Be My Princess

Angst/Tragic Romance

Roberto/Keith/Glenn

Love

Dreams shattered. Broken hearts. Empty promises.

"So, I take it that you don't love me anymore?" Keith repeated once again, his voice was cracked with sorrow. Keith looked at his wife, or the woman he thought he knew and he still love, with a pair of dull, lifeless eyes. Despite all that had happened, yet a spark of hope still lingers on in his heart, as he tried to affirm the truth amongst the many lies once more.

"I don't know anymore…" A muffled voice answered, her voice was soft and teary, and there was something else- guilt. The quiet truth was laid bare and cold, simply waiting to be acknowledged.

Keith gave a vacuous smile, he knew that would be the answer but still he had wanted to try. He had given up on being angry anymore, there was just no point. He was tired, exhausted and too broken.

"Let's not… stay together then... let's get a div-divorce…" Keith choked on the last word, hope draining out of his words. He headed for the door, his hand shaking as he struggled to turn the doorknob. "I guess this is it then."

Keith had wondered wistfully, had it been his retribution for being frivolous and regarding love lightly before? But there was one thing he knew, Keith had never regretted loving this woman at all.

The prince, once arrogant and haughty, had been destroyed by love.

"Good bye."

"That person…" She turned her head to gaze at the Oriens prince, who was standing all alone on the balcony. He was looking contemplatively into the distance, with a forlorn look plastered on his handsome features.

Luke tapped the princess' shoulder nervously, "My lady?" Luke had noticed the surreptitious glances the princess had been sending the Oriens prince during the many meetings and he couldn't help but worry needlessly, being the sycophantic butler that he was towards the Prince of Liberty.

"Who is that…" She murmured uncertainly, her heart aching for no apparent reason, forgotten memories that had been buried deep in her mind were beginning to stir. The mind may have forgotten but the heart would not.

"Who is that person…?" The princess repeated distractedly.

"My lady, do you have something to speak to Prince Glenn about?" Luke giggled timidly, wondering if his new mistress had taken a liking to another man, a stray thought and impertinent thought.

"N-no." She flushed furiously, having coming back to her senses after Luke's many callings. She cupped her heated cheeks indignantly, feeling rather appalled by her own sudden fascination of Prince Glenn. "I had simply thought that Prince Glenn looked familiar."

"Of, of course." Luke nodded in relief, shoving those insolent suspicions to the back of his mind. "After all, the two of you are from Oriens. Moreover, Prince Glenn is sagacious and capable, especially remarkable for his age."

The princess was once again lost deep in her thoughts as the butler continued to ramble on and on about Prince Glenn's capabilities, before remembering to include some remarks of Keith's notable greatness as well. Luke is definitely an obsequious and loyal butler to the Alfords.

"Well then… Shall I speak to Butler Yu on your behalf?" Luke finally ended his speech with a question and a quick cough, after noticing that the princess wasn't listening to him. The princess tilted her head questioningly, "…Butler Yu?"

The remembrance of that once name began everything.

"So it is indeed you!" The princess smiled widely, staring at her childhood friend in amazement and in reverence. "Yuyu!" She addressed her old friend affectionately with his old nickname that she had bestowed upon him.

Yu bowed respectfully, in reminder of her status and their current relationship. "You can't address me with such familiarity anymore, your Royal Highness of the Liberty Kingdom."

The two were sitting in the garden of the Alford Mansion, enjoying tea on Yu's day off. After setting the two up in a meeting, Luke had left them to reminisce about their past courteously.

"I couldn't be more surprised, to think that you have become Prince Glenn's personal butler."

Yu laughed amicably, "Well, pardon me for not recognizing your Highness any sooner. I am more than astonished myself as well, to have realize that the clumsy girl I once knew was to become the next Queen of a great Kingdom."

A nostalgic feeling gushed over the princess, a heartwarming rendezvous after so many years. The two spoke lightly about current affairs, and converse on the possibility of Oriens working together with Liberty on technology advancement. Before long, Yu treaded on a sensitive subject.

"Then… do you remember anything about Prince Glenn…?" Yu asked after a long silence, his voice delicate as he breached on the subject gently. It was an inquisitive thought that had been on the back of the butler's mind, now that Yu was able to reunite with his old friend.

"Prince Glenn?" The princess's face fell, her voice slightly quivering in the breeze. "He did seem familiar."

