AN:

Oh man! You would think that the joy over them finally getting to this point would make the words simply pour out of me like an endless gush of fluffiness, but the terrible truth is, that I had a surprisingly hard time writing this! So I really hope the result is kinda adequate… So anyway, don't be shy and let me know what you think, be it positive or negative!

*O*O*O*O*

wicked gravity

No need to apologise for anything! I'm very thankful for your review and your kind words make me extremely happy! I don't expect my readers to review, but every single comment is very welcome, whether it's your first, last, or 100th review for this, or other stories I wrote. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and hope the few remaining chapters will live up to your expectations – or maybe not, since, as you pointed out, what you expect is not always the only way it has to turn out to be good ;) (it's more fun that way, anyway, don't you think? lol)

So yeah, thanks again, very much appreciated! :3

*O*O*O*O*

Happy reading! :D

Chapter Fifteen: The Rose Princess and the Fairy Queen

For Glinda, the ballroom with all its lights and colours and sounds only very gradually came back into focus. The music that had seemed so far, far away, became louder, and coming from somewhere in the back of the room, she could hear the shrill laughter of a group of probably slightly inebriated, young gentlemen. For a clock-tick, the blonde wondered whether everything she thought had transpired between her and the emerald Princess had been nothing but a daydream, but if all this had supposedly been merely a figment of her upset mind, what in Oz was she doing on the cold marble floor?

She reached for the finely carved balustrade to pull herself to her feet. When she looked down to the dancing, festivating guests, she felt a little lightheaded and her knees began to wobble again. In her ears, she could hear her own blood rush furiously in ager with herself. Her unsteadiness forced her to remain stationary for another few moments, while all that she so desperately wanted was to chase after Elphaba and confront her. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on taking deep, deliberate breaths, willing her body to rally its strength.

By the time she stepped outside, she was sure that Elphaba was already long gone - hiding in some rabbit hole, or lonely wandering beneath the starts, no doubt. The only place she knew she needn't bother searching was that tiny room in her tower.

So she decided to take a stroll, telling herself that walking through the peaceful night, without any set expectations to actually find Elphaba, would at the very least help her to clear her head and gather her thoughts. The cool, fresh air and the light breeze did indeed help, she found, but whom was she kidding? Of course she was still hoping to find Elphaba, because she simply needed to find Elphaba.

After all the emotional upset Glinda had suffered that evening, it appeared like someone out there – be it Lurline, the Kumbric Witch, or a yet another unknown, unnamed spirit – must have taken pity on the poor blonde, for it had barely been ten minutes before she found her friend, all huddled up on a bench near the fountain. She had to do a double take, for in the dark she had almost overlooked her as she blended in so perfectly with the surrounding greenery.

Only now Glinda's mind was receptive enough to notice that she was wearing that dress again; the dark red one, the one she had worn that very first time they had met. Looking like a rose herself with her bordeaux and viridescent colour scheme, Glinda was almost sure that Elphaba had chosen this particular spot amidst the royal red blossoms on purpose, to draw minimal attention. She doubted, however, that she would ever think herself as akin to those lovely flowers. It was a matter of camouflage to her, nothing more.

After considering the effort Elphaba had invested in remaining hidden, Glinda almost thought that it might be better to give in to the Princess' obvious wish and leave her be. But no, she couldn't. Not in a hundred years. Not when the heart in her chest was beating so wildly at the mere thought of Elphaba, and even wilder yet with every step she took towards her.

Sitting jackknived on the wooden bench, her gangly legs drawn up under her chin and her long, silky hair shrouding her face like a veil, Elphaba wasn't as vigilant as usual, but still more so than most would be in her current state of mind. She noticed her uninvited guest when no more than four paces still separated the two of them, and given the design of the small alcove she was occupying, encircled by thorny shrubs, the only escape route would bring her even closer to the woman she had been wanting to avoid.

She tried nonetheless, but already the pleading look in Glinda's shimmering, blue eyes made her pause, albeit with great unease. Then Glinda quietly asked her not to run, and that was all it took to break her resolve. The taller woman swallowed hard before reluctantly moving back and slowly resuming her seat.

"Stay away from me," she croaked in a strained voice as soon as Glinda had taken her first step towards her.

Throwing the pathetic warning into the winds, the petite Gillikinese approached with cautious, measured steps, worried only that Elphaba might bolt after all if she moved too quickly.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, affecting nonchalantness as well as she could. "It's not like you're a wild animal, about to devour me."

