Chapter 10

The gossips of the next day really pissed me off. Dalila was having all kinds of fun with poor Jericho and he was absolutely helpless to defend himself, being stuck in his room.

"Did you hear that it was really Prince Jericho who tried to kill that girl?"

"Yes. How could he do such a thing to such a pretty, sweet thing like her?"

"Well, I've worked here for a long time, and I can tell you, he always was a little strange."

"Not to mention how he almost raped poor Dalila in the middle of the night. The poor dear. She was lucky she got away. Word is that none of the palace guards have ever bested him!"

I just bit my tongue and tried to keep calm, like Jericho had told me to do. But I'm telling you, it was HARD to do. Finally, I just decided that enough was enough. I had to dispel this ridiculousness once and for all! But how? Well, I had an idea…

I eyed the food that had been brought to me only a few minutes ago. Undoubtedly, it was tainted with demon blood. My stomach rumbled as the aroma hit my nose and my mouth watered. Oh, I was starved, but the idea of getting sick all over again really didn't appeal to me one bit. Then again, if I did get sick again, what would that do to Dalila's rumors? How would she even be able to pin it to Jericho if he's safely locked up in the prisons?

Believe me, I had half a mind to jump on that tray and start shoveling it in.

Eventually, that's exactly what I did. Screw that bitch in red, I was gonna get sick again with a vengeance! The rest of the day I ate like a pig and made a point to ask for seconds during my dinner. When evening fell, I sat and waited. I waited and waited for my stomach to leap into my throat and heave up everything I'd taken in that day… but nothing happened. Even after the Prince had finished telling me how glad he was that I was better now and that the King was so happy to hear of my recovery that he was already planning a huge feast in my honor and blah blah blah. Nothing. Which could only mean one thing: the food wasn't poisoned.

That Dalila was crafty…

I was back on my feet the next day. I didn't care how much the Prince protested, I was feeling way to antsy to spend another day in bed doing nothing. As a result, he followed me around like a little lost puppy dog most of the day, making sure I really was okay. Admirable, but a bit annoying.

That evening was when the King had planned his big dinner for me. I admit, I was flattered by it, but still, he didn't have to go to such lengths for little ol' me. It also meant that I would have to wear my gown. Goodbye, comfy tunic and pants… but still, I guess I could kinda see how the gown Danisha had picked out for me worked so well… but did she have to make it so… revealing? I felt self conscious just standing by the mirror…

The dress was a halter-top, but the back was wide open and cut a little lower than I would've liked. It was slit up to my thigh on the left leg and obviously made to show off my calf. The top was pretty descent, but it showed a bit too much cleavage for my liking. But even so, looking at it from a man's point of view, I guess I was a knock-out.

"Hello there, beautiful," came a voice out of nowhere that startled me so much I nearly leapt back ten feet. The Prince stood only a little ways away, his arms folded, grinning about the fact that he'd managed to get the jump on me. He was shirtless, and clutching something in his hand.

"Where the hell did you come from?!" I cried, trying to calm myself. He pointed his thumb back behind him to the balcony doors.

"I found the key for it," he explained. I raised an eyebrow.

"Prince, you better not even dare get any ideas now, because if you come in here in the middle of the night and try to snuggle, it won't work out very well for you and that's a promise!" I exclaimed. He laughed.

"However appealing that sounds, no, I don't plan on sneaking in at midnight."

"Good!" With that, I turned back to the mirror and looked uneasily at my reflection. He came up behind me.

"You look great. Why are you so self-conscious?" I simply shrugged in response.

"So, where's your outfit? Because if that's it, I hope you have matching pants to go with it," I teased. He just gave me a look.

"Very funny." We were both quiet for a moment. "I have something for you."

"For me? Aw, you shouldn't have." He just smiled and fiddled with something in his hands, then presented a silver chain with a small pendant dangling from it. I had to wait for it to steady before I could see it properly, and when I could see it, I couldn't help but gape. The Pendant itself was just a simple clear jewel outlined in silver. The jewel had a slight tint of light blue to it and was cut in the shape of a teardrop. I lightly touched it as he delicately fastened it around my neck. "Where did you get this…?"