Yu simply smiled in response, the accident that took place that fateful day still bore its scars. He quietly took out a box from his bag and placed it before the downhearted princess, in hope that her lost memories would regain.

"It is a small gift from His Highness. Do forgive me on informing Prince Glenn on our meeting." Yu murmured graciously, "Prince Glenn has seen of no more use for this anymore. It is a memento from our childhood. He is the boy who had once played with us."

"The boy..." The princess stared at the box uncertainly, hesitant to reach for the nondescript box.

"Yes." Yu smiled once again, nodding politely and taking his leave soon afterwards.

The princess sat alone in the alcove, her chestnut hair ruffled and messy from the cool summer breeze. She placed the dull black box on her lap and began to untie the beige ribbon gracefully.

The box opened to reveal a dried flower crown, the little headband was woven intricately and skillfully with many sunflowers. Although the sunflower crown had lost its brilliant bright colour throughout the ages, it was still held sturdily together. It had a faint smell of sweet perfume, it was evident that this keepsake had been taken care of meticulously. It was beautiful.

The princess had been staring at the crown perpetually, this precious keepsake had gone through the test of time well and strong and it had brought back a wave of longing.

Before she knew it, thick droplets of tears began to drip down incessantly from her eyes and she started to cry, her heart aching deep inside. Bits and pieces of the past had come back to her, the jigsaw puzzle in her mind finally falling in place.

"I remember everything now, I remember." She sobbed miserably as her memories came back. Prince Glenn, no- her little Glenny, had promised and sworn to marry her, to protect her and to love her endlessly. It was childish when he had said that but the young kid then had looked determined to see through his promise.

Is that the reason why Prince Glenn had always gazed at her with such melancholy eyes, watched Prince Keith and her with such doleful looks? He had always greeted her coldly, and kept his distance well apart from her, was protecting her the reason why?

She had nobody to blame, but only the cruel and merciless hand of fate. If only she had meet Prince Glenn earlier, perhaps they could be together, fulfilling their promise from their childhood. If only she hadn't remembered anything, she could assert that she would love and only love Prince Keith.

What she didn't know was that, the younger Prince had indeed been quietly loving her from the shadows.

Loud footsteps were approaching, as a large figure appeared before the princess in leisure. She hurriedly wiped her tears away and neatly yet swiftly tucked the box into her handbag.

"Hey." The bulky stature greeted coolly, Prince Keith grinned as he bent down to kiss his fragile looking wife on the lips gently. "The meeting has ended earlier than I expected. So how did your meeting with the butler from Oriens went? Hey, are you crying?"

The princess shook her head, sniffing slightly, "Just a slight cold, I think." She didn't want to tell Keith everything just yet, she knew that her husband would react strongly towards Prince Glenn afterwards and she needed some time alone to sort out her tumultuous thoughts first.

"You.." Keith sighed in exasperation as he took off his jacket and wrapped around her lovingly. "You should have brought along a shawl or something. Let's go back into the castle, I'll have Luke make some hot tea to warm you up."

"Thank you.. Keith." The princess whispered softly, basking in the warmth of her caring husband.

"Silly. You are my wife." Keith snorted as he intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed it gently. "If I don't take care of you, who will?"

"Let's take a break now." Lord Michel clapped his hand cheerfully, "this is the first time all of you have been so attentive to my lesson. I say, the tea is doing the trick."

"Of course, this behavior is to be expected of us, the princes. We are after all, the next generation of rulers." Prince Joshua nodded conscientiously as he took down copious notes.

Roberto, on the other hand, yawned rather uncouthly, "Well, Al is behind me all this time, I couldn't even fall asleep if I want to."

"You are very relaxed, Prince Roberto. You ought to stop being this carefree." Keith snorted at his peer's blithe personality. Sometimes looking at how his peers are being so casual about their royal duties annoyed him, but well, at times Joshua's excessive seriousness get on his nerves as well.

Lord Michel was currently educating on the six princes on the history of Sanct Sybil, a possibility that the Royalty of the Ice Kingdom, the Chernenkovs, would alliance with them in the near future.

As the princess tried to stifle her laughter from the princes' unsightly banter, she couldn't help but take notice of Prince Glenn leaving the hall. As usual, Prince Glenn was probably heading towards the balcony of the castle to take a breather. It was a norm habit of the young prince to do that, a gesture that had always went unnoticed by the princess but not anymore.

