Part Two

It had been by no means a good night for Sae. Trying her very hardest to be a sensible girl, she firmly took a hold of her nerves and told them they had better not torment her through the night. She intended on drowning her distress in sleep and would not stand for her own thoughts keeping her awake. There is only so much one can control. Just as she wished, sleep did overcome her once calmness settled in. Her dreams were not to be so compliant.

Mealina was leaning against a familiar birch tree in their family gardens, a golden sparkly book in her hands and her attention alert and focused. Only Mealina was different; she looked older. Her golden hair was longer and darker, as seasons had nurtured it into deep rich golden locks. She looked engrossed by the book resting against her blossoming hips. Then, and to Sae it seemed not in the least bit unusual, Mealina's eyes became her eyes and she was looking into the golden book.

The book was comprised wholly of wordless pictures in such colourful design they almost hurt Sae's eyes. Then she was in the book, and all the colors became dark and misty. There before her stood a fairy. The fairy had clear blue eyes to match her blue-tinted skin. She wore a glittering cloak of flowers and her hair lit up as if fireflies dwelled within the loose curls.

"Hello my child," spoke the fairy and Sae knew at once by her tone and face that it was Mayah, only she appeared younger. No not younger, immortal, as if age and aging were not consequences of her living.

"Hello fairy godmother," Sae answered.

"It is time for you to be awakened."

These words confused Sae, for she was not aware she was sleeping. "Awakened from what, ethereal mother?"

"Not awakened from my dear, but awakened to…awakened to your future, to the life you are destined to have, to things you were born to feel."

"But I tell you, I know not what you mean." Sae found her cheeks wet and her voice cracking in desperation.

"Be calm, this farce shall soon pass. Soon you will see it is all necessary for you to become what you are meant to be."

Feeling hopeless to a situation she could not fathom, Sae stubbornly sat herself down on a tree stump. She became aware of shadowy forest surrounding her, with strange mists floating about and twilight setting above the hushed trees.

Mayah the fairy godmother turned away from her and called with her bell-like voice through the forest, "come my fairies, come! It is time to prepare her."

Three beautiful pixie-like fairies appeared from the trees, and even with the wrong coloured skin, too big eyes, and strange plant fashion Sae still recognized them to be her three ladies-in-waiting. They flocked to her, their wings all beating steadily behind their backs, and they set to work on touching her hair, her clothes, her arms, her face until she felt a sort of transformation taking place both inside and out. With a blink of the eye she realized they had changed her appearance. She felt the sudden weight of the full-skirt of her high-waist white gown and there were more strings of bracelets and necklaces about her arms and neck than she could count. Her hair had been done in a modern trend of coiling tresses down her back that flattered her greatly, and on her head a circlet of diamonds and white gold was placed. Forget being a queen, she felt like a goddess.

The fairies all flew back to the fairy godmother and admired their work.

"You are now ready Sae."

Sae had no idea what she meant, but she did not think herself ready. Feeling apprehensive, Sae cried, "No! Please, no, I am not ready, please…please don't let anything happen, I can't handle—I'm not ready!"

"You are ready, you are ready," the three fairy helpers all sang, as if trying to sooth her worry. "You are ready."

"I'm not, I'm not!" Sae covered her ears and closed her eyes to shut out their intoxicating words. Now she was crouching by the ground, looking very strange for a woman dressed so regally.

Then she felt a hand press against one of her own. It was both firm and gentle. The warm appendage pulled her hand away from her ear. Surprised by the touch, she felt her hands complying and her eyes followed suit and opened. The hand continued to hold on to hers and a pair of eyes were gazing deeply into her cloudy grey ones.

"Who are you?" Sae asked breathlessly, pulling herself back up.

"I am your prince charming." He said with such a solemn expression, rendering her incapable of doubting his words.

And in that moment she realized he was perfect, perfect in every way because he wasn't a perfect human being, but it was all his faults, all the things that made him him that were perfect: perfectly suited for her.

"I will kiss you now." He remarked, more like an observation than notification, as if he were speaking of the weather.

