Apart from the first embarrassing moment, the advisor stated several more small gifts that the King readily accepted.

“Very good, very good! Then, in exchange for your gifts, I will let your granddaughter stay as my daughter’s companion for her upcoming wedding!”

This…This was what the Prince did not expect!

The woman was going to stay here in the palace!? Have you gone crazy, Royal Father!?

The small crowd in the room showed their obvious excitement and what not and the Prince once again clenched his fists…This was too much!

The old advisor and his father really worked hard! They worked very hard!

The Prince gave his silent approval to their play and wanted to escape, yet he knew…The woman would also be here!

The whole capital will know that a woman that wasn’t royal and was old enough to become someone’s wife was going to stay at the palace where the Prince was. It’s bound to start a few rumors, it’s bound to be an annoying situation to get through!

The Prince was not happy!

Just before he thought things couldn’t get worse, the King pronounced that a palace gathering will be done the next evening and that…The woman will have the first dance with the Prince…

It just got worse…

***

It wasn’t easy to spend as little time as possible in the company of the woman ‘Adaline’ but Prince Elton somehow achieved it. He wasn’t going to just stand there and not do anything!

What he couldn’t run away from though, was attending the palace gathering, simply because the first dance had already been stated by the King himself.

Having kept himself busy all this time, Prince Elton grumbled the whole time he was getting into his outfit.

Before he even had his outer coat on, the Princess barged in on him, laughing to see that she was glad that she had not come any earlier!

“She seems pretty nice to me!” The Princess stated to her brother’s grumbling moments later.

“She’s probably acting!” The Prince stated, gently flicking her forehead. “You’d fall for any trick!”

“I’m not that dumb! Come on, give her a chance! Oh, she’s got a pet…”

A knock on the door stopped Princess Bethany, she was after all in her brother’s quarters.

“Your Highness, Lady Adaline is waiting for you.”

The Prince took a deep breath and left, making Princess Bethany sigh. “Really, she’s nice!”

Before this gathering, the Princess has even been thankful for an extra friend. She didn’t think her father would suddenly let someone who wasn’t a royal into the palace specifically for her and so she has made the best of it by going to see Lady Adaline as often as possible…They even had lunch together today!

It was exciting and it was a nice to help her from getting nervous as well. It wasn’t like she was changing her mind from marrying Cid, it was more like the idea of being married…Maybe…Or was it because she and Cid will…Be together!

Whatever it was, Princess Bethany wanted to squeal too much lately, and she was staying up to late! Now that she had a friend in the palace, she was acting somewhat normal once again!

Actually, what has helped in gaining her attention, was that Lady Adaline never showed her face and so it has not only dreamt about, for what she would look like, but also another topic that they had shared together. The Princess had probably gone too far by asking if she were ugly, but the lady just laughed at her and said that she was pretty, that she was just as pretty as the Prince or even prettier!

Smiling and following after her brother, Princess Bethany thought that she very much liked Lady Adaline!

Alison watched as the Prince came towards her and straightened up. So far, she had not done anything wrong in acting the lady but…She had already been scolded upon not having alone time with the Prince.

It had only been a day and they wanted to hear that she had been with him in some way…But it had never happened…

She originally wasn’t going to be in a rush but not only was her ‘master’ onto her but even that of the King, which made things all that much scarier!

…They wanted her to go all the way! All the way…

How can a woman do that!? She was not even married yet!

Letting the Prince take her hand, she then walked with him and into the palace gathering as a couple. The power to make this man do this much, really did make her rethink her pros and cons…

Should she just run? Because if she continues, she’d have to get much closer, much faster…To…To the Prince…

Just letting the Prince led her, she found that he already wanted to do the dance, making the musicians have to change what they were doing. It was obvious the Prince wanted to get it over and done with and so…She went along with him…

“Don’t befriend my sister.”

Alison frowned, “Why not!?”

Oops, it was just…Dammit!

Alison took a deep breath, while the Prince answered, “Excuse me!”

The Prince even stopped dancing, glaring at her. How embarrassing, they had only just started dancing together, to stop soon after!

“Your Highness.” Alison stated, but she was getting angry with this man…She really didn’t want to do this!

“I also want you to try and find a way to go back to your home.” The Prince added firmly, after they started dancing again.

Alison told herself not to get angry, but it was getting harder and harder as the seconds went by!

“Understood?” The Prince asked yet smiled at the crowd as they continued to dance.

“Pfft, my home…” Alison let out. She was thinking of her broken and wrecked home. She even thought that it would be nice to go back there, she hadn’t been back since before she went into the palace to steal.

“Where are your manners!” The Prince again stopped dancing and spoke this angrily.

Alison tuned around and left, “My Prince, you also have no manners.”

With that the whole place went quiet!

