Disclaimers: I do not own anything out of Resident Evil. All of the contents belongs to Capcom.

Chapter III: Curiosity

'I knew the Queen. She will look out to her window whenever she felt worried. And I knew what she was worrying about.' - Jill Valentine

Living Quarters, Night

For reasons that he couldn't comprehend, Jake found himself walking towards his own bedchamber. A room which was his but he rarely used it, if ever. Maybe it was his encounter with this Sherry girl? He wasn't really sure, but he felt like he should listen to her. His chambers was only next to the Queen's, just a few steps ahead and he will be at her door. The young Prince was about to open the door to his own room but he stopped, glancing to the room next door with two maids stationed outside, just in case the Queen need anything.

With a sigh, Jake walked to his mother's chamber. The two maids bent their knees simultaneously, "Greetings, your Highness." They said in unison.

"Is my mother in?"

"Yes, your Highness. Lady Valentine is in there with her."

"Oh." Okay, she was not alone. Jill was watching over her and Gabrielle will be fine. Plus, maybe he would give his mother a heart attack if he visit her this late hours. Jake stared at the mahogany door for a while and was ready to return to his room. Until the door opened before he could even turn to his side.

Jill's face was not what he expected, instead of the surprise, the Queen's personal stewardess seemed to be expecting him. She smiled to the Prince, "Good evening, your Highness. A pleasant surprise to see you returning to your chamber." Jake only breathed sharply once as his own reply. "Are you here to visit the Queen?"

"No," Jake said coldly, "Just passing by."

Valentine's face soften, "Wonderful, your Highness. I was just about to fetch something for the Queen. Would you mind helping me to take care of her for a short while?" Then she stepped aside so that Jake could see his mother sitting by the open window looking directly at his with a warm smile. She was already in her sleepwear, Gabrielle waved her hands to him, asking him to enter her room. With a frustrated grunt, Jake relented and stepped into the plush red carpet of the cool bedchamber.

He heard the door close behind him, with a brief glance over his shoulder, he saw that Jill was not with them. She had left to leave them some time alone.

"My son," The Queen began, "it's very unusual to see you returning to your chamber. Was it something happened?"

"Nah. I just feel like it today." Jake crossed his arms.

The Queen nodded with a small smile, swallowing his simple answer. He never talk more than ten words in his sentence, unless he was cursing about something in a language that she had no idea where he had learnt, "I see." And she coughed, just a few and Jake was already right next to her. Shutting the windows with an annoyed face and Jake scolded his mother, "Jesus, mom, would you stop sitting by the window at this time of the day? You know the wind not's good for you."

Gabrielle giggled at the irony of his son's statement. She had wanted to counter him about the times she reminded Jake to stay indoors and was always brushed off but she decided to stay silent - not wanting to break the moment anytime soon.

Jake herded her mother to the bed and she coughed several times more.

"So..." Gabrielle did her best to fight of the itchiness on her throat, "how was" she coughed again, "your training?"

The question was forgotten by the rascal as he pulled the blankets over his mother harshly. Then Jake stepped away from the bed with a hard look, "No, we are not talking tonight. You need rest, you got a cold." But a smirk suddenly grazed his face as he added, "That girl was right, you'll get a cold outside."

"Girl?" Gabrielle raised an interested eyebrow; his son had never mentioned about anyone before. He had least interest talking about someone since he had interest in none.

Jake shrugged, "Just a nobody." Then the smirk died as he commanded again, "Get some sleep, mom."

Gabrielle breathed out easily, it was her son's way of saying goodnight. She closed her eyes just to entertain the young Wesker's request.

"Goodnight, Jake. I love you." All she heard was a huff and she smiled again.

That was his way of saying 'I love you too.'

Then the room darken all over when he blew the candle off.

Once outside, he saw that Jill was already waiting for him right outside the room holding a tray with some cough medicine and a glass of warm water. Jake eyed the items with a narrowed gaze then he looked Jill directly into her eyes, "The cough was a while already?"

"Today is the third day her highness caught a cold." Jill answered as a matter of factly, "I had told her to stay in bed since yesterday, but she insisted to go looking for you. And her cough was more severe by this evening." This made the slits on Jake's wrinkled face even more obvious. He remembered clearly how he had yelled at his mother in his drunken stupor, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I can never step away from the Queen. And your highness never return to your chamber."

A sharp pang of guilt torrented Jake's system when he realized that there was truth in Valentine's words - he's always all around the castle but never close to his own mother. And now she had caught a cold for three days and yet he had no idea.

Jake knew it was his own fault. There was no one to blame but himself.