She took another two careful steps, until she stood right before the green woman.

"May I sit?"

Elphaba's reply was indiscernible, but she did move aside, perching herself on the outermost edge of the bench. She didn't look up to face Glinda. Instead, she turned her head as far away as her physiology would allow.

For a while, they sat in tense silence, but soon Glinda could no longer suppress the overwhelming need to make sense of their situation.

"Elphie," she began tentatively and inched her dainty hand close enough to Elphaba's for their little fingers to touch.

The Vinkun recoiled immediately, almost falling off her seat, as she was already sitting precariously close to the brink. A sharp breath was drawn and what followed then was an outpour of incoherent ramblings and almost inaudible apologies.

Throughout all this, Glinda watched her intently, trying her hardest, but failing miserably to understand anything she was saying. The jumbled, rushed words sounded almost like a foreign language to her, yet she quite easily got the gist of what Elphaba was trying to say. When Elphaba risked an uncertain look over her shoulder to gauge the blonde's response, she met her eyes with unwavering determination.

Perhaps somewhat confused, and having her own difficulties interpreting her friend's gesture, the emerald Princess held her gaze for a fraction of a clock-tick before setting her jaw and finding a distant point to focus on.

"Please, Glinda," she said a bit louder and more clearly than before, despite having to press out the words between clenched teeth. "Please forget this ever happened."

But Glinda shook her head of golden curls.

"I'm sorry, Elphie, but I can't."

Drawing her lower lip between her teeth, Elphaba closed her eyes.

"For Oz's sake, Elphie just look at me!"

Glinda swiftly cupped a green cheek, giving Elphaba no chance to evade her. She turned her head and brought a second hand up to secure her hold on the stubborn woman.

"Elphie, I can't forget about this. Never. Because I really don't want to."

The raven-haired woman's lids fluttered open then, incomprehension reflecting in those deep brown eyes they revealed.

"You little idiot," she half whispered at last, her voice quivering as she tried to contain her emotions. "You don't know what you're saying."

Glinda straightened up, casting Elphaba a proud look.

"Of course I do. Earlier… well, I kissed you back, remember?"

Truth be told, this was a bit of a gamble, for Glinda wasn't entirely sure anymore. She had responded to Elphaba's kiss, hadn't she? At least she thought she had. That is, she really hoped she had.

"You were only confused and… and hurt," Elphaba insisted. "You don't want this."

"Yes, I do, you dense, green thing," she almost yelled in protest. "Don't you?"

That was the point where either Elphaba's arguments, or her persistence (or perhaps both) ran out, and all she was left with was stunned silence.

When no further objections came form the Vinkun's lips, Glinda offered her an almost shy smile, then suddenly lunged forward to kiss her with just as much vigour as she had been kissed in the gallery of the ballroom. She removed her hands from Elphaba's face and snaked her arms around her long, slender neck instead, desperate to hold on to her in case she tried to withdraw.

But she didn't. Elphaba didn't reciprocate per se, but she did accommodate Glinda, putting up no resistance whatsoever.

"Do you see how much I want this?" the blonde excitedly breathed in her ear. "The only question is, do you?"

She pressed another soft, yet intense kiss right beneath Elphaba's ear, feeling the Vinkun shudder in response.

"I do. I do, I do. Of course I do."

The breathy reply came like a shot, all reservations abandoned.

These words, and more so the urgency with which they hand been uttered, made Glinda beam and encouraged her to once more capture Elphaba's lips.

This time, however, the emerald woman backed away rather quickly, shaking her head.

"This can't be," she told herself rather than Glinda. "This is too good to be true."

Initially worried about Elphaba's abrupt retreat, the blonde was now grinning again, regarding her opposite with pure longing.

"I wonder how many times will I have to kiss you until you believe it."

She surprised herself with her actions, especially when she began to experiment more, venturing away from Elphaba's lips and allowing her mouth to caress other areas she could reach with relative ease. Although entirely inexperienced, she enjoyed it all so very much. It was like a dam had broken within her, causing her inhibitions to be washed away by a flood of shockingly bold emotions. Every confused feeling, previously pushed aside and locked away someplace in the back of her mind, was being flushed out, now absolutely unobscured and crystal clear. She realised that she had yearned to do this for a fairly long time already, and released a small, content sigh while she took a moment to appreciate the gratifying sensation of finally satisfying this most essential of needs. On those rare occasions in the past few weeks that she had caught herself thinking such most inappropriate thoughts, she had brushed it off as a fleeting fancy at best, but now, seeing how strongly her entire body responded to this novel intimacy, she was absolutely certain that there was nothing fleeting about her feelings and desire for Elphaba, and that this had to be so much more than a capricious fondness.