"It was my mother's," he answered, "She left this to me and made a point to tell me to give it to the woman I fell in love with." Hearing this, I felt immensely guilty. He loved me this much? So much that he would give this to me without a second thought? And I didn't—couldn't—love him back…

"Sora… I can't take this… It wouldn't feel right," I protested, but he raised his hand to silence me.

"I know, I know," he said dropping his voice, "your arrangement. But even so…" he lightly brush a strand of hair behind my ear, "I want you to have something to remember me by when you... you know."

"Prince, you're making me feel guilty." His hand came back down from my hair and rest on my cheek.

"We can always fix that…" he whispered, leaning forward all the while. Oh no you don't, buster! I quickly pushed myself back.

"Don't you even!" I cried, "Not after all the painstaking effort that went in to this make up!" He laughed.

"Alright, alright. I'll wait until you take it off." He buried his face in my neck. "Your perfume smells nice."

"I'm not wearing perfume, you weirdo."

"Well, regardless, you smell nice." We stayed like that for a moment before he shifted and his beard, which was now much neater than it was, brushed against my shoulder. I giggled.

"What's so funny?" he asked, not moving.

"Your beard tickles," I said, trying to inch away.

"Oh, it does?" he asked slyly, an all to conspicuous evil glint in his eyes. Oh, crap. He hooked his arm around my hips and started kissing my neck, making a point to brush his chin along my flesh. I, of course, broke into a fit of involuntary giggles and tried to push him away.

"PRINCE, STOHAHAHAHA! NO MOOHOHAHAHAHA!" He pulled me across the room to my bed, where he pinned my down and continued his torture. I kept trying to push him off, but failed every time because I was laughing so hard, and they stopped completely when he snatched my wrists and held them down. "ACK! FOUL PLAY! FOUL PLAYHAYHAHAHAHAHA!" He kept up his treatment until I thought I was going to explode, and he ceased just in time. Any longer and I would've peed myself. He flopped down next to me and spread out, also laughing. "That wasn't very nice, you know," I told him, trying to catch my breath.

"But it was fun," he countered.

"For you, maybe! My dress is probably all wrinkled now thanks to you. And lord only knows what you've done to my hair."

"So go fix it, then."

"In a minute. I have to recover from the heart attack you nearly gave me." Probably just for the sole purpose of getting on my nerves, he turned onto his side, facing me and threw his arm across my chest. I thought about telling him that he was pushing it, but I decided against it. After another moment he inched closer to me and buried his face in my neck again, this time more out of affection than playfulness. I briefly entertained the idea of taking my revenge right then and there, but, somehow, I just didn't have the heart to anymore. Oh well, I'll get him back later.

Finally, I sighed, figuring that now might be a good time to bring up a more serious matter.

"Prince, you know that what we have can't last forever," I told him. His shoulders slumped.

"...I know."

"So, don't you think it would be better to start breaking it off now, rather than going through one massive heartbreak later?" He didn't reply. "...Prince?"

"I don't want to break it off," he finally said, his voice muffled by his hair. "I don't want to lose you."

"We'll still be friends. And you'll find someone else. Someone more suitable to be your wife."

"That's just it, Naomi!" he said, lifting his head to look at me. "All the time we've spent together, everything we went through… I can't see you as just a close friend, or a sister! No matter how hard I try to fall out of love with you, I just can't do it!" I shook my head.

"I don't know what to tell you, Prince," I replied, not sure whether I wanted to pity him or scold him.

"I just don't understand you," he continued, "after everything we've gone through together, how can you not love me like I love you? How can you still look at me and only see a simple friend, when I look at you and can't help but visualize you as my wife?" Oh, dear… something told me that this wasn't going to end well. Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut.

"It's not a matter of how I feel, it's a matter of how much trouble I'll be in if I don't do what I'm supposed to." I answered, trying to lighten to situation.

