That evening Marissa left the palace late. It had required an enormous effort from her to part with her daughter, even if it was only until morning. The King and Queen had offered Marissa a room at the palace but just as she had done days before, Marissa refused. Moving to the palace from the Hotel would have taken arrangements and time, and Marissa didn't want to waste any of the latter that she could otherwise spend with her daughter.

It had already gone dark a long time ago when Frederick finally escorted his Queen back to the Hotel. He had stood nearby when Marissa had been reunited with her daughter, and he had been keeping watch over the Queen for the rest of the day, as was his job. He was more than delighted to see his Queen so completely happy. She had been smiling ever since the scene on the bridge, and even when Frederick saw her get lost in her memories, her smile never faltered.

Frederick had expected Marissa to be smiling right until she retired for the night and, although he chastised himself for thinking about something like this, also in her sleep. But when he lead her through the Hotel hall, he noticed with great surprise that Marissa was not smiling anymore, and she was blinking her eyes more quickly than was usual. Frederick had seen her do that a lot and knew what it meant.

"Is everything alright, Your Majesty?" he asked with concern, quietly enough that no one but the Queen would hear him, for there were some other people in the hall, trying to get themselves a room for the night.

Marissa looked up at him and didn't even put on a fake smile to hide her sadness. There was no need to play the official and unflappable Queen in front of Frederick. He was her friend and he wanted to help her in her moments of despair. "I suppose it is, really," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips at the sight of Frederick's worried expression. "It was a wonderful day. And it is not possible for me to say how happy I am," she explained as the two of them stopped before the stairs that would take Marissa up to her rooms. "But I couldn't help it now. I just had to think of Reginald."

Marissa was quite proud that her voice didn't waver when she spoke her late husband's name. But no matter how hard she didn't want it to, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Frederick's worry increased and he wanted to reassure Marissa. The events of the day were obviously a lot to take in for her. "My Queen..." he started, but Marissa waved him off.

"It's alright," she said, smiling and wiping the tear from her face. "It will pass. I'm just being silly, that's all."

"You're not silly, My Queen," Frederick said convincingly. "You have been very brave today. I was beginning to think that you wouldn't drop that smile at all. And that seemed a bit worrying."

Marissa chuckled at this. "I don't weep that often, surely."

"No, but you don't smile for a whole day either," Frederick replied. But when Marissa's newly regained smile faltered a bit, he was quick to assure her, "I didn't mean any disrespect, Your Majesty."

"Of course not," Marissa said kindly. "You were right as always. I haven't been so happy in ten years, it is bound to cause worry. I'll try and smile more in the future." Proving the worth of her promise, she smiled up at Frederick, as charming as ever, her sorrow gone.

Frederick held her precious gaze for a long moment. Other than her daughter and Melanie, Frederick didn't think anyone else was as lucky to gain such a brilliant smile from the Queen. He was lucky. And he was happy as long as Marissa was.

The grand clock in the hall broke the moment of peace between Frederick and Marissa. It was midnight.

"I ought to go now," said Marissa, never once tearing her eyes from Frederick's.

The man nodded silently. A moment later he spoke. "I forgot to tell Your Majesty," he said. "A letter arrived from Paladia earlier today. You are due to be back there in four days." He saw Marissa's smile fall a bit. "You must not stay away for too long," he continued, although it saddened him to bring this news to the Queen. "I believe Melanie would be more than delighted to hear your news. And you shall be back here for the Princess's wedding before you know it."

Marissa sighed in regret. "I guess you are right," she said in a quiet tone. "Although I wish I could stay longer."

Frederick waited before speaking on. He didn't want to take Marissa away from Apollonia, away from her daughter, and away from the happiness she had just found again. But he had to. "I suggest we take our leave in the morning in three days' time," he said, deciding that this way the Queen could spend as much time with her daughter as possible. "You can meet the Princess in the morning before we take off."

"No," Her Majesty spoke up, facing Frederick with a certain amount of determination in her eyes and tone. Frederick was a bit taken aback at this, but Marissa was quick to assure him he had done nothing wrong. "I won't be leaving in the morning," she continued. "I believe you told me yesterday that one of the Paladian Trading Company's ships would be leaving for Paladia on the exact same day. I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving us a lift. Hettlinger can take the carriage back to Paladia on his own."

Frederick had listened to her in surprise and admiration. When the Queen finished, he felt it was his time to speak up. "Are you sure of this, My Queen?" he asked, for nothing better came to mind. The Queen hadn't sailed for ten years, and had refused every offer to with such determination that everyone - save for Melanie - had given up on trying to convince her to set foot on a ship again. It was a great shock to hear Marissa's decision of going by ship. But the day had already been full of surprises, so Frederick wasn't too bewildered.

"I am," Marissa replied, amused at Frederick's shocked expression. "I believe it is time to put the past behind me."