Days passed and during that time Juvia continued to have a very strong effect on the kingdom of Isvan. Much like her mother Juvia was a kind and charitable soul so after hearing about how poor some people in the kingdom were, she began taking blankets, food, and some of her jewelry to give to the peasants who were much less fortunate than she was. This caused nearly all the residences of Isvan to view the silent maiden as an angel from heaven. And it also caused the prince to become more smitten with her.

In time he found himself doing whatever he could to make Juvia happy. He brought her fresh cut flowers from the royal gardens, he invited her to take leisurely walks with him in the afternoon, and he would always open up to her about personal matters. Feelings and secrets that he couldn't disclose to anyone else because as heir to throne he always had to appear strong. He could never be vulnerable in front of anyone. Anyone except her. He would tell her about how stressful his position would make him feel sometimes. He would tell her how afraid he was of failing his people as a ruler. But he mostly told her how much he missed his mother and father and oh how she longed to tell him that she felt the same kind of pain and longing. But she couldn't so she didn't.

She had never known a more kind and considerate gentleman. He always paid close attention to her movements and facial expressions in order to learn how she really felt about something. He somehow always knew what she wanted to say even though she couldn't utter a word and no one other than her brother had been able to do that.

"You're mute but I feel that something is wrong." He told her one day as they were walking together. "The something is making you suffer. I wish I knew what was troubling you so I could somehow help you."

And she wished that she could tell him what had made her so sad. She wanted to tell him everything. About her brother, about her stepmother's spell, and why her needlework was so it important to her. So important that she was willing to suffer in both pain and silence. But if she dare speak one word before the scarf was finished, her brother's humanity would be lost forever.

"Will you be sewing tonight?" He asked her.

She nodded.

"Could I ask you to hold off on it? Tonight the church is holding a festival after evening mass. My parents used to take me every year when I was a boy and attending such an event always made me happy. I was wondering if maybe it could make you happy as well?"

She smiled at his desire to make her feel any sort of comfort and happiness.

"Will you accompany me to the festival tonight?"

Again she nodded with a smile still on her face.

"Wonderful. I'll inform Erza that she is to make you look your best tonight. I'll even send her out to buy you a new gown."

The gown Erza purchased for Juvia was red as rose from the waist down and white as snow from the waist up. After Juvia was dressed Erza pinned her hair back with an ivory and garnet studded comb then gave her a few sprints of perfume from the lily of the valley.

"You know if I didn't know you my lady I would swear that you were a princess." Erza said to her. "You not only look the part but you act the part as well. You have such good manners and a very kind disposition."

She laced slippers on to her feet.

"And you've had quite an influence on the prince. You know he hasn't attended this festival since the passing of the king and queen. It was always too painful for him. But thanks to you he seems to be getting past that. In fact thanks to you he seems to be so much happier now."

Juvia looked at Erza genuinely surprised by this revelation. Did she really have that much of an effect on Gray? Sure she always listened to him whenever he felt the need to voice his worries and woes but that's all she did. Listen. She never gave him any answers or advice. She only listened to him. However sometimes that's all a person needs. Someone to listen to them.

"You know I wouldn't be surprised if he asked you to dance with him all night." Erza said.

That caused Juvia to feel a little anxious. Dance? She had never danced before. She didn't even know how to dance.

"What's wrong?" Erza asked when she saw Juvia pull her knees to her chest, hiding her fit in the skirt of her gown. "Don't you like to dance?"

Juvia shrugged.

"Can you dance?"

Juvia shook her head.

"I see. Well lucky for you I happen to be an excellent dance teacher. Now you just sit right here and watch my steps carefully."

Erza called for Jellal to enter the room and serve as her partner for the demonstration. Juvia watched the two of join hands and waltz together in the center of the room. She noticed the way they looked at each other while they danced and recognized it as love.

"Remember the first time we danced like this Erza?" Jellal asked as he spun her. "It was midsummer night, all the couples were getting together, fireflies were all around."

"Jellal please. Now is not the time." She said.

"And when our dance finished I chose that exact moment to steal a kiss from you."

Without warning he pecked her right on the cheek.

"Jellal!" She blushed.

He only grinned and gave her another kiss on the cheek. Then another and another and another, soon he was planting kisses all over her which caused her to go into a giggling fit.

