I balance my tray in one hand and knock lightly at the door with my other before pushing it open and entering without waiting for a reply. "My lady, I brought your afternoon tea." I set the tray on a small table as she turns from to me from a window.

"Ah… thank you, Jakob." I pour her tea and stir in some cream and sugar. She takes the cup silently, turning again to gaze outside at the storm clouds.

"Can I do anything else for you this afternoon?" I inquire. But she stares outside, and she doesn't acknowledge my words. She holds her teacup in both hands but doesn't drink from it. "My Lady?" I ask, a bit concerned.

"Hm?" She glances at me.

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh… yes, I'm…" She stops and lets out a breath. "I'm fine."

I should probably leave, I know, but… she isn't fine. I can't leave her alone when she isn't fine. "Are you sure?" I push.

She glances at me. "I'm just… I'm… well, worried about the ball."

"The ball?" I ask, confused. King Garon is holding a ball here tomorrow in honor of Marx's birthday. Most likely the event is only an excuse to show off his power to all of the nobles, but the ball has been known of for a while now. The staff have spent a few weeks preparing, shining the silver, dusting the chandeliers, polishing the floors, and of course, cooking. "Why are you worried about the ball?"

"Well, I'm…" She gestures vaguely. "Lots of reasons. There'll be so many people there I don't know, and I've never really been to an actual ball, and the King is having special clothes made for the royal family, and I don't know if I'll look ok, and… and well…" Her confession trails off in an embarrassed sort of way.

But I'm so surprised by all of these admissions that words are crowding in my mouth, and I'm not sure what to say first. Of course, I've known for some time that Lady Corrin is not quite as confident as she portrays to others, but I'm so sorry I didn't realize sooner she was going through all of this… And I should have known she's never been to a real ball before! Why didn't I think of that before now?

After she pauses, I find my voice and probe, "What is it?"

"I'm…" Her voice lowers, and she speaks quickly, color on her cheeks. "I'm not very good at dancing. When I was being taught, I—I was just so clumsy, and my tutor was frustrated with me, and I started hiding to avoid her lessons. I'm ashamed of it now, but that's what I did, and she gave up trying to teach me." Corrin sighs deeply, sets down her glass, and sits on her bed, covering her face with her hands. "Ever since I found out about the ball, I've been terribly anxious. I'm going to be expected to dance, probably with nobles, and it will be so dreadfully embarrassing!"

My poor princess! I want to take her and tell her she's beautiful and angelic and nobody could ever think badly of her because she's amazing… But instead, I kneel before her so that I'm not standing over my princess, and I can look up into those dusky red eyes. I place my hands on either side of her on the bed. She peers at me through her fingers. "Lady Corrin?" I murmur. "Clumsy? Impossible." She almost laughs and shakes her head, her face a little more red than before. She takes her hands from her face, and I smile at her. "You will undoubtedly look exquisite in anything you wear, and as for the people you'll meet, fear not, for there isn't a soul in this world who could not love you." Her eyes widen ever-so-slightly, and I have to catch my breath. That wasn't really a confession… Was it? I didn't mean to say it quite like that... Corrin bites her lip, and I go on, trying to act normal. "And finally," I murmur, offering my hand. "Might I have the honor of this dance with you?"

Surprise flickers in her eyes, and she glances at my hand and then at me. "Jakob… do you really mean that?"

"About everything or about dancing?" I inquire, but before she can reply, I answer. "If it's the former, I meant every word of it… If the latter… Nothing would give me greater pleasure than dancing with you." A smile quirks the edges of her lips, and she places her hand in mine.

I draw us both to our feet, and she stumbles slightly, placing her hand on my chest to steady herself, and I'm suddenly fighting down a wave of nervousness, trying to swallow past a lump in my throat.

I place my other hand on her waist as she carefully puts hers on my shoulder. "Like this, right?" She clarifies.

"That's perfect," I answer. "Now, dancing is actually quite simple." She's standing so close, too close. I'm finding it difficult to concentrate. Difficult to breathe, in fact. I look away and try to find the words. "Um… all you have to do is… is follow your partner's lead... You can do it with your eyes closed. In fact, why don't you try that... Close your eyes, and feel the dance."

"Feel the… Are you sure?" She seems skeptical.

"Absolutely. Try it."

"Alright…" she shuts her eyes, raising her chin slightly, and my gaze flickers down. I close my own eyes for a moment and take a calming breath.

"Here we go," I whisper, slowly stepping forward. She follows me instinctually. I continue the movement, and she stumbles at first, but she quickly regains her balance. I do it again, and she's a little smoother this time. After a couple of tries, she's getting the rhythm and feeling of it, and we're dancing in small circles. I pick up the pace, twirling with her into the larger part of the room, and she follows me perfectly. The look of concentration on her face is slowly dissolving into wonder, and I can't help but smile, delighted that it's actually working.