"Damn it, Naomi," he was way, WAY too close for comfort. He lowered his voice again to a whisper, "I love you…" He leaned in again for a kiss, but there was no way I was about to let him get away with this one. No way. I turned my head to the side as far as my neck would allow and tried to push him back again.

"Prince! Don't you dare ruin my make up!" I exclaimed, trying (and failing) to push him back. Instead of my lips, the Prince found my neck, which I guess didn't make a bit of different to him. He kissed it all the same. As soon as his lips touched my skin a pleasant shiver coursed down my spine, extracting a small gasp out of me. That only encouraged him, though. Damn him…! Why did he have to pick tonight of all nights? I had to stop him and quick! But damn it, that felt so… NO! Naomi, snap out of it!

Biting my lip, I went back to trying to get out of his grasp. I pushed, I shoved, I squirmed, but it didn't seem to make much difference. He had me stuck where I was, but good.

"Prince, seriously," I tried, but he obviously wasn't listening. He just slowly trailed his lips up my neck, slipped his arms around me and pulled us closer. For a moment I forgot how to move… and that was all it took for that same tremendous passion to start bubbling up in the pit of my stomach.

I knew where he was taking this, and it really had to stop NOW. But it felt… Argh! This is crazy! Come on, Naomi, don't let him take advantage of you like this! Do something! DO SOMETHING!

So I did… out of pure panic and reflex, I raised my hand and…SMACK!!!

It hit a lot harder than I expected… hard enough to send the Prince reeling to the side, clutching the side of his face in pain. He was off of me now, thankfully, but I saw the hurt on his face and I immediately felt horrible. The second I realized what I'd done, I jumped forward and started apologizing up and down until he steadied himself and raised his hand to silence me. I bit my lip and inhaled sharply as I watched him lower his hand revealing a huge red mark on his cheek where I'd hit him. My heart almost stopped when I saw the damage I'd done… but it wasn't just the mark that made me regret my actions. It was also the expression on his face.

"Prince, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to… it wasn't… I just…" I stopped.

"No…" he said at last, his voice quiet, "I'm the one who should apologize." Was he fighting back tears? I couldn't tell. "I know you're already promised to another. You can't love me, no matter what I do or how hard I try…" He shook his head and turned away from me. "I'm sorry, Naomi. From now on, I promise I won't bring it up any more." He sullenly began walking towards the balcony to his own room.

"Prince, I'm sorry!" I tried again, but I got no reply. He just left the room, closing the door behind him. Distraught and a little upset, I took a seat at the edge of my bed and sighed shakily. What was I going to do now?

Because of the, ah, 'incident', dinner, which was supposed to be a wonderful, joyous celebration of my recovery, was tense, uncomfortable and not very joyful at all. I, of course, hand a place of honor next to the King and the Prince was just on the other side of him. The whole meal, he did make an effort to be cheerful, but he hardly ate a single bite and did more rearranging of his food that eating. I just ate what little I could and tried to make the best of the situation. The king was doing all this special for me; I should at least try to enjoy it, even if my guilty conscious was sitting on my shoulders like a ton of bricks. It didn't take me long to resolve to try and talk to him again after dinner.

It really didn't help matter, either, when I kept hearing mine and Jericho's names being spoken. A lot of people kept leaning over or turning around to stare at me, and then would turn back and whisper amongst themselves. I especially didn't like the things I was hearing about Jericho's so-called crimes against me and Dalila. Speaking of Dalila, I kept my eye on her as best I could during dinner. She was keeping up the innocent facade quite well, and every time someone would come and offer their condolences to her, she would smile sadly and thank them for their concern.

As for me, all of the sympathetic smiles and knowing looks that people kept giving me were starting to get on my nerves. It wouldn't have been such a big deal, had they known the truth, but that wasn't the case. They all thought that Jericho was the culprit and would soon be brought to justice, meanwhile the real criminal was sitting at the dinner table, playing Miss Innocent. It made me so mad... but I just swallowed my tongue and tried to keep my mouth shut, all the while wishing that Jericho were right here with me.

