A/N: Hello, everyone! Welcome back! In this chapter, we'll start to see the plot developing into our main sources of conflict. As a clue, there are three of them: the engagement, the political tension and... you'll find out the third one later on this chapter. Enjoy!


Chapter 4: Dead of Winter

The girls had gathered in Natalia's room after the meeting, once the Princess' stroll with her future husband was over. As she made her way inside her room, she was stopped by the girls in the hall and insisted in gettign together for a talk. It was Tear's idea to try cheering Natalia up after the events that had just happened, but, in fact, they were not helping much, and Tear wasn't with them at the moment. Anise kept on saying how much money she'd have gotten if she were to marry into either Kimlasca or Malkuth, and how lucky Natalia was to have Jade as her fiancé, things of the sort that made Natalia regret her decision several times. Noelle tried to cheer her up, as she combed Anise's hair before going to bed. However, Noelle didn't know Jade as well as the princess or Anise did. Her encouragement was based on wishful thinking and hopes that Jade would change for her once they were married. Of course, that would never happen.

Tear hadn't returned from Luke and Guy's room on the upper floor. Most likely Luke had not been able to piece the whole picture together on his own until it was too late and Tear wanted to explain everything to him. However, she had to come back soon, as the younger woman had promised her she would spend some time talking about Natalia's current problem if she wanted to. Natalia had to admit she was still reluctant about her decision, and if she wanted to back down before anything else, she only had a couple of hours to eat her own words before it was made official the next morning.

"Tear sure is taking her time…" Anise muttered as Noelle combed the other half of her long, dark hair. "I bet she will be the next in line for a wedding. Make sure to throw the bouquet at her, Nat." She giggled, and Noelle did as well. Natalia rolled her eyes silently, and she believed none of them noticed her discomfort. "I believe you got really lucky, he may not seem like it but the General is a really good catch."

"You may say so now, Anise, but you're not the one who is actually marrying him, you know…?" Natalia finally let it out, a bit harsher than she expected. Anise noticed the princess' sudden aggressive tone, and answered back in the same way.

"It is you who've dragged this for too long and made it worse for yourself! You might say you're against the idea, but between all suitors you had, you decided to pick the General. You made the conscious decision on your own… I know that behind all reasons you might have told your father or Emperor Peony, you actually have many motives to pick Jade as your fiancé." She had grown to be really witty and attentive to detail. From the love-stricken child she once knew, Anise had mastered the art of reading people, in order to use it to her convenience. Of course, even if Natalia hated when she did that, she could not say Anise wasn't right. "So stop lying to yourself, Nat, and enjoy the ride. Sure, Jade is a cold-hearted, double-faced, sarcastic, bitter old man, but who says you can't grow to stand and like each other?"

"I… I wish you were right, you know? it's too soon to say he will... I mean, my father hasn't even outspoken about it, it's not even official yet."

"It doesn't matter, it was you who made the choice…"

Anise proceeded to change the subject several times, exited by the fact she was finally going to attend a royal wedding, or how she imagined the Princess would look wearing the traditional crimson dress. Natalia sighed and turned her chair around so that she'd be facing the mirror behind her back. She could still see the other two girls from their reflection on the crystal, but they could not see her tired expression directly. She hoped Tear would be back soon, at least she had an objective point of view about the situation, instead of Anise's childish blabbering. Natalia pressed the small ring box against her chest, hoping in secret that Noelle's good wishes turned out to be true. She knew better, nonetheless. Jade would never change. If there was something in this world that would make him less obnoxious, it surely wasn't Natalia.

She had hoped talking with Anise would help, but it actually made things worse. During all these years, Tear had proven herself to be a perfect confidant for all her troubles, perhaps because she was very mature for her age. Sometimes Natalia even believed she was more of a grown-up than herself, depending on the situation. Tonight was one of those, in which Tear's cold, but sensitive perspective would be able to cool her head off after all the stress from the conference and little miss Tatlin's insistence of having good faith on Jade.

Natalia kept waiting in silence for another good twenty minutes, as Anise hummed a cheerful song while Noelle fixed her hair in long braids. That was until they heard footsteps coming from the hallway. They all assumed it must have been Tear coming back from the guys' room, which made Natalia turn her chair around once again, expecting to see Tear opening the door and excusing herself for the delay. However, that wasn't the case. A loud bang on the door startled them, making Natalia jump from her seat. The wooden door flung open and Luke stormed into the room. His eyes were burning, as if he'd been trying to repress some tears. He walked aggressively towards Natalia, giving long steps that stomped against the tiled floor.