She shakes her head in amazement, her eyes still firmly shut. "I can't believe it," she laughs. "Only you could have made this happen."

"Nonsense," I mutter. "You're a natural."

"I wasn't a natural when my tutor tried to teach me," she contradicts. "It's only with you that I feel I can do anything."

My heart skips a beat, and I don't know how I can reply to that so remain silent. A few seconds her eyes cautiously open. Faltering over a step, she locks her gaze with mine, and the hesitation immediately disappears. She smiles at me and the world spins. Gliding across the room, I couldn't look away from her if I wanted to.

Despite there being no music, I can almost hear a song surrounding us, filling the air with some sort of magic. I let it guide us, and all I can think about is Corrin before me. Corrin in my arms. Corrin looking at me the same way I'm looking at her. I'm breathless, and it's not from the motion.

Her hand on my shoulder starts creeping upwards inch by inch. I try to remain professional, but I can't stop thinking how nice she is my arms, and my own hand on her waist slides further back, drawing her to me. We get closer with every breath, and when her fingers touch my neck, I pull her against me, until her form is molded to mine, and I look deeply into her eyes.

With mild surprise, I realize we've stopped moving completely. She doesn't seem to mind, though. Blinking slowly up at me, her lips part, but she doesn't say a word.

"M-My Lady," I whisper. "I…" I don't know what I'm trying to say, but I stop myself. What am I doing here? I can't be here. I mustn't be here. This is the princess before me. My princess… I'm her butler. I can't say the things to her that are rising up in my mind and fighting to be heard… I can't… I mustn't… Surely she wouldn't return the feelings. Not for me… A tremor passes through me. I have to let go… but I don't want to. I feel like I'm trapped in a spell, powerless under her gaze. She is so near, her skin so warm on mine… I just want to hold her and… never let go…

She must see the danger in my eyes because she bites her lip, and her eyes twitch away from mine. The spell is broken, and I almost release her, but before I can, she lays her head on my shoulder, and I freeze. "Thank you for that, Jakob," she murmurs. "You make me feel graceful."

I can only stutter out a reply. "You... You are always the most graceful and elegant, my Lady. You don't—You don't need my help for that." She chuckles, shaking her head. Her fingers slide around my neck for a moment, and she looks up. Her lips are so close…

She lets go of me and turns around.

"Thank you so much, Jakob. You don't know much you—That is… how much this has helped me."

"Of course. It was… It was my pleasure." I speak softly, trying to calm my pounding heart.

"Can you, um… Can you come back tomorrow night before the ball? I would like to practice once more before I go out there."

"Of course, my Lady." Even though she is turned, I bow slightly to her before exiting the room. "Until then."

With her door closed behind me, I practically collapse against it. I heave a sigh and close my eyes and imagine the feel of her in my arms again…

I have been so busy all day with last minute details and correcting Felicia's mistakes that I only barely saw my Lady Corrin this morning when I woke her up for breakfast. Guests are crowding downstairs, and music is playing, and I'm not certain I haven't already missed my chance with Corrin, but I desperately hope I haven't. I stand in front of her door now, and I straighten my vest in case she's still there. Lightly knocking at her door, I wait this time for a reply.

"Who is it?" She calls, and I'm so relieved I haven't missed her.

"Jakob, my Lady."

"Oh, come in!" She calls. I enter, closing the door behind me, but when I look up and see her, I... stop… amazed.

Corrin is… She's dressed in thunderstorm silver lace that… It tumbles across her body like a waterfall to the floor, open at the top, and falling off her shoulders… accentuating her form dramatically. She's wearing long black gloves, and her hair is flowing in ivory waves over her shoulders to her waist, pinned with a butterfly so lifelike and delicate I think it will flutter at any moment. Her lips are as red as crushed roses, nearly a match to her beautiful crimson eyes, and I'm… I'm... I can't speak.

"Jakob," she says. "You're late!"

"I—I—" My tongue isn't working properly.

Corrin bites her lip. "What—What do you think?" She asks hesitantly. "I just… I don't know." She turns and looks again into her full length mirror. "This gown was specially made for this ball, but I've never worn anything so delicate, and I just feel awkward in it. This dress should be on Camilla. I can't… I don't think I can pull this off. I feel ridiculous."

"Stunning." The word leaves my lips unbidden, and Corrin turns to me.

"What did you say?"

I force my body to move, struggling across the room until I am before her. I take her gloved hands in mine. I stare into her eyes, and a blush rises in her cheeks. "Stunning," I repeat. "You're…" I speak slowly, my voice so low it's almost a whisper as I try to find words to define the person before me. "You're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen… You're," I shake my head helplessly, "indescribably perfect."

Her blush deepens. "J-Jakob." She looks away, laughs nervously. "I—I don't know what to say… Thank you." She looks back at me, something shining in her eyes. "Only you could… make me feel this way."