Prince Elton blinked and couldn’t believe that his ploy to make her look bad just reflected and went to him instead!

That woman!

Quickly, he went up and grabbed her and then pulled her into a corridor, “How dare…”

Alison interrupted him, “How dare I what!? You tell me to not befriend your sister, but she is lovable, I adore her! Then you tell me to try and get back home? Well tough! I’m not here for you…”

…Actually, she thought, she was here for the Prince…Oops…

“You…You!” The Prince was so furious that he didn’t know what to do!

“I what!?” Alison asked through the veil over her face.

For a moment it felt like time stopped by not just Alison, but that of the Prince too.

She sounds just like…She…Could she be the little Pillager?

He…He’s cute when he’s furious…He’s pouting…His mouth is pouting!

Letting out a chuckle, Alison covered her mouth, and the Prince was suddenly very positive that the person in front of him was the Little Pillager!

“Oh, there you are Adaline!”

Alison stopped lightly laughing and looked up to see the master. “…Grandfather.”

The Prince’s fury all but vanished as he watched the woman walk over to the advisor.

The advisor watched the Prince and smiled…His plan was indeed working! What had happened just now on the dance floor had worried him, but it seems…It seems it might just be the Prince’s way of dealing with this woman who has him hooked onto her little finger!

For this one day, he will be lenient and not say anything to this so-called and undeserving Adaline…That didn’t mean that tomorrow was not a brand-new day! She must work hard to obtain the Prince’s heart and then work even harder to keep it! He only hoped that her worthless street rat ways were not seen by the Prince…

The rest of the gathering passed by in a blur for both Alison and Prince Elton.

Prince Elton found himself in a bit of a pickle because he was so obsessed in wanting to know what the lady looked like under that veil of hers. The Little Pillager had been dirty, with little specs that might have been clean, but he knew that she wouldn’t be like that right now!

No, she probably had makeup on, and her skin would be clean…Smooth…

That veil over her face was most definitely in the way! And with that said, his mind went to work next upon bringing the lady out for a late-night stroll later tonight…

“David.”

David stopped drinking and turned to the Prince, “Your Highness?”

“We are meeting tonight so tell Cid and Bethany, I’ll bring…Lady Adaline…” Prince Elton didn’t want to call her that but there was no other way…No one but him knew that she was his fiancé from all those years ago. He wasn’t even sure how many knew that she used to be a thief either…So, all he could do was just accept her new identity for now.

“Sure, I’ll go tell them. Actually, I think it’ll be good for the two idiots getting married.”

The Prince frowned, then smiled, “Bring Mahjong.”

“What, no! I don’t want to play Mahjong!”

“Tough!” The Prince stated, then walked away. It wouldn’t be long now that he could leave the palace gathering politely…

Alison pulled off the earrings and bangles, the hair ties and ribbons. She rubbed at her face with a slightly wet clothe and then brushed her hair.

It seemed that she was unintentionally doing a good job. Her new grandfather praised her today, saying that she wasn’t so worthless after all, of course, this was said in humor. But now, after tonight and what was said, Alison wondered if she was doing the right thing. Because this…This was lying!

But…What Alison hated the most was that she was working with the person that had killed her family.

Watching Milo move some items around, Alison opened a container to the side and placed down some food for him.

It wasn’t worth it, was her thoughts, just as a noise entered her back-veranda area.

Quickly putting on her veil, Alison turned around to find the Prince standing there with hooded eyes. “Your…Your Highness!”

What was he doing here!? This was a maiden’s bed chamber!

“…My Lady.”

Speechless, Alison just stood there, as the Prince couldn’t help but smile, it was good to surprise her, then she wouldn’t speak back to him!

Taking her hand, the Prince raised his eyebrows, “Come with me.”

“Uh?” Alison said, but then she was pulled along as Prince Elton took her away. “Where are we going?”

Elton turned to her and smiled, “It’s a surprise!”

It was rare for a few of them to get together, as they were people around the same age but two belonged inside the palace and the others didn’t. They found out a while ago that it was easier to hold these small gatherings just between them at the palace, instead of outside of the palace…Well, David had permission to enter the palace, along with Cid, but Elton and Bethany couldn’t just leave whenever they wanted to. The last time they disappeared at night, it nearly became an uproar. It was mostly about the Prince having disappeared when he was supposed to have been somewhere else inside the palace, so Bethany was not even known to have left at all…

So, since then, they have had the gatherings here, once every few months.

Walking down a few corridors, Alison started to get more and more angrier as she continued to get tagged along by this irritating man!

She stopped walking and pulled her hand away from him, placing both her hands then across her chest. “I don’t want to.”

Prince Elton turned and smiled, “Trust me, mmm?”

Trust you? Not in this world! You’re a horrible man that always makes me mad just by looking at…

Through her inner words, she was unintentionally taken into the next room, making her a bit shocked.