"Hey." The princess nudged Keith gently on his side, "I am going to the washroom. Don't start a fight, alright."

The princess decided to take this chance to properly apologize to Prince Glenn, as well as to thank him for keeping the withered crown diligently throughout the years.

"Prince Keith, you are still such a bully even after getting married." Prince Roberto argued, sounding slightly peeved by Keith's remarks on how he would be a lazy King.

"I am just saying that you should be more-"

The loud voices of the Princes were soon drowned out as the princess quietly shut the thick oak doors behind her, her husband's voice far in the distance.

The princess' heels were clicking loudly on the marbled floor, her breathing rapid and steps hurried. Only the sound of her quick footsteps reverberated throughout the looming hallway as she searched for the other prince in a daze.

Why did it feel like she was doing something wrong, as if she was betraying Prince Keith?

She stopped short when she finally located Prince Glenn in his usual spot, his tall and lean figure hunched over the railing as he stared at something in his hand with such deep concentration.

The princess composed herself quickly and coughed in warning of her presence, "Prince- Prince Glenn?" Her voice came out meek and small instead.

The younger prince jumped at her voice, surprised by the sudden intruder. He turned around and his eyes widened in surprise. "Uh.. Princess Alford." Prince Glenn did a quick bow awkwardly.

The princess stood her ground for a few moments, unable to react towards such unduly formalities. They had become such cold strangers but that was of course, to be expected. Her posture was rigid and upright, and she tried to summon up her courage, "Y-yes. Prince Glenn." She greeted likewise.

"Do you have something to say to me?" The younger prince raised his eyebrow quizzically, prompting the princess, the usual impassive look had slowly replaced his earlier expression.

The princess cast a quick glance at the item in Prince Glenn's hand, to have found that it was a small sunflower, the yellow plant dazzling brightly under the sun's gleaming rays. Her heart ached momentarily again, it had seemed that the young prince hadn't forgotten about anything at all, he was still restrained by the past.

"Ah, I just want to thank you for the gift." The princess bowed again, unsure of what to do under the heavy atmosphere. She was tense and so was he. The two had been exchanging furtive glances in awkwardness but his eyes were warm and soft in contrast.

Prince Glenn nodded his head coolly. "No problem." The two had resumed to looking at the glossed floor, suddenly finding the marble to be exquisite and interesting.

"So," Prince Glenn coughed, trying to find a topic to disperse the suffocating aura, half wondering why she hadn't leave yet. "I heard that you had forgotten everything from our childhood."

After a long pause, the Prince continued softly, "That you had a fever and lost your memories. It was indeed depressing for Yu and I to know of that loss in the beginning but I am glad that you are doing well right now."

The princess took a sharp breath, surprised by the sudden tenderness of his voice. "Yes, thank you for the concern. But the truth is... I remembered."

"You did?" The Prince looked at her squarely in her eyes, a glint of hope manifesting in his usually emotionless eyes. His face had momentarily perked up, a sudden radiant look had appeared.

"Oh, I mean, I see." Prince Glenn composed himself after a few moments, his voice trying to be flat but there was a hint of excitement nonetheless.

"You should go back now. Prince Keith is probably waiting for you." Prince Glenn added on a while after, hinting and reminding that there was absolutely no possibility for the two of them to be together anymore.

"Yes." The princess nodded regretfully, "I- I will leave now."

As soon as the princess took a few steps, she turned around, to find that Prince Glenn had resumed his solemn posture yet again.

"Prince Glenn?" The princess asked meekly, "Let's go out for a meal sometimes, as friends."

As the princess had left in a hurry before waiting for his reply, she hadn't notice that Prince Glenn had smiled wistfully. "It is better not, for you and me."

The princess hadn't told Keith anything about the contentious issue, knowing full well that it would lead into an argument. Her heart wavered, it was wrong for her to do that so, it was disloyal and unfaithful, but was it possible to love two at the same time?

The princess sat on the bed, she had been looking listless for a few days. This uncommon behavior hadn't gone unnoticed by Prince Keith, of course. Keith had attributed his wife's languid self to their unending pile of work and he had decided to do something to cheer his beloved princess up.

"Clear three days of our schedule." Keith had commanded Luke, "We are going back to Oriens to visit my parents in law."

"Thre-three days?!" Luke squeaked uneasily, how was he going to manage that?

