Jade watched her friend's expressions carefully. The pair sat on a stone bench in the farthest corner of the garden. Behind them another party or the other was taking place as if the accident hadn't happened at all. The person whose goal was to separate Emma from the Prince's social circle had succeeded.

Many days had passed before Emma had allowed herself the luxury of being seen outdoors. The two friends had talked via letters but nothing of import had been said beyond basic civilities. Jade had been surprised her friend had invited her to the southern gardens for a walk. The younger girl was usually careful about how much they were seen together.

The fair haired girl bit her pink lips as the conversation paused to an uncomfortable lull. Her satin covered feet dug into the dirt while her hair was loose down her back unlike her usual style. She took a shaky breath before exhaling what troubled her.

"I shall not return after the weekend," The girl said. Her pale eyes were firmly stuck on her fingers resting in her lap.

"Oh, Emma," Jade commiserated.

"My father will not allow me to risk my life by staying here," The fair haired girl explained even though none were required. She continued to examine her bitten nails.

"Will you be allowed to attend the ball," The older girl asked. She placed her hat besides her for the afternoon sun was blazing down on them.

"Yes, my father will accompany me, of course. He also wants me to meet a royal clerk at the ball. Samuel is an only son who will inherit the family home. I will have no financial difficulties once we marry. According to my father he is handsome enough," Emma rambled as if the decision had already been made.

"You will be terribly missed," Jade had no other words. She knew it was not within her friend to fight her father's demands especially now when he feared for her life.

"We will meet again, I hope," Emma replied with a brittle sort of a voice.

"Not in the world you're going to. Who is going to allow me to visit. Even mailing letters to each other would be scandalous," The secretary said, hotly, feeling furious about their fates.

"You would make a pretty girl. Maybe you should get Mister Geppetto to comission you his famous gowns so we can meet as equals," Emma giggled at her absurd thoughts.

Jade's alarmed cough soon turned into laughter. Her friend had no idea how close she was to the truth. Their laughter was only broken by the distant sounds of a trumpet.

"There's a royal party going on. Did you not go?" Jade asked curiously. In all this time Emma had been unable to miss even a single one.

"He- Ed- The Crown Prince mercifully did not invite me. He finally listened," The younger girl whispered almost as if to herself.

"You finally spoke," Jade corrected, "Speaking your mind is not bad, is it?"

"My father would be horrified by my impudence but I cannot live under his shadow any longer. These royals are just people, not something to be worshipped," Emma said, "The reverence my father has for them is unnecessary."

"I agree and yet here we are with random women trying to kill you for daring to steal attention from the Royal Princes," The secretary gave a bitter laugh.

"But why? What have I done to gain such enemies?!" Emma exclaimed. She waved her pale hands in the air with frustration.

"Childhood playmate of the two Princes might be too weighty a role for someone with an envious disposition to ignore," The older girl wondered.

"Our childhood roles have been reduced to rubble. Luke is living in another word while the Crown Prince hardly pays attention to me and when he does it is full of censure," The girl concluded. Her hands landed back in her lap but her fingers were pressed into tight fists.

"Are you sure what you see in his eyes is censure?" Jade asked carefully. She did not wish to burn the world surrounding Emma. The bliss of ignorance would decrease the pain of her departure from the palace.

"What else can it be?!"

"Have you never tried to interpret the emotion in his eyes? He is-" Jade's words were interrupted.

"He is looking at us," Emma whispered. Her green glad shoulders shrunk as if trying to hide herself.

"Is he?" The brown haired girl looked around nonchalantly. From the distance they were at the party was barely visible but she could discern a small crowd at the edge indicating where the Prince stood.

"And yet he has made no attempt to accost us," Emma eyes caught her dirt covered satin shoes and sighed with dismay at the destruction.

"Of course, he hasn't. He would never put you in danger now that he knows the cause," Jade replied, "Your attacker has not yet been apprehended although Dimitri is certain he knows who it is. He is gathering evidence to lay the blame publicly."

"I should hope so for I am having trouble sleeping at night," Emma confided.

"Worry no longer for I am certain Edward will destroy them for daring to harm you," The older girl stated with confidence and her lips curled at the vision of her friend's ears turning blinding red at the thought.

.

...

Harry met Jade at the entrance of public dining hall. The secretary apologized for her lateness while her friend dismissed her words politely.

"I booked the private table early this week. I just knew there would be a rush at the last minute," The prim and proper man explained with a wave of hands. They made way through the crowd into one of the discreet dining tables that was covered with a curtain.

"The man of the hour appears at last," Richard barked from his corner. The handsome young man looked at ease with his surroundings. His limbs spread over the table and bench taking over a vast amount of space. Harry sat down next to him mindful of keeping the distance between them. On a chair at the head of the table sat Harrisburg while on the bench facing Richard sat Francis.

Jade snorted at the welcome. She inclined her head briefly and lifted her leather hat in greeting before sliding into the empty place at the bench next to Francis. The plates were already set and as soon as her rear touched the bench servants began bringing in the ordered dishes. Everyone commended Harry for his selection of menu.

"How is it, being the royal secretary?" Harrisburg asked as they settled into the meal placed before them, "Must be more thrilling then my life juggling the royal coffers."

"It's not as exciting as you presume. My hand cramps frequently from all the notes I have to write. Every second the Prince is awake needs to be accounted for," Jade related to her former dormmates.