With an exhale of breath the Prince mumbled to his own, "Guess I need to thank that girl now." If he hadn't met this Sherry girl just now, maybe he will never had the mood to return to his room and never to know that his mother was ill. It's a good thing that Sherry was insistent, otherwise he will still be out there sleeping by the lake knowing nothing.

Jill heard what he was mumbling but pretended that she had not. Jake sighed and made his way to his own long abandoned chambers, "I am staying here tonight. Call me if my mom need anything from me."

Jill smiled, "Certainly, your Highness."

Servant's Quarters, Night

Sherry returned to her dormitory later that night and she saw that all her roommates had already gone for bed except Cindy who was not in the dorm with them and Helena that was reading with a dim candle next to her bed. Sherry's bed was the one on the corner, right next to hers was actually Cindy's bed whom the owner was missing, "Where's Cindy?" Sherry whispered as she changed to her sleeping attire.

"She staying at the infirmary," Helena whispered back, looking over to her sleeping sister, "Doctor Hamilton needed the extra hand for tonight, she said a scouting team was ambushed this evening."

"Doctor Hamilton?" It was another name that Sherry hadn't heard before. Silently, she climbed to her bed, trying to make as less noises as possible. She must have pressed at the springy mattress too hard that it creaked, which made Sherry flinched and Helena eyed onto everyone to see if anyone was awake due to the unwanted noise. Alyssa only grunted sleepily and Deborah tossed to her side, Sheva was still snoring away undisturbed.

Now, Sherry became more careful as she rested herself under the covers, "I need more practice on this." Helena nodded with a smile, "Sure you do."

Then Helena proceeded reading her book. From what Sherry could make out from the dim candle, it was not in Raccoonian language. The green cover had some foreign letters as a title.

Out of curiosity, Sherry asked without considering, "What are you reading?"

The older woman stopped to look at her, "Hmm? Oh, it's a book from my hometown in Tall Oaks. Deborah brought it with her when we... left our home."

"To join the castle?"

Helena's face turned gloom, "More like being cast away." She closed the book then and slipped it under her pillow, "I think I should call it a day now."

"I see. Good night, Helena."

The brunette blow the candle off, "Good night, Sherry."

Throughout the whole night, Sherry had trouble sleeping. Most of her mind were riddled with the images of her home, her mother. She did sleep for a while but only for an hour or so before she woke up with a jolt, sweating buckets all over. Sherry as grateful that she didn't wake up screaming to scare her roommates. So she occupied herself with something trivial, hoping that she will fall asleep without having nightmares. She thought about the laundry, the furniture that need cleaning, and that mysterious man.

Her closed eyes snapped open at the image of that cropped hair man, with a frightful scar on his cheek.

And her previous encounter by the lake with that mysterious man.

Sherry can't wait to tell Sheva and Deborah about it tomorrow. She need to ask them about this man.

The next morning it was Sherry's who used the washing basin first since she was the one who woke up earlier than everyone else (since she hadn't sleep at all). Splashing her face with the cool water, she heard a loud yawn from her hind and when she wiped her face with the towel, Sheva was right behind her waiting for her turn.

"Good morning, Sheva." Sherry beamed, side-stepping to make way for Sheva. The latter mumbled her reply tiredly and washed her face. Then, Alyssa, Helena and Deborah began to line up a queue.

Sherry followed Sheva to where they will be taking their bath, a secluded room with a bathtub made with tin. Fortunately, Helena and Alyssa had draw the water last night so they can take their baths right away. They stripped, while waiting for the rest to join them after washing their faces.

After changing into their maid uniform, Helena, Deborah and Alyssa went separate ways to the rear castle while Sherry joined Sheva to draw water from the well for the laundry.

Despite her small petite frame, Sheva was very impressed by Sherry's capability to draw the water with ease to which Sherry explained that she was the one who did all the chores since her mother was out to work as a tailor. Sheva admitted that she still have a lot of problem dealing with the well since it gave time backaches every time she used it.

"Say, Sheva..." Sherry trailed off, hoping that Sheva would listen. A low hum from the tanned woman and Sherry continued, "Have you ever met a guy who had a scar on his face?"

"A lot. Most knights have them. I remember there's one with a scar over his eyes. Scary."

"No," Sherry retorted, "last night, I met this man: cropped hair, blue eyes and a scar was running along his cheek."

Sheva pursed her lips on Sherry's description, "Nope. No clue."

For a moment, Sherry thought that she might be dreaming to have encounter such a man. Maybe she was way too tired last night that she may be hallucinating things. And that mysterious guy... on seconds thought, he may be mysteriously dangerous, but mysteriously sexy as well. That scowl of his was manly... And although he was pretty rude to her, but when he asked her name, she felt flattered. Which she rarely felt so because those guys back at her village used to compliment her too, but she knew that they just want a handful of something from her.

