The prince's tour was pretty brief compared to the secret ones he gave her at the ball. It seemed like he was almost in a hurry, but when she asked him if he had matters to attend to after this, he shook his head. She frowned. Well, he seemed to be pretty impatient for someone with lots of free time.
The palace had five floors in total if you counted the basement as one floor. She thought she knew enough from the tour to at least find her way back to the prince's room by herself, if she had to. His room was on the second floor of the palace, one floor below the throne room, and to get to it she had to take the second door to the left and then just follow it all the way until she came to another set of doors, where this time she would choose the right. Then the next corridor would lead to the prince's room. It wasn't that difficult now that she knew what she was doing. Earlier, every single turn had confused her. "There's nothing much to see, actually," the prince sounded bored. "It's a nice palace, amazing to show off when we have foreign officials visiting, but otherwise…"
His words trailed off, and she was left wondering what he had wanted to say. His sentence sounded incomplete. Instead of going on though, the prince just coughed and turned to face her. They were standing at the palace grounds now, ending their tour at the beautiful rose gardens. It was beautiful in both day and night, but at night there was an ethereal quality to the gardens, as though they didn't quite exist in the mortal realm. "Besides the stables, the gardens are my favourite place to be in," he swept his arm out, indicating the whole sprawling area. "It's just lovely to look at, and the perfume of the roses is…heady. If you ever need to look for me, then you know where to find me now," he gave her a meaningful look. She nodded, though secretly she wondered if there would ever be an occasion where she would actually look for him of her own accord. It seemed very unlikely.
"I just want to know something," she began, picking at the long sleeve of her nightdress. The cuffed sleeves were gathered at her wrist, and they were itching her skin a little. "Am I allowed to leave the palace grounds? Can I…travel across the world, if I wish to? Or must we be married first?" she tried to keep her tone upbeat, not wanting him to suspect that she had any hidden agendas. She was quite sure that the prince married her for something besides attraction, but she wouldn't let him know that she had secrets to hide as well. The prince frowned, obviously unnerved by the question.
"Why would you want to leave? You're a lady. It's not in your place to travel around the world," he answered, folding his arms across his chest. She had already expected that answer, so she didn't feel too disappointed. Instead, she would devote her energies into thinking about an alternative way to escape the palace. If she couldn't do so with the blessing of her fiancé, then she would leave on her own terms. "I mean, if you really want to, I suppose you can accompany me if I visit royals from the other countries we have arrangements with, but on your own…then most certainly not, even after we're married," he continued. She forced a smile upon her face, batting her eyelashes at him.
"Of course, I understand that. I'll stay here and be a good, dutiful wife," maybe some sarcasm had leaked out into her tone, because he straightened up and regarded her suspiciously. She just smiled all the more and eventually, he relaxed, though he kept that look of doubt on his face. She hoped that he didn't doubt so much that he would start getting people to watch her. That would make her life, and her possible plans to leave the palace, just so much harder. All this secrecy was such a pain.
But of course, at least she was away from her stepsisters now. She may be confined to the palace instead, forced to act as the prince's sweet betrothed, but thankfully she was no longer under their thumb and if she really managed to slip away from the royal palace she would have a lot more money to take with her. At least, she assumed she would. The prince was bound to give her jewellery or fine clothes that she could pawn away, right? She'd think about it when she finally reached that point.
"When do you want to get married?" the prince finally said, breaking the silence that lay between them. There was a cool breeze blowing, and the leaves of the rose garden rustled around them. It sounded like the hushed whispers of hundreds of people, talking all at once. "I'm perfectly fine with any date. We're engaged now, and the formal announcement will be made tomorrow. Though of course most of the aristocracts are already aware, since I proposed to you in front of so many people," he met her gaze, his lips twitching. She did not see what he found so funny. "You should have seen your face at that moment," he continued, that look of amusement never letting up. "When Lord Shion asked you to consider him…I don't want to know what you would have made up if I didn't come forward then. Of course, I already intended to propose, but it would have been entertaining to see you flounder," Miku resisted the urge to glare at him. He had definitely been nicer during the ball.
