Author's Note: Just a brief little one shot I thought up in the aftermath of the revival. Let me know what you think!

He doesn't know that I know. He thinks that it's their little secret, that I'm none the wiser. He must think I'm a fool, naive, oblivious.

I've known though, since the beginning. The first time I saw him after his trip to Hamburg. There was a spring in his step, a glimmer on his eyes, that I had never seen before. I tried to tell myself he was just happy to see me, that he was finally warming to the idea of this partnership, that maybe it could be more than a business transaction after all, but I wasn't a fool for long.

I know he doesn't love me. He never did, this was all part of a great dynastic plan, and to be honest, I was ok with that. People of our status rarely marry for love alone. I've known that since I saw a little girl, dreaming of my Prince Charming stepping in to sweep me off my feet and then being told by my mother to stop having such silly dreams and step back into reality. He is no Prince Charming, not even close. Not for me anyway.

I see her everywhere I look, I feel her presence whenever I traveled to England to see him. Even after I moved in, I feel haunted by her memory, that hangs in every corner of his apartment.

At night, I lay on my side of the bed untouched, seeing that smile in his sleep, the smile reserved for only her.

I found her boxes in the back of his closet. Knowing that she keeps belongings here, made it feel more real, more humanizing rather than this great mystery I can only imagine.

I saw them together once. From a distance, I was mesmerized. I've never seen him look at anyone like he looks at her, not even close. The look of pure adoration, love.

His friends love her, much like him, their eyes sparkle when reliving stories from their college days, she was part of that life, part of that world. They tolerate me. They are nice enough, but keep me at arm's length. They treat her like the sister they never had.

His own sister is much of the same. She knows that he is not marrying me for love, and she disagrees with the whole situation. They used to have such a close relationship, and now it is so strained.

His father views me as a business deal. A partnership of the families. A financial transaction.

The only one who truly seems to like me is his mother. I'm not surprised. Her entire existence is made up of trying to uphold the status she gained by becoming a part of the family.

I know when she calls, it's not even the fact that he steps away to talk to her. Rather, it's the far off look he gets in his eyes. The grin he doesn't realize he has. The hushed tones, the look of peace.

I know he went to her, not that long ago. They must have had a fight or something, he came back looking like a lost little puppy who can't find his way back home.

It's only a matter of time though. It's only a matter of words. I know one day that the phone is going to ring, and she's going to ask him, and he's going to go to her. I'm surprised that it hasn't happened yet, I'm almost waiting with baited breath. I know that if she asks, he will comply. Anything for her.

I think that the only reason that it hasn't happened yet is that he fears her rejection. He doesn't know I know that he proposed to her once, but I think that fear is the only thing stopping him. Waiting for her to say the word. He is such a fool, it is obvious from the way she looks at him that she loves him as much as he loves her.

Yet here I sit, continuing to plan this sham of a marriage. Knowing full well that one day, he isn't going to come home, one day he is going to leave it all behind and go to her. One day, they will be together.

At this point, it will almost be a relief, freeing me from this mental prison, allowing me to go out on my own. Maybe someday, maybe someday soon.