Tiffany was eleven years old by the time Eugene visited again.

“‘Gene?” she asked. “I’ve been reading, and I think we need to talk.”

They sat in the drawing room of the castle, in large, comfortable chairs by the windows. The backrests of the chairs were so tall, that they cast a shadow over the prince and princess. Tiffany drew up her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly.

Eugene frowned. “What have you been reading about?”

The princess looked everywhere, except in his eyes. “Oh, you know… romance, love, marriage…”

“Tiffany, that pulp is beneath you,” Eugene said, wagging his finger.

“Yes but aside from that!” Tiffany interrupted. Her cheeks rapidly grew warmer. “Eugene, whatever I do, I can’t seem to fall in love with you and I’m afraid that’s not going to happen anymore.

A single eyebrow raised on Eugene’s face. “So?”

“What do you mean, ‘so’?” Tiffany asked in surprised. “I thought you’d be upset…”

“Why would I be upset about that? I’m not going to be in love with you, either. Nothing personal.”

“And you still don’t mind marrying me?”

The prince took a deep breath and put down his floral embroidery on the side table. “Tiffany, listen. This whole thing,” he gestured, “is bigger than you and me. This is about our subjects. They are the entire reason we can live the way we live, so we owe it to them to put on this bit of theatre. As long as we keep this up and remain solidary with one another, they won’t notice a thing”

The princess frowned, deep in thought, but soon looked back up at Eugene. “Alright. If you say so.”

*

“And, you know, it was fine. It was fine for a long time,” Tiffany said from the stuffy bed. Tears pricked behind her eyes and there was an audible lump in her throat.

Noah still looked at her in awe.

“But, I don’t know. Maybe he’s just become more honest about not liking me, or whatever. It’s just a really strange situation.”

Noah frowned. “Was it his idea to dedicate the ball on your birthday, not to your birthday but to your engagement?”

“No, that was all father and mother. According to them, more people would show up for a ball dedicated to our engagement than to my birthday, and both were on the same day, so ‘something has to take priority’,” she gestured.

“I can follow you this far,” Noah said nodding, but not convinced. “But why does he feel the need to emphasize that it’s not about your birthday?”

Tiffany shrugged her shoulders. “Eugene just has his eccentricities. Where you guys come from, he’s very used to being the center of attention, so he likes it when things are all about him. My birthday isn’t about him, but our engagement is.

“I’m not sure what to say,” was all Noah could utter.

“You don’t need to say anything, Noah. It’s alright.”

“Yeah, but it’s not alright!” The chair clattered against the floorboards as Noah jumped from her seat. Gently, she took the princess’ hands in her own and squeezed them reassuringly. “Tiffany, I’ve only known you for a few days, but you’re the sweetest girl that I know. You deserve a fun birthday, so I’ll make sure you get one. Just you wait.”

Tiffany glanced up at Noah in disbelief and saw how the sun caught in her golden locks and in the azure pools of her eyes. For a short moment, it seemed she’d forgotten how to breathe.

“Alright. If you say so.”