"I just did not want to be engaged to a man who was once betrothed to my cousin. As you well know, we have no love lost between the two of us, and I would not want to make the situation any worse," she said as politely as she could manage. "If it had been any other nobleman, I might have accepted the proposal, and you would not have your fiancée now," she smiled, feeling a little smug about this argument. The prince didn't seem impressed – he just looked her up and down, one eyebrow raised.
"I might believe that if you had not told me that you were looking for a nobleman who seemed to strongly resemble myself," he retorted. She inhaled, forgetting that she had said that. Maybe she shouldn't have told him that – she now had nothing to say if he ever teased her about wanting to marry him. After all, she was the one who had coquettishly dropped hints about her wish throughout all three nights. She could only blame herself for her current situation. "Not that you seem particularly enthusiastic now that I really asked for your hand in marriage," he observed. "It makes me wonder if you were looking for something besides a husband. Are you, Cinderella?" he asked, his face perfectly neutral.
She froze though. A firm 'no' lay on the very tip of her tongue, but he was staring intently at her and his piercing blue eyes made her feel trapped. When she finally managed to push the word out, it sounded much weaker than she had intended. The prince narrowed his eyes. "Most certainly. Well, I believe you – at least you are not like the power-hungry ladies who try to get into my good books. In fact, I might even think you're trying to do the opposite," he gave her a more humorous grin now, and she exhaled in relief, glad that he wasn't going to probe into her possible hidden intentions.
"I'm glad that you trust me, then," she glanced around the rose garden, not wanting to look into his eyes. Her gaze fell upon a rose bush near the ornate arch that led into the gardens. There were barely any roses there, most of them still tight buds, some of the petals just barely beginning to unfurl. "That one looks young," she gestured at that rose bush, trying to change the topic. The prince looked around to see what she was referring to, then turned back to her with his eyes narrowed.
"Yes, it is. The bush itself was planted a mere month ago. It will be another three weeks, more or less, before the flowers bloom," he explained. The prince seemed remarkably well-versed with the life cycle of a rose, to her surprise. "That bush was planted because one of the horses in the stables went berserk and stormed through the garden a few weeks back. If you see any plants that look out of place because they are new where the others are not, then the previous roses had probably been destroyed by the stallion…" he walked towards the new rose bush, crouching down and peering at it.
She followed, though she did not stand very close to him, choosing to keep a safe and respectable distance between them both. She decided that until the king formally made the announcement to the public that she was his new fiancée, there was no need for her to pretend that she was, in any way, in love with the prince. "The damage done was not little. It would have broken your heart to see the garden in the state the horse left it in…but I'm glad it was fixed in time for the ball. Otherwise I wouldn't have dared to show you this place, though it is undeniably one of the more gorgeous sights in the palace," he rose from the ground, turning around and giving her a small smile.
She didn't know how to react when he talked to her like that, so she kept quiet. He waited for a while, but when she still didn't say anything he continued talking. "Looks like it might be time for afternoon tea," he observed, glancing up at the sky. The sun wasn't as glaringly bright as it was two hours ago, but it was still pretty hot outside. She was somewhat regretting her decision to wear this long nightdress, especially since her arms were starting to itch more than ever – the thick material seemed to be partially or wholly made from wool, and that didn't do well with her sensitive skin. But this was a hundred times better than walking around in that skimpy little nightdress. The dress she wore for the second night of the ball had already made her self-conscious, and the neckline of the nightdress she was first given was even lower than that. She would not wear it around the prince.
"Should we go back inside the palace then?" she asked, glancing up at the sky too. The rose gardens were lovely, but it would also be nice to get some shade. She wasn't swelteringly hot, but it was starting to get just a little bit uncomfortable. To her relief, the prince nodded, and they began to head back towards the palace. Come to think of it, she was starting to feel hungry too. The timing couldn't be any better. The afternoon tea in the palace had to be good – it was for royalty, after all.
"Gumi will probably be waiting for us in the dining hall. If I know her – and I do know her – she'll already have our afternoon tea prepared for us. I hope the kitchen made what I like," the last part was muttered, but she heard him anyway. She wondered what sweets he liked to eat. He didn't seem like the kind of person who liked sugary treats or desserts, but then again she might be wrong.
