"*What are you thinking about?*" Arawn asked absentmindedly as he dabbed his quill into the intricately carved golden inkwell before starting a new letter.

Evanna blinked and parted her lips about to respond, but her sluggish brain alerted her to something unusual. At first, she didn't know what it was, so she looked at the prince, who had not looked up from his work and did not see the mess she seemed to have become from such a simple question. That was until she processed that the prince had asked his question in Muranthian.

"I'm sorry.." She finally replied slowly. "I do not understand what you said."

The prince must have forgotten she 'did not speak the language'; he was so engrossed in his work that he must have picked it up after writing in the dialect. Arawn glanced up and gazed at her from across the room for a few seconds. Evanna wondered what he was thinking about as he looked at her. Maybe he was tired?

He slowly looked back down to his papers and asked again, "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh. Erm," Evanna sighed and looked into the flames of the fireplace as she felt a little unsettled. "I was just thinking about my father and how I would spend time with him in his study as a child."

Arawn placed his quill in the inkwell and gazed at her with a furrowed brow, "And how was it? It doesn't sound very...fun."

Evanna smiled as she continued to stare at the dancing flames. "It was wonderful. Peaceful. He taught me a lot, and I didn't mind as long as I was with him. It was only me and father, no sister, no step-" Evanna snapped her mouth shut, and she glanced at the prince, hoping he did not catch on. But his features showed that he did as he raised a brow at her in question. "No servants." She finished and locked her gaze with his; she was not about to tell him more about her life.

Evanna was tired and had to remind herself to still tread carefully around him, even if she did feel unusually settled in his chamber. That didn't take away the facts of who she was and who she stole from. The prince clicked his tongue and picked up his quill again, but Evanna did not care for his agitation; she was happy that he didn't try to question her more.

Some time passed, and Arawn glanced back at Evanna after finishing a letter to his cousin visiting the Lyvarians. He had been writing his commands about disputes between Lords and Dukes of the lands, but they were so dull he nearly fell asleep like Evanna. A smile twitched on his lips as he looked at her gentle face relaxed with no concerns showing on her smooth skin.

He stood up and went towards his closet, walking in and grabbing the woollen throw that was so soft to touch. He knew that laying it on top of Evanna would never wake her. She needed to sleep, and he would let her. It had been a long day full of excitement; of course, she had the endurance to fight, run through the woods and climb trees all day, but court life was something else.

He saw how much those she-elves affected her, and it made him wonder about how she faired as a Lady in Dunhurst. Arawn gently placed the cover over her slanted frame. He held back a laugh at the position she was in, wondering how she could possibly sleep. Her feet were still on the ground, but her upper body was on the side of the couch. With the softest touch, he removed her shoes wrapped his hands around her ankles to swing her feet onto the sofa.

His hands lingered on her bare skin for a moment too long, and he glanced at her serene features. She truly was a rose, blooming in every light he had seen her in. And a rose suited her well, she was beautiful, but to touch the petals or pluck the plant, one had to be careful of the thorns. Sighing, he removed his hands and covered her bare feet with the throw.

He sat down on the middle sofa and stared ahead at the painting above the fireplace. He did not mean to shut off, but after years of not speaking of her, it was only natural to keep her memories to himself. His father hardly spoke of her, and after a while, he did too. But seeing Evanna open up a little about her father made him want to talk to her about ordinary stuff without there being an agenda.

"Ah," He clicked his fingers and stood up as an idea formed in his mind. Even though he wished to quiz Evanna, he still wanted to catch her out on a few things. And he knew exactly how to do that, as well as enjoying her company for longer.

Arawn marched over to his double doors, pulling them open and causing the guards, who seemed to be slacking off and leaning on them, to nearly falling backwards. But they recentred themselves and pulled away, bowing immediately. The group of ten guards each bowed their heads, keeping their eyes down as they said in sync, "Your highness."

Arawn was too much in a good mood to reprimand the guards against the doors. His eyes searched around the guards and landed on his servant, Haryk. "Tell the cooks, Lady Evanna, and I will not be attending dinner in the hall tonight but in my chamber. Set the table up on my balcony. Be quiet though, if she wakes up, I will not be pleased. Bring a taster and Rina as well," He ordered.