Then her thoughts, as well as her fervent administrations were interrupted by insistent tapping on her right shoulder. She pulled away, unable to keep the hurt out of her eyes. How could Elphaba be affected so little by all this, while her own heart threatened to explode with every beat?

"Be quiet, my sweet," the Vinkun whispered, "my brother is nearby, most likely searching for you."

Glinda shot up with a start, and indeed spotted Fiyero barely a stone throw away, just across the rose garden.

"Do you want him to see us like this?" Elphaba quietly reprimanded her and pulled her back down, flush against her chest.

With her ear placed so opportunely, Glinda could hear the emerald woman's heart thud like a drum, off-beat and much too fast. She found herself secretly hoping that it was her who was causing this, and not just the fear of being discovered.

Once Fiyero had wandered off into a different direction, Elphaba scrambled to break free from the smaller woman's embrace. Glinda was about to protest, but as soon as Elphaba wrapped her arm tightly around her shoulders, she felt reassured enough and closed her half-open mouth again.

The emerald Princess guided them through a maze of hedges, flowerbeds and archways, until they reached the very edge of the gardens, fairly close to the fortress' southern wall. Far more breathless than could be reasonably justified after their only slightly hurried escape, Elphaba unceremoniously slumped down into the lush grass, pulling Glinda along as she did so. Without any sort of forewarning, she crushed her lips against the blonde's.

Although caught entirely off guard, Glinda's arms immediately knew what to do. They found the taller woman's slim waist and held on tightly. Elphaba's own arms were more eager still, pressing the petite Gillikinese so forcefully to her body that both of them had to fight for air. Unfortunately, due to this lack of oxygen, Glinda – even further inhibited by her tight corset – had to pull away much earlier than she would have liked.

"Elphie," she gasped in between soft laughter, "no need to squash me, I promise, I won't run away."

A sheepish look momentarily flashed over Elphaba's face, and her embrace loosened just enough for the shorter woman to draw a decent breath. To counteract her relaxed hold on Glinda, however, Elphaba's hands now firmly grasped the delicate fabric of her ball gown. Still panting, she rested her head on Glinda's shoulder.

"Oh, my silly Elphie," Glinda chuckled after they had spent a considerable period of time entangled like this.

She began stroking the impossibly silky strands of raven hair – something she had always dreamt of doing.

"After all this, how can you still doubt me?"

Elphaba exhaled noisily and nuzzled the crook of her neck.

"It still doesn't quite register with me. What does someone like you see in such an outlandish creature like me?"

"Someone like me?" Glinda asked, tittering.

Elphaba let go of her then and backed off a few inches to study her.

"Just look at you. You're everything I'll never be: gentle, refined, enchanting, absolutely gorgeous – you know, when I first saw you in this dress, I thought Lurline the fairy queen herself had once more descended to Oz."

The blonde giggled happily at receiving such compliments, but simultaneously shook her head at the viridian woman's foolishness.

"Why would I want you to be like me, mh? Believe it or not, you are positively amazing and loveable enough in your own ways."

"Ah, you are referring to my moody disposition and my skewed sense of humour?" Elphaba replied sarcastically.

"Well, maybe not those so much, although one gets used to them over time."

Smiling weakly, the Vinkun Princess leaned in for a chaste, fleeting kiss.

"We better head back, or my family will send their soldiers out to rescue you form the dangerous beast that spirited you away from the ball."

Nodding, Glinda once more let her hand run through her Elphie's soft hair.

"You won't get in trouble if you return so late?"

Grey-green lips curled up to form a cheeky grin.

"If anyone asks, I'll tell them that it was I who found and rescued the fair Lady, just in time before the monster could lay its filthy paws upon her delicate, pale skin and ravish her."

Eyes growing wide, Glinda jumped to her feet.

"Sweet Lurline, Elphie! Do you always have to be so crass?"

"You said you didn't want me to be like you, so I'm only making my best efforts to be as much like myself as possible."

