It only took a few minutes for the pair to leave the maze and, after doing so, the prince gave a long sigh of relief.
"Thank you... very much," he breathed.
"For what?"
"For helping me find the exit of..." Realising what he was saying, Mathias froze and slowly swallowed the thick lump of unsaid words in his throat.
The girl let out a small giggle, placing her gloved hand over her mouth. After realising what she had done, she turned bashfully to her side.
In turn, the prince also turned to face the opposite direction, reaching to scratch the back of his short, wild blond hair. He could feel his face grow warmer and his heart beat even faster than before (and he knew it wasn't from the tiring walk around the maze). If he couldn't control his emotions for this girl then marrying Princess Erika would be impossible!
"This Princess Erika," the girl started as she walked ahead, "what is she like?"
Seeing the girl walking away, the prince caught up to her and they promenaded side by side along the path which led to another garden. "If I could recall my earlier thoughts of her... I concluded that she was 'an aloof girl and never wavering of her parents' decisions which was why she agreed to this nuptial'," came the recited-like reply.
"Really?"
"Why do you seem shocked? Ah, let me guess. Is it because you expected a description along the lines of 'sweet, kind and faithful'?" chuckled the prince.
"How very stereotypical," the girl criticised jokingly. "Are you saying princesses can't be cold, egocentric or unfaithful?" She turned around, giving the prince the attentive eye. "They are humans too, you know."
"I do not think anyone should be cold, egocentric or unfaithful." The blonde prince remarked. He closed the distance between the girl and himself and placed a finger under her chin. "Are you princess?"
Wide eyed, the girl's chest rose and her cheeks flushed a light pink. Did he know? How could he? Was it her speech? Maybe she was being too informal. Or was she being too clever. She pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"Prince Mathias, I–"
"I'm kidding!" The prince chortled, gliding a finger to wipe a tear in his right eye. "Hey, I want to show you something." He held the girl's hand and led her down a beautiful stone pathway in the far end of the garden.
Silver stands flowed in the current of the wind. The girl had to hold her hair down to keep them from tangling with each other. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see." They reached the end of the garden: a long green wall stood in front of them which indicated this. "Watch this." And as if by magic, the prince rubbed the green wall to reveal a small, arched wooden door. The moss which covered the door fell and blended with the tall, dark green grass.
"What is that?" inquired the girl as she inspected the door's antique appearance.
"This is a space I always kept hidden as a child." Mathias clasped the door knob and twisted it. When the door didn't budge, he shook it vigorously until he heard a 'crack' and the door squeaked open. He motioned for the girl to enter, and she did, ducking her head in order to fit in the low-ceiling room, with him following behind.
The girl surveyed the area. Signs that the place was abandoned for a long time were evident, as she saw strings of cobwebs stuck to the corners of the room and random items clothed with a layer of dust.
Mathias found two small stools and wiped it clean. They then sat on them.
"Every day, since my seventh birthday, I would come here, and ponder in the solitude of my thoughts. Most of the time, alone. Sometimes with my butler, whenever I needed company. Whenever I got angry or upset, this is the first place I would go to. And I would instantly feel at peace." Mathias told.
"I know how you feel. I, too, had an area in my bedroom where I secluded myself from the world."
"Woah, really?" Mathias leaned back in on the stool until his back rested on the wall. "It's great that others can relate." He then turned to her and gave a heart-warming smile.
A young butler came into sight in the distance which caused the prince to revert back to his normal state. Seeing it was Lukas, Mathias waved his arm in the air.
Lukas saw two figures in the old, "playhouse" thing he often visited as a child. He approached the pair and bowed slightly. "Sir, the King requires your presence."
"Ah, I almost forgot!" Mathias turned to the girl, looking slightly disappointed. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I think Princess Erika has arrived." He turned to Lukas. "Can you escort this lady to the main room? I will take a different route."
Lukas helped the girl leave the room and waited for the prince to get out as well.
"Thank you. I will leave first." He thanked his butler. Turning to the girl once again, he asked, "Will I see you again?"
The girl looked at the prince with a fond smile. "Definitely".
Mathias glowed in happiness at the girl's radiant smile. It was cliché, but he felt as if his stomach held a butterfly sanctuary, where at this very second, a million butterfies were finally released from captivaty. He bid her farewell and proceeded to run through the garden's exit and make his way to the palace, though took one last glimpse of the girl he left behind, only to find her out of sight. The prince bit his lip and continued down a long hallway in a slow walking pace. The main room was only a few meters away, but to Mathias, it felt like miles away.
"Does the prince know my true identity?" The silver haired princess spoke. Beside her was the prince's butler, who cleverly hid his shock in the sudden engagement in conversation with his downcast eyes. They were on their way to the main hall for the announcement of the engagement, although taking a much shorter route to the one the prince took.
"From the way he acted I do not think he knows."
"Tell me, Mr...?"
"Bondevik."
"Yes." She went on, switching to her natural, apathetic, inscrutable face. She was already sick of using her "girly" facade. With the prince out of sight and only a mere butler to accompany her, she was finally free to express her true emotions. "So, what was Prince Mathias like as a child?"
Lukas perked up to the question, but still retained his vacant look. "A child?"
"Did I stutter?" Piercing purple eyes struck at Lukas' blue ones. "Or is your hearing moderately damaged?"
Lukas frowned inwardly. He really did not expect her to have a rude personality. The thought of Prince Mathias taking interest in her caused his hands to ball into a tight fist. Averting her gaze, replied. "No, I heard it clearly, I just-"
"Good." She never failed to possess an irritated countenance at others' rhetorical questions. To her, it was simply a waste of time. When one asks a question, it is the social convention to respond with an answer. "I suppose you must be very close to him, seeing that you are his butler."
Lukas was about to reply, but was abruptly interrupted.
"Or were you not working for him then? You would have been around the same age as him. Now that would be highly unlikely for you to do such a job at such a young age."
"Actually, I did." Lukas confirmed quite proudly. He kept his head low as he spoke. "He was very polite and compassionate; one may even say he was quite mature for his age. He was respectable of his parent's desires. A good listener... Selfless... Optimistic."
As he listed all his master's good attributes, Lukas could not stop his face from heating up. Were the descriptions too much? Herregud! He didn't want to sound like a little girl describing her secret admirer! Seriously, if he couldn't control himself right now, he would rip his hair out in a fit of agitation.
"You sound..."
Herregud. No. Don't say it.
"... confident in your response. I guess I can trust you."
Oh.
They finally reached the main room, where a large group of people crowded near the entrance to await for the prince's arrival.
Mathias straightened himself to look presentable. As he was about to open the doors, a strange feeling started to spread on his chest, causing him to desperately cling to his white tie. He paused and tried to breathe normally, inhaling and exhaling, repeating the action again and again. He wasn't ready. Honestly, he was nervous. He didn't want this engagement. Princess Erika, who was undoubtedly in the other side of the door, probably didn't want this engagement either. But he was the heir. And so was she. He could not possibly upset his father. And the reason may be the same for her.
The sight of two brown patches on his knees elicited an irritated whine from the prince. He dropped to one knee and started rubbing the stain off with incredible force. Suddenly, the doors before him opened and a bright light shone in front of him. He raised an arm to block the light. Mathias froze at the sight before him. Looked up. Swallowed.