"This feels nostalgic." Leo spoke first, not quite sure on how to begin.
Mae looked at him confused, not quite sure what he meant.
"Could you please speak up?" Mae replied frustrated.
"I miss how we were earlier, when we would get closer without having any worries, trust without any issues. Yes I miss that." Leo looked down at his fingers, shy and collected as he spoke.
Mae blinked a few times trying to grasp what he had said.
"Leo..." She whispered then paused, getting up from the bed, she tiptoed towards the door.
"Hello?" She lightly knocked on her door.
"Your Highness." One of the guards saluted with a vibrant voice.
Opening the door slightly, she peered out to get a better view of the guards. "Hi."
"Your Highness." The other guard gave a bow, holding the first guard head in place.
"Could I ask a favour from you two?" She shone a big grin, sure they would agree with her.
"Anything for you, Your Highness." The other blurted out. Earning him a glare from the second.
Mae chuckled, her plan was definitely falling in place.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. All I want is some privacy for an hour, if that's not too much to ask." She batted her eyes for added effect.
"As you wish Your Highness." They both bowed. The first guard reluctantly stood his ground before he was inadvertently pulled by the ear. Covering his face in embarrassment, he shrugged off his comrade's hand off his ear, with shoulders dropped he walked away.
Mae watched for a while until she was sure they were out of sight, whooping with a yes, slamming the door behind her.
"What was that about, Princess?" Leo tilted his head in confusion at why she would send them away, weary it would cause a misunderstanding if he was caught leaving her Chambers more than it already was.
"Silly." She walked over to him, pulling on his cheek playfully, "I wanted an alone time with you, obviously."
"A-alone time?" He was dumbfounded, unintentionally pointing at himself in surprise.
"And I didn't want those guards listening in on our conversation because there is no way I would whisper for that long." She shook her head to her claim.
"Tell me, could you keep up the whispering acts?" She asked with a raise of her brows, slapping his shoulder.
"No?" He said in more of a question than a statement, he suspected his response was what she wanted but at the same time wasn't what he had in mind to say originally.
Mae narrowed her eyes at his answer, causing Leo to tense up from her intense stare.
'What's the issue with women anyways? On one end they would coerce you to agree so they could feel a sense of accomplishment, yet they would not feel that accomplishment if they acquired it too easily. Why is that?' These rants coursed through Leo's thought.
"I have to apologize for how insensitive I had been, I can assure you I enjoyed every bit of our interactions." She stared into his soulful green eyes, bringing him out of his trance-like state.
"Pr–" He had wanted to stop her from saying more than necessary, but he was stopped with her fingers on his lips, shutting him up.
"No more taking of the blame, I should be able to own up to my mistakes." She explained. "I shouldn't have used my authority in such a manner, nor should I have sneaked out in the first place."
"You had your reasons and I should learn to respect that. As long as you are safe, I shouldn't act impulsively, I apologize Princess." Leo interjected.
Mae shook her head, this wasn't how she wanted her apology to be done, she was there to apologize not the other way around.
"Would you stop that?" She frowned with a pout.
Confused, Leo's brows furrowed, he couldn't quite understand what she was driving at. "Stop what?"
"You can't outshine me in an apology too, that's just stingy and unfair." She whined.
"I'm sorry Princess." He bowed his head slightly.
"Also stop that." She pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Pardon?"
"I need a favour from you, can you fulfill it?" Mae switched, determined to change the situation of their conversation.
"Should I be concerned about what I might be signing myself into?" Leo narrowed his eyes, weary of the word favour from her lips. "I suspect your word favour." He honestly replied.
"What could go wrong with the mere word 'favour' ?" Mae shrugged, jumping onto her bed with no regards to the creaking sound of her bed.
"Princess please be careful, while I'm here please refrain from doing anything that might endanger you." He got up from his seat, alert.
"Oh? So I don't need to when you aren't here." She stressed the initial meaning.
"Princess, you know what I mean." Leo facepalmed on how his innocent words turned into something implicating.
"Would you stop fretting?" Mae burst into laughter, "If I can survive till this age, then you should be confident I wouldn't go down so easily."
"I suppose you are right," Leo calmed his nerves, pulling the chair before sitting on it. "Go on then, I'm listening."
"It's actually simple." Mae explained. "Remember how from the very onset, I had really enjoyed your presence, I know I didn't tell you then, but I had sometimes gotten into trouble so I could see you." She blushed as she spoke.
"You really felt that way?" Leo couldn't believe what he was listening to, it almost felt like a dream he didn't want to wake up from.
"Uh-huh." She nodded her head, "now unto what I had wanted to say before it slips my mind.
"The favour that I want would be how you address me." She looked dead serious, it almost gave an eerily feeling.
"I don't understand what you mean." Leo shook his head. "Could it probably be my manner of speech?"
"What I meant was, I want you to stop referring to me as Princess or Princess Mae." She said with a huff.
"Then what would you like to be called by me?" Leo challenged.