Father once said that a man's weakness didn't lie in his head – his intelligence – or in his hands – his authority. No. A man's weakness lay in his eyes.

Eyes saw things; noticed the one which caught his interest the most, noticed how beautiful women were, and, then, got captivated by their appearance. But even appearance could lie. Women's beauty wasn't just skin-deep, but most men didn't realize it. Thus, father said, a man's weakness was women.

"Even a glance from you can bring men into their knees," father said. "Even with your smile can make men blindly devote themselves to you."

But he didn't.

A Tale from Thelua

[14] him

To feel the breeze, to bask in the sunlight, and to run freely in Thelua were things she thought would never be able to accomplish. Back in Feliose, in between her duty as the crown princess and studying, she would sneak away from the castle and took off into the forest with her dear stallion. To take a breather, to refresh her mind. It never crossed her mind that she would do the same here in Thelua.

Her hands were holding the reins tightly, a tender smile bloomed, a wind brushed past her hair and made it flew like a golden river. The plain stretched far, and her eyes were filled with green. For a moment, she forgot that there were Wendy and her nanny. For a moment, she forgot who she was.

"Sis! Don't go too far!"

Lucy slowly eased the horse and she stopped beneath a tree. Glancing back, she saw Wendy and her nanny catching up with her. Both seemed to be out of breath, especially Wendy's nanny. Lucy made a note to rode slower when they return to the castle as she dismounted from her horse.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that I am not riding alone," Lucy said as they stopped their horses near her. "Shall we take a break?"

"We shall, my lady," replied the nanny. "Beyond is lord's hunting ground. I'm afraid this is as far as we can go."

There was a fence, Lucy noticed, and a sign. A hunting ground would be a nice change of track for horse riding, but she knew she wouldn't be able to enter it carelessly. There might be wild bear and other predators inside. She would cause a problem if she trespassed it.

Even though I want to be as far away from the castle as possible, but I'm just being selfish. Again.

Both Wendy and the nanny would be blamed if something happened to her. It was dangerous enough for not bringing any knight with her now. Someone might attack and abduct her or Wendy and there was no one able to fight back or call for rescue. But she wanted freedom. Just this once. Just this once, please, let me be selfish.

Lucy leaned to the tree, eyes fixed to the sight of the castle on the far horizon. Even such a big castle looked small from afar. Her world was so small. It was just a couple of walls built from bricks and filled with tapestries and everything fancy. It was almost no different to her home. But she felt extra suffocated there. Perhaps because she was new to this place. Perhaps because she had a lot things in mind.

It was true, after all, when Doctor Porlyusica said that marriage wasn't a small thing. Marriage brought more problem, she said, that was why she didn't have any intention of marrying. But Lucy regarded her marriage as a fortune. One of the biggest gift she had in her life. And marrying Natsu was even bigger of a gift than the whole marriage itself. Natsu. Natsu Dragneel. A future king, a future father of the next heir, a husband.

Her husband.

Part of her wanted to sneer at it. To sneer at the thought of having a husband whose heart was left on another lady. On Lisanna Beumann.

She found herself whispering, "Is it that hard for you to forget your first love?"

But another part of her wanted to let it be, to let it lie as low as possible, to pretend that everything would be fine. And why wouldn't it be fine? She had sworn her loyalty to him and she knew he wasn't foolish enough to let his feeling get the best of him. Moreover, after giving it a bit of thought, Lucy felt that they both were trying their best to know each other. To understand each other. To fall in love with each other. But she already did, and she didn't know how.

Love came in the most unexpected way, at the most unexpected time. That was how it was in 'Estelle and Jules'. But this wasn't a romance novel. Natsu wouldn't just suddenly fall in love with her all that simple either.

"Today is a good day," Lucy finally said, distracting herself from the train of thought. "Good things tend to happen in a good day."

"Indeed," the nanny nodded. "Maybe it is sunny because they finally return."

"They?"

"The knights!" Wendy exclaimed happily. "Ange is especially happy today because she can see him after a long time. She's a big fan of him, after all."

Lucy was confused. "'Him' who?"

Wendy giggled. "The Flower Knight!"

Flower knight. She had heard that name back when she was in Feliose. Of course. That name was well-known even in Feliose. It was a title, and only bestowed to someone with the greatest service among the knights. There was only one bearer of the title and he would be either deceased or cast away if the title happened to be available.

This era's flower knight – Lucy knew who he was. She had seen him when she was performing her duty as the princess; when she was attending the closed conference regarding territorial disputes between Feliose and Thelua as the representative of Feliose. The Flower Knight was standing behind Thelua's king's advisor, Makarov Dreyar.

She remembered clearly the depth of his dark eyes, even with his face hidden behind the helmet. She remembered clearly how his eyes calculated her when she spoke to Makarov. She remembered how his voice rung in her ears when he spoke.

To think over it again, that time wasn't her first time seeing him. It was far before that day – before she knew who he was and before everything came to an acknowledgement.

"There will be a party to celebrate their return in three days," Wendy spoke. "I'm sure you can meet him, sister."

"Of course," Lucy replied absently as her gaze shifted to the blue sky, looking at the drifting clouds.

Maybe it's better if I don't see him.

But she knew that couldn't be done. Even if she tried to avoid it, she would have to face him. Sooner or later. Though, even if she wished for the latter, it seemed that she was not in today's favour. Someone was approaching them from the distance, someone who rode a horse, whose red mantle fluttered from his back.

Ah…

She noticed the color of his hair. It was dark. His helmet was absent, revealing his stern expression with a pair of eyes that was looking straight at her.

She had seen it before. She was familiar with it, familiar with him. His figure slowly drew closer and Lucy fought the urge to mount her horse and rode away.

It's him.