Did Mona really send someone to spy on me? She has done this sort of thing before, which is why I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to mind. I look up to meet a pair of eyes that I know all too well. The pair of dominant greens almost glow in this utter darkness we are surrounded in. Panic glazing over the strong pair, with his pupils dilated one-hundred percent. Blonde locks poke out from the beanie which means that this is the person I know to be true.

"Fredrick?" I utter, breathing heavily. Did Mona send him to spy on me? Would he really agree to do that?

"Lily??" He says with the panic from his eyes transferring to his voice.

He gasps, as though he is now realizing what position we are in. His arms are on either side of my head, with his legs around my waist. He scrambles to his feet, pulling me up with him.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I quickly ask as I grab his hand to inspect it. Sure enough, they had been scraped in the falling process. He gives me a nervous laugh, looking at his hand, then back at me.

"I'm fine, really!"

"What are you doing back here?" I ask, trying to hide the sudden shakiness in my voice.

He looks hesitant to say anything, as he is avoiding eye contact with me.

"Did... Mona send you?"

His face of confusion shows me that he has no idea what I'm talking about, which means that there's still an unknown reason for him showing up like this.

"Why would-"

I immediately interrupt his sentence, rushing in with, "It doesn't matter!"

His eyebrow arches, but I give him an innocent smile.

"I'm trying to enjoy my last bit of freedom before being forced to rule a kingdom. I want to get to know the people. To see things the way they see them. I just want to be normal for one night. Once I got word of mother and Lady Adora's secret meeting, I decided that this would be the perfect time to go and explore."

"Well, I hope you find what you're looking for, Fredrick." I say with a soft tone.

"Thank you... Now, why are you back here?"

"... Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

He nods his head in understanding, leaning in closer.

"Tonight is a special person's birthday celebration, and I promised that I would be there."

He then gives me one of his heart melting smiles and looks longingly into my eyes. It's almost like he wants to say something, but can't. I then surprise myself with what comes out of my mouth next.

"Would you like to come?"

His eyes gleam with joy as if he's a small child receiving free sweets.

"You really mean it? I mean, I do not want to intrude."

I look at him with a face of 'seriously?'

"Fredrick, come on. You are one of the sweetest people I know! You have never been a bother to me, nor will you be a bother to anyone. Besides, if it were up to Granny, she would invite the whole village!" I reason, making sure that he knows he's welcome.

"If you say so..."

He then gives me a playful smirk. I'm not quite sure what he is intending to do with that face of his, but it sure is making the blood from my face clearly stain my cheeks.

"Well, we don't want to be late!" I say, averting my gaze as I pass him.

I slip through the back exit with Fredrick trailing behind. We tiptoe our way to Granny's house, which is at the end of the village. I don't really go out at night, and I honestly wish I did. I've almost forgotten how beautiful the kingdom looks in the evening. How lively the people are and how lovely the lights look. Whenever I glance at the prince, I can't help but smile. His face is lit up like a Christmas tree as he marvels at all the new sights and smells. There are many town's people who sell food to make ends meet to gurantee they have food on the table. At the moment, many are selling pound cakes. It's less dense than your standard cake, but still tastes like the heavenly goodness.

Fredrick suddenly stops at a stand with his eyes glued to the cake.

"Have you ever had pound cake before?" I ask, now standing next to him.

"No, my mother has me on a strict diet. But, it's not for me. Since we are going to a celebration, it would be appropriate to bring something. Especially if I wasn't 'technically' invited."

I then look at my empty hands as he pays for the cake. I don't have the money to bring anything. The little that I have are things people have given me. I don't get paid for working, which I know is a crime, but the Queen is kind of in charge of everything that happens in the kingdom. Including felonies.

"Shall we?" He says with the cake balancing on a paper plate in his hands.

I nod, and lead him to Granny's.

We arrive to her doorstep shortly after. I can tell that he's nervous, so I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," I whisper. As soon as I utter those words, the door swings open with Alice behind it.

"Lily!! I'm so glad you could make it!" She wraps me in a warm hug, then turns to see Fredrick standing there.

"Who is this?" She curiously asks, secretly wiggling her eye brows at me.

"Alice, this is Fredrick. Fredrick, this is my best friend Alice!" I say, unsure about her reaction.

She seems to be flabbergasted and it appears as if her mouth is about to hit the floor at any second.

"This is the Fredrick?" She expresses, pointing to him for a reality check.

I nod my head at her question, chuckling the slightest at the sight of her face.

