Thanks so much for the reviews. It just warms my little heart to check my inbox and see it full of warm fuzzies. ;)

Lady Viola, thanks for your reviews. Pardon me for promoting you from "Lady" to "Princess." I promise, I won't do it again. We all know who the real princess is, right?

Adelaide set sail the next day, as planned. No answers were sent with her, merely a vague promise of news to follow. Neither the king nor queen went to see her off. Only the Lord Eustace attended, and he was mad.

Jill watched from the windows. Eustace escorted Adelaide to the ship, then bowed, kissed her hand, and watched as her ship pulled away. He then turned and headed back to the palace. He looked up and locked eyes with Jill. She backed away from the window, then sat down and waited for him.

It didn't take long. Within minutes the Lord Eustace stormed into her parlor. He hadn't waited to be announced and the servants knew better than to stand in his way. "JILL!" he screamed in frustration.

She sat perfectly still as he approached. "I know what you're going to say," she said calmly.

"Do you? Then why make me say it? How can you be so stupid as to send her away? She was your only hope, and you send her home! And then you add insult to injury by snubbing her – you don't even see her off! How could you humiliate her like that?"

For a split second Jill thought of using the excuse of her pregnancy not allowing her to leave the palace, but she knew he wouldn't buy it. "She shouldn't have come here in the first place," she said.

"Have you lost your mind? I'm the one who found out about her father in the first place! I never would have told you if I'd known you'd react like this."

"It was the king's decision – "

"Oh don't give me that. You could have stopped him and you know it."

"Eustace, look, I have the advisors coming in fifteen minutes, I can't discuss this right now." Eustace's face turned bright red.

"Can't discuss this? Who do you think you're talking to, Your Majesty? I'm not one of your subjects!"

"I never said you were."

"You can't just brush me off like that."

Deep down Jill knew he was right, but ignored it. "I'm not 'brushing you off,' I happen to have other things to do that are more important than arguing with you over something that's already been done."

"I don't know you anymore, Pole. How can you not see what you're doing to the islands is wrong?"

"That's the British way of thinking, Eustace. Things are different here, and we cannot judge by the standards of our culture."

"To ignore what we learned from our history... Don't you see that you're doomed to make the same mistakes? The islands want representation. That's all! Is that really so much to ask?"

"It is unheard of to these people. I can't ask Rilian to go against history."

"Why the devil not? You're being ridiculous. Adelaide says that – "

"Oh I am so tired of hearing what Adelaide says.

"What is the matter, Jill? What has she done to you?"

"Nothing! It's what she's done to you that I have a problem with."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's bewitched you! I don't know what's going on that you're suddenly so instantly led by her – thinking that just because she's blonde and beautiful and politically conscientious that she's right all the time? We know for a fact that she's wrong! She lied to get here. That's why she's gone now."

He turned around and stormed off. Jill sat back down. She knew she shouldn't have said that.