With Borit gone from the palace, the princess passed the next few days peacefully. Even pleasantly! Ethyn was an excellent addition to her daily routine.
Palace life had become bearable for once. On this particular morning, Rose had finally finished her last thank-you note for the wilting flowers in her room. Most of them were already gone, but a few stubborn ones remained.
She put down her pen with a satisfied smile.
"Remind me never to be sick again." she said, with a chuckle. "I would say it wasn't worth it, but that isn't true."
Sitting on the couch, Caitlyn rolled her eyes gently. "And here I thought you might have actually learned your lesson," the lady in waiting said, as she looked at her needlepoint.
"Should I send off these letters to your most ardent admirers? " Ethyn held out his hand dutifully to take on the task. He had been standing by her writing desk silently keeping her company as she completed her obligations.
Rose looked up and caught a hint of mischief in his alluring green eyes. She blushed.
"Absolutely not! For all I know you might read through them and try to hold it over my head." Rose arched her brow at her personal knight.
Ethyn held his hand to his chest. "You impugn my honor, Your Highness! I would never stoop so low as to see what you want to send to Sir Too-much-smelling-salt-and-yet-still-smells-like-horse-dung. You only said that so I will wonder what is in them. It's almost like you want me to be jealous."
"And what if I do want that…" Rose realized what she was saying and her eyes opened wide. "By 'that' I mean what if I do want to hand deliver the messages personally to each of my admirers? There are so many eligible men who are in need of my correspondence, after all."
Her teasing at the end seemed to do the trick, for Ethyn's cheeky smile faded and he bowed his head slightly. "If it is your will, I shall do it."
Startled by his answer, Rose looked down at the letters in her hand. "Please deliver these to a messenger and return at once. I would not have you going all about town and beyond to deliver my missives when you were supposed to be protecting me."
"Are you certain?" The playfulness was back in Ethyn's voice. "For a moment there it did sound like you might actually miss my company, but we both know you are quite content without me."
"Who told you that?" Rose looked at her lady-in-waiting, who was suddenly very interested in a stitch she had dropped.
"You admit you said such a thing, then?" The knight tilted his head knowingly.
Caught in his trap, Rose blew out her cheeks, ready to argue his outlandish accusation. "I did not say anything of the sort! I would never…"
Caitlyn sighed, "Sir Samberg, I recommend you complete our mistress's assignment without delay. Or else she will find out just how much she misses you after you are dismissed."
"Which wouldn't be much at all," Rose blurted before shutting her eyes and turning back to her desk.
When she opened her eyes again, the door to her chambers was shutting with the knight's exit. The princess unceremoniously banged her head into the desk. She ignored the throbbing of her forehead from the impact as he groaned.
"Something on your mind, dear?" Caitlyn wondered innocently.
"No..." Rose snapped. Then she sighed again and gave her friend a helpless look. "What's wrong with me?"
"This is a trick question," Caitlyn gave a lopsided grin.
"You know what I mean. For days, I haven't felt like myself. I can't think straight, and I get flushed all the time. And my mouth says things it shouldn't. I don't know how to make it stop. Maybe I am growing sick after all. I should call the doctor to check me for delirium of some sort."
"Oh you are delirious alright, but not the kind that a physician can fix." Caitlin winked.
"What do you mean? I feel positively hot with fever." Rose rubbed her ears. They felt like they were on fire.
"You feel lightheaded? Are your hands suddenly clammy? Does your stomach feel like it is full of moths?" The brunette peeked up over the cloth in her hands to see the other woman's face.
Rose was visibly shocked. "I have all of those symptoms! I really am ill. How bad is it?"
Caitlyn smiled at her tolerantly. "Very bad, it seems, especially since you don't seem to see it."
"My vision is fine!" The princess protested, then paused. "Is there something wrong with my eyes too?"
"Yes, they are all dewy every time you look at him." Caityn imitated the doe-like innocence of the princess.
If the princess had been at the couch, she would have thrown a pillow at her friend. As it was, she didn't think throwing an inkwell or writing stone was the right move to counter her friend's teasing. "Speak plainly, would you! What is wrong with me?"
Sighing, Caitlyn patted the seat next to her with a gentle tap. As soon as Rose was seated beside her, the brunette caressed the princess's hand and used her most motherly tone.
Although the two women were only a couple of years apart in age, the lady-in-waiting had always taken it upon herself to fill the role of matron when the occasion arose.
The princess looked like a frightened rabbit who might flee at any moment. If the brunette did not tread carefully, Rose might run from the truth and never return. "It is not what is wrong with you, it is who..." Caitlyn said slowly.
"I hate it when you talk in riddles," Rose remarked with her lips pressed together.
"Let me ask you this. When did all these symptoms start appearing?" The lady waited patiently while the princess thought.
"After the dinner with the three knights." Rose finally answered. "You do not think that one of them brought sickness to the palace?"
'Be patient,' Caitlyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Did anything happen or change that night? Did you have any meaningful moments with one of the knights?" The brunette set the needlepoint on the arm of the couch and gave the princess her full attention.
"I talked to Ultrian about our supposed courtship and then talked to you about yours with Ashton..." Rose paused.
"...and..." The lady-in-waiting was so close to the truth she could taste it. She had noticed the subtle changes in how Ethyn and Rose interacted, with Rose making the bulk of the shift.
Rather than rebuffing all of the knight's compliments and teasing, she often seemed to be seeking them out instead. It was what had given Ethyn the courage to push her as far as he did before he left. Had it been anyone else, the princess would have sent the man away with some errand or task and not admitted him again to politely help him realize his error.
Instead, Rose had given him a task, but shortened it from what was initially proposed. She had actually seemed reluctant to let him leave at all.
"Is there nothing else?" Caitlyn prodded.
"Well, there was one more moment, but I am not sure what to make of it. It may have been nothing..." The princess was quick to keep her options open before she told her tale. That only made Caitlyn more intrigued.
"Well, after Sir Samberg and I teased you about Sir Ashton," Rose was careful to use their titles. She had chosen to use their family names to distance herself further from the story. "We spent a moment in the room together to talk about your romantic encounter."
Caitlyn winced, though she was not surprised. The news had been quite riveting for the princess. "I see."
"Well, Ethyn--Sir Samberg--said he had never been kissed. He said he wouldn't kiss just anyone. And then...we stared at each other a long time. I kind of thought he was hinting that he wanted to kiss...me. And I wasn't sure what to do. I have been thinking about that moment ever since, fumbling over my words and thinking about what might have happened if his lips did press against mine."
"So you have been fantasizing about your personal knight for days now?" The brunette laughed lightly. "How very not different from every storybook ever written. You know what this means, don't you?"
Rose pressed a pillow onto her face as it became beet red. "Oh Caitlyn! I'm not sick-sick....I'm love-sick! Whatever shall I do?!"