The battered and ruined dress draped there on the chair of the office, looking sad as ever. It was quite the shame no one would ever get to wear it again, as it had glimmered under the moonlight sky that one day. Blaise could remember every detail of it. He could remember the way you stood there, embarrassed yet elated to be wearing it. He thought you truly beautiful and in that moment, knew that he could no longer throw you under the bus. Which was why he was going to do this... the dirty work.

Plunging his right arm into the fabrics of the dress, the silk rustled within the silence of the room for a few seconds until he had found the one thing he needed. Once it was taken out, a rusty, little thing sat there on his palm, reflecting the glow of the candlelight. It was a key — a key that had been trapped within the walls of the Royal Palace for the last ten years without its true owner.

The man pocketed the item and left the office to return to the familiar toy shop. Red eyes peered out in the dimness of the room. The little girl ominously stood there near the back door, as still as a statue. Veria watched him unblinkingly and only then made a movement when he reached her. She bowed her head low, her golden locks spilling over her shoulder. Her tiny fingers showed him a dark dagger, glinting dangerously, the tip of it sharpened and coated with unknown substance. "Here you are, master," she said delicately, keeping her eyes trained to the floor.

Slowly extending out to it with his gloved hand, he held onto the firm handle that fit him perfectly. Sheathing it with its cover, he stuffed into his pocket, alongside with the key. With a silent nod from him, he opened the back door and entered into the outside world, a similar experience to the night he had paid your stepmother a visit. Instead of turning left though, he went right, where the towers loomed in the distance, looking rather haunting at this hour. He shuffled through the quiet streets, his head down to avoid any attention.

It took him a few miles to get there, but the stroll did not tire him out at all. Instead, his heart raced in anticipation and a smile laid there on his face. Once this was night was over, his life would finally take a turn for the better. You were going to be by his side forever... and that was enough to make him the happiest man on earth.

Arriving to the gated walls of the palace -- which had been open on the day of the Ball -- he didn't go straight to where the guards stood, whom were desperately fighting a battle against sleep. Slipping into nearby trees, he strayed from the path and kept trailing around the tall gates of the property. He soon halted when he spotted a bush that was extraordinarily shaped like bunny ears. Taking a few steps forward, his polished shoes stepped on a hard surface, a rattle heard from beneath him.

Though it looked like he was standing on grass, he knew that it was entirely something else. He crouched down to the ground and upon closer inspection, found the wood being covered by the greenery. While his hands brushed them to the side, it took him a minute to find a hole. Feeling satisfied with himself, he took the key out and jammed it into the small space. He rotated his grip and it made a click to prove that it was successful.

A grunt left his lips as he pulled on the handle of the trapdoor. It groaned loudly in protest, but after some serious concentration, Blaise had managed to prop it open.

What awaited him was a descending cob-stoned stairway, pitch blackness, and cobwebs.

Looking down at his pocket watch, he saw that there were a few more minutes until it was midnight. Right on time.

Unbothered by the sight of this secret passage, he climbed down the stairs and slammed the door shut behind him. Cold air instantly met him and damp moisture stuck to his skin as if he was crossing a murky swamp. He kept on going until the steps faded into a passage way of some sorts. As his vision began to get used to the darkness, he could make out the narrow space that waited before him. The world was painted blue almost, for the dark gray stony walls gave off a cool, chilly feeling. All was silent, saved for his shoes hitting the pavement and the distant dripping of liquid. The passage seemed to stretch on forever, with eerie, empty cells sitting there on either side from him. Torture chambers. Now they were no longer used, but it was just a few generations back that the royal ancestors kept prisoners here.

To an outsider, it would have freaked anyone out to have stumbled into such a place. But Blaise was no outsider. It gave him memories of his childhood.

Two little boys pushed a suspicious cabinet in one of the guest rooms of the palace. The team effort paid off, thus revealing a door hidden behind. They shared a look with one another, eyes filled with wonder, fear, and excitement. A silent minute passed and then the blond one went to turn the knob. The door squeaked open and the only thing that greeted them was darkness.