"What a bore. We want to know which nobles boinking whom," Francis drawled, ignoring Harry's gasp of indignation. The man sitting next to Jade poured mead into her glass.

"As if I'd be revealing details to you vulgar lot?" Jade scoffed at their predictable behaviour, "Besides it doesn't matter who they share a bed with because as soon as we enter the room all they want is the Prince's attention. Pathetic."

"Even the mad Prince has his pick of suitors?" Richard asked in full of form of viciousness, "What do they want with him when he won't even get the throne."

"Considering you're the younger son of a spice trader I should hope you're not advertising the lack of interest in you from the wallflower line," Jade felt a certain need to protect her employer even if was not there to listen to the insults.

"Ooh," Francis howled into his glass and nudged Jade nearly making her loose her grip on hers, "You've gotten your teeth out now that you're untouchable."

"Pfft... You classist sod," Richard brushed off the remark with ease.

"Classist, me? How ever so?" The tall girl asked curiously as her glass was filled again to the brim.

"Admit it, you look down upon us unlanded lot. Just another Gentleman's folly too big for his britches," Richard gave her a lazy smile as if he knew her better than anyone.

"Considering I'm still paying off my debts, I really don't believe I should be thinking I was better than anyone," Jade remarked lightly. She took a vicious bite out of her meal and gave her friendly foe a long look.

"What sort of a name is Ward?" Harrisburg interrupted the staring competition. "Is it a pseudonym? For I am familiar with most of the prominent gentlefolk around us and none are named so. Or did your father never give you his name for you were only a baseborn son?"

"Is this really the time to interrogate him? If the palace hired him they must know everything," Harry interjected, finding the conversation too acerbic for his taste. Jade tried to remove the strain the conversation had on her body with another sip.

"Harris is just a busybody. Always keeps an eye on everyone, lighten up, old chap," Francis interjected with a jovial tone. The conversation soon turned to superficial topics.

...

Jade stumbled down the last step of the stairs and scratched her hair as she wondered where she was. The paintings were not ones she was acquianted with and neither was the marble staircase she had nearly tumbled down from.

The noxious effect of the alcohol was blurring her vision ruthlessly. She rubbed her dry tongue against her parched lips but there was no respite to be had from the strange sort of thirst developing in her body.

The girl heard a scuffed foot step behind her. Jade's heart thumped loudly in her ears as she felt another sound. She turned around swiftly but found no one present.

Jade staggered forward with the intent to get away as soon as possible but instead she slammed into sterner stuff then her own feeble body. Luke's charming grey eyes danced in front of her making Jade unnecessarily furious as took an ungainly step backward.

"You paint a picture of good health," The Prince spoke sarcastically at the swaying figure.

"'m going to vomit out my heart, you silly prick. I nearly died from fright," Jade groaned, forgetting her station and her manners. She hunched over, trying to catch her breath.

"There, there, my doe eyed companion. You have my commiserations," The Prince slapped her back firmly and placed his arms around her in a steadying motion.

"You 'ave come in an opportune time for I am lost. Lost I tell you!" Jade exclaimed loudly forgetting how late it was.

Luke's eyebrows raised considerably. He held her chin with his fingers and gave her face a thorough inspection.

"How much have you had? I am convinced you were trying to poison yourself with alcohol," The Prince muttered with a curl of the lip.

"Not a fan. Never been a fan of the drink. Not my thing at all. No no no. Just peer pressure and good old ribbing led to my piss poor state," The secretary explained vehemently.

"I have a feeling your state is from just a glass or two. It happens if a person is not used to a large quantity of drink," The younger Prince wondered.

"Probably, your Highness," Jade assumed she had successfully hidden the burp that punctuated her statement but Luke's delighted expression said otherwise.

"Are you following me? Because it feels like you're following me," Jade demanded as she was marched down the hallway without any freewill of her own.

"Smart man," The Prince uttered sardonically.

"Why though? I'm boring as the fruit cake your chef makes," Jade turned to her master and nearly rubbed noses with him.

"You were being followed," Luke stated as he heaved his secretary up the stairs. They ended up on a familiar landing without incident.

"Well, yes, considering you were doing the following..." Jade wriggled her eyebrows not understanding the man's comments.

Luke propped her against the wall and crossed his arms. Jade suddenly felt she was going to be lectured.

"Not by me. Someone else was monitoring your every move and would have intercepted you if not for my presence. Your life is in danger and you're gallavating around with an odious lack of concern about your life," The Prince's even tone could not disguise the ire burning within his eyes.

"You're the one to talk," Jade muttered and her voice changed mockingly, "When I have Prince charming to help this damsel in distress why should I even bother."

"You, my friend, are trouble," The dark haired man sighed and helped Jade to her rooms.

"That's exactly what many a friend's parents used to say," The secretary chuckled remembering her time as a child.

"Lovely, I should be badgering your friends to reveal more of your foibles," Luke smiled as his secretary failed to put her key in the gilded lock outside her door.

"Wait you- I don't feel too well," Jade mumbled but she could not convey the depth of the nausea rumbling within her and she retched the contents of Harry's finely planned meal all over the Royal Prince's shoes.

"You will make me cry one day," Luke uttered, negative emotion marring his speech.

"Ugh," Jade replied at the scene before her.

"Leave, now, please," The man ordered and Jade stumbled into her rooms and collapsed on the floor unsure whether to laugh or to cry.