Rose POV

Lissa knew that being queen came with many limitations. A great responsibility rested on her shoulders, whether it was making important decisions or maintaining her public image and gathering support. She had little freedom; her every step was closely watched, and she had to be careful about everything she did in public.

This required many sacrifices on her part. She knew she had to let go of many events that, in another life, she would have loved to attend—music festivals, fraternity parties, club nights, and many other things. Accepting this wasn't easy, and there were some things she just couldn't let go of.

The last straw was the concert of our favorite singer. For years we had been waiting for her concert. During her previous tours, no one was willing to escort Princess Dragomir to such a large event. Now, she was scheduled to perform near us, but the royal guard deemed the venue too difficult to secure for the queen to attend. Lissa was furious that, despite being the ruler of the Moroi, she couldn't even decide whether she could attend her favorite artist's concert.

When she came to me, begging me to take her to the concert, I agreed for several reasons. First, Lissa had the right to make her own decisions and take her own risks, and I wasn't going to deny her that. Second, I wanted to give her a break from her responsibilities and constant tension, even if only for a little while. And third, I really wanted to go too.

We didn't tell Dimitri or Christian, fearing they might try to dissuade us or stop us altogether. We decided it was best to confront them afterward. Lissa wrote a letter to Hans and the royal guard, stating that we were leaving based on her decision and that they could expect us back the next day. I wrote a short note to Dimitri, promising to stay in touch. Then I led Lissa through the secret tunnels to the garage, where I took one of the royal guard's cars. Lissa hid under a blanket in the back seat, but no one searched my car as I waved to the guardians at the gate. I had no doubt that this would change as soon as we got back.

The first panicked call came half an hour after we had left.

"A bit of a poor reaction time," I remarked jokingly, driving through the wooded area leading to the Court. Lissa just smiled and answered the call from Hans. She explained what she had done and why, and refused when he offered to send guardians to her.

"Just don't make a big deal out of it. We'll talk when we get back," she said calmly.I knew she'd have a conversation, and I'd get yelled at. And that was the best-case scenario, where I didn't get fired. Or handcuffed. But I wasn't about to give up so easily.

We rented a room at the hotel where we dressed for the concert and went out to stand in line. It took a couple of hours before they let us in. Fortunately, the day was cloudy, so Lissa didn't get tired in the sun, and we could wait another few hours for the concert to start.

In the meantime, we had so much fun. We met people our age and chatted for hours about what we expected at the concert, played cards, and ordered pizza. We took tons of pictures and videos. We felt free, carefree, and young, with our biggest worry being getting a good spot at the barricade rather than the pressures of Moroi society.

And the concert… we had the time of our lives. We managed to get to the barricade and almost lost it when the artist came up and waved at us. We sang our hearts out, danced until our legs ached, and even actually bled. The lights, the music, and the crowd singing the same lyrics—it was beyond amazing. Seeing Lissa's beaming, happy face made me glad I had taken her, no matter what consequences awaited us.

Our moods sank as we drove home. The euphoria from the concert had turned into post-concert depression. All my muscles ached - legs, back, arms. My eyelids were drooping during the drive, and Lissa slept like a log in the back seat. Even the music playing on the radio couldn't lift our spirits.

And that was still nothing compared to what Hans had planned for me. As soon as we entered the Court grounds, we were to be escorted—Lissa to her quarters and me to the guards' HQ. Lissa refused to be separated from me, and I am convinced that this was the only reason I was not handcuffed by Hans.

Waiting for us in her quarters were the head of the guardians, Hans; the head of the royal guard, Harvey; Hans' aides; and some of the royal guards. Christian and Dimitri were also there. Christian smiled when he saw us, but Dimitri looked worried.

Rightly so. We received a long lecture filled with threats and barely concealed malice, particularly directed at me, about how irresponsible our behavior had been. I was labeled as insolent, insubordinate, thoughtless, and unreasonable, and accused of putting the queen in great danger. Lissa, for that matter, behaved inappropriately for her position and put the safety of the entire nation at risk by jeopardizing her own.

I knew I was facing a severe punishment when Lissa took charge. She gave an equally strong speech about how she did not intend to be locked up and that she would not submit to the restrictions placed on her. She said that she realizes her absolute safety cannot always be guaranteed and she was willing to take that risk. She emphasized that she was tired of being treated like a child rather than a monarch and that I was the only one who had taken her request seriously and tried to fulfill it while ensuring her safety. And she wasn't going to continue hiding, so her guardians could either help her maximize her safety, or sit back and watch her do it on her own

Hans and Harvey reluctantly gave way to her and did not punish me for my insubordination. Unfortunately, when Lissa went to bathe and rest, Hans cruelly reminded me with a smirk that my shift was starting in an hour and a half. For a moment, I felt like begging him to swap me with someone else, but I knew I was one step away from being thrown out of the royal guard anyway, so I resigned myself to accept whatever was given to me.

Dimitri walked me to our apartment, letting me lean on him. My feet were killing me from fatigue and abrasions. At the apartment, I had just enough time for a quick shower to wash off the sweat and dirt from the stadium, and to change into an oversized t-shirt. I hoped to catch a quick nap before my shift started.

In the bedroom, Dimitri was waiting with a pack of plasters and bandages on the nightstand. Warmth spread through me at the sight. I wasn't sure how he'd react to this adventure, so seeing his concern made me incredibly grateful.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

Dimitri laughed softly. "I can't let you go to work with bleeding wounds."

He gestured to the bed. I lay down, feeling my muscles relax, ready to unwind after a long day. With my eyes slightly closed, I watched Dimitri sit beside me and gently apply patches to my abrasions. I sighed deeply, feeling relaxation wash over me.

"Honestly, I don't even know why you're doing this. I mean, being this good to me. I was expecting punishment for taking the queen out for a day, not this."

Dimitri looked at me, slightly puzzled.

"I'm doing this because I care about you. You didn't expect some kind of punishment from me, did you?"

"Maybe not punishment, but… I wasn't sure what you'd think. After all, it was a risk to take Lissa out like that."

Dimitri furrowed his brow as he bandaged my bloody heels. His strong, deft hands worked efficiently, and I felt no pain.

"I know you and Lissa are both capable of going to great lengths to get what you want and won't let anything hold you back. I genuinely admire that about you. I also believe you're an excellent guardian who can protect Lissa even on your own if necessary. You've done it before and have only gained more skills and experience since then."

My heart swelled at his words, and I felt heat rise to my cheeks knowing he had such faith in me. I sat down on the bed and quickly caught his face in my hands, bringing it closer to mine. I kissed him greedily as if I couldn't satiate myself with the touch of his lips on mine. He laughed softly, embraced me, and returned the kiss with equal passion.

When we pulled away, I kept my forehead pressed against his.

"If I'd known you were so chill, I would've taken you with us."

Dimitri laughed warmly and kissed the tip of my nose.

"I'm glad you'll remember me in the future too," he said with mock disappointment. "Now let me finish. We have a shift in about half an hour."

"Ugh." I sank back onto the pillows and let him finish bandaging my feet. But I couldn't nap while his warm fingers worked on my feet, and definitely not with his lips so close to the bandaged abrasions, as if he wanted to heal them with a kiss. I couldn't take my eyes off him. If this was what I got for insubordination, I'd sure as hell be going to concerts with Lissa much more often.