He led the way to the dining hall, which she remembered was near the ballroom but she couldn't recall exactly where it was. It was going to take a while before she could navigate this place entirely by herself. Maybe it would be better if she learnt how to find her way around before she set off on her own. It would be terrible if she opened one door, expecting the exit, only to find herself in the prince's private study – he apparently did have a study separate from his bedroom on the first floor, and it was located near the staircase as well. Why couldn't there be a map of the palace, just to make her life easier? How did new servants manage to find their way around this giant building?
"Your Highnesses," Gumi, who was in the dining hall just as the prince had predicted, bowed to them the moment they stepped into the room. Miku jumped at the title, but the servant had obviously addressed both of them…the knowledge that she was engaged to the prince and was now part of the royal family came crashing down upon her. She would no longer be addressed as just Hatsune Miku or Duchess Hatsune or even Lady Hatsune. She would be Her Royal or Serene Highness from now on. She hesitated, unsure of how she felt about this development. It seemed so strange.
The prince turned when he noticed that she was no longer following him. "What are you stopping for?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow. She shook herself out of her trance and moved through the dining hall, following him all the way to the very front of the long, rectangular table. He did not sit at the head, instead sitting on the chair beside it. She sat opposite him. Two servants had pulled the chairs out for them to sit, and she felt somewhat…out-of-place here. Sure, if she had been raised with the upbringing of a noblewoman then she would be used to this, but she hadn't grown up with such a privilege. She was used to doing things for herself. Being pampered just…seemed very odd.
Obviously, the prince didn't have the same qualms as her. He had probably been brought up this way all his life, since he attended Easton College before he was adopted by the king. And only the wealthiest families went to the prestigious school for young noblemen. If she dug around enough, she could probably find out which family he came from before becoming the prince – the list of families who sent their children to Easton was fairly limited, with there being only a hundred students in each cohort, bringing the total number of students at any given time up to four hundred at most – but she didn't feel the need to devote so much time to research just to satisfy her curiosity.
Then two more servants came through the double doors of the dining hall, each bearing a covered silver platter. They silently glided over to her and the prince and set the platters down before them. Their napkins and cutlery had already been laid out before them on the table. The servants then lifted the covers, revealing an exquisite apple tart for her and a slice of pie for Prince Romeo. She squinted at his dessert – it was topped with light, fluffy whipped cream, but from what she could make out of it the dessert seemed to be banana pie. The prince beamed. "Oh, this is excellent. The pastry chef managed to find bananas in the market then, I assume?" the prince took up his fork as he spoke.
"It was difficult, Your Highness," if she wasn't mistaken Gumi almost seemed to be glaring at the prince. "You know that this fruit you enjoy so much is hard to obtain. We had to pay a hefty price for the last bunch in the market today. After all, there are only three plantations growing bananas in the whole of Ossyria, and you just ate the very last of the fruit for this season," Gumi's frown deepened.
The prince looked up from his snack. "You've said this to me about a hundred times," he said evenly, "and you are still going to hear the same answer. I love this fruit and I shall have it no matter how hard it is to get. Of course, I know that the next time I can have this will be a few months from now since the plantations must wait for the fruit to ripen, so I'll not demand for it until then. I'm very reasonable, as you well know," he went back to eating his pie, closing his eyes in bliss. Gumi let out an irritated sigh and walked away from the prince, the other servants scurrying out behind her.
Miku felt slightly amused by this exchange. It seemed as though Gumi did not defer as much to the royals as a typical servant would. How strange, that she was allowed to show any sign of displeasure at all with the prince. "You enjoy bananas?" she asked, delicately cutting through her apple tart with the side of her fork. The pastry was crumbly at the edges and soft in the centre, with a caramelised apple slice on top. It looked excellent, and as she tasted it, she sighed happily. It was delicious too.
"Yes, they're amazing. Soft and sweet, but not overly so," the prince answered, not taking his eyes off his banana pie for a second. "Too bad that they're not common in Ossyria, since they grow better in the tropics. I had my first taste of them only last year, when I accompanied my father overseas to Behayat. They have bananas everywhere. I swear, for a week I was in paradise," he finished off the last of his pie. Meanwhile, Miku was still only halfway through her tart. He sighed despondently, leaning back in his chair. "That was barely enough to satisfy me, but I have no choice for now. Maybe my father will organise another trip to the tropics someday," he muttered.