"I've never seen this in my life! When was this here?" the blond prince yelped, sweat beading his forehead. He cringed back nervously, not wanting to further discover this phenomenon.

"Are you chicken?" the brunet responded tauntingly, his lips curving up into a smirk.

"N-No, I'm not," he denied, cheeks flushing a pale pink. Scrunching his small shoulders upward, he attempted to look braver than he felt.

Young Blaise let out a giggle and shook his head. Getting closer to the unknown door, he whipped his head over his shoulder to look at his friend. "I'll go in first. Are you coming?"

Cameron pondered long and hard about it and eventually nodded reluctantly. The two went down the stairs to reach a dark corridor. "It's a bit hard to see down here. M-Maybe we should've brought a torch," the blond pointed out, sticking his body close to Blaise's for comfort.

"I can see just fine. And it's too much work to grab one, so lets just keep going until we find the end."

The prince widened his blue eyes in horror. His voice an octave higher than it usually was, he was desperately trying to hide his fear but was obviously failing. "Until the end?! That could take... forever. And w-what if there's something or someone waiting for us here? I-I'm too young to die!"

The green eyed boy gave his panicking friend a soothing side hug. "Relax Cameron. I'm the one going first, aren't I? And you're the Prince of this country. I'm your mere peasant, so if anything happens, I'll protect you. I'll throw myself at the monster like a hero and then you can run away!"

"You're making me sound like a coward at this point. I want to be a hero too," he complained.

Blaise sighed in dismay, but was overall content to see that his partner had calmed down a bit. "You're one spoiled Prince, you know that?" he teased. He then halted when something caught his eye. Bending his tiny legs to get closer to the ground, the boy behind him nearly ran into him. Ignoring the near accident, he curiously wrapped his fingers around a key that seemed eons old. "I wonder what this key is for."

What a sweet, sickening story. Blaise wanted to bury the faint memory away, locking it up in his cold heart. But it was a futile thing to avoid when he was already here.

It was also futile when his plan was going so well.

Leaning against the wall was a grown young man, his blue hues distant among the shadows. Slightly shorter than him within a few inches, he was not that far off in height. His blond locks fell over his forehead and he donned a simple yet expensive silk robe for the night. Unlike the first day they stumbled upon this underground passageway, he was fine staying here alone -- due to the numerous days he was forced to play hide and seek among the uncanny prison cells.

Blaise continued towards him and paused in his steps when he was meters away from his highness. At the sound of his footsteps, the other male turned to look at him, his eyes widening at the sight. "Blaise Wellington," he breathed out. "How did you get in here?"

"Key," he said curtly.

The Prince stiffened and Blaise could instantly tell that he was confused. He may have not seen his childhood friend since ten years ago, but he knew Cameron too well that he could remember a lot of things about the man. Cameron was a foolish man -- unable to hold onto responsibilities and unfitting to become a king. Despite him being the same age as Blaise, he was much more immature, so Blaise had always treated him like a younger brother. In addition to that, the Queen and King compared the two often... it was what led their friendship to a demise.

"Happy Anniversary, Cameron," he said, his tone light. Indeed, it was the anniversary of the day they discovered these passages. Midnight had struck, turning the 14 into a 15. The 15th day of the 10th month.

The blond haired male ignored his words. "You shouldn't be here," he murmured, his body slightly shaking. "Please. You have to leave, or else I'll have no choice but to call the guards."

Blaise let out a bitter laugh that lasted a full minute. When he stopped abruptly, his hues twinkled mischievously. "Guards? What guards? We're far from any human contact, in an underground tunnel that we've never told anyone else about," he stated, grinning. His pearly, sharp canines poked out. "You miss me, don't you? Otherwise you wouldn't be here, reminiscing old times."

Cameron did not respond, his face twisting up in indecisiveness. He eventually subsided and took a deep breath. "Then what are you here for?"

"Just to talk," he said casually. "A talk has been long overdue, no?"