"I do not care how." Keith eyed Luke mercilessly, as if reading his thoughts out loud. "Make our days free. Or-"

"Yes, yes! I will get to it straightaway!" Luke shivered under his master's intimidating words and hurried out of the office immediately.

The young couple of Liberty was sauntering around the streets of Oriens leisurely. When the princess had asked how they were able to get away free from their unending public duties, Keith had simply grinned and said, "Magic." The proud yet lovable characteristics of Keith had never failed to cheer her up.

"You better not torment poor Luke." The princess pouted in response. Keith laughed loudly, pinching his wife's cheeks gently in pure adoration. "Like I said, I am a magician!"

"Yeah, yeah." The princess giggled, squeezing her husband's strong big hand affectionately. But while the two were walking around the streets of Oriens, the princess thoughts were elsewhere, thinking of a certain somebody.

"Shall we go and greet Prince Glenn?" Keith had asked suddenly, after unpacking their small luggage for the quick getaway in the princess' home.

"Prince Glenn?" The princess was suddenly nervous, she worried that Keith had uncovered the past between the two of them. There was no reason to be uneasy though, it was a pure and a childish history but her heart had begun to feel something else for the younger prince.

"Yeah, you silly." Keith tapped the princess' forehead playfully, promptly awakening her from her short reverie. "We are in Oriens, remember? Why do you sound so afraid of Prince Glenn?" He smiled in amusement.

"Nothing!" The princess shook her head, trying to free herself of the unnecessary guilt.

"Is it because of how you see him as being so capable at his age, while you are still a silly little young girl?" Prince Keith teased tenderly, hugging his wife with his strong arms.

"Hmmph." The princess puffed indignantly, but somewhere in her heart, she heaved a huge sigh of relief. An uneasiness that she shouldn't have felt in the first place from the mere mention of the young prince's name was eventually dissipated.

Once in a few months, Yu would visit the princess in Liberty, much to Keith's unwelcoming jealousy. The princess would always try to pacify Keith, constantly reassuring him that the two of them are simply friends. Of course, Keith had finally relented after realizing that Yu had actually been engaged for a while and that the latter had always looked upon his princess as a younger sister.

One day, Yu had invited the princess back to his place in Oriens, and by then Keith had already trusted Yu fully to allow his wife to go with him without Luke's protection.

There were times when Keith had even praised Yu's efficiency and capabilities as a steward, going so far as to loudly declare that he had hoped Luke would be half as good as Yu in front of the piteous butler.

"Really, Keith." The princess sighed, looking at a depressed looking butler hiding behind a pillar, watching them with gloomy eyes. "Luke is there, you know."

"I had hoped for him to hear." Keith insensitively stated. The two of them had a dysfunctional relationship, it was full of demoralizing insults yet there still were respect and trust.

"Well then, I hope you will have fun." Keith kissed his wife on the cheeks, "I trust you to take care of her well, Yu."

Yu bowed politely, "Of course."

The two of them entered Yu's house, it was a compact two storeys building. It was a modern apartment, sleek and neat.

The princess took off her shoes and placed them neatly side by side as she respectfully entered the threshold. She paid her greetings at the altar, bowing in politeness to Yu's deceased mother, remembering the kindness she had given to her in her young age.

Yu was preparing many dishes, laying them out spectacularly on the table and cooking them efficiently all by himself while the princess sat by the cabinet looking through the old photo albums.

"Look, the pond!" She laughed in glee as she remembered of what had happened that day, where she had fell into a pond ungraciously and had accidentally pulled the poor butler in as well.

As she flipped to the next page, her laughter fell short as she looked upon the picture with a sad smile. It was a photograph of three children laughing in glee at the camera. "Yuyu… Glenny… and me…"

"Did you say something?" Yu reappeared at the dining table once more, holding a plate of steaming vegetables fried with garlic and onions. The fragrance permeated the air, the princess felt hungry at once. The house, although was small in comparison with the majestic castle, had a warm sense of home.

"Nothing! Wow, Yuyu, are we able to eat all of this just by ourselves?" The princess widened her eyes in astonishment at the magnificent spread. Yu's father was sleeping upstairs in his room, but even with the three of them, it was impossible to finish the mighty feast.

"Of course not." Yu smiled, "I had invited a few guests over as well, if you don't mind."

As the princess started to inquire who, the doorbell rang at the exact moment. "Hold on." Yu called out while carrying a heavy tray, before gesturing to the princess to open the door in his stead.