Behayat…she had heard of the place, but she definitely had never been there before. The furthest she had travelled was between states in Ossyria. She wanted to go and see Behayat too, and all the other different countries and places which she knew existed but never had a chance to visit. But given what the prince said earlier, she guessed that he wouldn't allow her to go to such places with him. It was stupid really, that women were expected to stay behind and look after the home while the men went gallivanting off to explore unknown places, but it was tradition and of course, no one would allow her to break tradition. Being the prince's fiancée didn't seem to grant any special privilege in that regard. In fact, it might be worse, given how high-profile her life would be from now on.
"Maybe you could bring me along," she said half-heartedly, suggesting it anyway. The prince looked up from his now empty plate, a strange look on his face – she wouldn't call it disapproving exactly, but it was strange. She didn't know how to describe it. Silently, he pushed his plate away from him.
"No," the single word was uttered so softly that she almost missed it. "You have to stay here. I can't let you leave the country, Cinderella," he pressed his fingertips together, forming a steeple and tucking them beneath his chin. All of a sudden, he looked remarkably serious. For most of the day he had been flippant, he had been sarcastic, he had teased her and found plenty of entertainment at her expense, but this was the first time he seemed outright…serious. She felt a shiver run down her spine. He looked so solemn, and she wasn't used to that. He just never seemed to take anything seriously, and seeing this change – seeing him really act like a prince just really threw her off.
"Why not?" she demanded, momentarily forgetting to behave like the meek, quiet lady she was expected to be. "I want to see the world too. I want to see new people and try new things. Why is it that you're the one who can go, while I cannot? Is it just because I am female?" she placed her hand against her chest, splaying her fingers out against the nightdress. She met his blue gaze directly.
"No, it's not because you're female," he answered, much to her surprise. For a second, just a single second, she faltered. "There are other reasons why I can't…just let you leave the country. It's not even because you're a foreigner," he added, noticing the look on her face. "It's not because of you, Cinderella. I have my reasons. Let's just say that once, someone I cared for left the country, and they never came back," his expression was still neutral, but she could feel her voice shrivelling up inside her chest. What was she supposed to say in response to that? She could think of no comeback.
Did he really care for her, or was he just making things up so that she would stop asking questions? Either way, she didn't want to press for more now. Perhaps next time, but she didn't think it would be a good idea to keep asking about something that was clearly a sensitive issue, so she ducked her head and continued to eat her tart. He waited silently for her to finish, and whenever she dared to look up at him, she saw a distant expression on his face, like he was remembering something.
His gaze was fixed on the wall opposite her, and he only looked back at her when she finished the tart and used the napkin to wipe off any crumbs that might have stayed on her mouth. "Just leave it there," he said absentmindedly when she tried to fold the napkin back into the shape it originally was. "Someone will come and clear it up later. Meanwhile, I think I'm going to take a nap in my room," he rose from his chair, his gaze suddenly focusing upon her. "You're free to come up with me if you want. Otherwise, you can find a way to entertain yourself in the palace until it's time for dinner. My father said that tomorrow, he will personally judge your capabilities and, if he finds that anything is lacking, he will hire a tutor to bring you up to standard. But until tomorrow, you're free."
A tutor? She had gone through enough tuition when she was little to not want any more. She was an educated child and she retained the memory of what she learnt, including needlework, playing the piano and making tea or cooking. She even learnt Latin, the language of the merchants, since her father was a merchantman at heart and he wanted his daughter to know what he knew. Miku liked to think that she was in no way lacking. "I don't need a tutor for anything," it was a struggle to say this politely. "I was brought up well by my mother in Veracent and you will find that I have very good knowledge on how to properly run a household, as is expected of any noble lady," she forced the words out through gritted teeth. It seemed ridiculous, that the only thing she was needed for was to keep the home in order. She didn't want to be restricted by what society expected of her gender.
The prince just looked at her. His face was remarkably neutral. "It wasn't my idea, so telling me all this isn't any use," he said flatly. "My father was the one who wanted this, so if you have any issue with this arrangement then feel free to discuss it with him. I think he's still in his room, which is on the highest floor, so you can find your way there if you want. Meanwhile," he interlaced his fingers and stretched, "I'm exhausted after showing you around, so I'm going to get some rest."
