Progression

After returning to the castle, Hayden spent most of his time in his room. He had a lot of free time on his hands. He however, knew that it wouldn't always be that way. After having breakfast, Hayden decided to move around the castle. It was the day after the King's meeting and there was a noticeable change in the behaviour of the guards. There were many new guards but there was also a different look in the eyes of some of the older guards. Hayden could tell that they weren't the same relaxed set as before. Even for him, it may still be difficult to avoid their keen eyes. As he ventured around the castle, there were guards present at almost every turn. Rather than staying within a cage, he decided to get some fresh air. He could feel and smell the crisp, fresh air as he approached the door. He closed his eyes and felt as it caressed his face then opened them again. As he stepped outside, he ran into the Princess's magic tutor, Delima. He made sure to know of all the people connected to the royal family to avoid any surprises. Even a magic tutor would not escape his purview. Her curly brown locks were a tangled mess and there were dark circles and bags under her big brown eyes. She seemed to struggle with the handful of books she carried.

"Are you alright?" asked Hayden.

Delima didn't recognize the man's face but she quickly recognized his voice.

"Oh, Your Highness! Pardon me, please forgive my appearance!" replied Delima clumsily with her head bowed.

Hayden smiled. He was dressed simply but anyone could tell he wasn't an ordinary person.

"You don't need to call me 'Your Highness', Hayden's fine."

"N-no, I couldn't possibly do that Your Highness!"

Hayden drew closer to Delima.

"How about saying it when we're alone?" asked Hayden as he whispered in Delima's ear.

Hayden noticed how red her ears got as he pulled away. Her face wasn't much better. Delima lifted her head to face him and their eyes met. Only a short space separated them. Delima stood in place, only blinking when she absolutely needed to. She couldn't believe she was this close to His Highness. Aside from hearing his voice, she had heard rumours that he had a frightening expression. However, the person before her seemed nothing like those rumours. Unbeknownst to Delima, since being back Hayden had put on more weight. He had a healthier appearance than when he first came. He had also gotten better at hiding his expressions.

"Well?" asked Hayden as he casually pulled a leaf from Delima's hair.

Delima suddenly recalled what they were speaking about.

"Ah, yes, well, if it's Your Highness's wish then, I-I'll comply."

The highly educated woman seemed to become a babbling child before him. Hayden pulled away and smiled. He nodded in approval. As he straightened his body, Delima looked up at him. Although he smiled, his eyes looked as though there was an abyss of sadness being hidden.

"He must've been so alone," thought Delima.

While adjusting the books in her hands a few fell. Her clumsiness seemed to grow by the second as she fumbled to pick them up. Hayden got down to help her. As he did she noticed the burn marks on the palm of his right hand. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the burns. She became even more curious about it as she noticed that there were old and new burn marks. Her heart felt heavy. She couldn't tell how she felt at the sight of it. It could've been sympathy or something else. Once he got all the books, he dusted them off then got back to his feet. Without her realizing, he had taken the other books she had as well.

"So, where are we going?"

"I-uh, I was on my way to see the Princess. Our session will start soon."

"That sounds wonderful. I haven't seen the Princess these days. Let's go!"

Hayden turned and walked off. Delima was still processing what had happened. Then realizing the guards had also been witnesses to the scene, Delima suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment. She hung her head and covered her face. Shortly after, she saw shoes before her. She looked up to see that Hayden was back and she didn't hear a single step.

"Where's the session being held?" asked Hayden as he chuckled awkwardly.

Delima smiled as she led the way.

Lady Dillon had just brought down the Queen's tray and was about to go back to the Queen's office when she spotted Delima and Hayden together. She quickly dropped the half-eaten cheese tart she had in her hand and went to get a closer look. The cooks and other servants were used to her antics so paid little attention to her actions. Lady Dillon dusted off her hands and mouth and decided to follow them. By the path they took, she realized that they were going to the room where the Princess had her magic lessons. Since the Queen hadn't assigned any tasks to her, Lady Dillon decided to follow them. As she ran off to follow them, some of the other servants took notice of her.

"If it isn't the QT. I wonder where she's running off too," said one of the male servants.

"QT?" asked a female servant with a confused expression.

"Oh, I forgot you're new. That was Lady Marcy Dillon also known as the 'Queen's Telegram'. Instead of finding a husband and starting her own family she sucks up to the Queen," replied a female servant.