She opened the door, to meet a casually dressed Prince Glenn. Their eyes were locked for a few long moments, deep shades of brown clashing against each other in absolute astonishment.

"Brother, let's go in." A small voice piped up from below, breaking the uncomfortable silence. The princess looked down to find a miniature Glenn staring at her in curiosity, he was an exact replica of the said prince.

"Uh, Prince Glenn and –" The princess bowed in delayed politeness. "Alan. This is Alan, my younger brother." Glenn finished her sentence for her.

"Can we go in now?" Alan whined once again, tugging impatiently at his brother's shirt. "S-sorry!" The princess moved aside to let the two guests in, having forgotten that she was blocking the entranceway.

"Ah yes, Prince Glenn, Prince Alan." Yu greeted courteously, placing the last dish delicately onto the table. "I hope these dishes will suit your Highnesses' taste."

"Yay, Yu's cooking!" Alan grinned, running in and heading straight first towards the table, making himself completely comfortable at home. "Alan, your shoes!" Glenn shouted in annoyance after Alan who had already settled in one of the chairs.

"Geez, really." Glenn sighed in slight irritation as he took off his boots. The princess giggled quietly to herself, following after Glenn.

It was a warm and a lively dinner, with the little Alan asking many questions and lifting up the atmosphere. It was impertinent of the princess to ask for the reason of Prince Glenn's appearance in Yu's house but Yu had explained eventually. The young siblings of the Oriens Kingdom had taken a half day leave from the castle, taking a breather in the suburbs of the busy land.

"So, it seems that you knew my brother and Yu since you were a little kid?" Alan asked the princess with friendliness, addressing her freely without any polite suffixes.

The princess nodded awkwardly, and Yu continued the conversation by speaking of their childhood, the adventures that they had encountered and the games they had created. It was heartwarming, to know that both the prince and the butler had kept the memories clear and crisp in their minds but the princess didn't want to simply reminisce. She craved to know more, to learn of what had happened after their departures.

Has Prince Glenn dated somebody before? Is he doing well balancing his title of being a prince and his quiet life as a college student?

The princess stared at the silent prince who was eating with the impeccable manners of an affluent. He would occasionally laugh along with Yu's jokes, tilt towards his younger brother when Alan was having trouble with his food. Of course, there were quick shy glances sent in her way, that winsome smile of his.

The prince had been keeping his distance. But why, the princess was greedy.

The princess didn't mention about the unexpected rendezvous in Yu's house to Keith, she had only bluntly stated that she had missed Oriens food. The grudging husband had then insisted that Liberty's taste was much better but he would subtly command the petty butler to prepare the Oriens dishes for her.

The princess, while being weighed down by her royal duties, tried to find time for sojourns in Oriens. Keith had referred to her frequent visits back home as homesickness, not at all in doubt of his conflicting wife.

She took time to stop by the Oriens palace once in a while, greeting respectfully to the servants of the Casiraghi household, and daintily towards the prince himself. Slowly, and eventually, the prince's frozen heart began to thaw. He had started to open up to his childhood friend once again, relishing in the joy of her company and while understanding that there was not to be a foolish thought between the two of them, he couldn't help but to dream about the future that they could have had.

The prince was charmed by the lady's charisma, she was quick-witted, childish, tenacious and cheerful. A mismatched of traits in all sense, and the princess wasn't very intelligent, she wasn't very ladylike but her jovial presence brings a smile to everyone and it was easy to fall in love once more. She wasn't flawless but she was full of love. He remembered why he had loved her and his reappearance had evoked a sense of passion in her.

It was wrong, it was too wrong. But the two couldn't stop themselves, falling deeper and deeper into this spiral pit of unforgiving darkness called love.

Their short affair was found out by the devious paparazzi of Oriens, when photographs were taken in the sly of the prince sending her back to the airport.

The two of them weren't holding hands, there was no body contact at all. Yet from the back view, it was much too easy to mistake the two silhouettes as an innocent young couple. The way they were standing next to each other was much too close for comfort, the way they had gazed at each other lovingly, it had only served to fuel the suspicions between the two of them.

Keith saw the media clippings, he was furious, he was enraged beyond words. He had refused to speak to the piteous, but deservingly so due to her own actions, princess, refusing to listen to her explanations. Keith had simply needed time to cool down, he knew what he should believe and what he should deny.

