By now she's visited Brodia castle enough times to understand its complexities. Why Diamant and Citrinne have so many anxieties despite being so well-respected, that Amber has a complex about being the laughingstock no matter how much he laughs it off, that the soldiers admire Lapis for her resourcefulness and fear being the star of Jade's next comedy novel.

That when people compare Alcryst to his brother and ask why he can't do better just like him, they're trying to motivate him. Rarely are they mean-spirited about it, the ones who are tend to get put in their place quickly by Saphir or Diamant. But even the ones who "mean well" have no idea of the damage they've done throughout Alcryst's entire life.

It bothers her. It doesn't matter what the intention is, in the end the result is Alcryst apologizing for not being good enough and spending the rest of the day sitting alone in a corner or in his room, and the next few days apologizing to anyone he trains with for "not being Diamant" - even Diamant himself.

She understands why Diamant doesn't speak up, his logic is that the words of people who barely know Alcryst shouldn't have any weight compared to those of the people who know him best.

But she's tired of these well-meaning idiots making him feel bad about himself.

"...like your brother," one of them says. "You're getting better, little by little, but Prince Diamant could shoot that number of bullseyes when he was a year younger than you. And you're still having trouble with the blade, Prince Diamant could-"

"Stop." She steps closer to Alcryst, her eyes narrowing at the man who's just been blathering on for the last few minutes. "I know what you're trying to do, but this isn't the way to motivate someone to improve. Maybe you should consider telling him what he did right for a change."

The small crowd goes quiet, backing away in shame.

"Divine One..."

"Ah, how foolish of us, talking as if we didn't think she'd..."

"This is embarrassing."

"Prince Alcryst, apologies, we never meant to..."

The crowd disperses, and Alear quietly leads everyone back to the Somniel. Later, she'll have to explain this to Diamant and hope he doesn't think she overstepped her bounds. She doesn't regret it, but sometimes she forgets that despite all appearances, she is a deity and she should have accounted for people reacting as such to her scolding them.

"Um...Divine One?" Alcryst is still at her side, holding his bow, his face red. Oh. It didn't occur to her that she might have embarrassed him, too.

"Sorry about that. I just...wish they'd appreciate you for you, instead of trying to make you another Diamant." She puts her hand on his shoulder. "You've always been good enough, Alcryst, and you always will be. I don't need you to be like your brother, I just need you to be you."

He slowly looks up at her with a smile, his eyes misting.

"That's what Father always used to say," he murmurs, "and Mother, and Saphir. I-I know I've let people like that get to me and I shouldn't, Diamant says they're not worth listening to...it's not all their fault, either, it's just the way I am. They say something that wouldn't bother most people, but I take it too personally."

"No." She cups his cheek. "They shouldn't put you down like that, period."

She's not sure why she's so adamant about this when it doesn't affect her personally. She felt unprepared to take up her mother's mantle, but everyone said she was doing just as good a job as the late Queen would. And any memories she has before waking up...don't really exist beyond a few fuzzy dreams.

She just knows that Alcryst is an amazing person and that it breaks her heart when he downplays his best qualities and only focuses on his mistakes. You're perfect, and anyone who says otherwise is stupid, she wants to say, but that might be spreading it a little too thick.

"I do appreciate you sticking up for me," he says. "I don't deserve it, but I appreciate it."

"Well, I'll try not to scold any more nobles in the future," she promises. "But they're wrong, and I hope someday they realize it without someone having to remind them." She hugs him. "You're enough, Alcryst."

He tenses with surprise for a bit, before leaning his head against her shoulder and relaxing.

"Thank you, Divine One."