They all gathered for the first day of the annual hunt. Seri tried to hide, but Mary dragged her out. As Seri fidgeted next to the smiling Mary, they stood and watched as the men started getting ready. William caught sight of Mary and strolled over.

He wore an indifferent look on his face, "Mary. How did you get here?"

I recognized the scene and the line from being in the original novel. This was the moment where all the men began to fight over Mary like some sort of territorial wolves.

Mary dragged Seri over to the conversation, "Seri gave me a ride. Isn't that nice?"

William glanced at Seri who immediately wanted to scurry away and hide. He nodded at her, "Seri."

"P-P-Prince W-William..."

He watched her closely, "How is your mother?"

"S-She's here..."

"That's not what I meant." Seri flinched and tried her best to hide from his gaze. He continued, "Is your mother still-"

"No!" Seri suddenly shouted, causing them to jump in surprise. Other people around them heard the shout and stopped their conversation. They all turned to look at the group with interest.

William spoke in a low voice, "Seri. If she's still hur-"

"N-No! Please P-Prince William. I-Ignore it. I-It's fine..."

Mary looked between the two with curiosity. She really wanted to ask about what they were talking about, but Seri looked unwilling to say.

William sighed, "Fine. I won't bring it up again." He looked away from her indifferently. He didn't want to get involved anyway since it wasn't worth his time.

I turned to look at the original Seri standing next to me, "Did he know?"

"He once saw my mother hit me by chance. He had tried to help me, but I wouldn't let him." The original Seri sighed, "I feared what would happen if someone tried to help."

I looked at her in pity, "You were worried it would get worse."

She gave a single nod, "So I begged him not to say a thing to anyone about it. He figured it wasn't his business so he agreed."

I turned back to the scene. Dante had walked over to join William with a fake smile. Artie and Lucius were there as well. The more people that joined, the more Seri looked nervous. Lucius looked between William and the girls with a sly smile, "Oh? And what are you three talking about?"

Seri was so anxious she grabbed her arms and squeezed them. William glanced at her before turning to glare at Lucius, "None of your business. Now go away."

"Oi, oi. Is that anyway to talk to a friend?" Lucius leaned on William causing William to look extremely irritated.

"Friend? We aren't friends." He pushed Lucius off.

Lucius chuckled, "Fine. But it clearly seems like something is going on over here." He turned to leer at Seri, "Maybe Seri confessed her love to William."

Seri's body froze once she heard this line. She bit her lip while hiding under her bonnet. Mary looked at her with wide eyes. In the novel, Mary was said to be considering if perhaps this was true. After all, Seri never spoke to anyone before. It was the first time she had seen her speak to someone other than her. Plus, William seemed to know something about Seri that no one else did. Mary wondered just what kind of relationship the two had. It was quite possible that Seri had a crush on him.

William frowned more, "Lucius. Stop being rude."

"Rude? But look at her. She clearly likes you."

Seri spoke quickly, "I-I-I got to go." She turned around and ran off before anyone could stop her. Mary watched her leave with a complicated expression. This behavior just seemed more suspicious.

I looked at the original Seri beside me, "I read this part in the novel. It really did seem like you had a crush on William."

She sighed, "It was all a misunderstanding. I never had a crush on William. I was just afraid to be under scrutiny, so I ran away. However, I'm not sure what exactly happened after I left. I have no idea if Mary thought the same thing or if she paid it no attention."

I turned back, "I can fill in the blanks. Well, at least I can use what I remember from the novel. I'm not quite sure how accurate it is to the truth though."

The scene resumed.

William glared at Lucius, "Did you really have to say that? Could you be any less of a jerk?"

"Jerk? But it was the truth. She clearly has a crush on you."

"She does not."

Artie crossed his arms with a pout, "I'm surprised you're not trying to flirt with Seri, Lucius. Since you flirt with every other girl, why aren't you targeting her as well?"

Lucius chuckled, "Why would I hit on that boring girl? Also, I feel like she's not the type who would respond to my advances." He turned back to William with a grin, "However, maybe she would respond to William?"

"Shut up." He retorted curtly.

Mary shifted uncomfortably, "Um..."

Somehow she felt uncomfortable as they discussed whether or not Seri did have a crush on William. Artie had watched Seri run off and turned to Mary. When he saw her troubled expression, he spoke quickly, "Don't worry Mary. I'm sure she doesn't actually like Prince William."

Mary looked down at the ground as if mulling something over.

Lucius looked at her with a cocky grin, "Today I'm going to come in first for the competition. Just you wait. I'm going to beat the little Prince today."

"Who are you calling little?! Plus, you couldn't even beat me if you tried!"

Lucius grinned, "You'll see. When I win first place, I will dedicate my win to you Mary."

Mary picked up her head, "Hm?"

Lucius took her hand gently and bent down to kiss her hand. He made a charming smile, "Just make sure to accept it."

Mary blinked bashfully, "Oh..."

William smacked his hand off of her, "No. I'm going to win first place. Then I will be the one to dedicate the win to her."

