A heartfelt thank you for the reviews! I appreciate the encouragement and feedback. This one is super short, but the next chapter is ready as well.

Joseph struggled all day.

Once, Clarisse absently slipped off her shoes while she was sitting at her desk, and as she stretched her legs and rolled and flexed her ankles, Joseph learned that she was perfect down to her toes. He had never before known it was possible for feet to be beautiful. A few times, for one reason or another, she leaned in close enough to him for her perfume to intoxicate him momentarily. The scent changed throughout the day, as it mingled and heated with the natural scent of her skin. He knew what she smelled like in the morning, and what she smelled like by late afternoon.

Most days, these moments were something he treasured. Some days, they saddened him. Today, they were too much.

This morning, he had renewed his vow to quietly love her forever. He longed to hold fast to that promise; in fact, he wasn't sure he had any choice in the matter. But something was changing. He began to accept that there was no hope. His love for her smoldered within him, threatening to turn his heart and soul to ashes, ready to consume him from the inside out.

After dinner, he saw that she made it safely to her suite. He politely declined her offer to join her for tea. Had he not been trying so hard to put some extra distance between them - to protect her, to protect himself - he would have noticed the disappointment flash in her eyes. Instead, he looked up in time to see her pleasant smile and watch her lips form the words, "It has been a long day. Another time, perhaps."

He smiled back at her, almost concealing his sadness and having no idea that she gleaned it from his face. She waited for him to reach for her hand and pull it to his lips. He didn't. He merely said, "Good night, Your Majesty," and walked down the hall as quickly as he could. His footsteps echoed and bounced off the walls, reminding him of the hollowness that was forming within him.

To be continued…