"Uh, wel-welcome to our home, your highness! It's lovely to finally meet you!"

"It is lovely to meet you as well, Alice! For tonight, could you forget that I'm the prince? Just pretend that I am one of your friends!" He says this as casual as possible while he shakes her hand.

"Um, okay?" She responds, finally allowing us to enter.

"Is Cara not here yet?" I ask as I take off Fredrick's brown sweater.

I notice at the corner of my eye that Fredrick was staring at me, but just as soon as I notice, he looks away. I can almost detect a blush appearing on his face, but it might just be my own.

"Cara came over earlier to let me know that she needed to clean the house after her job at the market. Once she's done, she'll haul herself on over here!" Alice says, wiping down the kitchen counter.

"Oh! We brought this for Granny!" Fredrick exclaims, placing the cake on top of the small wooden counter.

Before I can protest about giving me half of the credit, he shakes his head and gives me a wink. Alice's face lights up at the small gesture, with tears clouding her eyes.

"Thank you! We couldn't afford a cake this year, due to the taxes going up and all."

She then gives the both of us a big hug.

"Granny loves pound cake! Speaking of which, I'll go let her know that you two are here!" She says, running into the small door frame of her room.

"Is that true?" Fredrick suddenly says.

"Unfortunately, yes. That's why you saw so many people selling goods and food." I explain, turning towards him.

His expression is indeed a different one, with his eyebrows knitted and his mouth forming a frown.

I think he really does care for people like us. All my life, I've always thought that the wealthy were all the same. That they didn't care about anyone else but themselves. But Fredrick is truly different... he treats people like, people.

"Granny is ready to see the two of you!" Alice says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Fredrick looks a bit hesitant before walking into the small room with me, but I lead him in.

Her room is filled with many linens and knitting needles. She has a little rocking chair where she knits, as balls of yarn are seeping out of their little woven basket. To match the room is a frail old lady nestled in her cozy bed. Her snow like hair is in a small bun on the top of her head. A baby pink dress peeks from the covers as she gets into an up right position. Her face glows a sweet glow at the sight of us entering the room.

"Lily!" She cries in her small voice.

"Happy birthday, Granny!" I say, immediately bending down to hug the frail woman.

"You have grown so much! You look absolutely gorgeous, my dear!" She exclaims in her strong British accent.

"Aaw, you look gorgeous as well, Granny!"

She then swivels her attention to Fredrick, who is awkwardly standing in the middle of the room.

"Fredrick! Such a charming young man you have become!" She says as if she's known him his whole life.

"Uhm, thank you, Granny? You don't look a day over fifty!"

"Well, it is in my genes, my dear! I've been blessed by my mother and father with this amazing face."

He cracks a laugh at her witty response. Granny has always been a smart mouth, which is another reason why I love her so much.

"Lily and Fredrick brought a present for you!" Alice says, walking in with the little cake.

She gasps at the sight as we all sing her happy birthday.

After her song, we all sit on her bed and eat the cake together. And after much persuasion, even Fredrick had a piece! Which, he greatly enjoyed. We all laugh at Granny's old stories about when she was just a teenager. She expresses her stories beautifully as we all listen carefully to the tales of England and what it was like. I occasionally look over at Fredrick to see the biggest smile on his face. This, this is the real Fredrick.

After our laughs, Alice and Fredrick clean up our mess as they bring the plates to the sink to wash them.

"So, are you two an item?" Granny says once the other two cleared the room.

My eyes widen as I profusely shake my head of that insane thought.

"No, no, no, not at all! How- why? I mean, he is a prince, and well I am, a nobody. It would never work," I blatantly say.

"Well, I don't think Fredrick really cares about that. Judging by how that man looks at you, and how you look at him, it is very obvious, my dear. Even when you two were sitting next to each other! It's almost as if he didn't want to leave your side! Lily, you have found a rare species of man. I suggest you take him before he is taken."

I cannot believe what she is saying. These things can't be true... can they?

"Granny, it isn't that simp-"

"Excuses, excuses!" She says, flashing a knowing smile at me.

Alice then runs into the room with a panicked look on her face.

"Cara's here! Didn't you want to keep Fredrick a secret?"

"Yeah, we should probably go,"

I get up from Granny's bed and give her a big hug. Whilst in the hug, she faintly whispers,

"Remember what I said, and don't let him go."

Authors Note:

Hello, Lovelies! I hope y'all enjoyed this longer than normal chapter! I had so much fun writing it! Definitely one of my favorites too!

As always, remember to let your lovely side shine!

~Love