Cinders and Ashes

Finding Sympathy and Hope

"Yes, I know that you are a servant, and my father can be ruthless at times, but this... this is too much, even for him. I couldn't let him kill you."

Ash was silent for a few moments as he wrapped one shoulder with the bandages and then proceeded to wrap the other one, carefully as his wounds were still tender.

"I always had a feeling that you were not like your father or your stepsister." He admitted. "I know that the only reason you pretended to act in that way is to have their approval. But... why? Why are you acting kind to me now?"

Serena felt her face flush with heat at his question. She knew the answer, but to say it was harder than she had imagined. She felt her Sylveon partner nuzzle her side in assurance, purring. The faith of her loyal Fairy type gave her enough courage to swallow the lump in her throat before confessing the truth.

"I've... held the strangest affections towards you ever since you and your mother came to the chateau looking for work." She began before continuing, not ready to let Ash answer until she got everything off her chest. She had already said the hard part, she couldn't stop now.

"I always thought that you were handsome, charming and compassionate, unlike any man that I had met. You are also brave, not letting anyone get away with mistreating the Pokémon or one of the lower servants. I really admired you; so much that I began fantasizing about asking your mother for her permission to extend an invitation of courtship.

"But Miette, she only saw you as just another possible notch in her bedpost. Yes, I will admit, she had snuck a man or two into her bedchambers, but they were nothing serious, so I never reported her little flings to Father, although she did threaten me if I ever did anyway. I made doubly sure that she drank that tea that would prevent her from conceiving out of wedlock. But you, she saw you as a challenge. You were not swayed by her flirtations, so that made her both lust and despise you."

"She eventually discovered my feelings towards you, and offered me unsolicited advice on ways to try and seduce you. But I believed in love, while she believed that love is frivolous and unnecessary for marriage. I listened to those unwanted tidbits of advice, but I never wanted to do any of them. So I acted cruelly to keep you away from Miette, which in turn, also from me.

Serena then took a deep breath. "Now, I know that it is too late for me. I know that I don't deserve your love after the way I treated you for so long. Especially now, since you are in love with Princess Dawn. You are the Mystery Prince they're all talking about, yes?"

Ash was still trying to wrap his head around everything that Serena had confessed to him, both his shoulders now wrapped in fresh bandages. She was in love with him? All this time, she had been in love with him, but only pretended to be cruel and selfish not only to gain her family's approval, but also to protect him? He knew that Giovanni would never let his daughters taint themselves with a servant; even though Miette apparently was already impure; but Serena actually cared about him. Enough to sacrifice any chance of a possible courtship between them if things had turned out differently.

Then the question she had asked him about his identity as the Mystery Prince finally registered in his head, and it took him a few moments to answer.

"Yes." He whispered.

Serena smiled sadly. "The way you two looked at each other and danced together, it was just like the love I would read in my books. I know that you two are made for each other."

Ash lightly chuckled as he felt a blush bloom on his cheeks. "Will... will you be okay?" He asked carefully, knowing that Serena also had affections for him.

Serena took a deep, slow breath through her nose. "I've long accepted the fact that I lost my chance with you because of my act. It was a little hard to actually do it, but... I'll be okay."