My heart is pulsing through me and into my hands as I hold hers in mine, and I don't want to blink and miss a moment of this vision in front of me. "What… What way?"

She looks at our hands. "Just so…" She stop. Starts again, "So happy. So capable… So beautiful in this dress."

"The dress…" I blink and try to explain. "Corrin, as nice as the dress is, you don't need a gown to be beautiful. Don't you know you're… You always take my breath away… Your beautiful face. Your beautiful soul. Your sweetness. Your mercy. Your determination. Your grace... There are so many facets of you that I love that have nothing to do with what you wear." The words spill off my tongue, and Corrin murmurs my name when I pause. I know I should stop, but she's standing before me, standing so close, and I go on before I can think. "I love your curiosity. I love your tender heart. I love your love of books, and I love the way you laugh. I love that when you cry, it's not for yourself, but for someone you care about. I love the way you treat your servants like they're part of your family, and I love—I love—" I'm on the precipice of saying it, and Corrin is staring up at me with something like wonder in her eyes, and this is like no other chance I've had before, and I rush on, gripping her hands between mine, "I love you, Corrin. I love you! I love you like a moth loves a butterfly, and I know I—I shouldn't, I mustn't, but I can't stop myself because I love you too much."

I'm out of breath and out of words, and I'm shaking, and I've way too far. I don't know what came over me, and now it's too late to take back the words that will surely cause Corrin to send me away. Of course she'll have to, I understand, but I could hang myself for speaking so much. So much! Why couldn't I stop sooner? "Forgive me," I murmur, dropping her hands and stepping back as I realize what I've done. "Forgive me. I don't know—I don't know what—I—"

"Jakob. Stop speaking." She laughs, shakes her head. "Stop speaking, you idiot!" She keeps laughing like she can't help herself, and closes the space between us, taking my hands again. "You don't seem to understand that your words… Your words have made me the happiest—the happiest I have ever been in my life!" She raises her hand so her fingers can brush across my face, and she's smiling so wide that her eyes are tearing up. "I love you back, Jakob! I love you back."

"You… you love me?" I murmur. This is impossible. Surely this is—

"I love you!" She cries.

I cup her cheek. She's so close to me, I can see the almost-tears glistening in her eyes, and I'm shaking. My heart is thrumming in my chest, and all that matters is the look on Corrin's face, the words on her lips… And I pull her to me, my arms tight around her waist. With a groan, I lower my mouth to hers. She makes a small sound of surprise, but I swallow the murmur, kissing her harder, and she relaxes against me and presses back, and all I can think about is Corrin. Her fingertips brushing along the collar of my shirt. Her breath as she sighs against my mouth. Her lips, as soft as silk, and the world is changing and filling with impossible dreams that are becoming possible in my arms at this very moment.

When I feel like I'm losing control, I moan quietly and force myself back. I hold her face gently in my hands. "Corrin," I mutter, short of breath and trying very hard not to crush her to me again and dishevel her hair and gown even further. I place a small kiss on her nose. "Corrin, you don't know what your words have meant to me."

"But I do," she whispers back. "I do, because I know what your words meant to me… And they meant everything."

"How can this be happening?" I whisper.

She giggles adorably, and replies, "I don't know. I can't really believe it either."

I almost kiss her again, but voices sound in the hallways, and I glance at the door, remembering the ball below. "You have to go downstairs," I exclaim. "They must already be wondering where you are."

"Come with me," she pleads. "Come with me to the ball, please."

I look at her, "I wish I could, Corrin, but I mustn't. But…, " I hesitate for only a moment. "What if I promise you I'll be waiting here when you get back?"

Her grin broadens. "Then I'd tell you that I'll hardly make an appearance downstairs before I return."

I'm dizzy and lightheaded, and I softly brush my lips across hers. "You have a deal. I'll see you soon?"

She nods and takes a step back, watching me. Brushing my thumb across her gloved hand, I release it. She takes another step and then turns and rushes from the room, leaving me staring unblinkingly at the shut door.

Letting out a breath and feeling like my world has been flipped upside down, I turn to gaze out of the window. My thoughts are a completely unintelligible blur in my mind, and I can barely pull one reasonable thought from the chaors before I hear the door swing open again. Surprised, I turn. My mind flicking through the possibilities of who it might be, I'm even more confused when I see it's Corrin standing there. Did she forget something? I murmur her name as a question, but that's all I manage to say before she comes to me and throws her arms around my neck. Nearly losing my balance with her unexpected velocity, I stumble back against a wall, hardly having a chance to form a word on my lips before she pushes up against me and covers my mouth with her own. I only just have a chance to notice that she smells of sweet honeysuckle before she pulls back enough to look at me with a smile. She whispers, "I just wanted to make sure you'd be here." She presses her lips against mine a second time. "I'll be back soon." She breathes. "I love you," And then she's gone again, out of the door and… and I'm standing there looking after her with the most ridiculous grin on my face.