As the long summer days passed by Jade was forced to accompany Prince Luke to many parties, wine tastings and book readings. Emma had informed her that it was first time in months Luke had emerged from his room and joined Edward's social circle. Even before the Ball fiasco Luke had been too reticent to make many public appearances which made Jade mentally curse the man for his sudden change of habits even if she knew his reasons for it.

The brown haired girl wobbled through the hallway feeling the afteraffects of the food and wine Lady Elena had piled on her plate. The infuriating woman had apparently decided the way to a man's heart was his secretary. It was a good strategy in theory but the woman had the subtly of a rampaging horse which did not endear her to the secretary in question.

Jade was only a corridor away from her room when someone smashed an unknown object at the back of her head. The force of the attack left her unsteady and she staggered forward until she landed on her knees. The glass tinkling around her indicated whatever was smashed on her head was now broken.

"Oye! You miserable cur!" Jade hollered as the world swayed. She bit back bile rumbling in her stomach and placed her hands covered head on the ground before her. She was attacked again as if the attacker meant to pummel her to the ground but the man retreated before he could land another blow.

She was uncertain whether the sounds of the footsteps racing towards her were of enemy or her foe and she braced for impact until the voices indicated they were from a pair of royal guards concerned about her life. They helped her up and on her assertions she was fine led her to her room.

Once inside Jade swiftly locked her door and marched into her dressing room and again locked the door behind her. She was worried her attacker would take the opportunity to strike again. To her horror her wig was nearly knocked askew by the attack. If the light of the hallways hadn't been as dim as it were, for it was well past bedtime for most of the castle, then her secret would have been revealed.

The only positive she could think of was that wig had cushioned most of the blow. She gently wiped away the remnants of the vase that had been hit on her head, feeling grateful for the contraption that saved her. None of the sharp glass had done any bodily harm.

Jade took a long bath to wipe away the worst of the pain and hobbled out with her newly washed wig atop her head. She had only removed her bed covers when a soft screeching noise caught her attention.

"Hello?" Jade said, nervously. She wondered if the attacker had found a way to break into her rooms and finish the job. Finding no sensible weapon on hand she took a pillow as protection and slowly made her way out from behind the screen.

Her heart jumped to see the ghostly shadow standing in the middle of the dark room. She slipped against the wooden screen when she realised who it was.

"What are you doing here? I nearly died of fright!" Jade demanded, roughly.

"I heard you nearly died from something else as well," Prince Luke remarked, sanguinely. He was kind enough to ignore the lack of decorum and politeness. He was still in the elegant clothes he had been dressed in at the party.

"How did you get in?" Jade's arms shivered with draining adrenaline, "You were lucky I didn't attack you."

"With what? Your pillow?" The grey eyed man snickered as he noticed her choice of weapon.

"Smothered by a pillow is not a pleasant way to go," Jade pouted, feeling rather put out that her privacy was being disturbed when she had explicitly locked the doors firmly.

"I shall remember your warning, Ward," Luke played with the matches on the mantle and managed to turn on a candle the maids had neglected. The room was bathed in the weak flicker of light.

"Aren't you leaving?" Jade asked, perturbed by the man's behaviour.

"No," Luke replied with a deathly piercing look and made himself comfortable on her leather chair in front of the empty fireplace. He firmly placed his booted feet on the wooden table in front of him.

"Oh, bother it, I'm going to bed. Please consider yoursf at home, your highness," Jade grumbled to herself and jumped into bed not caring one whit if the Prince minded. She was exhausted and had no intention of playing host to a wayward prince in the middle of the night. It was unfortunate then that she couldn't find sleep until the sun was already up.

....

"This is dreadful business," Sir Elliot tsked as his eyes scanned over the bruises along the side of Jade's face.

"Dreadful indeed. I am flabbergasted someone considered him worthy of attack. He is barely a week into his post," The crown Prince looked displeased that he was forced to exit his still ongoing card party. Jade had woken up to find the younger Prince gone and a summons on the table indicating he needed to meet Sir Elliot immediately.

"They did not seem to be seeking me out for any intellegence if you're wondering," Jade explained, placing a hand on her bruise, gingerly.

"No, I wasn't really wondering at all. Your importance is miniscule," Prince Edward was insultingly dismissive.

"So, they just want him out of the way. What purpose do they have? If they want access to Luke then surely there are other ways," Sir Elliott continued to jot down on his parchments with his usual urgency. The man finished his letters and called the footman to handle the envelopes.

