Emerson's POV

The room seemed to freeze for a moment, until Elaine spoke up again.

"...Eligor?"

Eligor seemed to be close to tears. "Yeah. It's me."

"...how? How did you..?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remembered was turning into dust when you passed, then darkness until I suddenly appeared in Emerson's head."

"I don't believe it..." Wilford muttered. "You're supposed to be dead... how are you here?"

"I don't know! I thought when Lilith killed you, I was gone for good, but-" She suddenly froze. "Lilith. Oh my God. She's still alive, too, isn't she?"

I still sat on the ground, rubbing my sore head. "I'm very confused right now..."

Victoria sat by me, moving my hands and giving my head a massage. "So am I, Em. Let's just roll with it, though."

"Yeah, she's alive." Anti answered Eligor. "She's in the glass cell. We've tried to get her to change to good for years, but nothing's worked."

Eligor glanced between him, Dark, and Wilford. "Can I see her?"

"Eligor, listen to me." Anti stated. "If we can't make her change, no one can."

"No, you listen to me. I think I can do it. Just give me a chance."

Dark nodded. "Okay. We trust you. Let's go."

Victoria helped me stand up. "Can we come with?"

Elaine looked at us, smiling. "You two are twenty-one years old. You don't have to ask for permission to do anything."

I blushed. "Oh. Right."

We walked down several hallways before reaching the correct door. Dark paused for a brief moment before opening the door leading to the glass chamber. We let Eligor walk in first, then followed her through the doorway and into the room.

Lilith was laying down in the middle of the cell, throwing a compact ball of her poisonous smoke towards the ceiling and catching it as it fell. We knew she had heard us walk in, but didn't acknowledge us.

Wilford cleared his throat. "Lilith."

"What do you want?" She asked, still throwing the ball.

"You have a visitor."

I saw her roll her eyes. "Hello, Emerson. No, I will not listen to your pleading. For the last time, I hate your guts-"

"You don't really mean that, do you?" Eligor asked softly.

In an instant, Lilith was on her feet, the ball of smoke disappeared. She stared at Eligor with wide eyes. "Eligor?"

Eligor took a step towards the glass. "Why? Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" Lilith asked, trying to act innocent.

"Kill Elaine. Attempt to kill Emerson and Wilford." Then, in a quieter voice. "Kill me."

"I... I killed you? But how? You weren't Elaine's personality... right?"

"I was. But you didn't know that, because instead of following basic personality protocol and checking to see if there were others, you decided to just kill."

Lilith's eyes dropped. "I... I didn't know... I'm sorry."

Victoria's eyes were wide as she leaned into whisper to me. "What is happening? I mean, Lilith is evil, right? And she's... apologizing."

"I know." I whispered back. "It's weird for me, too."

We turned our attention back to Eligor and Lilith. They were so close to the glass, they could reach out and touch it.

"Elie..." Lilith whispered. "I don't like it here. I'm trapped in here. I want to be out there, with everyone- with you."

"Elie?" Anti whispered.

Eligor sighed. "You did this to yourself. I'd be more than happy to let you out of that cage, but you haven't proved yourself yet. Prove to me that you can be good. Prove to me that you can change your heart."

Lilith took a step forward, placing her hands against the glass and her face centimeters from it. "I will. I promise. Anything to be with you again."

Eligor did the same. "I believe you." She smiled. "I love you, Lili."

"And I love you, Elie." The pair leaned forward, kissing the glass between them.

"I didn't expect this..." Wilford muttered.

Lilith pulled away from the glass, shooting a glare at Wilford. "You didn't have to watch."

"Lili." Eligor warned.

Lilith turned back and sighed, her face softening. "Right. I'm sorry." She looked back at Wilford. "I'll try to be good, from here on out."

Dark glanced at Wilford, who nodded. He took a step towards the glass. "If you can prove that your intentions have turned to good by next week, you may be freed. If not, we will plan your execution."

I almost fell. "Execution?"

"Naturally." Anti stated. "She wronged the Royal family, which is a capital offense. She's lucky to have this pardon."

Lilith nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Your Majesty." Wilford amended, rolling his eyes.

"I thought Emerson and Victoria were queens now." She stated, gesturing to us.

"Not yet." Eligor interjected. "They pushed back the coronation to next week."

Lilith was silent for a moment. "So prove my worthiness and loyalty before the coronation. I can do it."

"Good luck, Lilith." Dark stated. "Now, let's all head back to the Great Hall."

Victoria immediately grabbed my hand and raced us out of there. "I'm sorry, but Lilith just gave me the creeps. Did she really try to kill you?"

I nodded. "Yeah. And would've succeeded if it wasn't for Elena."

Victoria looked confused for a moment before sighing. "Of course, your twin. I completely forgot. Then again, I don't believe I've met her."

"Oh, sure you have!" Said a chipper voice from behind us. We turned, and I smiled when I saw Elena make her way towards us. "I'm the girl you helped try to save Rebecca. Thanks for that, anyways. She may have still passed, but it meant a lot to me that you tried to help."

Victoria tilted her head. "How can you still be so chipper? You just lost your fiancée."

Elena shrugged. "I've been through a lot since I was a child. A lot of death and torment. Believe it or not, living in these castle walls since I was a baby wasn't as great for me as it was for everyone else. Everyone around me knew I was really a royal, besides the kings and I, and a lot of stuff happened to me because of it. I could've died if I was found out, because in the kingdom's eyes I was a traitor, an illegitimate child of a royal. But Anti was compassionate enough to let me live."

Our eyes were wide. "How come you never told me?" I asked quietly.

"I didn't want you to take pity on me. I may be your twin, but we grew up with different families. Besides, we may both be royals, but in the kingdom's eyes, I'm merely a servant. You're my superior." She smiled at us. "Anyways, I should get going. I have a lot to do before lunch today. See you two later!" She waved at us before racing off down the hall.

"Oh my God." Victoria muttered. "I always thought living in the palace would be a dream, but... it sounds like it was more like hell."

"Maybe for some people." I bit my lip. "Especially someone who would be named a traitor in the public eye." I paused for a moment before putting a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go back to the room. I'll have breakfast sent up, and we can just relax until lunch."

Victoria nodded. "Please? That would be so relaxing."

I smiled gently. "Come on." I took her hand, and we walked off towards our room.