The following few weeks, Quinn feels terrible. Santana talks to her, but avoids to look her in the eye. She sits with her, but they don't kiss or make love. And then there's the awful pity Quinn just hates. She distracts herself by wandering through the castle, discovering a new corridors, turrets and chambers every day. It's amazing how large this palace is - more than ever, she believes the stories about people getting lost in the Lopez Palace. Sometimes, she shudders when she thinks about the possibility of finding a dead body in there somwhere. The Lopez Palace of Kinleysia is about as large as a small village, if not larger. Never before had Quinn realised how many people - and their families - depend on the Palace for employment. And to think the Del Monico Palace of Carmeltonia is rumoured to be thrice the size of this one, it just boggles Quinn's mind.

Finding Allison isn't going as easily as either of them had imagined it would. They have to keep in mind that Shelby might have given her another name. Santana only trusts a very select group of three people with the task of traveling through the realm and asking discreetly. She doesn't want anyone to find out that the Queen's favourite mistress has already had a child.

The Queen has forbidden her Queen-lady any contact with Quinn, but still, Rachel Berry finds ways to taunt her. She orders songs to be written about the many vile characteristics of the blonde-headed and has them performed for everyone in the Palace, including Quinn. She even sets up a musical about a talented, smart, hard-working brunette who is married to a man who only has eyes for his blonde maid, jumping her at every chance he's got. Santana is fuming when she hears or sees another of these songs and musicals, but knows that there isn't much she can do.

Quinn has to admit that being so cut off from Santana, things changing so much, affects her more than she would have believed before all of this happened. She doesn't particularly enjoy the fact that her stay here is no choice, but she hadn't realised how much she has come to care for Santana, and crave her affections. Crave her kiss and her touch. How much she would miss her, and how empty her bed would feel at night.

She's sitting outside, working on a drawing, but she can't stop her mind from thinking. She's worried - about Allison, about Henry, about Santana changing her mind. Her hand is trembling and she stops drawing, taking a deep breath.

She startles when someone behind her coughs. She looks up in surprised when she's met with miss Brittany, Eduardo's nanny. She has seen her before a few times, mostly when she brings Eduardo to Quinn so they can draw together, but they've never had a chance to talk much because the Prince is always so excited to draw with 'his Quinnie'.

"Hi," Brittany smiles. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"Of course," Quinn motions to the empty space beside her. "By all means. You're the Prince's nanny, I'm just... me."

"The Queen cares a whole lot more about you than she does about me," Brittany winks. "Sometimes I wonder if she even knows my name. I'm afraid it was quite the blow when Roberta died - she might have only given me this position because Roberta took me under her wing when my parents passed away."

"If it's worth anything, she does know your name. She appreciates your taking care of the Prince. She's told me so," Quinn smiles.

Brittany beams and Quinn can tell this is new information for her. "That means so much to me!" Brittany exclaims. "I'm very fond of the Prince. And the Prince is very fond of you," Brittany teases. "He's always going on about how pretty and talented and kind you are."

Quinn blushes. "Oh God. Does he really?"

"Yep, the Lopez' must have some Fabray-loving gene. They're both putty in your hands. You know, you've done what nobody since the late queen-lady Annabelle has been able to do - make the queen smile genuinely."

Not really feeling like broaching that subject again, she decides to bring the focus back to Brittany. "So how come Roberta took you under her wing? I thought she had been in the castle for most of her life, that she'd been the queen's nanny? How did you meet her?"

"I grew up in the Palace," Brittany says with a sad smile. "It's an amazing place, but I've never been outside these walls. My father was amazing with his hands and he could fix any old thing that was wrong with the Palace. My mother was a seamstress for the Queen - Santana's mother. They died when I was sixteen and Roberta took me under her wing. Santana's education was very intensive at that time and she was already traveling to meet important people, so Roberta had nothing else to do."

"I'm so sorry," Quinn says softly. "It must be horrible losing your parents."