The oddity in which the statement was said did not seem in the least strange to Sae. Instead she gathered herself and said, "Now please."

Though her words suggested it she wasn't impatient. By the sudden look of hunger in her prince's blue eyes, it seemed that he was. In the dream Roderick clasped her to him in a familiar way and kissed her as if she were the dearest thing alive. It was exhilarating and vivid to the point where Sae woke up nuzzling her slightly damp pillow.

That was when the panic started.

Dreams are the work of a tricky exchange between the mind (subconscious and conscious) and one's imagination. Sae could not comprehend why her own mind wanted to torture her, though perhaps a more sweet torture had never been administered. It was not possible, she reasoned to herself, flustered and distressed and befuddled, not sensibly or logically possible for a very sensible and logical girl like herself to have fallen in love over a dream. Impossible! No matter how fast her heart was beating, nor how the vivid remains of a melodic dream occupied her thoughts, the simple truth was that she could not be in love with the dull, indifferent Royal Advisor!

So maybe he had kissed her in the realm of the living only hours before her fantasies in slumberland, but she was just as likely to fall for a man because of one measly kiss as she was to fall in love with him over an inconsequential dream.

The thought of his kiss made her blush, which set her off on another tizzy. The kiss in the dream had felt so real and so good, but it was nothing to the memory of his actual kiss. She was in trouble.

This feverish, jumpy, tense manner did not sit well with her. Never before had she been in such a state. She almost jumped right out of bed when she heard the sound of her lady's maids around her. She had not even noticed their entrance, so absorbed by her troubling thoughts.

"Goodness Sae, keep your soul in your body. No need to jump out on our account." Beda said.

Alesia pulled her covers back from her and noted, "you look pale Sae…and your forehead looks a little moist. Are you feverish?"

"I…"Sae began with a shaky voice, but stopped as soon as she heard how strange she sounded.

"Dear me, Phèlie go run for the royal doctor, Sae is not well." Beda said, pushing Sae back down. "Just rest milady, we'll take care of you."

"Wait, I'm not sick." Sae struggled to get back up, pushing away Beda's hands.

"You look ill," Phèlie observed as she came back towards the bed. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather I go and fetch the doctor?"

"Stay, please stay." She swung her heels over the side of the matress and sat there for a moment collecting herself. "I only look pale because I am disturbed."

"Disturbed?" Alesia asked dubiously, "but whatever for?"

"Why?" Sae answered incredulously, as if the answer should be as obvious to them as it was to her. "Well, wouldn't you be? He kissed me after all!"

The look of alarm on all three maid's faces was evident enough to her.

"Who?" The word was uttered almost hungrily by Phèlie and repeated disapprovingly by Beda.

"Roderick!" Sae exclaimed. "He said he was my prince charming and told me he was going to kiss me."

"He told you what!" The maids now looked beside themselves.

"And it's your fault as well! All three of you, forcing me to wear that white gown and singing that idiot song about me being ready when I knew I wasn't. Who said I wanted a fairy godmother and her little fairy minions to meddle in my business anyway?"

"Sae…can you please talk sense? What do you mean by telling us we dressed you up and sang to you?" Alesia's red eyebrows disappeared underneath her soft bangs.

"Fairy godmother?" Beda frowned. "Could this possibly be a dream you are speaking of?"

Sae rolled her eyes impatiently. "Of course it's a dream, as if that makes it any better. It affects me just the same. How am I supposed to feel, to think, with this dream hanging over my head?"

All the maids visibly relaxed and Phèlie and Alesia even began to laugh.

"Only a dream! Oh Sae, you had me so taken in. I actually thought the Royal Advisor had kissed you! Can you imagine how fantastical that would be!" Phèlie giggled.

"Though I do wonder what brought on this dream," Alesia added. "After all, they do say that dreams are the work of troubles during the day. Could it be maybe you are harbouring feelings for Roderick?"

They were all watching closely for her reaction now, as if it meant a great deal to see what she said. Sae knew it did matter though. She was here for Prince Sevastian, their master. Should she fall in love with anyone else, well it was most likely their job to report it.