When dinner ended and everyone at the table began leaving to fill the rest of the room and talk and do whatever rich snobs like them do, I quickly left the room to try and tail the Prince as he headed out of the room and towards the gardens, but the King stopped me before I got very far.

"Leaving so soon, Miss Fox?" he inquired, just before I got to the door. I had to stop.

"N-no, I was just going out for air," I stammered quickly, hoping to get him off my back quickly. I had to talk to the Prince!

"There wouldn't be anything wrong, would there? At dinner, I couldn't help but notice both you and my son acting so… melancholy." Busted. I dropped my gaze as he approached me.

"Uh…" was all I could muster in reply. I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Anything you wish to discuss, dear?" I looked up and pursed my lips, unsure if I wanted to bring him into this. It was his son that I'd hurt, after all… The King, as if he'd read my mind, ushered me down the hall in the opposite direction of the dinning room, encouraging me to tell him what had happened. So I did.

Before I knew it, I was spilling everything to him. I told him all that was worth telling, about the prince's feelings for me, about when he'd first fallen for me, about how he kept trying to win me over but I wasn't going for it, and about our falling out earlier. I remembered what the Prince had said about his father in the third game back home. He was right. He was a great man. Endlessly understanding, incredibly generous and willing to listen, always eager to help. I wish I had a father like him…

"…and that's about it. I was just about to chase him down and try to apologize again when you came and here we are," I finished. He seemed to mull it over for a moment.

"Hmm… well, I won't give my opinion on the matter, but I will say this: wait until he's finished sulking and then try and talk more with him. Maybe then he'll be more willing to listen to you and see things from your own standing." We stopped walking and he faced me. "I understand you must feel guilty, Naomi. But give yourself a little time to think tings over more clearly." Not knowing what to say, I just nodded and sighed. He put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm probably needed in the dining room by now, so I must be going." He smiled. I cracked a small one in return. "Good evening, Miss Fox." With that, the King left me alone with my thoughts.

Well, I guess he was right. If I jumped on the situation now and tried to smooth things over it would just make things worse. It would be wise to just wait until the Prince was feeling better to talk with him again. But even so, I was worried. I mean, what if he turned around and did the 'Romeo' thing and killed himself over me? I really doubt that he would do something that drastic, but still… well… I guess it wouldn't hurt to just check up on him…

Taking a deep breath, I made my way back to the garden entrance, which wasn't too far, since the King and I had almost gone full circle. I quietly slipped out and shuddered as the cool night air hit me. The gardens were quiet and from the looks of it, empty. But the Prince had to be here somewhere… I walked around for a little while, the only sounds being my footsteps on the carpet-like grass. It didn't take me long before I discovered signs of life. The Prince was seated on one of the stone benches that were placed all over the gardens in various places. He looked just as depressed as ever, but that wasn't what made my eyes widen and duck behind a tree. Dalila was sitting right there next to him, a look of compassion in her unearthly green eyes. She was talking to him, too quiet for me to hear from my position, but I could tell that whatever she was telling him had him interested.

I wasn't sure what to do at first. I could just walk over there and push her out of the conversation… or I could just leave. The latter would probably be the smarter and less painful option, so that's eventually what I decided to do. But before I could even turn around, I saw the Prince look up at her… and smile. My gut bubbled. He used to smile at me like that… Why was he smiling at her? What did she do to deserve it? I don't see her jumping around doing silly stunts…

Then, to making things worse, Dalila lightly placed her hand on his cheek and pulled him into an embrace, which he welcomed, seemingly whole-heartedly. That was it for me. That was all I could take. I turned on my heel and quickly stormed back out of the gardens and back up to my room, practically slamming the door and I sulked the rest of the evening.

Kiri: Well, since chapters have been pretty short lately, I figured I'd kinda make up for it and give you guys an extra long chapter this time! Woo! But anyways... ooh, is that jealously Naomi is feeling? teehee... all these questions and more shall be answered next chapter, where I will hopefully be able to do another FAQ finally! w00t! It's bedtime right now, and I've got school tomorrow, so I can't do it now, but either way, you guys make sure to leave a nice review or three! So until next chappy, ciao!