As they argued, Mary felt her pocket. She had made a tassel for the event since she had heard about the tradition. However, she didn't know if she should hand it out or not. When she noticed the other women handing out tassels, they looked professional and expensive. Hers was just plain and boring. In the end, she figured it was better not to. She didn't want to embarrass herself.

Dante stood between the two of them with a calming grin, "There, there. Stop fighting both of you. Can't you see how unbecoming you are both being?"

They both stopped and turned away from each other in annoyance.

Dante chuckled, "Good. Now, Mary."

"Hm?" She looked at Dante's handsome grin.

"Did you perhaps make any of us something?"

Her hand twitched over her pocket, but she put on a sweet smile, "What would I make?"

William sighed, "A tassel?"

She continued to play dumb, "Why would I make a tassel?"

Artie interjected, "Mary is a commoner. She probably doesn't even know about the tradition here."

William clicked his tongue from disappointment. Lucius shrugged, "Well, next time make sure to make a tassel for me Mary." Then with a wink, the scene ended.

The original Seri frowned next to me, "I still can't believe she actually made a tassel. I wonder which boy she intended to give it to."

The novel didn't explicitly say she made it for William. In fact, it didn't say who she was going to give it to at all. The reader just naturally assumed it would have been for William since he was the male lead. Plus, the two had more chemistry at this point in the story than any of the other characters. However, it was possible she didn't make it for William.... Or any other man for that matter.

I looked at the scene in front of me with growing suspicions, "I wonder..."

The scene skipped forward and Seri was back in the tent sitting on her bed sniffling. She heard someone walk in and immediately stood up, "Mary?"

However, the one who entered was not Mary, but her mother. Seri instantly seemed disappointed. Her mother glared at her, "What's this I hear about you bringing a commoner along with you?!"

"O-Oh... I-I-I just..."

"SHUT UP!" Seri flinched from her shout. "Why are you always stuttering!? It's so disgusting!! It has been years and you still do that nasty habit!!! Do you like embarrassing me?! SPEAK!"

"N-No..." Seri's body began to tremble.

*SLAP*

Seri was hit so hard that her bonnet flew off. She trembled as she looked at the ground holding her swollen cheek.

Her mother's face contorted, "Disgusting. Truly disgusting. Why are you such a disappointment?!"

Seri bit back her tears as she prepared for another beating from her mother. In these situations, there was nothing she could do. If she argued, it would get worse. If she cried, it would get worse. Anything she ever did would only ever make it worse. However, if she stood there and allowed her mother to do whatever she liked, it would go much faster.

Another voice shouted, "STOP!"

*SLAP*

Seri prepared for a blow, but realized it never happened. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see someone standing in front of her protectively. Mary looked ahead with fierce eyes, glaring down Seri's mother. She had been slapped, but she didn't care.

She spoke in earnest, "I am Mary, the commoner that Seri brought. She brought me so that I could be her maid. Is there a problem with that?"

"Such an impertinent tongue." Seri's mother looked at Mary carefully, "Hmph. Fine. Do whatever you want. I don't care." She tossed Seri one last warning look, "But if I hear something from Queen Luna again, I won't be as nice."

Once she left, Seri quickly jumped up to look at Mary, "Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!"

Mary blinked in surprise at Seri's sudden closeness. Their faces were so close together that it caused her chest to tighten. However, Seri didn't notice this. She was too busy worrying over the hit Mary had received. She dragged Mary to the bed and forced her to sit down. She pulled out a first aid kit and quickly went to work treating Mary's wound.

The surprise clearly showed on Mary's face as she watched Seri attend to her so diligently. She surveyed Seri's face closely as if trying to memorize every feature. It had been the first time she had ever seen Seri's face that wasn't hidden beneath her veil.

Seri sighed, "You shouldn't have done that."

Mary snapped out of her admiration, "But she was hurting you."

Seri's face twitched, "I'm used to it."

"Well you shouldn't be. You should tell someone about it."

Seri's eyes drooped slightly, "Please don't say anything about it. It will only make things worse."

Mary bit her lip, but didn't argue. She gently reached out to stop Seri's hand.

Seri blinked in surprise, "What is it?"

Mary stared into her eyes with a gentle expression. A tender smile appeared on her lips, "This is the first time I've seen your face so clearly. You are quite beautiful. Your eyes are so lovely; they look just like the color of peaches."

Seri's face turned extremely red as if flipped on by a switch. Seri abruptly slapped her hands over her face to hide herself from Mary's intense gaze.

This seemed to intrigue Mary even more. Mary began to pull at her hands, "Wait! Don't hide it! Let me see it more!"

Mary pushed Seri down on the bed as she tried to pry Seri's hands off of her face. She finally succeeded and panted heavily as she looked at Seri's bashful appearance. When Seri looked into Mary's eyes, her line of sight unwillingly lowered until it caught sight of Mary's chest. Seri grew dizzy from the stimulating scene.

I wonder why this wasn't in the original novel. The two of them look rather close. Like... REALLY close...

I looked over to see the original Seri fidgeting in embarrassment while holding her blushing face beneath her bonnet.

"..."