Sam couldn't sleep at all the night before. He had been tossing and turning profusely ever since he had kissed his best friend and did other things in her carriage. He knew he shouldn't have kissed her like he did, but he needed her to stop nagging him about Rachel. He didn't want to think about her or any of the other prospects at the Ball. However, he did not think that kissing his friend would lead to the circumstances that happened thereafter.

Slowly, he made his way through his parent's house before making it down to breakfast. His siblings were already there, speaking cheerily with his parents. He tried to put a smile on his face, however, the lack of sleep was not allowing for him to.

"Good morning, Sam. How did you sleep?" Penelope asked him as he sat down and waited for one of the butlers to bring him his breakfast.

"Not well. I did not get much rest as I would have hoped." Sam answered.

"Too many girls at the Ball?" Stevie questioned, hopeful.

Sam sighed, "No, it was just a long night."

"How was Mercedes?" Margaret asked her son.

"Um, she was fine. We had a good time." Sam answered.

"We saw you both leave early. Any particular reason as to why?" Margaret pressed.

"Well, she wanted to leave first, and I wanted to accompany her home," Sam answered.

Harry began, "You know the King told me that today Mercedes would be going on a date with Lord Tinsely today. We spoke about it a bit at the Ball. Do you have any women that you may visit?"

"Mercedes and Lord Tinsely? Are going on a date?" Sam asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"Yes, it seems as though Lord Tinsley is extremely serious about Princess Mercedes," Harry replied.

"Excuse me, but I must go. A round of courting is calling me. I will see you all later." Sam announced as he abruptly left the dining area and headed to the front door.


Mercedes knew that daydreaming about what happened between her and Sam last night was not the smartest thing to do. However, she could not stop thinking about it. It was so magnifying that she could not stop the images and the memories from recycling in her brain. She had a date with Lord Tinsley today, and she should have been excited to go. However, her mind drifted to Sam. Would they be able to move on from what happened in the carriage? Though it only happened last night, she was not able to sleep peacefully at all. Her entire night was spent thinking about what had happened and what could have happened had she invited him into her room.

"Princess Mercedes," One of the maids spoke, "You have a visitor in the form of Duke Samuel Evans."

Mercedes cleared their throat, "Send him in, please, and shut the door too, please." The maid nodded her head, and she stepped away as Sam entered the room, and the door was shut behind him. They stood staring at each other, trying to determine if the other was equally affected by what had occurred last night.

"You have a date with Lord Tinsley today?" Sam began.

Mercedes sighed, "How did you find out about that?"

"My father spoke with your father last night, and the King let him know. I did not know you guys were taking this courtship seriously." Sam replied.

"I am only taking it as seriously as Lord Tinsley presents it. Besides, shouldn't you be somewhere with Rachel Berry?" Mercedes sighed. Sam walked closer to her until he was standing in front of her. He could have kissed her again, but he was using every bit of willpower to ensure that his lips remained away from her face.

"I was in that carriage with you last night, Mercedes. I came here to speak with you. Why do you insist on bringing up Rachel Berry?"

"Why do you insist on bringing up Shane Tinsley?"

Sam sighed, "Mercedes, I still think that there are other viable options aside from Lord Tinsley.

Mercedes walked to her desk and finished gathering her things. She looked at Sam through the mirror, "I could say the exact same thing about you. I would also advise that we leave the carriage situation where the carriage situation is." Sam slowly walked towards Mercedes until he was standing right behind her, looking through the mirror at her.

"I was not able to sleep last night because of you. I don't want to leave the carriage situation in the past." Sam whispered in her ear as his fingers traced Mercedes's hand, and she shuddered.

"Sam, it was a mistake. It never should have happened. We are friends who got caught up in the moment." Mercedes stressed trying to ensure that Sam did not see how badly he affected her. She was trying to keep her breathing even, but she was having difficulty doing so. It also did not help as he was tracing her hand.

"What if I want us to be more than friends," Sam whispered as he moved her silky hair to the side and dropped a slow and torturous kiss on her lips. His lips traveled up and down her neck before attacking her shoulder. He slowly removed the bit of the silk that was covering her shoulder. Mercedes moaned lowly and leaned her head to the side to give Sam a bit more access. When she granted him more access, he took his arms and wrapped them around Mercedes's waist. He spread his hands against her hips as he continued his soft assault of kisses on Mercedes.

"Mercedes, you didn't answer my question," Sam announced in between kisses. Mercedes nearly turned around and went in to kiss him, but the knock on her bedroom door jolted her away from the spell. She and Sam broke apart instantly. She cleared her throat and made sure she looked presentable.

"Come in!" She yelled.

The maid from earlier opened the door and peaked her head in, "Lord Tinsley is here, Princess."

"Thank you, Greta. I will be down in a moment," Mercedes answered. When the door shut again, Mercedes grabbed her coat and headed for the door. However, not before Sam grabbed her hand.

"We are friends, Sam. It is better to leave it at that." With those words, Mercedes dropped his hand and left the room, leaving Sam more frustrated than he had been earlier today.


