I couldn’t believe how flawless last night had been. The lingering thoughts and feelings robbed my sleep. But that mattered not to me. 

I paced around the table, waiting for Ellia to arrive for breakfast. When she did, the first thing I noticed was that she still wore the necklace I gave her. Was it because she actually liked it? Or forgot to take it off? 

As she neared, I pulled the chair out for her.

“You really don’t need to bother anymore. We aren’t at a ball.”

I wasn’t sure if her comment bothered me since I wanted to do things for her that she could appreciate. 

“Did I pass the test?”

“I think you know you did.”

She smiled proudly. Taking a scone, she ate it by hand as she once had, reminding me that yesterday was more like a dream than reality. 

“Will you tell me now?” I asked. 

She still seemed hesitant. “Do you really have to know?”

I gave her a stern look. 

“Alright…I have…been reading. There were lots of books on balls and what to do.”

“Reading?” I sounded more surprised than I needed to. 

But of course it made sense. That’s why I saw her sneaking around the library those times. But that only meant she not only knew how to read already but was also quite good at it. Part of me felt dumb for having not suspected sooner and then dumber still for having treated her like she still didn’t know how to read all this time. 

“Then why did you have me read to you?”

“Actually, that was your offer.”

“But you encouraged it.”

“Well, yes… So I could watch the clouds.”

Seeing how half the time, she ended up with closed eyes, I wondered if that was really her reason. But I saw no other. 

“So…” She seemed to shift nervously in her chair. “You can still read to me.”

I smiled instantly. “Any time you want. But is that why you didn’t want to tell me before? You were worried I wouldn’t read to you anymore?”

Her eyes averted down. “I just…wanted to surprise you is all.”

I felt that maybe the reason was both. I found that much cuter than I wanted to admit. 

“Well, I was surprised.”

Her look turned amused. “I could tell. You didn’t think I could do it, did you?”

“Well, in all fairness, I didn’t know you could read yet.”

She took a big bite but still spoke. “I admit it was kind of fun. But I’m glad it's over.”

I grew silent at her words. It was just all a big game to her, wasn’t it? But of course… Everything had only been an act, and today she had gone back to her true self. The self that wasn’t like a princess at all. 

Even though I had to have always known deep down that was the case, I couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. Everything felt so perfect, and now I had to wake up and realize reality. 

And what about those smiles and laughs we shared while dancing? Was all that fake as well? Only because it was the proper thing to do? She had done the same with that one knight. 

Suddenly, all the wonder I had felt started to dissipate. 

~*~

As we walked the garden, my observing eyes never ceased off her. It seemed every movement and mannerism was distinctly nothing like the woman I had danced with last night. 

She didn’t walk right. When she got tired, she slouched on a bench. And when she spotted a rabbit, she kneeled down to see if it would come to her. All very non princess-like.    

If last night wasn’t actually real. Maybe I wasn’t in love with her after all. 

But then I saw the light skip in her step when the breeze picked up. I saw the wonder in her eyes when she discovered a new type of flower. And when she finally got a rabbit to come to her, she turned her eyes to me in an enchanting smile. 

And my heart nearly stopped.

Not in love? That couldn’t be. 

No, Ellia wasn’t like a normal princess. And she probably never would. But the more I thought about her unusual but playful charms…didn’t I have to admit that I liked those too? 

They used to bother me greatly, but that’s what made her who she was. She was different. Like no other. I would have to accept all sides of her. 

Isn’t what made our dance so magical is that we had already experienced playing in the lake, laughing at silly stories, and trudging through a forest? Because I knew the real her. And the fact that someone like that could make me feel like this… 

“Kalin?”

I tried to tame the conflict on my face. “What is it?”

She gave one more pet to the rabbit then stood. “About my reward.”

I took a few steps closer though I feared her request. “What is it that you wanted?”

Her eyes took a while to find mine. So she was scared to ask… 

“May I see the gnomes again?”

And there it was. Exactly what I had thought. Why did it sink my heart so? It was only natural she wanted to see what she saw as family. 

Before, I had wanted her to do nothing with the gnomes since they were so uncivilized. But now…was it only because I feared she only cared about the gnomes and not me? 

But with her eyes looking at me with such longing, could I really say no? Though I longed for that same look to be for me. 

Then again, I still couldn’t forget the ultimate goal and the reason why she was here. I still had my duties, and she still needed to meet with the Elders and couldn’t get distracted. 

“I know you want to see them. And in time, I will see to it. But first you must pass one more test and meet with the Elders of your kingdom.”

At first, her face seemed to battle if this was good or bad news, but soon a smile won out. 

“Thank you, Kalin.”

Though her smile warmed my heart, I knew it was still only for the gnomes. They truly had a special place in her heart. A place that I probably never would belong. 

“Is something wrong?”

I turned and continued on the path. “Of course not.”

Following, she poked me in the arm a couple times. “Someone looks like a grouch goblin.”

Her calling me that surely didn’t help things. Though I knew she meant no harm, it was far from romantic. But I should know she probably wasn’t even capable of such things. 

~*~

The next few days, we dove hard into more training. I found her a large stack of books to read on the history of the kingdoms and other things on politics. To no surprise, she was a fast reader and a fast learner. At this rate, her meeting the Elders would be no problem at all. But there was still one matter left… Our marriage. 

She soon reaffirmed my suspicion that she still didn’t know that our wedding was necessary. 

“Most of these books talk about only kings ruling and that it’s no place for a woman. I started to get scared, but then I read about the times a queen did rule for a time. In the case of there being no king.”

“Yes, that has happened a couple of times,” I answered, not speaking the truth I should have. 

Those times were only temporary when a king died. Soon after, a queen was expected to remarry or give the throne over to her eldest son if there was one. Did she fail to see those things? 

Had she truly forgotten the reason I told her why she went to the fairies? Or was she in such denial from hating the idea so much that she deceived herself? Could she really dislike me that much?   

But why was I so scared to tell her? Was I scared of the truth?

Her words from before haunted my mind. I would never marry you.

But still…for now, maybe it was best anyway. If it motivated her to learn and she didn’t need distractions. 

Though she would need to learn of it before meeting the Elders. Surely it would come up in conversation with them at some point. 

What was I going to do…

Ellia bent down to pick up a book on the ground when her necklace slipped out from under her shirt. So she still wore it? I hadn’t seen it so assumed she took it off. 

When she noticed, she tucked it back under her clothes to be hidden once again. So it was on purpose. But why?