I walked into the dining room and saw Teon sitting there alone. "Good morning," I mumbled as I took my usual seat.
"How are you feeling this morning? Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," I said.
"Are you sure?" he asked again.
"Yes, I'm fine," I repeated.
The table fell silent as we ate breakfast. We both sat in our usual seats, leaving Mother's empty. I looked at the door, but Alia didn't show up.
"She's probably still asleep," Teon answered the question in my mind.
"Oh, okay," I said, looking down.
"Fay," he called, and I looked up. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," I recited my rehearsed line. He looked at me but didn't say a word. "I intend to return to the academy soon; I still have work to get done," I said.
"Are you sure? The Rosens are still there," he said.
"You're right," I said, looking down.
"I'll tell Alia. Let me know when you're ready to leave," he said. "I have to go and meet some of Master's workers." I nodded. "Would you like to come with me?"
"Oh, I…" What do I say? Why am I feeling flustered? "Yes," I said quietly.
"Then it's a date. I'm leaving at noon," he said. Date? Did he say date?
"O… okay," I said, standing up quickly. "See you then," I added and walked out without raising my head once. I finally breathed when I was out in the halls, my face feeling really hot.
I walked into my room and saw Blair walking out of the closet. She looked at me and furrowed her brows.
"My lady, are you alright?" she asked. I sucked in a breath. No one has noticed because of my naturally pale skin; there's no way she'd notice.
"Yes, I'm fine," I said.
"Your face… no, it's gone now. You looked red. Do you have a cold?" she asked, and I shook my head.
"I'm fine," I said, turning to walk to the bed. "I'm going out later…" I felt my face flush again. "At noon," I finished.
"Okay," she said, watching me intently. I covered myself and buried my face under the covers.
"With the prince?" she asked, and I went red again. I nodded slowly, and she smiled. "Okay," she said and turned to leave.
It's not my first time going out, so why am I overreacting? It's not a big deal, right?
The more I thought about it, the more important it became, and the more I thought about it.
I stared at the ceiling and glanced at the watch Teon gave me every once in a while, but the time refused to move at the pace I wanted it to.
"My lady," I heard, and I looked away from the watch to see Blair with a grin on her face. "Do you want to pick a dress?" she asked.
"Okay," I said, sitting up.
"Staring at the watch won't make the time move any faster," she said and turned to walk into the closet. I followed her, holding myself together.
She brought out a few dresses and stared at them. I just sat by the corner, watching her and occasionally glancing at the watch.
"What do you think of this dress?" Blair asked, and I looked up to meet another grin.
"It's pretty," I said, avoiding her gaze.
"Let's go with something casual," she said, picking a brown long-sleeved dress. "This should do," she said, and I nodded.
"Okay," I mumbled.
…
I walked out nervously, clenching my hands tightly to ease the nerves. It's Teon; why am I nervous?
"Are you ready?" I heard from behind me, and I stiffened.
"Y… Yes," I stammered, turning to look at him.
"Let's go," he said, holding out his hand. I stared at it, feeling my face flush again. I took it with my head down.
We got in the carriage and left. I couldn't look up—I felt really nervous and couldn't stop blushing.
"You don't want Master to know, right?" Teon asked, and I looked up. "I won't say anything, but are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," I said, and he nodded.
The carriage came to a sudden stop, and I fell forward into Teon's arms. Why did this have to happen? I was already feeling nervous.
"We're sorry about that," the coachman said, opening the door. He looked at us and quietly shut the door. Did he misunderstand?
I tried to move away but was held back. Against my better judgment, I looked up and met Teon's gaze. I quickly looked away and cleared my throat.
"Sorry about that," I said, trying to move back again, but it was pointless.
"Fay," Teon called. I couldn't look him in the eyes—my heart was racing at an unhealthy pace. "About the other night…"
"I told you it's fine," I said hurriedly, trying to get away before I passed out.
"Is it really okay?" he asked, and I looked at him.
"Yes," I said quietly.
"I was going to tell you how I felt when we went out, but…" he trailed off. "I got cold feet and changed my mind. Now I just think I should say it," he said. How he feels? I gulped, trying to calm my racing heart, but I wasn't in control.
…
I was in a daze. After hearing Teon's confession and staying in the carriage together, I felt like I was floating. He told me to take my time, but I wanted to tell him I felt the same way.
It wouldn't be right to say that, especially since I still haven't come clean about my health. I'll wait until I'm completely healed.
We went to see the head butler, who was on leave, and asked him to help us with teleportation. He agreed to send some people—basically, Teon did the talking while I was floating throughout.
I find it amazing how Mother has powerful mages as servants. People skilled in magic casting are well-respected, but Mother has a good number of them under her.
We walked out of the building and strolled through the streets for a while. I was feeling exhausted, but I couldn't mind. If I'm not going to make it, I should cherish moments like this.
"Do you want to stop at a restaurant for lunch, or do you want to go home?" Teon asked, looking at me.
"Let's go," I said after long contemplation. He nodded and turned, and that's when I realized I had to clarify. "To the restaurant," I said quickly, and he turned to look at me.
"Okay," he said, smiling.
We walked through the busy streets that I didn't know were usually this crowded. I spent most of my childhood inside and never had a chance to see outside—it was fascinating.
My eyes landed on a pair of heeled boots on display, and I stopped to look at them. I should start wearing those; maybe then I'd reach five feet and end the mockery.
"Do you want them?" I heard Teon's voice, bringing me back to reality.
"No," I said and turned to walk away. He looked at me like he wanted to say something but changed his mind.
We sat in the restaurant and ordered. We were left to our thoughts again.
"Locking down the academy won't be enough when dealing with the Rosens," Teon finally spoke. "And I can't send guards into the school if they aren't part of the school," he said. "Should I ask Alia to stay with you?"
"It's fine," I said, but he didn't seem convinced.
"If I hadn't gotten news from the Principal sooner, who knows what would have happened? So I'm feeling uncomfortable about taking you back there," he said, and I didn't know how to react or what to say.