I knew we should have never slept side by side, but actually we had not done anything wrong, had we? I could not think of anything wrong the next morning as I woke up. My Angel was no longer by my side, so I could not ask him about that. Besides, he had other idea about what was right and what was wrong – after all, he had never lived a normal life, like I had. Not to mention, I was not quite sure whether it would be a good idea to ask him about such a thing; he might got angry at me not trusting him.

With a deep sigh, I glanced at my hand. That little silver ring he had slipped upon my finger the previous night still glimmered in the darkness. It was a sign to both me and the rest of the world that I truly belonged to him. There was no-one else who could ever steal my heart. No, he had not stolen it. He had worked hard to fish it out of the nothingness. He truly deserved it, and I could not refuse him this reward.

I still wondered what it would look like from now on. He would never leave this place just to get married to me, right? Then would he bring the priest to his kingdom? Somehow it did not seem to be a good idea...

It was not quite the wedding I had dreamt of. After all, like every other young girl, I had always wanted to have a beautiful wedding with the ones I loved surrounding me. I wanted Meg to stand by my side... I wanted Madame to see me happy. Had she not done everything to make me happy during all those years? And it was all thanks to her that I had met my Angel. She also helped to make me happy.

And yet, he did not seem to be willing to let me contact her. Even though I asked him, even though I had suggested that several times, he had never allowed me to write to her. And without his help, I would never be able to send any letter. Besdies, I simply did not want to do anything against his will.

Right now, whether I wanted it or not, this place was my home. And he was my whole world. My tutor and my friend, my family and my lover. I knew that my life would probably look like this from now on, and it may never change. And while I did not mind living such a life, I simply missed my friends.

Now, as Meg was there, I decided to ask her about her and Madame's wellbeing. Unfortunately, as I soon got to know, Meg was still unconscious. I sat down on the bed next to her, caressing her cheek. I had never wanted her to end up like that. Nevertheless, I could understand why my Angel had done that. I just did not know why he had had to be this cruel to my friend... but then I remembered that he could not know much about friendship.

I sighed quietly and leant down to place a gentle kiss on Meg's forehead before leaving the room. I could not look at her in this state much longer. Deep in my heart, I was praying she would get better soon... otherwise Madame might follow her into this kingdom, and she would get into some serious trouble as well.

And I would never survive that.

I wondered where my Angel had gone because he was nowhere to be found. On the other hand, though, I knew that despite my having lived there for so long, I still did not know this place well enough to be completely sure he was not there.

At last, I decided to sit down at the harpsichord and begin my lessons without him. There were certain excercises I could do without him, therefore I did not have to worry that I would do something wrong. Besides, it would not be the first – nor probably the last – time I needed to practice by myself. My Angel might be my tutor, but it did not mean that he would do the whole work for me. I needed to work as well, even when he was not there. Or maybe especially when he was not there, so I could pleasantly surprise him.

"He is not here," I heard a familiar voice that made me jump from shock. At the same moment I turned back to see that she was really there.

"Madame!" I answered in a voice in which surprise was easily audible. My eyes were now wide open, and truth be told, I had no idea what to say. Eventually, I heard myself muttering, "Wha- what are you doing here?"

She hushed me with just one gesture as she placed her hand on my wrist. I had some bad feeling about it.

"We may leave now. Take Meg... and escape. I won't let him take you again. It's all my fault... I should have made sure... I should have never let him meet you. I knew he might hurt you, and yet, I did not take proper care of you," she muttered, and although I knew that the note in her voice was regret, at the same time, I could not help but notice she was angry. At the same time, though, I had no idea what might have caused this anger.

Of course, we were not the most perfect of couples. I was aware of the fact that my Angel was much older than me. That he had captured me and kept me in his kingdom against my own will. That he was different than any other man. But maybe that made me so happy with him. I understood him better than I had ever understood anyone, and I knew that he could see right through me, understanding what I wanted and needed.

We might not be a couple which everyone else wants to be. However, we were happy with each other, and I did not want to leave now. At the same time, though, I understood that my decision might make Madame furious.

"But... Madame... I am here on my own free will," I responded quietly, lowering my sight and slipping my hand out of her grasp. "I want to be here. With... with my Angel. If I wanted to leave, I would have left already. He does not keep me here by force anymore. He allowed me to leave, but... but I refused."

The muscles around her jaw twitched slightly, and I moved a bit back, already knowing that it was no good sign.

"You cannot stay here, Arlette. It's not a place for a young woman like yourself! Everyone's worried! Your absence made Meg so nervous she came here, risking her own life for you! You cannot stay here. You have your responsibilities. Otherwise, you will lose your job... and neither of us wants that, right?"

