I sit in Cabel's office, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders as I lean against him.
"Have you calmed down?" He asks.
I nod, wiping my eyes.
"Yes, I'm sorry I pushed you down." I sigh.
"It didn't hurt at all, but you seemed like you were running for your life. What happened?" Cabel looks back at me, tucking my hair behind my ear.
"I-I woke up with a weird feeling... My chest and head began to hurt, so I decided to go for a walk to cool down. Suddenly I saw my mother behind me... I got scared and started to run, but I felt her chase after me. It felt like she was going to catch me any second. It's probably my hallucination, but it just felt so real." I take a deep breath.
"It's okay, I'm here to protect you. Would you feel better staying in my room?"
I hesitantly nod, slightly glaring at him.
"I wouldn't touch you carelessly, calm down." Cabel scoffs.
I look down at my trembling hands, the fear washing over me again.
"Okay... Is it okay if I can?"
"You don't need permission, you're always welcome in my bed."
My face heats up as he grins teasingly.
"T-That's such a provocative way of saying it!" I exclaim, covering my face with my hands.
"What's to hide? It's not like I haven't seen or touched every inch of you." Cabel gently takes my wrists, pulling my hands away from my face.
"S-Stop! Don't say that!- Mmph!" I'm quickly cut off as his lips push against mine.
His kiss is passionate and forceful, causing butterflies to grow in my stomach.
He pulls away grinning as he looks satisfied.
I feel my face heat up more as I look away embarrassed.
"I've seen everything of you, and yet your embarrassed expression is the most lovely." He snickers, kissing my forehead.
"S-Stop, you're such a bully." I pout.
Cabel smiles kindly, his arms wrapping around me.
"Do you feel better now?" He asks.
I pause surprised, the trembling gone and my anxiousness disappeared.
"I do... Thank you..." I whisper, resting my head against him.
His hand caresses my head as he gently hugs me.
My eyes grow heavy as I lean against him, eventually falling asleep.
I stir in my sleep, waking up to the sun shining into the window.
I sit up, rubbing my eyes.
"Awake?"
I look over to see Cabel sitting on the sofa, sipping tea as he reads a document.
"Yes... I'm sorry for last night..." I mutter, getting out of bed.
"You did cling to me all night, it was rather troublesome." Cabel sighs, over exaggerating.
"I didn't mean to..." I pout embarrassed, moving to sit beside him.
Cabel snickers, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as he pulls me close.
"I never said I didn't like it, now did I?" Cabel gently kisses my forehead.
My face grows warm with his sudden affection.
I can't help but cuddle against him more, feeling his warm body against mine.
"Have you decided on a birthday present?" Cabel asks.
"Not really... Hm... What about a trip?" I say.
"A trip?"
"Yes. Gifts such as jewels, and accessories are pointless when I already have so much. So how about a trip for the two of us? We can make more memories, and get to know each other more."
"Hm?" Cabel smiles pleased, "Is this a trip you wish to take because you want to make memories, or is there a hidden incentive?"
"Well... You've been working so hard lately, and I want to make sure you can have some time off."
"How coy. We could only go for a week or two though. Is there anywhere you wish to go?"
"Hm... Somewhere pretty and quiet." I smile, holding his hand.
"What about my summer estate? It has private lakes, lots of nature, and is far from the town so it's relatively quiet."
"Yes, that sounds wonderful! Will it be okay to go?"
"I'll have it arranged, but that means we won't be able to spend as much time together until then. I need to finish my work before we go."
"That's okay! I'll just spend time with Esmerelda until then." I smile.
"As long as you don't feel lonely." Cabel hugs me close, gently kissing my neck.
"Cethin!" I call out, walking onto the training field.
Knights train, instructed by Cethin, Jax, and Petunia.
The knights bow as they notice me.
I smile, waving to them.
Cethin turns, walking over to me.
"Continue with your training." Cethin speaks up to the knights. "Chicky? What are you doing here?"
"I need your help."
"For what?"
"This week we'll be going on a undercover mission together." I whisper.
Cethin stares baffled.
He holds my wrist gently, pulling me away from the knights.
"What do you mean?" He whispers.
"The lapis mine incident. I need your help visiting the patients before I go on the trip."
Cethin's eyes widen, surprised.
"You still want to go?" He asks.
"Yes. I can sneak in and heal them, but I need you to come so I can do it without being seen. Cabel's worried about my condition still, but I feel fine and this is something I know I need to do."
Cethin takes a deep breath.
"Fine. If we get caught, I'm not taking the blame."
"I wouldn't expect you to. If we do, just say I used my authority as the future empress to command you."
"Alright, fine. I'll find a day that'll be best for us to go."
"Thank you Cethin." I smile, bowing my head.
"Yeah, yeah, get out of here. We look suspicious."
"Alright, have fun training!" I wave, walking back to the palace.
A few days pass.
Cabel works more than usual as he does his best to prepare for our trip. I've kept myself busy by seeing Esmerelda, and reading tons of books.