He instantly walked away after that and she stared at him as he left her alone in the dining hall, his figure becoming smaller and smaller as he got further away from her. She didn't know if she wanted to wander alone in this palace she barely knew, or if she wanted to hurry after him and follow him back to his room, or if she really should go and find the king and request not to have a tutor. All three options sounded equally unappealing. Granted, anything was better than staying in her manor with her stepsisters, but here she felt so…stifled. There was really no other way to describe this. In the palace, it felt like there was an unspoken rule telling her to behave properly, to always smile, to not be rude or say anything out of hand. She became someone she had not been in a very long time.
She became the Lady Hatsune Miku, the only child of Duke Hatsune, a member of one of the Founding Four who had a direct bloodline linking her to the throne. Prestigious, yes, but also very restrictive. Even as a child, she had been used by her parents to sway people to their agenda – she meant this in the best way possible, for she loved her parents, but as she grew older she realised that there was a reason why her father always brought his adorable little girl to business meetings with him, and never formally promised her hand in marriage to any noble son. Other families were falling over themselves to secure her hand, for the fame and prestige of the Hatsune family would come with her joining their family. But her father never betrothed her to anyone because if he did, he would lose his secret weapon. Yes, her father loved her, but he was not above making use of what he had.
For once, she was struck by self-doubt. Could she pretend to be someone she wasn't? When she was younger, she had all this knowledge stored inside her but she never had to put it into practice since she was young, and she wasn't expected to be a part of high society just yet. When she reached the age where she was expected to make her proper debut into high society, her father passed away and she was left with her stepmother. She never got to leave the mansion after that, and she had grown to become the complete opposite of what a noble lady was expected to be like.
All these rules, dining etiquette, how to laugh and be pleasant – things that were as natural as breathing when she was little – were now rules she had to actively remember. As a servant she never had to bother about these. So certainly, she had her knowledge, but she didn't know if she had the patience to keep up such an image. The prince would most likely expect her to behave like any other aristocrat, but if that meant she had to throw aside all sense of self-identity, then she didn't know how long she could keep it up. Being a servant to her stepsisters after her earlier years of freedom had helped her to develop a sharp, acidic tongue, and controlling it would be a chore.
She made her way out of the dining hall first, deciding that just staying there and thinking to herself wouldn't help her figure out what she wanted to do. Of course, the best option would be if she was able to sneak off and leave the palace, but she knew she couldn't do that at this point. The prince would probably launch a nationwide search for her, and her stepsisters would know that she was gone from the palace. They might even participate in the search for her themselves, just to get back at her. She still didn't have much on her, so it wouldn't be long before she was found and forced to return to the palace – or even worse, the mansion. She could only leave when she was certain she had enough resources to bring her swiftly to the harbour, where she would probably board a ship and leave for an adventure, only returning when she finally decided to reveal her true identity and claim her inheritance.
For now, she had no choice but to remain in here. She might be on the impulsive side, but she wasn't stupid enough to leave the palace with nothing but this long, itchy nightdress. Besides, the palace guards would probably catch her slipping out – the only exit she knew was the main entrance, and there were bound to be people watching there. She groaned, thinking her options over in her mind – she could either go back to the prince's room, explore the palace herself, or look for the king. After some consideration, she decided that the middle option sounded the best, so she hitched her long skirt up slightly and went on her way. There were bound to be places she had not seen yet.
Len was really tired. He hadn't been lying about that. Spending the whole day walking around after waking up early in the morning took a greater toll on him than he thought it would. He had to be getting weak – in the past, he could go horseback riding or any other activity for hours on end before he got tired. Nowadays, getting up alone took far more motivation than he generally possessed.
But on the other hand, he didn't want to spend any more time with his fiancée. When she asked him why she couldn't go overseas, for that moment she reminded him so much of his dead beloved. She had once asked him the exact same question – why couldn't she be allowed to travel? Was it just because she was a lady, and was thus deemed weak and vulnerable? Most women never went further than a neighbouring state. At the very most they travelled to Veracent, since the country was so close to Ossyria that they might as well be considered one and the same. But to go to a different land…now that was unheard of. Yet his fiancée insisted, saying that if he allowed her to visit other parts of the world, she would view it as an engagement gift and be happy forevermore.