"Yeah, I heard she's always spying on people and reporting back to the Queen. She doesn't even try to be subtle," remarked the male servant.

"How shameless! If it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't feeling well during the Crown Prince's birthday banquet, who knows how many people would've been exposed," said the female servant.

"I never imagined there would be a noble like that..." said the new servant.

"It's pitiful really. It's best to avoid her as much as possible and if you can't then say as little as possible," said the female servant.

The other servants went back to their duties as the new servant continued to look in Lady Dillon's direction. She kept thinking of the peculiar noble.

Once Delima and Hayden arrived, they saw the Princess already there reading a book. The Princess smiled as she saw Delima but her smile gradually faded as she noticed Hayden. After closing the door, Hayden turned to the Princess's direction. He noticed her lackluster expression right away.

"I hope you don't mind Princess, I was helping Delima with some of her books and decided to stop by to say hello," said Hayden as he lifted the books he was holding then placed them on the desk.

"I understand. I'm sure Delima was grateful for the help. You can leave whenever you're ready. We wouldn't want to keep you," said the Princess as she turned back to her book.

"Nonsense! What could I possibly have to get done? I'm not like you Princess."

"And what exactly would you mean?" asked the Princess coldly as she turned a page of her book.

"Well, I heard your form of nature magic has yet to awaken so I'm sure it's important for you to spend more time on it," Hayden replied with a nonchalant tone.

The Princess paused. She gripped the book tightly and slowly moved her gaze towards Hayden. Hayden wore an absurd smile. Delima started to notice the cold interaction between the two.

"Uh, Princess Cecilia is actually making great progress. We've recently found a method that seems to be very effective," interjected Delima hastily.

"There's no need for that Delima. He's not worth a breath," said Princess Cecilia as she closed her book and placed it on the desk.

"Isn't that a bit harsh Princess? I wasn't trying to ridicule you or make you feel insecure. I'm just saying it as it is. After all, if you can't handle the reality of your situation then how will you be able to handle your royal duties in the future. If only you were more like the Crown Prince," said Hayden while still maintaining his smile. His words were sugar-coated poison.

"Y-your Highness…" intervened Delima nervously.

"You're right. Maybe I should be more like my brother but now that you've mentioned it… I wonder what your children would've been like. I heard they were a bit slow in many aspects," replied Princess Cecilia as she smiled sweetly.

"Princess!" interjected Delima.

The Princess's words were just as venomous. Delima had only just realized what situation she had created. As the words left the Princess's mouth each stung Hayden deeply. Hayden clenched his right fist. Hayden's smile had now disappeared.

"It seems the Princess knows quite a bit," Hayden coldly remarked.

The atmosphere had become intense. It was as though there was a spine chilling cold in the air. Delima had no clue what to do. All this time, Lady Dillon had been eavesdropping. Lady Dillon couldn't help but to utter a laugh. Hayden noticed Lady Dillon.

"Marcy! Why not join us? I'm sure it's warmer inside than in the doorway," said Hayden.

Lady Dillon hastily covered her mouth but she knew it was too late. She decided to face them instead. She slowly opened the door and peered in. She then went inside.

"Oh hello Delima, Your Highnesses. You need not mind me, I was simply looking around the castle a bit. I do need to get back to the Queen however, so I'll bid you all farewell," advised Lady Dillon as she speedily made her escape.

Although her actions were laughable, not even a snicker could be heard.

"I suppose it's time for me to go as well. I wouldn't want to disturb the Princess's lesson," announced Hayden as he looked over at Delima and smiled.

Delima could only nod to acknowledge him. The Princess went back to her book.

"Oh, by the way, I hope your new method proves to be very effective Princess," said Hayden as he left the room.

Delima let out a sigh of relief at the sound of the door closing. Delima could tell the Princess was upset but knew she wouldn't want to talk about it. Instead Delima got ready for the lesson as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile Lady Dillon rushed back to the Queen's office.

"Look, it's the Queen's Telegram. I wonder who she's gonna tell on now," whispered one of the servants to another.

"Shh, she might hear us! Let's just get back to work," said the other servant.

As Lady Dillon entered the Queen's office the Queen turned her attention to her.

"And where have you been?" asked the Queen as she tilted her spectacles downward and looked up at Marcy.

She then carefully removed her spectacles and placed them on the desk. Marcy seemed ready to share her news.