Brittany's voice almost breaks as she holds down a sob. "They were great people. They let me dance and play and discover and I could be friends with whoever I liked. Dad would always tuck me in at night and read me stories about the world beyond the palace. Mom always got me warm milk when I got sad because I got hurt or something. She said warm milk scares the tears away," Brittany giggles. "They loved each other very much. They fell off a construction my dad had made to fix a ceiling. Mom was just bringing him his sandwiches."

"I'm so sorry, Brittany." Quinn genuinely means it. "I can't... I can't imagine what that must be like. Have you known the queen all your life, then?"

Brittany wipes back some tears and nods. "Yeah, but we're not particularly close. She's still the queen, you know, and before that she was Crown Princess, so they kind of kept her away from everyone. Tina and Mercedes grew up here too."

"And what about Mr. Chang?" Quinn asks curiously, referring to the Prime Minister, who she hadn't met often but seemed to be a kind man.

"No, he's from Galemore. His father's an important man and also a rich doctor and he sent Mike to the the capitol to get into a really hard politics school. He had to answer really difficult questions to get in. When he was done there, they sent him to the palace because they wanted him to talk to the queen, when she was still Crown Princess, to get her to think about politics more. Everyone knows the queen wants to be right all the time and if she was talking to Mike she had to come up with really good stuff to convince him she was right. She kind of practiced on him and then they became good friends and now he's her Prime Minister."

"He's not married, though, is he?" Quinn asks, interested to hear about the close relationship the Queen has with Mike Chang. She had figured out that he was important and the Queen held him in high regards, but she didn't know they went back this far.

When Quinn says this, Brittany starts blushing furiously. "No, he's not. But he's got a sweetheart. They might get married some day."

"And would that sweetheart be you?" Quinn teases.

Brittany flushes an even deeper red. "Maybe," she mumbles. "Don't tell the Queen, though. We don't want her to think Mike can't do his job anymore because he's in love. The Queen always said that someone in love could never do their job right and she'd fire people, and then she fell in love with Anna and she stopped saying it, but when Anna died she did again. She's in love now, though, so she might've changed her mind."

"I thought the Queen and the Queen-lady couldn't stand each other?"

Brittany laughs. "I'm talking about you, silly! The Queen's madly head over heels in love with you! Even the past few weeks, you guys have been acting really weird together but I can so tell she's in love because I've known her since forever and I can totally tell."

"I'm not sure the Queen likes me all that much anymore, Brittany. She might even take a new mistress soon."

"Of course she won't," Brittany rolls her eyes. "She acts like she's married to you. A few days ago, Eduardo asked her to keep you because he didn't think he'd ever like a mistress as much as he likes you anymore and you're too awesome to go away, and the Queen said she'd never want a new mistress anymore because she only wants to be with you."

Quinn looks up in surprise. "When did she say this, Brittany?"

Brittany shrugs. "I'm not sure. Not long ago. Four days or so?"

Quinn breaks out in a wide grin and gives Brittany a hug. "Thank you so much for telling me this! I was so worried!"

Brittany hugs her back and then says: "The Prince's lessons are almost over for today, so I should head back. It was nice talking to you, Quinn. And don't be sad anymore, the queen loves you lots."

Quinn gives her a puzzled look. She'd never told Brittany about her doubts or her sadness. She wants to ask, but Brittany's already gone inside.

A few hours later, she's back in her room practising her handwriting when Santana knocks on her door. She lets her in, wondering if the Queen has news about Allison.

But Queen Santana takes her by surprise by cupping her face and kissing her passionately. "Allow me to visit your chambers tonight," Santana whispers against her lips.

Quinn can only nod fervently. "Of course," she replies happily, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you."

The Queen takes a step back and shock is evident in her eyes. Then Quinn realises it's the first time she has said those words, even though the Queen has used them numerous times. But Quinn doesn't regret it, not one bit.