He had been powerless to resist her, so he said all right – she had to seek his permission, since once a lady was promised to another her husband held more say than her parents. If he had not agreed, she could not have gone unless she was willing to break the law. And he never regretted any other decision more than this. When she left, she never returned, at least not the way she departed. She came back to him two months later in a wooden box, and the next day she was six feet underground.
Cinderella was important. Perhaps not to him personally – she would never replace his dead fiancée – but she was important to his adopted father. Cinderella might be the key to a fascinating mystery. She might be the missing daughter of the Hatsune family, and if it was revealed that this was her true identity, then it would really shake up Ossyrian politics. It meant there would be another challenger to the throne. The Hatsune bloodline definitely had a stronger claim than the Kamui bloodline, but since Cinderella was supposed to marry him anyway he didn't think it would make any difference. Either way, she would become royalty. He wondered if that was really what she wanted.
The life of royalty was restrictive in so many ways. He always had to watch what he was doing – he could not do any wrong in the public eye, because everything he did reflected on his father and on his country. It was a life bound by rules and regulations, and though to the casual eye he may seem free and uncaring of authority, his every single day was planned and followed to the letter. He rarely did anything of his own accord. That was his duty as the prince – to learn the ropes, to follow his father, to rule when the time came for him to take the throne. It was everything that he was not.
He felt like Cinderella was the same. He didn't think for a second that she liked the fuss of being a royal. He had seen her face when the servants pulled her chair out for her and brought her the apple tart. He knew that she was a little uncomfortable with being waited on, despite coming from an apparently noble background. Honestly, he wasn't sure if she really was aristocratic since she never explicitly told him anything about her family. He only knew of her connection to the Hatsune family because of the rumours flying around at the ball, and furthermore she appeared to be related to them through the Dowager Duchess, who wasn't even of noble descent. It was a very messy affair.
It made very little sense though. She had not seemed to know of the fate of the Hatsune family – for one thing, she didn't know that the heir to the family's land, Hatsune Miku, was dead. And though it was said that the Dowager Duchess Hatsune was her aunt, she did not seem to know that said aunt held such a prestigious position in the nobility. For someone who was related through marriage to the Hatsune family, she seemed to know awfully little. But was that all just a façade? Was she lying about being a foreigner or was she lying about being related to the Dowager Duchess? But she couldn't possibly be lying about the latter, she really had been staying in their mansion – albeit in the cellar, but she was still present in the house. So was she lying about being from Veracent, then?
He still didn't have concrete proof though. He would have to find out more before he could draw any solid conclusions. He felt that it was a good lead though, to focus on how clueless she had been on the second night of the ball. She was surprised when informed of the death of Hatsune Miku. If she really was related to the Hatsune family, she ought to have known that ages ago, even if she was staying overseas in Veracent. There was something very suspicious about her lack of knowledge.
Maybe he would ask his father for further leads. There had to be more to Hatsune Miku – something that would help him with his search for answers besides the colour of her hair and eyes. There might be other people in the world who coincidentally had teal hair and green eyes like hers. Maybe there was some other behavioural tic or trait that he could identify, something to indicate that she was the lost heir. Or something like a birthmark maybe. Just trying to persuade Cinderella to tell the truth might not be the fastest way, and Len was anything but patient. He wanted to find out the truth quickly.
But for now, he was too tired to think. Yawning, he reached up and rubbed his eyes, longing to get back to his bed. It was his habit to take a short nap in the afternoon, especially during the summer months when it was too hot to get anything done past twelve noon. It was nearing autumn, and the temperatures were getting milder. That made him sleepy too. Actually, anything could make him sleepy. Len could probably sleep through a war, though of course that was stupid and he wouldn't actually do that. When he got drunk, he was a tired drunk too. After initially getting a little rowdy just like most people, he would just fall asleep right after that. He needed plenty of sleep to function.
Gumi would come and wake him up for dinner, as she usually did. Until then, he would take his well-deserved rest. Cinderella could wander around the palace or she could slip back here and take a nap next to him if she wanted – he was too tired to mind either way. He found his way back to his room and lay down on his bed. Less than a minute later, he had fallen deep into the world of dreams.