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>Revise your sister’s speech.
>…Reveal to her you know exactly what’s going on.

Hermione reads over the speech again, then pulls out a pen from her purse. Aurelia silently watches. The girl reorganizes the speech, underlining certain words for emphasis, moving sections around for a more coherent message. When she’s done, she returns it to her older sister. “There, dear sister. That mess of words should more clearly express how much you’re looking forward to the wedding now.”

Aurelia gives it a read, before looking back up with a cheerful smile. “Thanks, Hermione! I really appreciate it! It really does flow a lot smoother now!”

“It is of no consequence, dear sister. Merely a familial obligation.” Hermione steps away, about to leave her sister to her responsibilities, when she stops. “…Aurelia.”

“Yes, Hermione?” That smile was too pure.

“…I know exactly what’s going on.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

Hermione smiles. She faces her sister head-on. “I know you, dear sister.”

The girl tilts her head, confused. “That’s good! I think I know you, too?”

Hermione giggles. “This marriage… it’s simply a duty that the prestigious heiress to the Rockefeller family must fulfill, no? You have no great joy for the obligation, you simply do as you’re instructed.”

Aurelia remains silent.

Hermione gestures to the wall. Framed in the evening light shining through the tall windows above, a shadowy silhouette of a girl sitting properly in a chair, back straight, hands in her lap, appears. “A girl with no desires of her own. A prim and proper heiress, flawless on every front. The perfect image of the Rockefeller line. However.” She waves her hand, and another silhouette appears. “…I know the truth, dear sister.”

A shadowy man with tousled locks and a crown kneels before the chair.

“I know those forbidden dreams of yours, dear sister. Those childish fantasies you’ve always tried to discard. Deep down, you’d like someone to save you, no? A handsome prince, to sweep you off your feet, and take you away from this glamorous world.”

The man takes the girl’s hand, then picks her up, placing her on a horse. The two ride off together, to lands unknown.

“How improper! How impure! Mother always said those romance novels you’d read when you were young would corrupt your mind, and how right she was!” Hermione laughs. “You’re not who you pretend to be, Aurelia, no matter how much you may wish it was the case. You’re nothing more than another dreaming girl, unfit for the position you were born to take.”

The girl doesn’t say a word.