"You will have no female admirers left if you continue to be accosted thus. Those bruises are ugly. Can you identify the assailant?" The Prince asked as he crossed the room towards Jade.

"Not a clue. I was woefully unprepared to be assaulted. I don't believe it was anyone at your Lady Elena's party either. I barely won a few coins," The tall girl shrugged, knowing she looked pathetic.

"As if I would allow riffraff to enter my domain and my social circle," The blue eyed Prince shook his head.

"Are you certain?" Jade scoffed remembering how Emma had been pushed and Prince Luke's determination to find the person behind the act within his brother's party.

"What are you implying?" The crown Prince was instantly on edge. His blue eyes showed how affronted he was by Jade's assertions.

"Just that there have been other incidents. My friend was pushed off your boat if you remember. We still don't know who was behind it," Jade belatedly added, "Your, highness."

Edward gave her a look of pure loathing before letting his blue eyes blink for longer than a second. He opened them having regained his serenity and gave out his final order before marching away, "We must push the schedule of your training forward. Be up at dawn tomorrow for there is work to be done."

------

"You look fetching," Dimitri laughed at the sight of his old friend who slid underneath the fence and entered the sparring arena. It was out in the open and if it weren't for the early morning weather they would have been unable to use the area in the summertime.

"While humour does you credit I have not slept a wink two days in a row. Be kind to my exhausted soul," Jade mumbled. She was wearing her riding outfit again although she had forgone the upper layers to allow for ease of movement.

"Not a chance. My job is to give you skills that will elevate you from flimsy fop to sturdier stock," Dimitri exercised his neck as he warmed up. His light brown eyes shone under the morning sun looking far too awake for Jade's liking.

"It will be futile. I do not have the brute force a man posses," Jade whispered, always mindful of her surroundings. She loosened her cravet but not enough to reveal the lack of Adam's apple.

"That's why I shall teach you to fight with smartness instead of power. Brute force is useless if the brain behind it is lacking," The bodyguard answered. He reached for his open collar to undress himself.

"Oh, for heaven's sake keep your shirt on," Jade hissed, "If you shan't I shall be expected to follow suit."

"Oh, yes," Dimitri's stubby fingers faltered at the laces on his collar.

"So, what will you be teaching today?" The voice behind Jade asked. The girl turned around at the speed of a race horse and found herself being watched by her employer. The man looked completely tousled and bedraggled but none of it dismissed his physical charms. When he had arrived she did not know. Both Jade and the bodyguard bowed low at the Prince.

"He needs some defensive skills first," The bodyguard replied as he cracked his knuckles, "They will be useful if he is attacked again."

"And there you were trying to trap me in my tower. Who knew you would gain an enemy of your own," Prince Luke smirked, enjoying the scenario far too much.

"I am in no way responsible for my plight. It must have something to do with my new occupation. Does Sir Elliot have a lot of fans?" Jade replied, smarmily.

"Just myself if you ever wondered and I have no intentions of breaking your face," The Prince said, beezily.

"So says the man who tried to once throw me down a cliff," The secretary shot the barb with an innocent look on her face.

Prince Luke just rolled his eyes not affronted by her mentioning the moment he had lost all control over himself. His wayward hair drooped on his face irritating Jade for now reason.

"Stop bothering your superiors, Jade," Dimitri interrupted the banter with a hearty laugh. With short, sharp hand movements he poked his friend until he deemed her posture suitable.

"You still slouch like a school girl. I thought my father rid you of that habit," The man continued with his prodding while the Prince snickered from his perch on the fence.

"What does my posture have to do with anything? My arms and feet are required to fight, not my back," The tall girl said with a dismissive air. A pair of strong arms suddenly attacked her from behind. She was firmly trapped and swiftly taken down to the cobbled ground in a heap. The girl coughed as the dirt on the floor circulated in her lungs.

"If you had been standing with the correct posture you would never had lost balance. You lost the ability to fight back just because of your poor form," Prince Luke loomed down over her with the sun shining through his dark hair making it gleam. The girl blinked back with no clever reply on her lips. The royal gave her his hand which she took and he helped her up in one easy motion.

The rest of session was less action and more of an hour long exercise of critiquing every single movement Jade made. At a certain point she wished the earth would swallow her up but alas mother nature too was not feeling generous.

------

"Happy Birthday!" Jade exclaimed in lieu of a greeting and joined Emma, who sat looking miserable on a table, in the public dining halls. There were many diners around them since it was lunch time and none of the royals were hosting any event although it was possible a minor noble could have arranged a private party in their rooms or any of the other public rooms. Jade placed the box, she hid behind her back, on the table.