Haryk bowed and started ordering some servants down the hall, and they immediately started making their way to his room. Arawn turned his back on them and returned to Evanna. His eyes lit up as an idea formed in his mind. Picking up his book on the sofa opposite to the one she lay on, he made his way to her position.

Evanna stirred slightly, but the warmth below her cheek on the comfy cushion made her nuzzle her head further into it and slipped her arms underneath it. Her brows arched together after finding it challenging to slide her arms around the cushion. But with more awareness now seeping into her head, she realised her pillow was not that great. In fact, the padding was hard, and the weight on her arms underneath it was heavy.

Her head was never that heavy. With a frown and a sigh, she turned over onto her back and cuddled the blanket further. Her bun made the new position uncomfortable, and so she swiftly undid the damned hairstyle, letting her locks flow around her head, before resting her hands once again on the blanket.

But something still didn't feel right, and her mind was tugging onto frayed strings trying to comprehend what was wrong, and it was annoying her and refusing her to go back to sleep, even with her body arguing against it. With mild annoyance, her eyelashes fluttered open, and her surroundings slowly came into focus.

Evanna sighed after looking at the stars in the sky. But that moment of serenity was abruptly swept away from her. She almost shrieked after turning her head to the side and seeing the prince calmly reading his book as he leaned against the sofa. Her heart pounded in her ears as she eyed him and his physique.

Her head was settled in his lap, the cushion she had been hugging moments ago. Her face heated up in her frozen state. But Arawn turned a page on his book, snapping her out of the odd reality she woke to. Evanna moved slightly, but the prince held his hand up.

"Can I have five more minutes, please," He asked while his eyes still scanned his book.

The cheek!

Evanna narrowed her eyes at him and was about to go against his wishes, but her eyes landed on the throw over her body and the shoes lying on the ground. She blinked profusely and realised, even though the prince went too far by letting her sleep on his legs, he had actually been..

Sweet!?

Her chest warmed up, and Evanna knew it wasn't from the fire, the heated being beneath her head or the blanket covering her body. But she couldn't let herself think about the prince and this small action. Her head was still placed on his body, and this had been possibly the most intimate situation she had found herself in. Yet, unlike the times before when Arawn teased her from such things, he was not doing it now. She felt both frightened at such a new venture and comfortable?

Her gaze landed on his sculpted features again, and she followed the hard edges, the shapes of his eyebrows, his straight nose, and if the book did not hide his lips, then she would look at his lips. In its place, her eyes lowered past the book and landed on his chiselled chest. Her eyes widened, and she inhaled sharply before looking away.

Arawn chuckled and closed his book. "I thought you needed a cushion for your head," His voice was filled with delight, and Evanna narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is that so?"

The prince smirked and brushed his hand through the top part of her hair, brushing it away from her features. The action made her heartbeat begin to race as her gaze never left his as he repeated the move on the other side of her temple. His fingers were cool, and she slowly closed her eyes to the feeling against her burning skin. His chuckle made her eyes snap open, and she could see another smirk on his features.

"Princess, I have ordered dinner to be served on the balcony tonight. We will dine alone," He softly spoke.

Evanna's brows shot up after hearing the term 'princess'. She searched his eyes, but he did not seem angry or distant, which confused her that much more. He did not know she was a princess, but called her one? Gulping, she abruptly sat up, her raven locks falling in waves down to her waist as she turned around to look at the prince.

"Then I should get ready. If you will excuse me-"

"Rina," Arawn raised his voice slightly, and Evanna looked wide-eyed as the she-elf walked into the room. Evanna's cheeks heated at how she looked sitting so close and chummy with the prince. "Help Evanna into my tub. Do you know how?"

Evanna's brows drew together at that statement, and she looked at him in question. Arawn smiled and stood up, gesturing his hand out for her to take. She timidly placed her hand in his, looking away from his smile and from Rina's direction.

The prince led her to the en suite bathroom.