"The reason behind my dream is simple really." Sae told them. "I don't…did not have feelings for him as far as I know, but when a man suddenly grabs you, cages you between himself and a door, and then kisses you both wildly and tenderly, well I suppose a consequence is that when you sleep, you'll have dreams about him."

It took a while for her words to sink in.

"This was another dream?" Phèlie asked confusedly.

"I assure you it was not," Sae replied on edge. "If he had been more forcible about it I would have the marks to prove it. Thankfully he is not a brute. Last night I snuck over to Prince Sevastian's room in hopes of…talking with him about the ball. I…couldn't sleep and I wanted someone to talk to, and I thought his highness would be good since I am here trying to make him love me. Instead of Sevastian, Roderick was there waiting for me as if he knew I was going to do just the thing. He scolded me and then next thing I know he was pressing me against a door and assaulting me. I have no idea why and I don't have the nerve to ask him."

"This is…inconceivable." Beda said after a pause.

Alesia cocked her head to the side. "Well, he is a man after all. I suppose even Roderick desires women, though I've never heard or seen anything of the like in his case. He is quite secretive."

It was admittedly a comfort for Sae to hear this, for she was still toying with the idea that perhaps Roderick was testing her and that he had kissed all the previous ladies before. As all the maids were clearly shocked by what she told them, she began to see the unlikelihood of her original suspicion.

"Sae! He must be in love with you!" Phèlie exclaimed, suddenly for some inexplicable reason beyond happiness. "This is simply wonderful!"

The other maids shot her a look. Sae thought it strange that Phèlie should be so high-spirited when she had previously thought the girl fancied him.

"How so Phélie?" Alesia almost snapped. "Sae is here for Prince Sevastian, not Roderick, remember?"

Phèlie turned bright red and said in a small voice, "Well…love is a beautiful thing, no matter who it is that falls in love with whom."

"That may be so," Alesia countered, "but who ever heard of him being in love with…anyone?"

"He certainly is a lone individual." Beda agreed curtly. "He has his cousins for friends though he is a man of solitude. This is a perplexing matter…I wonder what the Queen would make of this…"

Sae felt a fresh wave of panic. "No! Please. You mustn't say a word! I am here for the Prince, not the Royal Advisor! If the Queen finds out I'll be asked to leave, I know it, and Sevastian will…"

She had meant to say, "and Sevastian will not be mine," though Roderick's words the night before made her think twice. She had already acknowledged that she didn't really want the prince. Just what she did want at the moment seemed very fuzzy to her.

"Just please…be quiet about this whole affair." Sae implored.

"For your sake I will." Phèlie said at once, the other two consenting with nods.

"Good, thank you. Now, please help me out of these clothes. I'm feeling frantic and I think a cold bath is just what I need to relax."

Though the bath was soothing on her nerves Sae was nevertheless still fretful over this new development. Again and again she told herself that love was not something procured by a simple kiss. Love was what she saw between her father and her stepmother; quiet yet always there in the background like an assuring presence. They did not flaunt their love, and it had been enough years so that they no longer became significantly affected by the other's sudden presence, and yet, Count Arland's eyes still seemed to soften at the mention or sight of his wife, and Lady Kiva still subconsciously would touch him, usually by taking his arm, every time he entered the room she was in. The air between them told Sae what love was, since she couldn't see it and she was sure she'd never feel it.

What she was feeling now wasn't love. Sure, during those days when Roderick had coached her she had come to appreciate and admire him more than her original estimations. Long ago she had stopped considering his quiet nature as unattractive. It suited him, and in turn it suited her well for she was never one to talk much herself. Perhaps he wasn't as lively as he could be, but it certainly was a welcome break for her from Lisario's over friendliness. He certainly was intelligent, and intelligence Sae held in high opinion. Though she denied that appearance influenced her in the least, Roderick certainly looked as dazzling last night at the ball as his two cousins. Normally he had such a serious expression across his fine features it was difficult for her to associate it with appealing, and yet she had to admit his face was of clean symmetry, and though he was not as tall as Sir Lisario he certainly matched his highness Prince Sevastian in height. What got to Sae more than intelligence and looks and personality though was that kiss. Physically it excited every bone in her body, woke up dormant nerves, and sparked electricity in her veins. She had never experienced such a feeling, and it continued to linger in the fringes of her memory. She even suspected her recollection was embellished and perhaps she was remembering more than she had really felt.

