The day Nenah was called by her name again, she found a place where she belonged. She had no family, but he said he needed her.
Riding a horse one day, Azure commented that Nenah learned quickly when she didn't have to use her head. She had been joyous playing outside, but now she wondered whether she was just being badmouthed, while he reminded her that it was dangerous for her to be outdoors.
She wondered whether he was talking about what had happened the other day. She assumed that the men who had attacked them were servants of the queen. Had they attacked because the queen thought Azure wanted the throne?
Hearing that Ditus had left them to go and return the horse, she looked around, then grabbed Azure's shirt and told him that since no one was here, she wanted him to call her Nenah. He did, with hesitation, which made her smile. Hearing her name made her feel warm and fuzzy. She had hated Azure until recently, but she was glad that at least one person knew who she was.
Later, Nenah stood staring at a fetita. It was a protective charm, popular among the court ladies, said to be woven with wishes and prayers. The court ladies primarily made them with the one they loved in mind.
Imagining Azure, Nenah began to panic and tried to convince herself that Azure was simply a man who called her by her real name, not a romantic interest. She was getting married anyway — which, by the way, made her depressed.
The next day, Azure decided to take her out for a long ride, since her court ladies said she needed a change of pace. She ran to her horse, and looking at his own, Azure could tell that his saddle had been tampered with. Instead of telling Nenah, though, he made the excuse that he was worried about letting her ride alone. So they rode together on Ditus's horse, and she was not ready for any of it. When he told her to scoot closer, she smashed her head into his chin in a panic.
She marveled at how far she could see from up there, and noticed a place with a red roof. Azure described it as the royal villa. It was where the former king lived now. He was their great-grandfather, and he had built the foundation of this nation's prosperity. In simple terms, he was far more important than the current king. When Azure was four, his great-grandfather had taught him all kinds of things, for a decade.
Nenah noted that this was the first time Azure had spoken about himself. Perhaps his great-grandfather was important to him. She then wondered what Azure thought of her, and thought of him as someone important to her.
After finishing her fetita, Nenah decided to sneak to Azure's room. She was about to go in, but stopped herself when she overheard Ditus explaining that Azure's saddle had in fact been compromised, and that had he ridden, he could have been in danger. The danger was increasing day by day. Ditus felt they should put extra measures in place to protect Prince Azure. Perhaps ask the king for help.
Azure, however, said there was no need. He preferred for it not to happen right away. But if it was for the sake of the nation, he would allow himself to be eliminated. That was the star he was born under.
Nenah felt an ache in her heart. She hated this whole born-under-the-stars nonsense. She barged in and scolded him for being all right with dying, but Azure reiterated that he didn't mind, claiming that his life was far less valuable than she thought. She began to tear up, screaming at him. And when he told Nenah that she merely needed to fulfill her role, she threw her fetita at him, shouting that he wasn't supposed to call her that when they weren't alone together.
But when she took off, he noticed the charm.
At the main palace, she was still fuming over how stupid Azure was being. Then the king appeared to greet her. She thought this might be her chance to ask him for help. He'd heard that she had retired early because she felt unwell on the day of the star festival, which made sense, because he did not know what had transpired that night. Since she suspected the queen's hand in it, she couldn't tell him. He let her know that she could come to him if she ever needed help, but she knew she couldn't depend on him.
She wondered whether there was someone else powerful enough to help Azure.
And then it came to her. By horse, it was a half day's round trip to the former king's villa.
She fell off along the way, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Her horse turned around for her, however, and she got right back on. Even though Azure had told her not to do anything, she didn't want to lose anyone anymore.
The old king was surprised to see that she had come without an appointment. She introduced herself and begged him to help Prince Azure. She recounted the events of the star festival, and then the tampered reins of the horse. She explained that the current queen may have done it, believing Prince Azure wanted to usurp the throne.
The old king was certain Azure had said nothing about the queen's actions, since that was exactly how he had been raised. He commented on Azure's talent: every time he taught him one thing, Azure understood ten. He had been raised to be this nation's cornerstone, which meant that if he was doing nothing, it was because he believed that to be the best course of action.
Nenah pleaded with the old king to save Azure. But instead he told her to come closer. Seeing her step on a particular tile, he called her out for not being Alicia, and then called his guards to capture her. He knew that someone raised in the astral villa would never tread upon the star crest. He wanted this impostor stripped and thrown into the dungeon.
In bed later, he asked whether Princess Alicia was miserable, only to learn that she was peacefully humming in her cell, since this wasn't too different from her old home. Regardless, she needed to remain amicable. That way the others would be forgiven. She began to happily clean her cell. For what purpose, the guards had no idea.
The old king then had one of the guards go and threaten her. Hearing that she would be flogged a hundred times tomorrow, she responded with joy, because at least she wasn't being beheaded. Seeing her the next day, he was surprised to learn that she had slept like a rock.
She began to plead for Prince Azure's saving once again. She apologized for deceiving the old king and accepted any punishment due to her. She would rather be sacrificed herself, since her court ladies were good people. The prince and his entourage had given her a place to belong. She told the old king that once people lived together, that made them family.
He took note of those words, but explained that he had no power to save Azure. His legs had withered and he could no longer move. Eventually the poison would spread throughout his body and stop his heart. He was dying.
But he knew that Alicia could do something. He explained the power of her position.
It was his grandson, the current king, who had so easily agreed to her engagement with Galatada. That was what had started all of this. Galatada wanted an excuse to invade Fortna despite their friendly relations, so they had demanded Fortna's priestess princess. If Fortna refused, Galatada could invade on the grounds of a dissolved friendship. And even if she did marry, they'd likely find some other fault to invade over.
However, he believed that Alicia controlled the fate of Fortna. If she had the resolve and the determination, she could protect Azure.
Outside the door, though, they heard someone breaking in. It was Prince Azure, panting and sweating. He quickly took the blame himself, saying that he had planned all of it, and that Nenah was innocent.
But the old king told them that was enough, because he had already figured out the situation, and only his two most trusted guards knew about it. No one else would find out. He wanted Azure and Nenah to rest here tonight and return home tomorrow.
Azure was surprised. The old king remarked that he hadn't had this much fun in a while. Azure gave a slight smile in response, and then the two of them took their leave.
Afterwards, the old king had Ditus come forward, and said that the impostor princess was peculiar, but would likely become the wind that moves Azure.