Saito walked up the stairs, everything was dark and he used the candle to light his way. The bedroom was empty with the exception of Derf, Saito assuming Louise was going to try sleeping in her own room for the night. "Looks like it's just you and me tonight, eh Partner?" The sword spoke up. "Seems that way," Saito replied, removing the knife from his belt and setting it on the nightstand.

"Hey, what happened between you and Louise?" Asked Derf. Saito looked over confused, "Louise? Nothing, why?" "Well she came running past this room, practically in tears," Derf said. "Huh? What's got her upset?" Saito pondered. "Last time we spoke was a while ago and she said she was gonna get ready for bed." "She was up here initially, but then she came here to talk to me," said the sword.

"Talk to you? About what?" Saito asked. "About you, of course," Derf continued. "She wanted to ask me for advice about whether or not to make a move." "Make a mo- wait a minute," Saito's expression changed. "You mean, that Louise-." "Yup," the sword replied. "For a while now, she's had feelings building up for you. Especially after everything that happened in Romalia. Louise wanted to ask me if I thought it was too soon to talk to you about it. I told her you seemed ready to move on, and that she should go for it!"

"Well if she wanted to talk to me, why didn't she-" Saito's eyes widened. "That noise I heard... She must've found me with Henrietta." "Henrietta?" Asked Derf, now he was confused. "What was the Queen doing here?" "There's a secret room with an enchanted mirror. Long story," Saito explained. "Ah," the sword replied. "And if she saw you two together in a potentially compromising position, that would explain why she was upset."

"Jeez, I'd better go talk to her," Saito said, turning to the door. "I wouldn't," warned Derf. "If you go barging in there and confront her about this, there's no way it'll end well. Think about it, Henrietta's her oldest friend, she probably doesn't wanna stand in the way of her happiness, or yours. And on top of that, she probably thinks there's no way she could compare to a Queen in your eyes!"

"All the more reason to talk to her then!" Saito replied. "She of all people should know I don't care about titles!" "Then tell me this, Partner," said Derf. "Do you like her that way?" The boy paused, unsure how to answer. Saito had to admit his own feelings were changing towards Louise. What had started as a contentious back and forth had become a genuine friendship.

However, he could feel something more growing inside for the mage. The recent development involving her older sister reinforced them. He was barely coming to terms with the stirred feelings, but the sudden encounter with Henrietta had completely thrown Saito off, and his head was all mixed up. "Well?" The sword asked, and the boy came to a realization. He smiled slightly, "Yeah... Yeah, I do."

"Ha! I knew it!!" Derf exclaimed triumphantly. "Huh?" Saito asked. "I called it the first time I saw you two bicker," it teased. Saito rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Things were completely different then!" "Maybe, but I had a feeling you two were gonna end up falling for each other," the sword went on. "But now, you've got a bit of complicated situation. There's two girls, and only one of you. You're gonna have to choose one and disappoint the other."

Saito lay back on his bed, his hands behind his head. "Yeah..." he replied softly. Saito had taken in a lot this evening, and now his brain was racing. On the one hand, Louise had really changed as a person. They'd gone through a lot together and it was clear to him now that they both had feelings for one another. On the other hand, Saito had also made a deep connection with Henrietta. They had shared trauma through the loss of loved ones, and he was more than a little attracted to her beauty. But would her position as Queen allow for a real relationship to take place?

Saito would have his answer the next evening. Louise had decided to go for a ride and take in the night air. The boy of course suspected she was trying to avoid being around the house while she knew he would be meeting Henrietta. He opened the passageway and entered the hidden chamber. Looking into the enchanted mirror, Saito soon saw Henrietta staring back in her night dress.

She smiled at him through the mirror and spoke his name, "Saito." After a flash of light, the Queen of Tristain was in the room with him. "I'm glad you wanted to see me again," Henrietta said. She walked over, standing in front of the boy. Saito sat on the bed behind him. "I think we should talk," he said.

Henrietta sat down next to him, "Yes, I suppose we should." "I know this could get very complicated," Saito began. "So I have to ask: if this, us was to happen, where would it ultimately lead?"

The Queen expression became a bit disheartened, and she looked down at her hands resting on her lap. Finally she spoke. "As I said, being Queen means I don't have the luxury of marrying for love. At some point, there'll likely come a time when a proper alliance can only be formed through marriage. And as such, I must be prepared for that inevitability."

She looked at the boy, "You and I will never be able to fully pursue a true relationship. If we were to fall in love, I'm sure I would be able to find you a position within the Castle where we can see each other more. But we could only be together in secret trysts." Saito looked down sadly, "I see..."

Henrietta understood, "It's not what you want, is it?" Saito reluctantly shook his head, "I don't want to be someone kept on the side while you're preparing to be with another person. And I would never ask you to give up being Queen just so we could be together." He stood up, looking at Henrietta, "I won't lie, I've had feelings for you for a while. But if that's all it could be, then..."

"Then it might be best if we don't pursue it," Henrietta finished. "Look, I want to be happy. And I want you to be happy," Saito continued. "But I think if we start down this path, and you eventually marry someone else, I'm just going to feel hurt in the end." Henrietta nodded reluctantly, "I should have considered your position as well as my own. It was selfish of me not to." "I still like what we have," Saito assured her. "Talking as equals, having enough trust where we can confide in each other, it's nice. I want to still have that. Can we?"

The Queen finally smiled slightly, "Of course we can! Honestly, it's a relief being able to be with someone and not be bound by social decorum's." "Well then, how about this?" Saito began, looking around within the bedroom. "This room can be all yours. If you ever need to get away from the Castle, you can stay here. Or if you just wanna talk to me, you can use the mirror. Makes for a faster trip than horses!" He grinned, finishing up his idea.

Henrietta brightened, "Oh, that would be lovely! I hope Louise Françoise wouldn't mind informal visits." "Yeah... I'm sure I can talk to her about it," Saito thought of the pink haired mage, likely still out for a ride. "Actually, there's something I need to talk to her about. I don't want to cut this short, but it's really important."

"I understand," said Henrietta, turning to the mirror. "But listen, you should come back in a couple of days," Saito said. "By that point, I'm sure I'll have the rest of this place cleaned up so we can have guests stay." "Are you certain you wouldn't like extra help from the Castle?" She asked, looking back. "If not a maid, then perhaps a tradesman who can assist you with repairs. I realize this is an old Manor and it needs refurbishing..." "I'll think about it," Saito replied.

The Queen smiled Saito, the two came together for a hug. "Thank you, for being so kind," Henrietta whispered. "Should you change your mind about anything else we've discussed..." "You'll be the first to know," he replied. With that, the mirror flowed brightly. And with a flash, Henrietta was gone.

Saito breathed a heavy sigh, this was harder than he anticipated. Despite the genuine attraction on both sides, he knew that it would not end well. Saito's talk with Henrietta confirmed these suspicions. However, that didn't make coming to terms with them any easier. Now there was one more person he had to speak with before it got too late. Picking up his candle, Saito walked upstairs and waited for Louise to return.