Yes, that was exactly what was happening, she argued. Her silly imagination, the one she had prided herself on being able to control, was running away with this terrible misfortune and using it against her poor heart. Well, she wouldn't stand for it a second longer.

That morning she went out for her usual ride, chastising herself for being so alert as she walked down the halls of the palace and out into the fields. It wasn't as if he would be around anyway. He was always holed up in his study, after all.

Down in the stables Condor was brushing Ivy's mane in preparation of Sae's arrival. Both Prince Sevastian and Prince Fabian were out on their horses talking by the gate. On seeing Sae, Prince Sevastian stopped mid-sentence and turned to smile at her. Fabian glanced back, and realizing it was Sae, gave her a quick nod and took this as an to commence his ride. He left his brother at the gate and rode off into the wilderness edging into the fields. Sevastian turned his horse toward Sae and rode out to meet her on her journey toward the stables. They met in front of Condor and Ivy.

"And how is this fair day treating you Sae?" Sevastian asked gallantly, dismounting from his horse and coming to stand courteously before her.

"It is all right with me. And you, your highness?" She asked politely.

He smiled broadly. "I'm feeling positively vibrant this morning, though I must admit your calling me highness just now has put me off a bit. After all this time of calling me Sevastian, was it just a slip of the tongue?"

Sae admitted it was. For some reason she felt a tinge of guilt in seeing him and could no longer bring herself to be so familiar. Not when her eyes had been opened and she knew that in a way she was doing him an injustice. It wasn't fair to Sevastian that she should marry him when she knew she would never want nor love him truly. Sevastian had told her himself that he was looking for someone to love and be loved in return. What kind of monster masquerading as a lady was she?

"I am sorry…Sevastian, I am just a little tired. I must not be thinking properly. So, shall we be off on our ride now?"

She didn't have it in her heart to go riding with him but she knew that she must regardless. She caught Condor's eye and was surprised by the look he was giving her, as if he was seeing something to make him worry.

"Perhaps his highness could take a couple rides around the field for a few moments. I must show Lady Sae a new development with her mare and the mare's accommodations," Condor said pointedly. "If you would be so kind as to spare her, that is."

If Prince Sevastian was wise to Condor's thoughts he kept it hidden under that obliviously obliging smile of his. He nodded and said, "I'll just give Taranight a chance to stretch his four legs out in the field. We won't wander off too far Sae."

"Yes, thank you." Sae nodded in consent and the Prince left.

"How are you Condor?" Sae asked quietly.

"I am alright, and how are you Sae?"

"Fine, fine. Was there any reason why you wanted to talk to me without his highness being around?"

Condor smiled faintly. "Actually there was. I noticed you are oddly restrained with him this morning. I was under the impression that your plan was to reel him into your trap of love, though I suppose being standoffish may give him the incentive for the chase."

"I…Condor it isn't exactly a matter of reeling him into a trap; you make it sound as though I were trying scheming against him." Though of course she knew that was exactly what she had been doing.

"Well, aren't all ladies' attempts at capturing a man a crafty act? There isn't much innocence involved in plotting to make a man fall in love with you. Love is, after all, a spell most men view as a deadly trap, that is, until they actually fall into its clutches. Then they are struck with a blissful madness. It can even be tormenting if the love is not returned."

The remark stung a bit, as if he knew Sae couldn't love the Prince. Still, she put that aside for the moment and replied, "that is quite a cynical view on love you have Condor. Do you mean to tell me you personally hold this view or that this is what other men have told you?"

"I have heard other men's views on the subject, and excluding romantics like your Sevastian Sae I must tell you that most I've heard is similar to what I say. Though the words I used were an expression of my own views I assure you. Still, you are young and not wholly aware of what you are doing I suppose."