"How! How could you do that, Natalia?! Most importanly, why?!" He screamed with a voice that sounded rougher and lower than usual. Natalia's eyes widened, watering immediately. She was so startled by the sudden aggression to even react that she remained silent while he yelled at her. "Tear told me everything, how could you do this?! What the hell is wrong with you?! You and I had a promise!"

Tear and Guy stormed into the room, trying to pull Luke away from Natalia. He hadn't even touched her, but he kept leaning towards the chair, pinning her to the cushion. Guy screamed several insults at Luke, as he tried to pull him away. Luke shoved him off and continued.

"What is this even supposed to mean?! You are marrying THAT asshole?! You think Malkuth is going to keep their promise?! They're making him infiltrate so that they can keep Kimlasca under their control! How can you even trust him?! I thought you were smarter than this! How can you be such an…?!"

"Luke!" Tear screamed, trying to stop him. He ignored her call and turned around to face her briefly with hatred in his eyes.

"SHUT UP!"

"LUKE!" Tear shouted again, this time pulling from his arm. He pushed her hard enough to make her fall back and hit the ground. She heard both Anise and Noelle's gasps as they rushed to help Tear back to her feet. They'd remained still as the scene happened before their eyes, just as the Princess did. Everything started so fast none of them knew how to react to Luke's tantrum. He seemed lost for words, unable to find in which other way to insult her for being so stupid. Then, he recurred to something the Luke she knew would never do: he raised a hand, as if he was about to slap her.

"... ASCH!" Natalia screamed before he managed to do anything, and the red-headed man stopped cold on his tracks, his hand still lingering in the air. The commotion was finally over. However, the call- out and the princess's startled voice weren't the only things that made the young Fon Fabre stop. A lance was pointing directly at his neck and the Necromancer walked up slowly, with a steady grip on his weapon, to make him back off. Natalia hadn't noticed when he entered the room, and for the look on everyone's faces, it seemed nobody else did. Anise and Noelle were still helping Tear up, who seemed on the verge of tears, while Guy wrestled with the red haired man to push him away from Natalia. The princess was in such a shock she'd not noticed Jade enter the room quickly, and in two swift steps he had summoned his lance and had pointed it at Luke's neck, making him fall back from both Guy and Natalia.

"My, my, Viscount Fon Fabre. I'll have to ask you to get away from the Princess. Now." He ordered with a menacing voice. Each step he gave forced Luke to give one step back, until he was some considerable distance away from Natalia. The girl was crying, scared, while Tear tried to console her after getting up from the ground with Anise and Giselle's help. "Guy, would you mind to help me escort him outside the room, please?"

Guy nodded and grappled Luke by the shoulders, pushing him outside. The four girls backed off as Jade kept a serene, yet stern look on his face, but assured them he'd make the young Fon Fabre come back to his senses, and that he'd be back later to check on them. Natalia watched as he withdrew his weapon and he turned around with a concerned look on his eyes, which stared back at her. She froze for a second, as she felt a blush creep up to her cheeks. She didn't know why, but this side of him usually made her really uneasy. However, for the first time in years, that uneasiness came to her for different reasons. For instance, he'd never actually protected her from anything. This was the first time he'd actually shown concern for her in particular and not the whole party as it usually happened before. Was he actually acting… different?

Guy closed the door after the three of them were outside. Natalia's loud sobs could be heard from the inside as well as Anise's confused voice and Tear's angry complains. As soon as they were out of the girls' line of sight, Guy punched his friend on the face without any restraint.

"OUCH! W-why would you do that?!" His voice had come back to a lighter, high-pitched tone.

"Please don't hurt master!" Mieu's voice came out of the blue, as the small cheagle floated towards them from the hall.

"Mieu, do me a favor. Ask Natalia's handmaid to bring her some tea. I think her name is Giselle, she should be with King Ingobert's servants right now. Keep her company after you're done, please. Guy, could you create a distraction so that the other members of the council don't suspect my prolonged absence and the commotion coming from this floor. Please, don't involve Emperor Peony."

"On it..."