"I've had this specially commissioned. Mister Gepetto was delighted to hear I had made a friend and wanted to do something nice for you. It felt good to finally pay for his services," Jade slid forward the large box which contained a pretty yellow hat and matching gloves.

"Oh, oh, pretty boy! You've outdone yourself," Emma said, cheering up slightly.

"It's nothing. I'm sure your other friends have better gifts for you," Jade said bashfully.

"I don't have any other friends or gifts," The shorter girl's mood was instantly glum.

"Not even from the academy?" The other girl asked cautiously not believing such a jovial and kind person could be friendless.

"I do but they cannot travel. I never socialised with the richer lot for they would not have me. Those wealthier girls at least had a modicum of independence but girls of my stature have none of that. You wouldn't understand. Men don't have the limitations women have," Emma punctuated the sentence with a sigh.

"I do understand more than you think but that's neither here nor there."

"Prince Luke!" Emma stood up in surprise. Jade followed her actions and the pair bowed before the Prince who meandered through the crowded hall towards them. The secretary realised the entire room had stilled and grown silent. Seeing royalty in the public rooms was not common.

The brown clad man, properly dressed at this hour, faced them with a lazy grin and wished Emma a happy birthday. He placed his fingers inside his breast pocket and revealed in his palm a small black box.

"You shouldn't have..." Emma muttered, looking flushed all over due to the special attention placed upon her. She took the gift in her hands and fumbled with it until it opened. Inside was a dainty pair of opal earrings.

"I didn't," Luke continued to be amused, "My sibling is responsible for this particular bauble."

"Surely he's not as bold as to have you play courier," Jade's eyes widened at the sheer daring of the crown Prince.

"I do have another sibling," Luke's infectious grin exposed his dimple once again, "My sister adores Emma quite a bit. She will be quite put out that she is all but forgotten."

"Well, it is her fault for abandoning the captial so completely. I did not think marriage would make her so reticent to socialise with the fashionable ton," Emma proclaimed.

"I envy her situation in life," Luke just shrugged and took a seat with a casual glance around the room. The other two followed suit ignoring the stares being thrown their way.

"You would, of course. Bored by the bootlickers you can pick a horse at whim and ride off into the sunset while us women have to depend on our lot in life," The straw haired girl exclaimed looking unusually bitter. Her hands were clenched into fists on her lap.

"You have been grousing about a lot of things today. Is there anything the matter?" Jade asked cautiously, not wanting to offend her friend for prying into private matters.

"My birthday has reminded my father I am of an advanced age at which I must be wedded off to the first admirer. Forgive me if I don't see the advantages of being the gentler sex today," Emma's voice warbled while her eyes shined with impending tears.

"Oh, blast it. Surely he wouldn't force you," The secretary was forceful in her censure.

"Of course not but I love my father dearly and I know I would abide by his wishes."

"You need a spine, Emma," Luke whispered softly. He could intervene and influence but it would not matter if Emma's conviction shattered as soon as her wizened, old father gave her a pleading look.

"I choose my battles wisely. After all I must be wedded off sooner or later. A spinster of advanced age will not get any sensible proposals," Emma's back straightened as if her mind was made up.

"You could hold out for love. Surely your father would not castigate you for choosing happiness," Jade pleaded, hoping her friend would see sense.

"Where am I to find such a specimen who is within my social circumstances in the middle of the royal palace. Everyone is either a lord or a servant. None would do for my father. He likes to maintain consistency of social standing," Emma raised her hands above her head in a frantic gesture.

"I would have suggested Mr. Ward to act as placeholder but," Luke's cool tones mellowed the heightened emotions of his companions.

"Oh, please, don't. It would not do for me to have him enter such a farce," The younger girl rejected the notion with a shake of the head.

"I would be honoured but it would be an unequal match. It is true I am a gentleman's son but I have nothing to my name. Your father would not care for a penniless pauper," Jade tried to hide her panic and hoped this line of thought would not be pursued further.

"Oh, worry not for I do not agree for reasons other than our friendship. My father is too principled a man for us to go through with our plans. If we are engaged then he would force us to marry. He would not allow us to dissolve our impending marriage for it would be dishonourable in his eyes."

"Well, then that settles it. We must find you a beau according to your wishes in the upcoming ball," Jade clapped her hands in delight, impressed by her own ingenuity. Emma just rolled her eyes completely unenthusiastic about the proclamation.