"Now you sound like an old man. You are not that much older than me Condor, and I am sure you are younger than Sevastian. For such a gentle stable boy with the kindness to always listen to me, I am surprised to now hear your true views on love."

Condor stopped brushing Ivy and let his hand drop to his side. Turning to Sae he answered in his soft voice, "I would hate for you to think I were bitter Sae, but I speak as a man who has loved, nay, who still loves something forbidden to him. I've learned to accept the fact, as I said I hold no bitterness. It is just from experience that I have come to think of love as a sort of torture."

"The sweetest torture known to man, I think is what they call it." Sae nodded. "But I did not know you yourself were thwarted in love. I suppose as a stable boy your options are limited."

"As limited as I would be should I have been born a Prince," He said wryly. "Though I do not mean to dissuade you by those words, after all, you are eligible for the Prince and need not fear that. Only, the girl I love I cannot have."

Sae was curious. All this time she had spent talking with him and asking him for advice, and not once had he mentioned any of this. Could it be Phèlie? Weren't they childhood friends? He was probably only three or four years older then Phèlie anyway, so it would make sense that they should grow up together in the palace and feelings may have resulted from it.

"I have poured my thoughts out to you and you've given me your ear. I think it only fair I should now offer you mine. That is," she added, "if you want to talk about it. I would never dream of forcing a confidence out of you."

"Thank you Sae, however I am not accustomed to telling others of my problems. I don't know what possessed me to tell you anything just now to be honest. Knowing that you are willing to listen should I feel the need to speak will keep me happy."

She couldn't deny being disappointed. She had hoped to know once and for all if there was something going on between Condor and Phèlie or not, but seeing as he was not willing to confide in her, or anyone else according to him, she supposed she'd just have to make due with what she knew at present.

"Now, are you ready to dazzle the prince?" He asked, taking Ivy by the reigns and offering them to Sae.

"I…don't know to be honest. I still think that it would be wise of me to continue on this path though my heart is not in it."

"So you've come to terms with your feelings for Sevastian, have you?" Condor's strange smile made Sae feel as though he knew more than he was letting on.

"I…I have come to terms with the fact that I do not love the Prince. However, I still think I should marry him, if I can. Am I horrible for thinking so?"

"Not at all," Condor reasoned with a thoughtful frown. "In this day and age a lady needs to know she'll have a secure home always. You cannot forever depend on your father. As a lady in society it is your job to find a good husband and carve a new niche out for yourself. Wanting to start a life with his highness is most natural for a girl in your state. Whether you love him now or not is regardless, it would still be a sufficient match."

"You know, for a stable boy you sure do know a thing or two about high society." Sae laughed. "I guess we must all seem ridiculous to the common folk. You all have such freedom to marry where I do not."

Condor shook his head. "I thought I had just told you that I do not have that freedom. Where you have freedom to choose from those in your class, as a peasant I am even more limited. If I can even afford marriage, then I must marry a girl that will give me an advantage. I could not afford to marry a poor girl, and yet my class is too low to marry a rich one."

"Then you shall not marry at all." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Let me help you mount your horse." It was all the reply she was to expect from him.

As Sae steered her horse towards the Prince out in the fields, Condor called out to her retreating form. "Be true to your heart no matter what Sae. You do not love the Prince, but if you have feelings for another then don't suppress your heart or it will take revenge on your sensitive soul."

Something about his words made her uneasy. Condor was just a stable boy and yet…she was beginning to think maybe he knew more then he ought. Did the servants know everything? Or was there something else going on here that she couldn't yet grasp? In any case Sae met with the Prince out in the fields and they had their morning ride together, both of them quite aware of the fact that things had somehow changed.

For better or worse—Sae couldn't make up her mind on the matter—the next couple of days passed without her seeing anything of Roderick. She even suspected that perhaps he had fled the palace. If she hadn't been tied down to it by the tasks she certainly would have fled it that very night of the incident. That was what she now referred to it as in her head. Her maids tactfully avoided bringing it up and no one else knew of it. Still, there were reminders of his existence all over the palace. All someone had to do was say his name and she'd find her face going red, her mind instantly transported back to the night she had last seen him.