Jade withdrew his spear and pulled Luke to walk with a tug from his collar. Luke complained and stuttered the beginning of a protest, but shut up immediately when he noticed the older man's furious expression. Something he'd done unconsciously had made Jade get angry and that was never a good sign. For instance, he didn't seem to be doing pretty well in keeping his calm. The last time he remembered watching Jade this bothered was when Dist stole the data from Professor Nebilim's replica. As soon as he noticed he had screwed up badly, he stopped complaining and subdued to the pressure of Jade's intimidatory stance.

"Now, Luke… would you like joining me for a walk around the inn?" Pulling him from the neck, Jade started to walk not caring for Luke's complain on his strong grip, which was almost making him run out of air. "You sounded really angry at Natalia." Jade pulled him closer, which made Luke feel smaller and nimbler than usual. "One could almost say you were jealous."

"I am not jealous!" Luke answered, trying to gather some air, but Jade's grip tightened. "Stop treating me like a criminal, I didn't do anything!" Jade fixed his glasses but kept a straight, menacing look over the young swordsman. "I… I swear it wasn't my intention, I don't know what happened to me. I-I'm sorry Jade."

"Oh, I see. So you just stormed into your friend's room and called her an idiot, not to mention you flagged me as a traitor and you told your current girlfriend to shut up and pushed her to the ground. Ah, it also seemed you were about to hit her when I walked to the room. It must have all been my imagination, I'm sorry." He made sure to make his words as hurtful as possible, but he let go of his neck. "I'm glad Natalia broke her engagement to you. If these… outrages of yours are frequent, I'd not like to see her suffer from them every day".

"Hey! I told you I snapped and that I'm sorry it happened! I… I didn't mean to get angry like that. Of course I'm bothered by the idea that Natalia has to marry someone like YOU, but that's because… well… it's you. In the end it's her decision, she can do whatever she wants!" Luke tried to defend himself, but he was obviously bothered by Jade's stare. He kept dodging crossing eyes with him as much as he could, but he'd be often unable to avoid doing so. "I don't know, I guess I wasn't being myself…" His last words sounded doubtful.

"Does that happens often?" Jade's tone changed to a softer, concerned voice. Through all the conflict, he recognized Luke wasn't acting like himself, but somebody else that Jade and the others were pretty familiar with.

"When it involves certain topics and my mood tends to swing towards anger." Luke admitted, covering his face with his hands. "It hadn't happened in a long, long time..."

"It'd be best if you eventually told me everything" Jade said to the red haired man. "After all, we still don't know for sure what happened that day in Eldrant. It'd be best to keep on checking on you if our suspicions from before were true."

Luke sighed. He knew he should turn back and apologize to Natalia and Tear as soon as possible and ask Guy for another punch in the face. It was getting swollen, but at least he knew he deserved it. Jade wasn't as furious as before, but it made Luke wonder what made him snap back like that. He'd rarely point out his spear at an enemy if it wasn't necessary, much less to a former ally. Even weirder was the fact that he didn't use brute force like Guy did to make him calm down, but he decided it was better to stand as menacing and imposing as possible to make his point clear. For a moment, Luke started to think if Jade had any ulterior reason to threaten him like that.

"Even if they're true… just remember that you're your own. If perchance you two are sharing the same body, or your memories and identities are fluctuating within one person, you are still you."

"It's weird to see you give advice like that, you know? You actually sound like a kind person!"

"What a bother! I have to get meaner to people or I'll start to lose my touch".

"I bet your beloved fiancée would said you aren't that bad of a catch, huh?" Luke laughed. Then something quite unnerving came to his mind. Was that the reason Jade became so angry that this 'Asch persona' popped out? He understood Natalia's reason to agree to the marriage, but why would Jade actually say yes to all of this? "Or perhaps…" He'd risk everything to find out. "... perhaps you actually like Natalia. I mean, why would you bother so much for her well-being if you keep insisting this is just an arrangement between Peony and my uncle?"

"You surely have a wild imagination, Luke" Jade avoided the topic with a cryptic smile. However, Luke was sure he saw a tint of red rising on the older man's face. "You said it yourself, this is an arranged marriage, I care for her just as much as necessary. If you were to harm her, however, I'd make each and every single day of yours a living hell. She might be my fiancée, but over all things, Natalia is my friend. If you were to harm her, I'd make you regret you were ever born, you know? She deserves better, better than you and me." Evidently, he didn't mean to say that to Luke. He muttered those words in hope that, somewhere, Asch was actually listening, and he believed Luke understood he wasn't being rough to him directly. The Necromancer shrugged and kept on walking. Luke was sure that blush was still on his face even if he tried to shake it off with indifference and sarcasm.