There was Princess Bethany!

“Adaline!”

“…Princess!” Suddenly she was taken into a hug and was pulled away.

Looking at the Prince’s hand, which had pulled her away from Princess Bethany, Alison looked at Prince Elton, who cleared his throat and looked away.

The Prince took a drink and returned his eyes to Alison.

“Would you like a drink…My Lady?” Prince Elton stared at Alison, not wanting to call her Adaline…No, he wanted to call her by her real name.

Taking the drink with surprise, Alison couldn’t help but feel strange to the sudden event, “What’s going on?”

Pulling on her hand lightly, Elton brought her to a chair and became a gentleman to push her in afterwards. “It is not like we can just pick up and leave so…We have some fun time’s here ourselves!”

Fun times?

There was alcohol, a game on the table and people…Almost like a small gathering elsewhere.

Do royal people really do stuff like this?

“Set em up!” David stated, having a sip from his alcohol.

“Do you know how to play, My Lady?” Elton asked, as he too was helping set up the game.

Alison nearly wanted to cry…It was a game that she watched her parents play from time to time. She had only watched, having never played it.

Shaking her head, Alison didn’t say a word.

“Good, more chance of me winning!” David stated, making everyone look at him.

“Haha, David, you are so bad at it that you’d probably lose against Lady Adaline!” Bethany said, then laughed.

“Hey, I’m good at chess!” David stated.

“Shame that this is Mahjong…” Cid stated.

“Shut up! All of you just shut up!” David said, almost like a child.

Alison looked from one to another and then looked down at her hands. These people, there were acting so…well like commoners, like she was a part of the group or something. Was this what it was like to be in among friends? How…How could she call them friends though, one of them chased her down just for taking his hat and coat! Princess Bethany was alright, but she had never really met this David before…He did look slightly familiar but at the same time she was sure she had never met him before.

“Are you alright?”

Suddenly seeing how close the Prince was, Alison moved back a bit, “I’m…I’m fine, thank you.”

“Then are you ready to be taught how to play then?” He asked.

Alison shook her head and smiled, “I think I’ll just watch…If that is ok, Your Highness.”

Prince Elton frowned, thinking that he may have done wrong but suddenly seeing her turn her chair and get closer to him, he went blank.

He had not expected this…

This…Was not…What…

Just a normal night of playing a game in among some strange people, but now…Now…She was…

He could smell her natural smell, he could see the shape of her face that would be under her veil and…

“Oi! It’s your turn!” David shouted, making Elton jump in his seat.

…They were already playing? Prince Elton could hardly remember getting the game started!

Bethany whispered into Cid’s ear, “He is really acting different…”

Cid nodded, looking at his soon to be wife, “I told you.”

“So what!? Am I supposed to pay you now…” Bethany stopped and smiled, “Ah, I’ll hold your hand in my payment then!”

With courage, Bethany stole Cid’s hand and Cid went a bit stiff. He knew of the Princess and her ways, but they still surprised him til this day!

Alison laughed and thought it was really cute that the two got on so well. It was then that under the table her own hand was discretely taken by another, making her laugh no more!

Turning to look directly at Prince Elton, who acted like nothing was happening in his actions, she could see a slight change of color to his cheeks.

What is he doing?

The game went quiet for a while, and if Alison was having troubles concentrating, perhaps the others felt similar as well. The Prince would not just hold her hand, he was also playing with each of her fingers, touching her nails and interlock their fingers…It was so sensual that Alison felt her breath slightly quicken.

“I can’t believe it…How could this be? Why am I so bad at this!?” David stood up and pulled at his hair dramatically, stunning everyone else in the room!

Alison quickly took her hand from Prince Elton and looked anywhere else but back at him!

Why? She asked herself, why didn’t I even think of taking my hand back until now? What was I thinking!?

“Play one more game.” Prince Elton said, taking Alison’s hand again.

“No! I don’t want to!” David stated, putting his hands across his chest.

“Sit down!”

David made a sound but sat down, “Fine then, you aren’t playing but the Lady is…And you can’t tell her how to play! If I hear any words, I’m leaving!”

Alison smiled, “I agree!”

David smiled. He lost his biggest rival and so he dived in and started the game, along with Cid and Alison. Princess Bethany stepping out of the game this time as she shyly stayed next to Cid, just sitting there and holding his hand…

Alison eyed David and watched as he smirked, “You think you can win when you don’t even know how to play?”

While his eyes were on her eyes, she stole a piece from the table and then shrugged, “I should still be able to beat you!”

“Ha!” David said, smiling with what he thought was a good move!

Cid shook his head and continued playing silently…He already knew that Lady Adaline was cheating…Not only with the Prince picking the pieces and secretly telling her how to play without words, but he saw it himself that she was stealing tiles!