I take a deep breath, the nightmares returning each night causing me to lose sleep.
I walk down the hallway, doing my best to keep my composure in front of the maids and butlers who bow to me.
"Sister!"
Esmerelda calls out.
She runs down the hall to me.
"Esmerelda, you look beautiful today." I smile.
"You look more beautiful sister!" She responds happily, "Are we having tea?"
"Yes, of course."
We walk to a parlour room as I instruct a maid to bring tea and snacks.
We take a seat in the empty room, glancing at the door for eavesdroppers.
"So, Esmerelda..." I speak up.
She smiles back at me sweetly.
"I can't help but worry about you."
"For me? Why sister?"
"Well..." I trail off, "I've noticed you've been growing lately."
Since the last few days, I've noticed her height increasing more.
"Oh yes! A maid told me it was normal to grow." She smiles.
"It is normal for a young girl such as yourself to grow, but I wanted to tell you that if there's any discomfort, just let me know or even your maids. If it becomes too uncomfortable, we can call a doctor to check your health, okay?" I smile.
"Of course! Thank you sister! But I promise I'm fine, there's no discomfort." She smiles sweetly, "Sister, you seem tired, are you okay?"
"Hm? Of course I am."
"Okay... Even though I'm still a child, I'll do my best to be here for you!" She exclaims.
I giggle and nod.
"Thank you Esmerelda... That means a lot to me."
The maid knocks, entering the parlour.
My worries disappear as I watch her excitedly smile.
Esmerelda and I sit in the parlour room, sipping tea as we both read our own books.
"Is his highness not joining us again today?" Esmerelda asks.
"Unfortunately no. I've been meaning to tell you, but his highness and I will be going away for a trip. It's why his highness has been so busy lately."
"Oh... So I'll be here alone?" She asks.
"Technically yes, but Lance and Magnolia will be here to ensure you're comfortable while we're gone. We'll be back soon, it won't be a long trip."
"I see... Okay! I hope you have a safe trip!"
"Thank you. It's sad to leave you behind though, you can tell me to stay if you don't want us to leave."
"It's okay! I'll be fine! Mr. Lance came to see me, and told me I'd be starting classes with a tutor in a few days too. I want to be able to become as smart as you!" Esmerelda giggles, smiling excitedly.
"I hope you have fun. It might be difficult, but everyone here will do their best to help you study."
"I know, thank you!"
We enjoy our tea together as we talk more. The day quickly going by.
I walk back to my room after our tea time ends, carrying a few books back.
"Chicky!"
I turn as I see Cethin and Xal jogging up to me.
"Hey, is everything okay?" I ask.
"Yup, thought we should talk in private though." Cethin whispers.
I nod, leading them into my bedroom.
I close the door after them, making sure no one's around to see them enter my room.
"Okay, what's wrong?" I ask.
"Xal?" Cethin nudges him close to me.
"Cethin told me you want to help the miners." Xal speaks up.
"Yes... Are you going to stop me?" I ask.
"No, I'm going to help you." He flashes a cheeky grin.
"Really? Why?"
"Because you're working hard to help others, and Cethin borderline guilted me. But I know if I can help, you'll be happy. So, I'm here." Xal shrugs, embarrassed.
"That's sweet of you, thank you." My heart grows warm as I hug Xal.
"Yeah, yeah." Xal pats my back, scoffing.
"But what would Xal be doing?" I ask.
Cethin smiles, nodding to Xal.
"Remember when you asked us to silence the people who knew your background?" Xal speaks up.
"Yes, I do."
"Well, I can manipulate memories. I can basically erase or change small memories people have."
"You can do that?" I ask, surprised.
"Of course. Back in the day, I had to erase a lot of peoples memories who recognized us when we were on the run."
"So what would you do to help then?"
"Well, it'll be hard to heal people if some of them are awake. We're going to just go in and heal them, and then Xal will erase or change their memories if they see us." Cethin speaks up, explaining the plan.
"When will we be going then?"
"In two days. In two days, his highness will have back to back meetings, and appointments. He'll be the most busiest that day, so we'll be able to go when he's drowning in work, and be back before he knows it." Cethin snickers, grinning like a child.
I roll my eyes.
"You stole Lance's schedule, didn't you?" I glare at him.
"Steal? Me?" Cethin dramatically speaks, "How dare you accuse me of stealing, I did not do such a thing!... I just snuck in and read the schedule, that's all."
I scoff, shaking my head.
"Alright then, but how do we leave without being seen?" I ask.
We sit around, whispering the plan as we ensure no detail is left out.
Days pass as I stand in my bedroom getting dressed.
I dress in a training uniform, growing nervous and excited as the day finally arrives.
"My lady, will you be joining his highness for dinner tonight?" Magnolia asks.
"Yes, I'll be a bit late though. We're planning to go for a ride after we finish the lesson."
"Understood, my lady. It may rain today, please dress warmly." Magnolia holds my cloak out to me.
"Of course. Thank you." I smile, taking my cloak from her.
I walk through the hallways, eager to meet Cethin and Xal.