Luke smiled to himself as Jade pressured his steps down the hall and changed the conversation topic. Surely he was worried about what happened and he owned a heartfelt apology to the girls, but right now, he could only think about gossiping about this strange reaction coming from the former Colonel with little Miss Anise. She'd surely have some juicy information to share as well.


There were three knocks at the door some minutes after the commotion was over. Anise and Noelle had left and Guy came asking some minutes later where they went. He asked if both Tear and Natalia were alright, and after receiving a positive answer, he left in a hurry. Mieu had floated inside the room sometime after Guy left, with Natalia's handmaid trailing behind him. She'd brought some tea and biscuits for them, apparently under Jade's request, Mieu explained with a loud, yet worried voice. And, while they were drinking the tea, there were three knocks at the door. Giselle opened it and Luke appeared behind it. His apology was short, but his voice was softer and full of regret. Natalia believed what he said, as he insisted for the fourth time he wasn't being himself. Tear didn't seem to notice the implications behind that, Natalia thought, but it sent a shiver down the Princess' spine.

It took some time to convince Luke it was alright, after all Natalia wasn't angry. If anything she was slightly scared, but she wouldn't admit to it. After a few minutes, Luke offered Tear to walk her back to her house, and Natalia insisted it was fine. In fact, she wanted to be alone for a while. She could talk about all of this with Tear during breakfast the next morning, when the things had cooled down and Luke wasn't around. They bid each other farewell and Tear promised to come first time in the morning. However, as they were leaving through the door, Jade appeared on the frame. His eyes looked tired, and he exchanged cryptic glances with Luke. Natalia didn't know what it was all about, but she didn't bother to ask either.

"Would you mind if I took some minutes of your time, Your Highness?" He said, before entering the room. "I know it's late and that it's not proper to intrude on a lady's bedroom at night, but I believe we have some matters to discuss. You may already be aware of it."

"Yes, I know. Giselle would you excuse us? We'll leave the door open, don't worry."

"Ah, d-don't mind, Milady. He's your fiancé after all. If you need anything, I'll be close by. Good evening, General Curtiss." She excused herself and left the room as fast as she could.

Jade walked in and left the door half closed. He sighed and let himself fall atop of the mattress besides Natalia. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes with desperation. He turned around to face her, as he placed the lenses over his nose bridge once again.

"Are you sure you want to do this? After what just happened?" He asked. Natalia knew he was acting so strange because he had one hell of a problem in his hands he was unable to solve with mere logic and ordered reasoning.

"We're not sure of what actually happened." She answered, unable to face him directly. Instead, she stared at his hands, which were clasped together over his knees. "Though I have to admit it wasn't Luke who came in and screamed at me. I think not only you and I noticed, but Luke did as well."

"He knows something is happening, yet, he doesn't know how or why is it occurring." Jade explained briefly what the young viscount had told him earlier, but it was evident neither of them had an answer to his condition. He had some of Asch's behavior, but he wasn't Asch… was he? Jade admitted he had no idea, and it frustrated him not knowing where to begin. After all, the only one who knew what happened at Eldrant's fall was Luke. If only he remembered any of it.

"I hope we can find an answer soon. But… I want to make up my mind and let him go. I… I know it's not good to linger on something… someone… who's no longer here."

"It amazes me how you're way more mature than I used to be at your age, you know? It took me several years and a near-death experience to even set my mind on that same purpose when… well, it happened."

"I'm not. I want to live my own life and I want to stop living if for somebody else's sake. For the past years I've been mourning his death… or his disappearance, however you'll have it. I've been living to be a widow who never married, it's so sad." She took a deep breath before continuing. It was obvious it pained her to hear all those words coming out of her own mouth. "Now that my father has started to push me into making a decision, it has also made me notice I need to move on. Not for me, but for my kingdom's sake. They need a queen, not a mourner."

"You could always ask Luke back into your original engagement." Jade insisted, though he was glad to hear she wanted to move on.

Natalia shook her head, insisting she didn't want to do that to him. He was Luke above all things. If somehow, Asch consciousness survived within his body, all that had happened since he reappeared, everything that happened that night, was Luke's struggle to take control of his own existence. If Natalia insisted on marrying him, she'd be denying him his right of living as Luke. Not to mention, she'd be unable to ever look at Tear's face ever again. If things had happened otherwise, she was sure Tear would have done the same for her.

