Crowns and Crimes

Things are looking up for Afua as the second semester of school gets into full swing. She has lots of friends, cheer is going well, and she even participates in the popular T-challenge for charity!

But the good times don't last long. At prom Lady Sofia Abrantes of the Thebe Dynasty in Veronaville shows up. She immediately begins to whisper about a rumor in Ondarian that there is a secret heir to the Darong Dynasty! Afua stays silent but wonders if it's true...is there really a chance that she outranks the current Grand Duchess? 

As if on cue, the following day a letter arrives for her. What's inside is a secret that could change her entire life!! But what should she choose? Afua isn't sure. She puts the letter in a safe place and decides to worry about it later.

For Ako there are big changes as well. A role on the popular prime time show, The Urbz earns her a nomination at the Starlight Awards. But her rising stardom is causing friction at home and when Tatsuya fails another audition his frustration hits an all-time high. He calls Ako and tells her he has decided to quit acting and join the mob!!

Ako talks him out of the criminal career path and promises they will figure this out together. Although concerned about her family, she travels to Del Sol Valley to attend the Starlight Accolade awards. To her great surprise she WINS the Starlight Accolade for Best Actor in a daytime TV show! With her career on the top and her home life bottoming out, Ako heads home with a plan!

At home Ako celebrates her birthday and tries to bring the family together with a fun pool party. Everyone has fun but as the days go on Afua grows more and more distant and Tatsuya seems to be lost about what he wants in life. Ako decides to take everyone on a trip to Tatsuya's boyhood country of Mt. Komorebi.

In Mt. Komorebi the family enjoys traditional tea, skiing and delicious food. On a hike through the mountains, Tatsuya encounters a Kodama is reminded of his boyhood dreams of being a famous actor. Returning home, he signs onto a smaller talent agency and resolves to make his dreams a reality -- even if it takes some time! Ako decides she wants to have a child but weighs the impacts of taking time away from her career at at time when she is finally gaining some fame. Meanhile Afua becomes more and more frustrated with her life and her future prospects. Tatsuya's journey back to his home country has reminded her that she may never return to her own.

    One positive side effect of wanting to be alone is that Afua spends so much time studying she ends up graduating early! Everyone is proud of the former D student but with school out of the way she is unsure what to do with her life. She takes a job as a barista and starts applying for universities. But that secret is still bothering her! 

    At her graduation party her nephew Lord Obi shows up -- with his mother Jawara!! Jawara tells Afua she knows they are half-sisters and offers to legitimize her with a Baroness title. Afua accepts even though she knows she should outrank Jawara. As it turns out, her research and that pesky letter has revealed that her mother was a member of the ancient line of Dambele royalty! Afua knows the throne should be hers but for now, this will do. Before she leaves Jawara tells Afua she is welome at the Darong Palace anytime!

Though she is eager to return to Ondarian and to learn more about life there Afua decides to try to make a life for herself here in Brindleton Bay first. She knows Ako has worked hard to raise her alone and feels guilty for wanting to go back home. Before long life as a barista takes its toll on Afua though and as she grows more and more homesick for Ondarian she decides to bring it up to Ako. 

Before she has the chance Lady Sofia Abrantes discovers her secret when she accidentally opens the wrong file while Afua is helping her apply for scholarships!! 

With everything hanging in the balance Ako offers her blessing she accepts her sisters offer to spend the summer in Ondarian.

Back in her home country surrounded by family, guilt over the secret and a desire to be more than a Baroness in the Darong Dynasty continues to grow. Afua tries to forget about it but something about this feels right. She feels she is BORN to run this Dynasty. When she finds out that her sister Jawara is pregnant, she decides the time has come to confront her about her lineage. To her surprise, Jawara tells her she has known this all along! She reveals that her mother, Imari discovered the king's secret daughter AND her ties to the old kingdom when Jawara was just a teenager. While she acknowledges that Afua's claim to the throne may outweigh her own, she also points out that Afua is still a teenager and without any knowledge of royal customs or the intricacies of running the Dynasty. 

She offers to train Afua and to name her the heir to the kingdom. Overjoyed, Afua agrees. She decides to learn everything she can from her sister so she can take the throne as the rightful heir of Dambele, Ondarion!