She had even run into Con and Wit in the conservatory, his conniving little siblings who were setting a trap for some unsuspecting person (it could have very well been for her she ironically reasoned), and even their presence made her aware of the connection they had with their older brother. Though her maids tried their best to keep both her mind and body physically busy and entertained during those days of relaxation in the Palace they could still not prevent the frequent spells of sighing and moping Sae subconsciously would find herself in. If her imagination were left to itself for a few moments then she'd be drifting off on thoughts that made her giddy and sad in turn. Of course she scolded herself afterwards, which only caused her to fret all the more, and her lady's maids knew not what to do.

Mayah even came one evening to ask her what was the matter. Not being able to refuse Mayah's mother-like approach, Sae admitted the full extent of her folly with the Prince and the outcome with the Royal Advisor. Mayah did look surprised but not wholly so worried as her maids did, as if the experience of being years older told her something more about the situation.

"I think things will turn out for the best," Mayah assured her, pulling Sae's bed sheets more securely around her. "So try your best not to lose sleep over it."

It almost unnerved Sae how Mayah's eyes twinkled and a smile played about her mouth, as if she found the whole thing amusing.

"Mayah you aren't happy about this, are you? You do think I'm good enough for his highness, don't you?"

Mayah's smile deepened. "Yes, I think you two are a well formed match, maybe even more than you do. This is just a little blip in your endeavours; don't let it take away your focus Sae."

But of course it had. Five days had passed and Sae wasn't sure what to think. Prince Sevastian wasn't helping matters. He still asked for her evening walks and rode with her in the mornings, and though she valued his company and saw it as a great chance to further her chances, she did it half-heartedly. The more time she spent with him the guiltier she felt about it. The Prince was becoming a sort of punishment for her to be with, though he was a very pleasant man. She just couldn't enjoy herself knowing what her true motives were and with Roderick's words replaying in her mind. She didn't really want him, so what was she doing deceiving him.

When Sae woke up the morning she knew she would see him, she was ready. Unless he had really fled the palace she didn't see much chance of not seeing him that day. It was time for her to be informed about the fourth test. That was the one saving grace about this whole ordeal. She had been so preoccupied with thoughts of him and thoughts about what she was doing that she had almost forgotten that this was the fourth task, the one that knocked away half of the previous contenders and left only one standing. One who would only go on to fail in the fifth task. She was both burning and dreading to know what it was.

She wasn't surprised when Gallagher found her in his usual huff that afternoon. She and her lady's maids were in the music room. Being servants, Sae's three maids were not educated in the ways of music, though they liked to listen to her play the harp. They even persuaded her to play for them on the piano though she protested that she was far from the musical genius her sister Mealina was.

"The Royal Advisor is ready to see you in his study," Gallagher told her at entrance of the music room. "You are to report to him now—that is, if you please." Though by his tone she could tell at once she didn't have a choice.

"Thank you Gallagher," she replied, though in vain for he had already left.

"I'll never understand why that young man is so tightly wound." Beda said with pursed lips.

The other two maids were looking restlessly at Sae. They knew what this meant for her. As much as they had evaded the topic, they still remembered what she had told them.

"Well, good luck Sae!" Phèlie said with a burst of excitement she could not quite contain.

Beda and Alesia looked at her darkly as if warning her to keep quiet.

"You better get going," Alesia said a moment later. "He'll be waiting…"

"Right, well, see you all in a few minutes. I suppose you will all still be here?"

"Yes, we'll wait for you here." Alesia nodded.

The trip to his study alone felt like she were walking to her death sentence. What would he say exactly? Could she even face him after what had happened? In any case what she would soon find was that it wouldn't matter, for instead of getting what she was expecting from him—and a climatic scene good or bad was what she pictured—she would find perfect indifference.

His personal room covered with shelves of books felt familiar to her before she even entered it. The very act of reaching the oak door flooded her with memories of her time in there with him; how long ago it felt from then to now! She knocked polity and he told her to come in. She was not surprised to see him sitting behind his desk and yet she still couldn't stop the deep intake of breath that her body seemed to demand of her. Seeing him after all those days was as awkward as she had imagined it to be, and maybe even more. For his part Roderick was calmly writing his scrawl upon a paper and hardly glanced up to acknowledge her. For some inexplicable reason this stung her hard. It was as if…but no surely it couldn't be, he couldn't have forgotten about it.

