Before the door could open I jumped out and hurried to wrap the nearest thing possible. I couldn't possibly wear the same clothes since they were all dirty and now I needed a new one. So I grabbed the robes I saw in a basket right in front of me. It probably belonged to Prince but right then I didn't care. When he walked in I was covering up my face.

My heart was beating really fast at the stressful moment.

"Arthur?" He asked sounding really surprised.

"I did not know where else to take a bath." I lied smoothly.

"Are you wearing my clothes right now?"

"Umm...I have nothing else to wear." What else should I say in such a situation?

For a moment he just eyed me carefully as if scanning me through his eyes. I felt goosebumps all over my body under his gaze.

He cleared his throat and looked away, "Okay, how is your wound now?"

"I am fine. How are you?" I said moving slowly to get out of there.

"tired after that boring council meeting."

"Okay, then I will leave to have a bath, your highness," I said bowing slightly.

"I have to attend a ball this evening. You have to accompany me there and as you have no clothes I suppose I have to help you again." He started moving along to the direction of the bathtub.

"You baffle me. Why don't you have clothes? Why do you always cover your face?" He said and I realized while talking to me and himself he was taking off his clothes.

This shocked me and I rushed out without bothering to answer his questions.

***

"We are going for some sword practice? You have to help me out." Prince was done with bathing and need I say he looked delectable.

"I protect you, not do everything you ask for," I told him not in a mood for sword fighting session.

I was starting to feel homesick now. I wanted some time alone to myself.

"I am requesting for your help not ordering you. And can you be a little respectful?"

"Fine, I will help you if you let me sleep at adequate times and not drag me off to dangerous locations and that includes the ball." I tried to bargain.

"Am I the Prince here Arthur?" It was weird when he called me Arthur.

"Come along and if you help me well I might think of your deal."

That was good enough for me so I joined him for the practice.

He stepped out and whispered something to his door guard. The door guard ran off for the directed errand.

I just followed the Prince silently to the ground.

"You are not to tell how I perform on the ground. That remains a secret." He instructed and I nodded not sure who I would share the secret with.

The ground was empty, unlike other times when it was filled with soldiers and guards. The only other person there was Norman who was trying his hands at bow and arrow. Though the guy was lanky and nerdy kind but he was cute as he struggled with the weapons.

"Norman," Prince called out and a smile came over Norman's face.

"Today is the ball you have been waiting for." Norman teased Elias.

"Well, today I can meet a lot of beautiful girls." Elias sounded genuinely happy about it.

So he was the playboy type like most of the good looking guys are.

"Can we start the practice now?" I asked in a bored tone.

"Yes, we can," Elias said and I noticed the brothers giving each other a look that meant I was hopeless.

I picked up a sword that was balanced enough for me and got ready to fight. I was trained with almost all important weapon when since I was ten. I began with knives and then guns and then I went ahead to learn bows and arrows, swords ,blades and needles.

I attacked now knowing I was supposed to go easy on him. He was surprised and staggered back a bit, his feet rustling on the sand under us.

"Can I help as well?" Norman asked and joined to help his brother.

They thought with two men muscle they could beat me. I defended myself calmly. I blocked Norman with ease and entangling my sword with his I disarmed him within seconds. He was not good with weapons. Elias on the other hand, was a little better. He deflected my attacks.

He even knew how to flip back which impressed me. He lasted longer but not well enough and was knocked out after few minutes as he fell on the sand.

"Want to go another round, your highness?" I asked with a bit of sass.

"He is good," Norman said with a tone of surprise.

"I told you," Elias said breathing heavily.

I was sweating now and covering my face was not helping right now.

"I want you to teach me those tactics," Elias picked up the sword once again.

He was the determined type, an admirable quality.

"I will leave then before my father starts looking for me." Norman bowed curtly to the Prince but Elias just gave him a shoulder hug.

And then I taught him the most basic moves which he knew and adopted quickly advancing forward to more difficult step. We practiced for more than an hour and I felt nauseous now because of the cloth covering half my face.

I was glad that Prince stopped the practice because I would have stopped him instead.

"It's time I got ready for the ball. You have to accompany me but if you want you can dance with a girl." He said as we walked back to his quarters.

"I prefer to stay back if that is possible." I requested since I am pretty sure I can walk in with half covered face.

Elias thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Fine. I will take someone else."

He was an easy royal unlike others around. He didn't react to my behavior too harshly.

"I have seen you love to sleep unlike my other bodyguards so get some sleep." He smile and his smile made something flutter inside my chest.

***

Sleeping was not my choice for now. I wanted to get out of here and I needed an answer. The palace was left empty besides the billion soldiers to guard it and the Queen. King was gone for the truce ball with his youngest Queen so the older one was here.

Besides that, I needed to avoid no one and search the place for some way out.

Having no idea where to go I decided to visit the place most likely to have something magical ; the education section. Because it might tell me if they have astronomy thing or a potion to send you back in time or anything.

I walked in and started searching for books trying to keep hidden from few people in there. There were sections for biology not so developed and then numerical stuff. There was astronomy charts and stuff but nothing that could help me.

"Can I help you?" A woman asked and I turned to get the shock of my life.

It was my nanny, Meli.

"Meli?" I asked in my normal tone.

"Are you a girl?" She frowned and it didn't look like she recognized me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Agnes." She said peering at me closely.

"Okay, I am here for some books to read." I lied not sure this was happening.

She looked like Meli, the same person I suspected sent me here. Why?

"What kind of books?" She asked and I wanted to say a story book but I refrained from it and said, "I will choose from these."

"You are not allowed to do so. Only people in charge of the library can do ." She had the stern tone that Meli never had with me.

"Okay, then I will come back later." And rushed outside before she asked me to show my face.

As I was crossing the armory, something stopped me in my path. Some people were muttering something and I heard Prince in their talks.

"I have sent a girl to kill the Prince. It will be very easy at the ball."A man said.

"Inform the King now and don't let any courtiers know." He whispered.

"I heard his bodyguard is capable." Someone else asked.

"I double checked, he is not there with him."

Now I had two options here, I could just keep an eye on Meli-Agnes here or do what my heart told me to. Obviously, my heart won and I decided to go the ball to save Prince's ass , again.

But I this time I decided to go as a girl since I can walk in masked and all. All I needed was a bloody date to get in.