However, both she and I knew that it was not that easy. My Angel wanted me there – and he would make sure I would stay where I was. One of my hands touched the other in a simple nervous motion. It made Madame glance at them and she reached for them as I quickly answered, pretending I had not noticed that.

"He is my teacher, Madame, I cannot leave now. My education is not finished yet. I shall return... but not now."

Madame seemed not to listen to me, though, as she stared at the ring around my finger. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and I wondered if she was aware of how scared I was at that moment. And if she did – if she knew what caused it.

At last, she let out a deep sigh and glanced up at me. I could not decipher this look in her eyes. I had a feeling, though, it did not mean anything good to me. Although I tried not to seem to feel guilty, my cheeks were now almost completely red and I bit my bottom lip, lowering my sight. It was hard for me to breathe.

"What... what is it, Arlette?"

Her voice did not tremble with anger, however, it was strangely empty. I knew it was that stage of her irritation which bordered with complete fury. Never before had I gone that far, and I did not want to try now. On the other hand, though, I did not want her to pull me with her anymore. I appreciated her help and love, but I lived a completely new life now, and even if I wanted, I would not be able to return to the previous one.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, not sure what to answer. She knew what it was on my finger... however, she needed to hear that from my lips.

"I love him, Madame," I whispered at last, but I had a feeling she already knew that. What she thought about it, though, was a completely different thing. And for some reason, I did not think that she would agree to that.

But did I really need her agreement? It was my choice. Mine and my Angel's. If we loved each other, why would we not be together? And why would it cause any problems to anyone around us?

Of course, I did want Madame to accept us... but it was not something I needed necessarily to make my choice. I had already made it without it. I wanted to stay with my Angel forever. As his friend, lover or spouse.

"You know nothing of love," she answered quite harshly, what hurt me terribly, but I dared not say a word. "Arlette, you are still a child. To him... you are young enough to be his daughter. He is not the man I would like to see by your side. You deserve someone younger... calmer... someone who would make you feel happy and safe. You know you are like a daughter to me, and Meg sees a sister in you. I do not wish to see him crash your world just because you are infatuated right now... I know that youthful feelings may seem to be stronger..."

My heart seemed to be set aflame by her words. Truth be told, I could not believe that a woman who had done so much for me, who had always cared for me could have said something like that right after I had confessed that I truly loved the man who wanted me as his bride. Did she really not trust me enough to understand?

"No, Madame," I responded, and my voice trembled. I did not even know what made it sound like that: my sadness? Anger? Disappointment...? "I know exactly what I feel. And while I do love you and Meg... you have always supported me... I cannot make my feelings depend on that love. I... I want to be free."

And there they were: the words I had been wanting to say for so long. My heart kept pounding, but even for a while I did not allow myself to lower my sight. I hoped she would understand. I did not want to make her angry... but I was not a child anymore. And I wished she would realise that after so many years of taking care of me.

Yes, I was willing to repay her properly for her care. I would never leave her completely, even though I was planning to start anew.

"Then... then this is your choice," she whispered, apparently shocked with my boldness. Had she not expected this answer? I opened my mouth to explain myself, but I could not find any proper words. Besides, she had already stepped away from me. "You... you want to stay here... even though you don't have any future here."

"This is the future I have chosen for myself, Madame," I responded so quietly that I did not know whether she could hear me or not, but the look she gave me assured me she did. And I did not regret that.

Without a word she turned back.

"Should I help you take Meg?" I asked as soon as I noticed that. "I am sure he... he won't mind it if she stays as long as she needs to recover. I will make sure she is alright... and when she is... she'll return to you."

I had never seen such a glance in Madame's eyes. It was so cold that I shivered, almost physically freezing.

"I'll take her myself," she said in a voice just as cold, and I honestly felt hurt. Was there really something I had done wrong? Was love something forbidden, even though it was between two people as different as me and my Angel?

"You won't be able to, we both know it," I replied quickly, standing up. "And even if you do... you won't be fast enough to disappear before..." For some reason, I decided to avoid using the name "my Angel" when I was talking to her. "Before he comes back... and... and he's told me that anyone who enters this place must die."

She must have understood that despite the fact we did not agree in this one aspect, I did not want her to die.

"Please, Madame... run away... get back to your world. I am safe here... and you know now that I'm perfectly fine. Now, I will make sure Meg is fine, too, before she returns to you. You can trust me."

"I don't know who to trust anymore," she muttered, and I heard in the way she uttered those words that she was not lying.

Nevertheless, she decided to leave Meg in my care, so my Angel would not notice that she had even been there (it could do harm to all of us) and before I even saw her leaving, she was no longer there.