I do not own Midnight Cinderella Ikémen Royal Romances.

Chapter 12: For The Tea

August 21

5 Days Till Coronation Ceremony

You could say that the rest of the day passed without incident, but that would be nice. The rest of my day was excruciatingly boring. Nothing happened during the rest of my lesson with Leo, or while I was with Giles. I wanted to scream. Anyways, that night Giles summoned me back to his study. I didn't bother knocking, just letting myself in.

"Excuse me, Giles." The first person I saw upon entering the room though, was Alyn. What's he doing here? Heh, he looks just as bored as I am. The he was looking at me though was strange, and as our eyes met I suddenly remembered this morning. The memory of being in his warm, strong arms made my pulse quicken. To calm it I brushed through my hair with my fingers. Stop, just stop right now Ava. I glanced away from him to Giles, who was now standing in front of me.

"Your Highness?"

"Yes?" Giles smiled, making me feel a bit more than uncomfortable.

"I imagine Your Highness would like a break from all this studying. Would you like to go outside for a bit?" I immediately grinned, standing up nice and straight.

"Oh yeah! Let's go!" Giles grabbed my arm, pulling me back towards him before I could bolt outside. Giles continued on as if nothing had happened.

"Starting tomorrow, Your Highness will be trained in the equestrian arts, horseback riding and such." I held my tongue for just a second, to finish hearing what Giles had to say. He turned towards Alyn, his amber gaze resolute. "Your teacher will be Sir Alyn." At Giles' declaration, I instinctively turned to look at Alyn leaning against the wall. He seemed to be in shock with those wide red eyes of his. I smirked. Aw, poor thing. I was about to say something though, when Alyn beat me to it.

"Excuse me? My duty is to protect the princess elect, not teach her how to stay on a horse." I snickered, again deciding it to be better to keep my mouth shut. This was entertaining anyways.

"Yes, but what if something were to happen and Her Highness needed to know the basics of riding? Who better to teach her than the man most likely to be there in her time of need?"

"Hm." Alyn fell silent as he thought about the situation. He continued warily. "As a knight, my principal duty is to guard the palace." Alyn turned toward the door, barely sparing me a glance as he passed by. "You'd probably prefer someone less strict to teach you, anyway." Without another word, he opened the door and exited the study. The door shut with a soft click. I snorted and crossed my arms. Giles' sigh was noticeably loud.

"Sir Alyn doesn't seem to realize that this is an order." I looked away from the closed door. Alyn swore to protect me as a knight. I couldn't really ask more from him than that. Besides... I finally opened my mouth.

"Giles, a teacher really is not necessary. I'll have you know that I spent much of my childhood on a farm, and am well acquainted with horses and riding. I say that I go out on my own, and someone with less of an attitude watches me as I ride. Or, better yet, have Alyn teach me something which would be of more use to me. Like swordsmanship for example!" I said this with an air of coolness, as I ran my fingers slowly through my hair. Giles watched without expression, until I finished, and he then smiled as if he knew something I did not.

"Well, Your Highness, I could not possibly put you in harms way until I know for sure that you can ride with the utmost grace and safety. And swordsmanship, well, that is just out of the question! It is incredibly dangerous and very un-ladylike. So, until both you and Alyn can come to an agreement about your riding lessons, I will not allow you out of the palace. For your protection, of course. I hope you enjoy your lessons with Louis and Leo, Princess-"

Oh Lord do I hate Giles. Now stuck in my mind was the dreadful realization that I would have to spend every minute of every day stuck inside with a man who I hated and a man who probably just wanted to sleep with me. The blood had already drained from my face. Alyn was one of the few people around that I could actually stand to be near.

"W-Well then, I suppose I'll just have to change Alyn's mind then!" With a nod, I spun around, tripping before quickly regaining my footing, and leaving Giles as fast as I could. Nico met me outside in the corridor and took me to get dinner. We ate on our own, as it was already quite late, and then Nico lead me back to my room.

I was silent most of the time, mulling over my first long day as a princess. I was also thoroughly exhausted, having gotten so little sleep the night before.

"A tough day, m'lady?" Nico flashed me a strained smile, and I struggled to return one of my own. "How did your first dance lesson with Louis go?"

"Brutal." I muttered.

"And lessons with Leo?"

"...Odd?" Was all I could think of how to describe it. Nico chuckled awkwardly. I sighed for what must've been the millionth time that night, and ran my fingers through my hair. "I can never figure out what anyone is thinking. It's frustrating."

"Yes, those two can be... difficult. Leo is just so- Well, let's just call him friendly, that no one can really discern his serious personality from his many others. And Louis, well, he's handsome and refined, but totally poker faced and cold. The palace staff often joke about mistaking him for an ice sculpture." Nico smiled again, and I guess that he had wanted to make me smile too, but I only frowned. I get the joke, for sure, and I kinda hate myself for thinking this, but... That's not all of what I've been seeing from Louis.

"Because if a commoner like yourself were to become princess, I assure you, it would not end happily."

I had seen anger, even frustration and impatience smoldering deep within his icy blue eyes. And not only that-

"That's the custom here. They have to codify everything."

I've seen sadness too.

"Louis is not an ice sculpture. People really should not talk about him like that." All I could hear in my mind was me shouting hypocrite at myself. Really Ava, is that what you really think?

"Huh?" Nico was confused about what I had said, understandable. All I'd done for a good chunk of my time here already was complain about Louis.

"Forget I said anything."

"Okay... Well, you've certainly had a long day m'lady. How about a warm bath to soothe you?"

"Oh God, that just sounds great."