"Jellal please you're embarrassing me!"

"I won't stop until you kiss me back." He teased.

"Jellal."

"Go on. Kiss me back. Kiss me back right on the lips."

"You're terrible! You know that?" She laughed.

"I know. But you love me anyway don't you?"

She responded by pulling him close and kissing his lips affectionately.

"Satisfied?" She asked.

"Very." He smirked.

"Oh get out of here will you? If I'm not mistaken you have to go prepare horses now."

"Indeed I do." He took hold of her hand and placed one last kiss on the back of it. "But I shall return for you fair Erza."

He released her hand and left the room. Erza finished up on getting Juvia ready and escorted her down the stairway to meet Gray. The four of them along with a few royal guards rode their horses toward the church but while Gray, Juvia, and the guards went inside Jellal and Erza did not.

You see they had made plans of their own this evening. Plans to spy on the archbishop. They had heard that tonight he would be conducted a private prayer for himself and had specifically asked that he not be disturbed and that no one be present during his prayer. But the squire and the maid suspected that something much more sinister was a foot. So when they saw Jiemma leave to go off to his private chambers, they followed him quietly and discreetly.

They hid themselves behind a nearby shelf full of books and watched the old man start a flame in his fireplace. Now Erza and Jellal had seen fire many times before but they both had the strangest feeling that there was something not quite natural about this fire. Their suspicion was stirred even further when the fire appeared to whisper words and Jiemma started speak to it.

"No the prince hasn't consented to the arrangement yet." He told the flame. "But don't worry. One day soon he'll come to his senses and marry the princess. Mark my words."

The fire whispered again.

"Yes I understand that I have until the end of Summer to persuade him. Be patient. The boy is stubborn but eventually I'll get him to see things our way."

Another whisper was heard.

"The beggar girl? Oh she's no threat. The rumors of her beauty and the prince's fondness for her are greatly exaggerated. In my opinion she's a very homely looking thing. Nothing when compared to the princess. And the prince only pities her and feels obligated to help her. No fear of him falling in love with her or any of that nonsense."

Again the fire whispered.

"Yes I'm sure. Trust me I will not fail. You were not mistaken to enlist in my help. By the way you haven't forgotten my reward for helping you secure this marriage, have you?"

More whispering came from the fire.

"Good. Remember you won't be able to get the prince to do anything without me. He relies on my guidance."

"So he thinks." Jellal whispered to Erza.

"Shhh!" She hushed him. "Don't give us away."

"No! No! I haven't forgotten my place in the scheme of things!" Jiemma said nervously when the flames started to rise. "Yes I know that you could reduce me to a mere worm if you wanted to. Forgive my impudence. I just wanted to make sure that my hard efforts wouldn't be forgotten. I rely on you. You don't rely on me."

The flames then started to become calm and dim.

"I shall give you an update on how things are at Summer's end. Until then I will continue to persuading the prince to concede to the arrangement."

The flame whispered one last time before it was snuffed out as if by magic and as soon as Jiemma left his chambers, Jellal and Erza came out from behind the shelf.

"Did you see all that?" Erza asked.

"Yes. He was speaking with fire which is a tell tale sign of witchcraft."

"He could be consorting with creatures of the dark arts or worse."

"Should we tell Gray?"

"Not yet. We've seen him perform acts of witchery but we have no proof. We have to find a way obtain some." She explained. "In the mean time though it is imperative that neither Gray nor Juvia be left alone with him."

"Right. All keep an eye on Gray, you watch Juvia."

"And when it's safe we'll come back here and search for any kind of proof against the archbishop."

"We should also try to figure out who he was conversing with and what their plan is."

"Well obviously it's to ensure that Gray and the princess of Dragnof are wed. But the question is why is that? What does the archbishop hope to gain from a royal marriage? Usually matters such as that have little effect on the church except in terms of ceremony."

"Only one way to find out. We'll have to keep watching the bishop closely and make sure that he never suspects us."

"That shouldn't be too hard. You wouldn't think it but Jiemma is actually not very smart. In fact he's quite easily fooled."

"Perhaps but he's still a dangerous man. It's best that we be subtle and discreet with this investigation."

"Agreed. Now let's leave this place before he comes back."

Then they stealthily slipped out of Jimena's chamber unnoticed and returned to the church.