But this man. Who was he?

Sherry mentally slapped herself, there's no time for her to daydream and certainly she had been conjuring up thoughts about this 'mysterious man'. Lifting two buckets of water, she followed after Sheva back to the quarters where the other maids will be bringing them the dirty laundry to be washed.

Maybe they can talk about the Prince as a conversation later.

Infirmary, Afternoon

Since Jill couldn't leave the Queen's side, she had asked her best friend Claire to be the one fetching the medicine. "Here's another bottle of cough medicine for her Highness. But, madam Kennedy..." Doctor George Hamilton handed over the bottle of amber liquid to Claire worriedly, "I think the Queen needs a doctor to at least examine her. The cough had been going for four days and I am afraid that it might be more than just a simple cough."

Claire accepted the medicine with weary eyes, "I'll try to talk to Jill to see if she can convince the Queen. Thank you, Doctor Hamilton."

The doctor nodded firmly, asking Claire to send his regards to the Queen and she exited the infirmary.

Of course she was worried about her beloved Queen too, but Gabrielle kept convincing Jill otherwise, saying that it was just a simple cold and she will not need to consult a doctor. And Gabrielle herself had a more serious matter to be worrying out for. But there was one more problem: Jill herself was deteriorating too, she was losing sleep for three days to take care of the sick Queen.

Claire was holding onto the bottle when she stumbled across her husband who was discussing warfare matter with Chris. She hadn't noticed them because she was so occupied with herself in thoughts, it was Leon who called out to her. When the two man came up to her, she only smiled weakly without saying a word.

Leon saw the bottle in her hand and frowned, "What is this, my dear? Are you sick?" His hand reaching out to hold her hand up, trying to see the content of the bottle. Claire shook her head over to her concerned husband and brother.

"It's for the Queen. Jill asked me to pick it up for her since she could leave the Queen's side. And I don't think Jill could handle herself to walk this far too." Claire answered with a sweet smile. The mention of Valentine made Chris raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with her Highness and Miss Valentine, sister?"

"The Queen had been coughing for four days now. And Jill had been losing sleep over it. When she looked for me this morning, she was years older."

Without another word, Chris literally stormed off. Claire and Leon weren't a bit surprised by his actions, they knew that he will be looking for Jill. As hard as Chris might look outside, inside he was all softy; especially to this particular woman named Jill Valentine. Looking around his left and right, when he was sure that there was no one, Leon stole a quick peck on Claire's cheek which made her blushed. The simple display of affection by Leon out of nowhere always caught her off-guard.

She was about to scold him until Leon smirked and whisper to her ears, "I should be going now. Take care of yourself, kay'? Don't worry too much now." Leon winked, "I'll see you back home."

"Mmm." Claire nodded and was granted another kiss to her cheek, "I love you."

"Same here, sweetheart."

Living Quarters, Afternoon

Jill Valentine was just heading out to get Gabrielle a coat when she heard a loud series of armor clunking to her direction. She recognized whom it belonged, there was only one knight in the whole castle to be wearing a full suit of armor on regular basis. Chris was walking to her in full speed that it looked almost urgently. Jill was about to open her mouth to greet him when Chris stopped in front of her directly. Like, directly.

Chris inspected Jill's beautiful face from her eyes to her lips in one swift glance, she didn't look exactly ridiculous due to the light makeup covering her black rings around her eyes. But her eyes did looked tired. "Is something matter, General Redfield?" Jill tilted her head to her side apishly, the sweet gesture was ignored by the Grand General when Chris asked hastily, "My sister said that you are losing sleep." It sounded more like a question than a statement.

The Queen's stewardess threw him an amused smile, so the Grand General of Raccoonia was worried about her health now? "It was her Highness. She had caught a cold from the wind. It's my duty to take care of her." Jill continued, "I knew the Queen. She will look out to her window whenever she felt worried. And I knew what she was worrying about."

"The Prince?"

"Yes," Jill nodded slightly, but then a grin cracked on her face, "but her Highness had found a way that may solve her problem."

The general lifted an eyebrow in curiosity, "A way that MAY change The Prince?"

"Someone who may."

A.N: So basically, in Sherry's mind now; Jake is but a 'mysterious figure'. And don't be surprised that Sheva didn't know The Prince, more will be revealed later on as the fic goes on. Oh, what did the Queen has in store for Jake? Yup, next chapter as well. ;)

And thank you all for all the reviews. XD About Ada's role in this fic, I think I have made up my mind about it. After putting all your suggestion into consideration, I got an idea what to do with her! :D

Stay safe and RFF! :)