The next morning, I woke up to find Khalil gone and the bed done.

Grumbling, I got up, washed up and threw on the beige dress and then made my way to the squire's wing.

I knocked softly as I stifled yawned.

No one answered, so I knocked again.

Roald opened the door, just as I'd been about to whirl around and go to the stables. I smiled and leaned against the doorframe.

'Where's the hunky patient?' I asked.

Roald raised an eyebrow, 'Who?'

I chuckled, 'Khalil of course! My burly man! My hunk of the millennia!'

'Well, I guess you learn knew things everyday,' Roald said with an amused grin on his face. 'You're…together?'

'Together?' I gasped, mock-insulted, 'Understatement! We're bound together, our destinies are tied in a tight, impenetrable knot! No man will take his place in my life, except Jon,' I flashed an evil grin. 'But he's a bit old for me now!' I sighed mock-irritably. 'I suppose it's the Gods' will to punish me by impeding my love from me!'

'There's always "your love's" son,' Roald informed me.

I couldn't help but blush, 'Is that an invitation?'

'If you'd like it to be,' he replied.

'Well you do look a lot like your father,' I said, grinning as Roald chuckled.

'Khalil's gone out,' he said, when he'd stopped laughing.

'Gone out?' I said sharply. 'With who?'

'Jealous, are we?' Roald teased.

I merely rolled my eyes. 'Seriously, with who?'

'I don't know.'

'Now why don't I believe you?'

He shrugged with a smug smile tugged at his mouth.

I narrowed my eyes at him, 'Roald you'd better tell me!'

'You don't call that jealousy?' he inquired, looking too pleased with himself.

I sighed with exaggerated patience, 'Look,' I said, 'I just want to know where he is—and who he's with—to see if he's all right!'

'You could have just asked me—if all you'd wanted was to see if he's all right.'

'Why are you acting like this?' I exclaimed. 'Where's the sweet Prince gone!? What have they done to you?'

'You're asking me,' he said, leaning in closer to me, his eyes close-up a dazzling blue that choked em up. His face was now very close to mine.

Too close for comfort and my sanity, so I pulled back and forced a smile; I was never the type to go crazy over a guy, but Roald drove me insane, especially that he was the son of my "obsession".

'I think I'll go now. Since some Prince won't tell me where my best friend is. And as a bonus to that, the Prince just broke a chivalry code! I was a lady in distress and he ignored me. Tsk tsk.'

'Wait—' Roald called out, just as I'd turned away.

'Hmm?'

'There's a…ball in a few days, would you come?' he asked softly.

'A ball?' I frowned. Balls were like proms—you get a date, dress up and humiliate yourself. Being fake is what it's all about. 'Look, I'd love to, but dressing up isn't all me, you know? And I can't just show up in my undergarments—I don't have an appropriate dress, since I've only just arrive—'

'Wait!' he said again, disappearing into his room.

Seconds later, he appeared at the door again with a parcel, a deep smile on his face. He handed the parcel to me.

'What's—'

'Shh,' he said. 'Don't open it now. Tell me by tonight if you'll come.' Then he closed the door and left me standing like an idiot, gawking at the parcel.

I walked down to my room, closed the door behind me and sat on my bed as I opened the parcel.

As I'd suspected—it was a beautiful, silky gown.

It was an off-the-shoulder sleeveless gorgeous velvet dress, with indigo strips of embroidered threads crossing over each other going down to the hips, where a silky light blue thread was wrapped around the waist.

It was simple and pretty.

But it wasn't me.

I knocked on the door again. No one answered, so I knocked three times more before opening the door without consent. There was no one in the room.

'For God's friggin' sake—'I started, but stopped and jumped as I heard the door open. I turned around to see Khalil.

'Hey gorgeous,' he said.

'Spunk, you're a moron!' I growled.

'What?!'

'I just wanted to see where you were and this…this is what happened,' I cried, shaking the gown in my hand.

'You bought a dress? What's that got to do with me!'

'I dunno! I came to ask about you and suddenly Roald asks me to the damn ball and he gave me this dress!' I exploded.

Why was I so angry? I asked myself. It was no big deal, so the Prince bought me a dress, there was probably an Op shop somewhere in Tortall where he could have gotten it.

'He asked you to the ball,' Khalil said slowly, as if digesting the words.

'Yes, that's what I said, didn't I?' I sat on the closest bed. 'I don't want to go, I came in here to tell him and he magically disappeared. Why did he do that? Probably like his father, stubborn as a mule and doesn't take no for an answer. Well I'm a girl who's just as stubborn as he is and I don't take shit from anyone. I'm not going means I'm not going!'

'I'm going with Serena,' he told me.

I halted completely. 'What?!'

'I'm going—'

'I heard you!' I snapped. 'Why are you going with her though? She's—I thought you—why?'

Khalil just groaned. 'PMS already?'

I narrowed my eyes gruffly at him and slapped his head. 'I thought you were scared of her.'

He grinned. 'That was before we settled our differences. She's awesome,' he said, with a dreamy look on his face.

'Oh,' I said softly.

'So are you going to the ball or not?' he asked.

'Who bloody cares,' I muttered, getting up and leaving the room.