"Wonderful! I'll get that set right up for you!" Thank the heavens for Nico. He quickly filled the tub with steaming water and awesome fluffy bubbles, and left me to relax for a bit. Unfortunately though, the lack of chaos started to get to me quickly, and my mind began to wander. Mostly to my life before all of this.

I hope I'll be able to see Marissa still... I didn't even manage to visit her this last summer with so little money. I hope her farm is doing alright, and the kids too. Man, I haven't missed a summer ever! I really do miss all of them... Marissa Neil, or Marie as some people called her, was technically my second cousin. She lived on a farm in a small town on the outskirts of Wysteria, near the border between Stein, and another younger country. I used to spend every single entire summer there, helping out on the farm, and with Marissa. You see, Marissa never had any kids of her own. She's nearly fifty now, and I'm not really sure why, but she just never did. Instead, she takes in orphans and runaways, any kids who don't have a home. She's a mom to many, including me.

My mother was never there for me very often, but Marissa was. It was the same with the people from town. After my father died, my mom was never the same. She wasn't fit to be a parent, but she had promised my dad to take care of me, even though I took care of both of us for the most part. The people in town were so generous, everything they did for me allowed us to keep our house, and to keep me from becoming like my mom; completely hopeless, and broken beyond repair. As I continued thinking about the circumstances which had lead to that, I suddenly stood up, my eyes becoming prickly.

"Alright, that's enough of that." I wrapped a towel around myself and left the bathroom, and turned left, going into yet another room. I think that it's supposed to be a closet/changing room, but with it's size it might as well be a whole nother bedroom. I was a bit surprised though to see someone laying out a nightgown for me inside.

"Ahem?"

"Oh!" A young woman in a maid's outfit squealed and whirled around, her face already bright red turning brighter when she saw me in nothing but a towel. I would have been feeling quite blessed if I was her actually, I have a very nice body, or so I've been told. "I-I am so sorry! I will leave immediately!" She whisked past me, but I managed to grab her arm, just barely keeping the towel around me.

"Hey now, slow down! I don't even know your name!"

"U-Um, I really should not be speaking with you Princess! It's not my place!" The woman who must've been even younger than I am, twisted free of my grip and lifted up her skirts, exiting the room and closing the door behind her. I heard her leave my chambers just afterwards.

"So much for making a friend," I sighed, and put on the nightgown she had laid out for me, then went out onto my balcony.

Tonight the sky was clear, and I could see the stars and crescent moon. The balcony was probably my favorite part of my room. It offered a great spot to watch the sun rise in the morning, and it was very large. If I wanted, I could probably set up an entire set of chairs and a table, and it'd be a great spot to eat breakfast at. Plus, I nearly always could feel a gentle yet refreshing breeze blow past up here. It made me feel more at home.

Man, today was pretty horrific... And it's probably going to get worse too. At least I'll be convincing Alyn sooner or later to have horseback riding lessons with me. I'm so tired now... I blinked my green eyes slowly, while resting my arms on the railing, and my head on top of that. I was about ready to fall asleep right there, with the breeze against my cheek.

"M'lady?" I heard Nico's soft voice from behind me. I hadn't heard him come in the room, and I must've left the sliding door to come out here open.

"Hm?"

"You should probably get some rest Ava, it's a bit late, and you're going to have a busy day tomorrow." Nico came to my side, putting a hand on my shoulder and slowly leading me back inside, into my bed. I had enough energy to think that I should thank Nico as he tucked me in for the night, but I didn't have enough willpower to open up my mouth and say it. I have to do things tomorrow... Damn... I have to remember to thank Louis tomorrow, too... For the tea... I hope I can learn more about everyone, maybe I won't be so lost all the time... God, it's so hard... to stay awake...

And so my night ended, and I slept better than I had during the past couple days, due to exhaustion.

Louis stood outside in the small hours of the night, watching one of his attendants depart from the palace.

"I will continue managing my duchy from here, via writ."

"Understood, Your Grace." The attendant's carriage set off into the dark night.

"Looks like you're hard at work as ever, Duke Louis." Louis turned to find the source of the unexpected voice.

"What are you doing here?" An ever-so-slight furrow appeared on Louis' brow when he spotted Sid.

"What am I doing here? Just checking in to see how you and the princess are getting on together." The grin on Sid's face only seemed to brighten as he watched Louis' expression darken. "I did a little poking around, you know. Word on the street's that you've been intimidating this Ava. Saying you want her to quit being princess elect."

"It's no concern of yours." Louis replied instantaneously, his voice cool and controlled. Louis turned his back to Sid, but he kept talking, his voice mocking in tone.

"That's so like you, Louis. You won't take your own advice, but you try to make everyone else follow it."

"What?" Louis slowly turned to face his accuser.

"I can see right through you, Louis. You only want her to quit being the princess elect because you can't handle being a duke, yourself."

"How dare you!" The composure Louis had struggled to preserve gave way to a face full of raw emotion. Louis grabbed Sid by the collar, his fist shaking from the force it contained.

"Looks like I hit the nail on the head."

"What the hell do you know?" Though Louis' voice began to waver, Sid continued to stand there, cool as ever.

"At the very least, I do know you've barely left that girl's side since she got here." It was hard to imagine Sid's jubilant smile could get any wider, but somehow, it did. "And I know that if the princess-to-be takes a liking to you- that'd make you prince consort- practically a king- wouldn't it?" The impish twinkle in Sid's eyes was hard to miss.

"..."

"Living the life of luxury, indulging your every whim- Quite a departure from your old life. Must be easy to pull off with looks like yours." Louis abruptly released Sid from his grasp, glaring daggers in his direction.

"I assure you, I'll never be prince consort." Louis replied indifferently, and walked away. Sid watched him go, with no small amount of glee.

August 21