"May I ask, Jade… why did you come to check on me?" She was curious.

"I have to admit I was worried." He said, turning his body slightly to her direction. "I heard the commotion from the other side of the hall and I thought it was best to stop him myself. Thankfully I did, or he might have done something he'd have regretted forever."

"No, I mean… what are you doing here, now?" Her former expression of worry and anguish had vanished, and now she exchanged him a curious look. Jade smirked and turned his face slightly.

"I told you I was worried. For all that happened, you might have actually gotten cold feet, or you might have done something stupid. It reassures me to hear you say you're trying to move on, actually." Natalia knew there was something bothering him. It wasn't the fact that Luke had almost made a scene, but something about Asch's lingering memory.

"I never imagined both you and I would have so many things in common…" He began before Natalia could ever ask him what was wrong. "I know what it is to lose someone you admire. Someone you… love. And I know far better than you what it is to obsess with the dead and the idea of bringing them back from it. Natalia, do yourself a favor. Keep moving on. Stop thinking 'what if'. It'll not bring you any good."

"I know you're right." He had a concerned, yet serious expression on his face. However, there was also a hint of sadness Natalia was unable to shake off. She was surprised of such kind words coming from him. "You're being awfully nice for once, you know?"

"Isn't that how a man is supposed to treat his future wife?" There was a tint of irony in his voice, but otherwise it sounded genuine. Natalia was impressed. "Don't get used to it, though. I told you I'd drive you kids mad before I turned forty, but I certainly did not expect I'd have to marry one of you. You're still a bratty child who needs scolding once in a while… but I'll make sure to tone it down a bit. I don't want my future Queen to make my head roll."

"My, my, General Curtiss can also be kind and gentle, is there anything you cannot do?"

"You know the answer to that." He said, fixing his glasses. "But I appreciate the compliment, sarcasm included."

"I didn't… sorry." Natalia clasped the box between her fingers for some seconds, fidgeting with it beneath her robes.

"Don't be."

"May I… may I ask you something? When you said you lost someone you loved… I have a feeling you weren't only talking about Ms. Nebilim" Natalia turned around and faced him. Her question had shaken him slightly, not enough to break his composure, but just the right amount to make him frown and look away. His expression turned awfully somber when he spoke.

"I'd rather not talk about it now, if you don't mind. But you're right, Professor Nebilim wasn't the only one. I suppose I'll tell you when the time comes." Natalia hadn't expected an answer, perhaps a joke to avoid the topic or a dismissive phrase that pointed out the princess's annoying meddling.

"Jade, I know I'm probably being annoying with all these questions, but… can I ask you for a favor? It's sort of strange, but..." She asked, changing the subject abruptly. She wanted to thank him for his patience and his willingness to talk about everything in some time, but she had a strange feeling on her chest she couldn't ignore any longer. Jade nodded, intrigued by her sudden change of behavior. "Could you... could you hug me?"

"Why?" He didn't blalantly deny her, but her petition was confusing. Natalia knew Jade loathed being close to other human beings and she wasn't much into physical contact herself, but she asked anyway.

"I'm... sort of scared for what happened earlier." She curled her legs against her chest, closing her eyes in desperation. "Usually I go to my father or Luke for help and they usually hug me without asking but... I promised him I wouldn't tell him or Uncle about this yet. And since he's the one who did it, I..."

Without saying anything else, Jade placed an arm around her shoulder and dragged her closer to him. In silence, he listened to her whimper against the crook of his neck, scared. He understood how it felt to keep it all locked up inside, to make yourself look and feel stronger in front of everyone else. That's what all of them expected of her, a strong princess who didn't falter to her composure. Yet, being screamed at and menaced is not something to take lightly. Mostly if the person doing the shouting had the same face as the person she loved the most. It was better if he kept his mouth shut and let her take it all out with him, rather than telling her to suck it up and stop crying.

Unexpectedly, he cupped her chin with his fingers, making Natalia turn her head upwards to face him. Startled, she stopped her crying with a surprised moan, unsure of what was happening and what to do next. Jade's eyes were inquiring, yet compassionate and comprehensive, as if he was trying to do a medical examination on her that would cure her pain. She didn't know why he did that, but the intensity of his gaze made her feel incredibly nervous. Her eyes danced down to his lips to avoid eye contact for a second, and then trailed back into his red irises, which glistened behind his glasses. For unbeknown reasons to her, she felt the heat rise up her cheeks as she thought what would it feel to kiss him. Somehow, Jade was thinking the same thing at the exact same moment. She looked beautiful even if she was crying, and it made him wonder when and why had she become such an interesting person out of the sudden. What had happened beyond the engagement that had made him think of Natalia as a woman, rather than a child? Was it the fact that both of them had suffered through mourning and obsession that both were damaged enough to agree to something like an engagement?