"Ah, Lady Sae, please sit down." He said in his sombre tones.

The last time he had said her name that fateful night, he had slipped up and simply called her Sae. Even remembering it made her shiver, and yet she had been sort of hoping he would be calling her that from now on. She was sad to note this was not to be the case. Regardless, she took the seat across from him at his desk.

"As you know," He began, putting his writing tool down and suddenly looking her squarely in the eyes, "it is time for you to be informed about your next test, the fourth task."

And one of the hardest ones it was, at least according to the statistics of the previous contenders.

"The fourth task," Roderick went on, "tests your awareness of the subjects of Fu Naru and your ability to really assist them in their needs. Hence this task judges you on how well you really know the people of this kingdom. You will be spending a day in a village boarding the palace grounds and it will be your job to labour with the farmers and their families during the harvest. To pass this test you must successfully prove you have toiled away the day in earnest. Expect that you shall be asked questions upon your return to the palace and your answers will be what you are judged on."

So the fourth task was to be labour, Sae thought. Living the life of a commoner, a farmer for the day and thus learning more about the people. There were many farmers in the neighbourhood she lived in, and yet she had never contributed to the harvest; she scarcely knew how to go about it. She supposed it would have to do with the collection of wheat and vegetables grown…wouldn't it?

When Roderick assessed she had been told enough he dismissed her with, "that is all you need to know, so you may go. Though let me just add…"

And here was the moment she had been waiting for.

"May I suggest you choose wisely in picking a helper? This task is not to be taken lightly, as demonstrated by the previous contenders."

Clearly he was done talking though she did not get up.

"What, is that all then?" She asked after an uncomfortable silence stretched on.

Roderick looked surprised but it was only skin deep. "What, was there something else I needed to add?"

"Well, yes." Sae protested, feeling more and more embarrassed by the second. "This is the first time we have spoken to one and other since—"

"Since a night I think we should both forget." He finished for her. "Let me take this moment to apologize then Lady Sae. My actions that night were inexcusable and I can hardly expect to have your forgiveness. If you would only promise me to try and forget it, I shall never do anything so bold and reckless again. It was a mistake on my part I care not to repeat."

It was in that moment Sae came to believe that while the past days had been tormenting her, Roderick seemed to have not given it a second thought. Clearly he did regret it, but his indifference also seemed to say he had not dwelled upon it like she had, had not been affected by it like she had. Here she was fretting about him against her own sensibleness, and he could care less. The pain she felt at that moment was indefinable. If she took silly sayings literally she would have sworn she had felt her heart break. Regardless of the idiom she was certain of one thing; her heart definitely felt like it was bleeding and she needed to seek the help of someone who could make it stop.

In a manner which she knew not how, Sae managed to get up and leave his study. He hardly gave her a second glance as she left and with each passing second her feet felt heavier and heavier, making it harder and harder for her to walk out. But leave she did. Just like that he had asked her to forget, forget what she wasn't able to get out of her mind after days of struggle. She felt like an intruding bug being squashed against a leaf by a palace gardener. He was squashing her and her feelings, both which must seem insignificant to him, she now wagered. And how stupid her feelings truly were, she argued with herself. She have feelings for him? It was ludicrous, preposterous! How could she ever have thought such a thing?

Now was not the time for tears, she sternly told herself as the treacherous droplets formed in her eyes. Now was the time to capture her prince once and for all. Seduction had led her to this horrible circumstance, and she had learned a hard lesson by it. Sevastian would be hers, and not by some dirty trick either. She would put her mind to these tasks and claim the future king as her husband, simple as that. Forget the Royal Advisor and his intense blue eyes, and his commanding, demanding hands and lips. She needed to concentrate on defeating the ominous fourth task. Walking back to the music room to meet with her maids, Sae decided on the perfect man to help her.