But after having Luke uncovered the princess' background, an intrusive extensive search that Keith had believed that was not required initially from the mutual love the two had, he had found it all the more harder to trust his wife anymore.

There was a furor over the sensational scandal, a spark of rage from Liberty's citizens and an outcry of disapproval from Oriens.

There had been a rumour spreading throughout the whole continent, it had seemed that the people were waiting for something horrid and revolting like this- the downfall of a Kingdom, a destruction of a beautiful but unaccepted marriage between a commoner and a prince. It seemed that people have a tendency to love the worst.

Lord Nobel Michel had tried his best to smother the licking flames of the scandals, especially with the paparazzi fuelling the loss of faith in the ruling monarchies even more, and had once again organized another meeting between the six countries. Yet, the Prince of Liberty and the Prince of Oriens refused to answer to the wise lord's summon, secluding themselves back in their Kingdoms. There was even a talk of an impending war.

A small matter was amplified into a major global issue by the unforgiving lips of the media. Liberty was now in a hostility standoff with Oriens and ties had abruptly been cut off.

The Prince confronted the princess, and her tear stained face told of the forbidden love she had harbored in her heart. She had never been a liar and the truth was eventually revealed to Keith whose heart was beyond repair. He had loved her deeply and he had wanted her to tell him that it was just a horrible prank that had gone wrong.

He had tried to reaffirm her feelings many times, reaching a cold end every single time. Keith couldn't bear to look at her anymore and had rudely announced her exiled and prohibited from ever stepping into his beloved country. But what Keith had really wanted was for the princess to apologize and to plead for her stay but his pride did not permit that act of forgiveness.

The princess cried endlessly, knowing that this was the end that she had deserved and had nobody but herself to blame for the greediness of her heart.

Prince Roberto appeared, as a kind messiah, and had offered to take the heart wrenching princess in his care.

Prince Keith was torn, he knew he would come to regret but his heart had become cold from the cruel twist of fate.

"I can see why Glenny and Keithster are so in love with you." Roberto had casually remarked one day, his eyes incessantly twinkling with that amusement and charm of his.

She smiled in politeness, but it was an empty smile. Roberto was a genial host, no doubt, but the princess had requested out of shame to live by herself in a dingy apartment somewhere far from the heart of the world. In recluse she shall be, she will face upon her punishment in loneliness and receive penance for her actions.

Once in a while, however, Prince Roberto would amble up to her apartment, bringing her news of the outside world, he had commiserated the remorseful woman.

Joy and laughter would become strange to her, love was a luxury she could and would never crave for anymore. Because she knew she was a sinful woman, and that lust and love should have never met.

There was indeed a lengthy and chaotic war between Liberty and Oriens, a reenactment of the Trojan War in the context of this two kingdoms, a war ignited by a single woman.

The princess was alone for the rest of her life, eventually hiding from the amiable Prince Roberto himself too, forever forgotten and buried in the remnants of history. She had fallen into severe depression and she knew she could never forget the love of Prince Keith and Prince Glenn.

Prince Keith who had changed for the better for her, he who had put her needs before himself, and he had even willingly removed that mask of arrogance and allowing her and only her to be privy to the true self the haughty prince really was.

Prince Glenn, who had patiently waited for her his whole lifetime, watching her protectively from the shadows and quietly upholding his part of the promise they had made when they were young.

When the princess saw the news of the possibility of Alan Casiraghi ascending the throne instead of his brother, her heart ached painfully in the thought of deaths.

She wasn't strong enough to face the repercussion of her misdeeds, and she had soon disappeared into the warm breeze of the world. A death that was unforgotten, unlike she herself had planned, and her disappearance had tormented two very different and heartbroken men.

Extra:

Upon the leaving of Altaria Villa, the fallen princess found herself pregnant with a son. She had decided to bring the child up all by herself, a poignant reminder of the love Keith and she had once shared.

The child grew up to a witty and charming boy, taking largely after the Prince himself, bearing a pair of crystal emerald eyes, brilliant and clear. She had kept his identity a secret, to remove him from a world of danger and protect him from the terrifying politics of the outside world. But at times, the curious little boy will ask about his father.

"He is a fine man. A man that I am unworthy of." What she didn't know was that Keith had never been angry at she herself, and he had only resented her for giving in and leaving that easily.

Because in true love, there never can be any hatred.