He didn't know why he had actually done that. At first he was simply craddling her to help the princess calm down, but then his body seemed to move on its own and he grabbed her face and forced her to look up to him. Jade pondered as his other hand rested on his lap, twitching slightly and craving to feel the smooth skin of her neck. Would it feel good to kiss her? Would she resist? Was that her body leaning slightly towards him or was it just a hallucination created from this sudden urge to touch her? It was as if she was an interesting specimen for an experiment, he couldn't help but inquire on the reasons she was piquing his interest so much. Doubtful yet curious, Natalia kept leaning forward, curving her back slightly to level her weight on the mattress without tripping onto him. Jade's hands moved away from his leg and carefully placed themselves over her shoulders. As the Princess's fingers started to trail into his chest, Jade's moved slightly over the curve of her neck. The closer he got, the warmer her breath felt against his lips.

They were just some inches apart from giving into a kiss born out of curiosity, none of them were able where it was coming from. Perhaps he was being compassionate with a poor, broken and innocent child who've had all of her hopes shattered in front of her time after time. Perhaps she was left vulnerable and oversensitive after being screamed at and insulted by her childhood friend and former fiancé, who shared the face of her first love. Neither of them could deny they were craving affection. It had been ages since Jade had held a person, not to say a woman, this close. He couldn't remember when was the last time he'd felt another human body with the urge to protect it, to cherish it. It had been almost four years since Natalia had been so intimate with another person, it had been so long since someone had cared this much to touch her.

She never believed she'd ever be held with such affection, it almost seemed like it wasn't happening and it was just one strange dream. Perhaps there was an underlying affection between the two of them, or even an attraction that had gone unnoticed until then. Whatever the answer, it was happening: he was holding her, cradling her against his chest as Natalia clung onto his arms and leaned closer and closer, each time their lips were being drawn into each other's'.

Just as she felt the tingling of his breath on her skin, there was a loud knock at the door. The person behind it didn't even let them move away from each other. Emperor Peony opened the door with a slam, as he entered with eagerness into the Princess' room. He stopped dead on his tracks when he noticed what was happening right in front of him. However, he didn't blush or turn around excusing himself, but he grinned and laughed loudly.

"I had no idea where you went! I didn't imagine you'd be here like THIS!" he said, still cackling at the top of his voice. "I went back to the room and didn't find you there, I was asking around the rooms if someone had seen you and Guy told me the Princess might have known where you went… I didn't imagine you'd have gone so far on the first day of your engagement!"

"... this isn't what it seems." Natalia muttered, managing to move away quickly.

"Oh no, Your Majesty, is exactly as it seems! Don't worry, I won't tell your father… not that he'd care. The sooner you give him grandkids, the happier he'll be."

"I let my guard down, I didn't hear you coming into the room." Jade admitted defeat. It only provoked another laugh from Peony.

"No, no, that's fine, I'll leave you to it! Enjoy yourselves! Next time close the door completely, I'll do that for you now. And please, Jade, don't come back to our room tonight. I think Princess Natalia would appreciate your presence more than I ever will." He left, backing away from the door, and they managed to hear his laughter from across the hall for a few minutes of awkward silence.

"I… I better go back before he keeps his words." Jade said, noticing Peony might leave him locked outside if he didn't hurry.

"Y-yes… I'll talk to you by the morning. Please… stop him from gossiping about this." Natalia begged as Jade stood up from the mattress and quickly left the room with a worried look on his face. Even if the Princess was worried about almost being caught up red-handed by the Emperor himself, she was more anxious about the fact that she'd almost kissed Jade out of her own volition. She didn't know why, but she actually wished they'd not been interrupted at all.


A/N: Oooo! things are starting to get interesting and, I hope, they're not spiraling out of control and the characters are falling far off their usual personalities. As I was doing the editing, I noticed there were some mistakes with the upcoming parts of the plot, so the next chapters may take a little longer to finish since I need to rewrite some stuff. Oh, well. I hope to get the next part done today as well, if not tomorrow evening. I hope you enjoyed!