Glinda stemmed her hands on her hips, huffing indignantly. Yet it was all but an act to hide the great relief and joy that were filling her. Elphaba had been behaving uncharacteristically diffident, erratic and overall strange the entire evening – which was absolutely understandable, of course, but seeing her slowly slip back into her typical assertive and outspoken personality, helped to reassure Glinda that this very different kind of relationship they were about to embark on could indeed work for them.

They walked back in silence, timidly holding each other's hands. Just as they were about to step into the open courtyard at the back of the castle, Elphaba pulled Glinda closer again to bestow a final, passionate kiss upon her lips.

"Good night my sweet," she whispered once the blissful moment had passed, sounding rather hoarse. "Sleep well and fresh dreams."

She walked off then, straight towards her door without casting a single glance over her shoulder. Glinda watched her as she casually greeted the warden patrolling the entrances to the building, pointing in her direction. Then she disappeared through the door.

Straightening out her skirt, Galinda now also emerged from her hiding spot, making for the larger main entrance. The guard seemed utterly relieved to see her and accompanied her the rest of the way. Once inside, he firmly closed the doors behind them and locked them with a large copper key. The young lady bid him good night, rewarding the good man for his patient waiting with the brightest smile she had ever mustered.

Back in her room, she immediately rang for her maid. As much as she loved the sparkly, blue gown (and Elphie did as well, she remembered with a giddy blush), it was fairly constricting, and after an entire evening of gasping for air, she'd certainly had enough. The maid arrived soon after, somewhat dishevelled and yawning.

"I apologise for summoning you at this late hour," Galinda smiled. "There is no need for you to help me wash; all I need is a hand with this ridiculous dress."

Practiced fingers swiftly freed her from her confine of silk and frills and helped her into a much more comfortable nightgown. Galinda would have allowed her to retire then, but the dutiful woman insisted that it was her purpose to serve her mistress as best she could.

"You seem so invigorated tonight, my lady," she noted chortling. "Could it be that the Prince was particularly attentive?"

Galinda's breath hitched as she was reminded of the almost forgotten kiss that had ultimately led to everything else that had transpired that evening. In a way, she supposed, she ought to be thankful for Fiyero's recklessness, for who knew if either Elphaba, or her would ever have had the guts to confess their feelings otherwise? Thinking of her Princess rather than the Prince, the young lady smiled quietly to herself. Her maid noticed and grinned widely.

"I'm glad," she said as she brushed out the golden hair, "you two are a lovely pair and you are such a gracious mistress. I would be sure to miss you if you were to leave again."

At this, Galinda bit her tongue. She didn't want to continue lying to people. She wished she could tell everyone to whom her heart truly belonged, but of course she couldn't. Not yet. Maybe never.

This was unusual. Sufficiently familiar with night terrors and tormenting anxieties, it felt strange for Glinda to sit in bed, wide awake, but buzzing with exhilaration. In retrospect, everything had happened terribly fast – so fast in fact, that she had almost forgotten to feel nervous, or even blush when she had taken the initiative and overwhelmed her Elphie with kisses. Now it was time for her to make good for all those little things she had neglected earlier. As the events of that evening once more went through her head, her face turned redder and redder with each successive memory. In her stomach, the butterflies were turning somersaults, and when she recalled that final kiss before their inevitable parting, Elphaba, even in absentia, thoroughly took her breath away.

That was when she tossed away her quilt, swung her legs out of the bed and slipped on her slippers. Not even bothering with the dressing gown, she rushed out of her bedroom and towards the door. The stairs up to the seventh floor had never been climbed faster by anyone. She noiselessly snuck into the abandoned reading room, then opened the old door, which quietly creaked its protest. The path in between the long rows of bookshelves on the other side seemed to have no end, but eventually, she reached the exit. Her feet carried her down the last few flights of stairs with her barely noticing it. All she could think of was Elphaba's speechless expression when she'd open the door and flounce into her small chamber.

This time, she did feel nervous, and her hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob. She opened the door without knocking, feeling that she had now earned the privilege to surprise her Elphie, rather than asking for permission to enter. The sight that greeted her was not quite what she had expected.

Elphaba was sitting on her bed, the plain, wheatgrey shift hiked up to her hips, exposing long, green legs. They glistened in the sparse light coming from a single crummy oil lamp, and Glinda finally realised what she was doing.

"Having a bath?" she smirked as she closed the door behind her.

Startled, Elphaba jumped, almost dropping the bottle of oil she was holding.

Glinda's grin made way for a concerned frown.