Lord Tinsley had decided to take Princess Mercedes out on a stroll around the palace gardens. Mercedes had been in the gardens numerous times, but she decided to humor him. She also viewed it as a way to forget about Sam as she focused on her date.

"So, how many children would you want?" Lord Tinsley asked.

Mercedes thought about, "Ideally, a boy and a girl. However, I wouldn't be opposed to a few more, since I do have to ensure that I have a longstanding healthy bloodline that can continue to be a member of the monarchy. Do you have an ideal number?"

"I suppose not. My mind ventures to travel instead of children." Shane answered honestly.

"Do you prefer traveling over having children of your own?"

"I prefer the freedom of traveling. A wife and children almost lock your freedom instantly. However, I would want someone to travel with. Preferably, a wife travels with me for a few years before we end up with children."

"Then I am assuming a Princess as your wife, who would travel with you, presents itself as difficult. A lot of my royal engagements happen in this country."

"Well, I am sure we could work something out. However, Princess, I do have a question for you."

"I suppose I may have an answer."

"Is there something deeper going on between you and Duke Samuel? I am no stranger to his harshness, rudeness, and his protectiveness when it pertains to you. I am also extremely perceptive of the looks he gives you even when he is somewhere else. I am asking because I would hope that I don't marry someone who has ties with someone else."

Shane's question nearly knocked Mercedes away. She had thought that Shane was oblivious to the obvious tension between her and Sam. However, he was not. She thought about what Sam had asked about them being more than friends. She should have said something, but a big part of her could not believe him. Not only that but she did not want to ruin the friendship between the both of them. She could not bear it if she and Sam did not work out and their friendship ceased to exist, which is why she was working so hard to ensure that they remained friends forever.

"Well, I can assure you that there is nothing going on between the Duke and me. He is just a protective friend. An older brother, really."

"Does he know that you see him that way?"

"He does."


After Mercedes had left for her date, Sam had made his way back into town. He had decided to walk through the streets before returning home in the hopes of clearing his head. As he was walking, he noticed one Lady, Rachel, walking towards him. He did not really want to speak with her. However, he did not want to come off as rude. So, instead of walking in the opposite direction, he put on a smile and began to engage in the conversation.

"Well, Duke Samuel, where are you coming from?" Rachel asked him as she fanned her face.

"Well, I just thought I would do a bit of walking before returning home. Are you going anywhere in particular?" Sam asked.

"No, I was just walking as well before heading back home. Duke, I must say that you did leave our first dance together." Rachel spoke.

"I did, didn't I? Well, we will simply have to rectify that in the upcoming balls for the rest of the season." Sam answered.

"A few girls are already receiving prospects. Some of them have even been hinting at proposals. I must make haste if I am to be a married woman by the end of the Market this year. Do you suppose you could accompany us at the next Ball?" Rachel questioned. Sam knew what that meant. It would mean that he would be pondering the idea of marrying Rachel. However, he was not in the mood to even begin to pander to the idea. He also did not know how Mercedes would respond to him if he was to accompany Rachel. However, Mercedes was on a date with Shane, and she basically insisted that he and her stay friends. Maybe accompanying Rachel to the next social would not be such an awful idea after all.

"I will accompany you to the next Ball, Rachel."


After finishing up his conversation with Rachel, Sam had made it back home. He had taken a late lunch and an early shower. Not wanting to do anything more for the rest of the day but stay in his home. Sam was in his study reading one of his travel journals when Mercedes walked in and shut the door quickly.

He peered up, but then his eyes went back to his book, "I thought Lord Tinsley was courting you today. Is there a reason as to why you are sneaking into my study?"

"Are you taking Rachel Berry to the Ball this week?" Mercedes asked seriously.

"How did you find out about that so quickly?" Sam questioned as he put the book down.

"So, it is true you are taking her to the Ball. I am the Princess. The word gets to me extremely quickly." Mercedes replied

"I am only accompanying her to Ball Mercedes. Why do you feel so strongly about the manner? I am sure Lord Tinsley is accompanying you to the Ball as well." Sam pointed out.

"It matters to me because I think you can do better."

"I have said the same thing to you, but I believe you viewed my opinion as a mere want and not a need."

"Lord Tinsley is talking about proposing to me. I am not sure of the date, but Simon overheard him speaking with my father about it, and he warned me about it." Mercedes revealed. Sam felt like his heart had just been ripped out of his chest when she uttered those words.

"Are you going to accept it?" Sam asked quietly, not wanting to know the answer at all. He was hoping that she would say no.

"I am not sure. He is the only prospect I deem worthy. However, I am not sure that I love him." Mercedes answered honestly.

"Do you love me?" Sam asked.

"Sam, I-."

"Mercedes, I love you. You can not tell me those kisses didn't mean anything to you."

"I don't want to ruin our friendship, Sam."

"Maybe you are ruining it by being afraid. If you and Lord Tinsley do wed, I wish you both marital bliss. You can see yourself out." Sam insisted as he picked his journal back up. Mercedes felt the tears coming, but she wouldn't let them fall. She turned on her heels and exited the study. When she was gone, Sam threw his notebook across the room in a fit of rage. What was he going to do?