too hope that this is the case," Crystal nervously chuckled, not ready for what would happen to her if the rumors were true even in the slightest. She had yet to know her truth and for her survival, she was thinking of bowing down and apologizing to the crown prince as soon as possible.