"It's not like you to be so easily startled."

"Well, it's not like you to simply barge in," the taller woman shot back, quickly placing the oil on her nightstand and pulling down her nightdress.

Bashfully, the blonde lowered her gaze, still standing by the door.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think – I mean, I have a separate bedroom where I can do my morning wash and such… I just forgot that you have to make do with much less space and amenities here."

"It's all right," Elphaba sighed and beckoned her closer.

Glinda sat down next to her on the bed, studying the crystal bottle on the side table. She knew by now how the hydrophobic Princess kept herself fresh and clean, but she had never seen her actually do it.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to do some extra cleaning," Elphaba explained. "It calms me and I hoped it would take my mind of… well, of you. Which it didn't at all," she added in an almost inaudible voice.

Scooting closer, Glinda had to suppress the urge to feel the smooth, freshly oiled skin – if Elphaba was so worried about keeping her legs covered, it was probably still too early for her to be so bold as to simply slip her hand under her skirt. If she was honest, the idea even made her cheeks blush like ripe Munchkin apples.

She took a small breath and counted to three to cool down again.

"I couldn't sleep either," she admitted then, looking up and into deep brown eyes.

They held each other's gaze while Elphaba's hands found the petite blonde's bare shoulders. She let them run down the entire length of Glinda's arms, then grasped her small hands and pulled her closer, guiding her onto her lap.

Foreheads touched, then noses, then lips. It was a slow, sensual kiss. Glinda was a little proud of herself, confident in her assessment that she had acquired the art of kissing quite quickly. But by no means was she as fast a learner as her Elphie. She was hit by this realisation as the emerald Princess playfully, yet gently bit her lip in just the right way to make the excitement in her chest spill over and elicit a soft moan.

Wrapped up in each other's arms, they soon felt the weariness catching up on them. They cuddled up on Elphaba's bed, underneath that horrible, threadbare excuse of a blanket, clinging tightly to each other. Glinda nuzzled into Elphaba's chest, breathing in her intoxicating scent. She felt the green woman's long, slim fingers comb through her hair. It was a wonderful, soothing sensation, and it didn't take her long to fall asleep.

The following morning, Glinda experienced a brief moment of disorientation – not because she woke up in Elphaba's bed, for that definitely wasn't the first time, but because of how close she found herself to the Vinkun. She flinched, about to panic and worried about how Elphaba might react if she were to open her eyes and notice. Only then she realised, that it was in fact lanky, green arms that were holding her so snugly in the first place. That was when she finally came to comprehend that that marvellous dream she'd had, hadn't been a dream at all. Grinning like a fool, she rested her head on the pillow, inching back into the position she had awoken in.

Elphaba's eyes fluttered open not long after, reflecting a similar level of surprise. Glinda's insides began to churn with unease. What if Elphaba, in the light of a new day, were to decide that the previous night had been a huge mistake?

A timid, yet gentle smile on grey-green lips wiped away all her worries, and grinning, she leaned closer, her lips pursed. Much to her disdain, and restarting that unpleasant, queasy feeling in her stomach, Elphaba did not engage.

Glinda opened her eyes, putting on her best pout to mask her great anxiety with mild disappointment.

"No good morning kiss?" she whined.

Instead of replying, the green Princess remained completely still, with only her eyes moving. For several long minutes she was studying the shorter blonde with pure admiration. Glinda hopefully supposed that this was probably a good sign.

"Are you real?" Elphaba asked at last, her voice still rough from disuse.

Confused, Glinda cocked her head.

"W-what… what do you mean?" she laughed nervously.

Another short moment of silence, then Elphaba moved her right hand towards golden curls, but stopped short.

"You won't disappear if I touch you?"

Giggling, Glinda seized the green hand and pressed it against her rosy lips, looking deep into the other woman's eyes.

"It's that hard for you to believe, huh?"

Elphaba freed her hand and carefully began to stroke Glinda's soft cheek before wiggling close enough to lightly brush their lips together.

"Maybe," she replied to Glinda's question and swallowed a lump forming in her throat.

The petite Gillikinese's brows furrowed.

"It really shouldn't be. You have to be more confident in this regard, Elphie. There is no reason why you shouldn't be…" Her voice trailed off and she sighed.

The look in Elphaba's eyes became curious, bordering on hopeful.

"'Shouldn't be' what?" she prodded, averting her gaze to hide her desperate need to hear this one, small word.

"Loved," Glinda answered, tenderly kissing her lover's forehead.

Lovers. The word struck Glinda like a bolt of lightning. That was what they were now, wasn't it? The concept still felt too new and unfamiliar to her, and she was sure that if she had to say it out loud, her tongue would have some trouble forming it. However, that didn't mean that she didn't want to. Of course she wanted… this. And of course she wanted Elphaba. Her heart had already taken the plunge, now she only had to wait for her head to follow suit and completely surrender to this somewhat unexpected development.

While Glinda was still lost in deep contemplations, Elphaba had used the time to process the blonde's words.

"You… you love me?" she breathed, rather incredulous.

With a small start, Glinda returned her focus to the present. For some ridiculous reason, she was too shy and insecure to repeat the words, but she did reply in her own way, kissing the corner of Elphaba's mouth and snuggling closer.

The emerald Princess decided to change the topic.

"You never told me how you did it."

"Did what?" Glinda replied, lazily gazing up.

"Free me from my solidary confinement."

"It's one of my mysterious talents: I always get what I want."

Chuckling, Elphaba wrapped her arms around the smaller woman.

"Mh… Yes, how in Oz did I forget about that? It even works on me."

"I'll admit, it wasn't as easy as usual." Glinda heaved a laboured sigh, then snickered. "But I really wanted you."

She noticed how Elphaba's head turned an unusual shade of mauve and giggled some more.

She was late for breakfast, but Glinda didn't care in the least. The awkwardness of seeing Fiyero was something she was definitely not in a hurry to face, the King and the Queen wouldn't be there anyway, and everyone else could go and jump off the castle's tower as far as she was concerned. Especially the Duke. Maybe then she could convince Elphaba to elope with her, cross the dessert and hide somewhere in the bordering countries of Fliaan or Ev.

Like that would ever happen! But it was a delightful dream to have.

As soon as she entered the breakfast room, however, she realised that she was unfortunately out of luck. Besides her, there was only one other person present, and that person just happened to be the Duke of Mossleberg. He was reading the paper, his plate and cup empty. He had obviously stayed to wait for her. She muttered a quiet curse, then fixed her usual pretty smile on her face.

"Good morning, dear uncle," she chirped as she stepped closer and took a seat opposite the Duke.

He put the paper aside and returned her smile.

"We were all rather worried when you didn't return to the ball last night," he said lightly, but with a slightly reprimanding undertone.

"Please accept my apologies. It was just all a little overwhelming for me."

He nodded faintly, regarding her with narrowed eyes.

"As your uncle and guardian I'm tremendously embarrassed, but if there is anyone you should apologise to, it would be the Prince and his royal parents. No matter your station or excuse, such behaviour is the height of ill-breeding."

She lowered her gaze at that, knowing that he was right. Given the events of the previous evening, formalities and decorum had been her least concern, which simply wouldn't do for the future Queen of Oz. She would go find Fiyero later and also ask for a formal audience with the King and Queen to convey her sincere apologies. She truly was sorry, but she had no regrets. Of course, she was the Princess of Oz, but also a young girl in love. How likely was it that she had returned to the ball and still found herself in Elphaba's bed later that same night, being kissed and held by her? No, there was no question that she had made the right choice, selfish as it was.

"So you will apologise?" the Duke asked, breaking the silence.

Galinda bobbed her head once and reached for her teacup.

"I will find Fiyero after breakfast."

"Good. As you may have noticed, his romantic interest in you is far stronger than you suspected."

"Yes it would certainly seem that way. I suppose, I misinterpreted his chivalrousness as disinterest. But who could blame me, dear uncle, inexperienced as I am with the ways of the stronger sex?"

She affected her most demure look as she said this, willing her cheeks to colour in coy embarrassment. It must have worked, for his expression softened, until he appeared no longer angry with her.

"You have changed since last night," he noted after a long while of wordless watching, making no efforts to elaborate.

"Have I?"

She smiled wistfully into her cup. Truth be told, she was quite aware of that subtle change herself. Albeit still as innocent as she could ever hope to be in this life, she did feel like she had crossed a certain borderline. Finally acknowledging her feelings and acting upon them had felt world-shattering, like an emotional deflowering of some sort. That thought made the heat flush through her body and her cheeks blushed for real this time.

"Well, perhaps, true love's first kiss really is as magical as they always claim in fairy tales," she mused.

The Duke laughed at that, shaking his greying head at the buoyancy of youth.