It didn't take long before they got back to their busy world. Kurtis with his studies in the Knight's Academy and Ultear with her royal lessons in the Royal Palace. They both know that their friendship was already a taboo for most of the citizens in their Kingdom. Both nobles and commoners will scoff if they found out about their friendship.
And Ultear has been sneaking out in the palace every time she sent to the Botanical store and met with either Kurtis or the old owner. If not for her stealth ability, the knights will surely long been figure out her little adventure. She's lucky. She can still go in and out of the palace without anyone noticing like nobody's business.
For Ultear that's been born with everything. Wealth, beauty, honor, titles... they're just pennies to her. Living while getting everything with just the flick of her fingers bored her. That's why she's been fascinated with the glamorous life of adventure. But...as a princess of Betania Kingdom, even going outside the castle walls is strictly prohibited.
Her free spirit nature she aches for adventure. A thrilling adventure where her heart would skip, where she doesn't have a clue what will happen next and where she would feel alive the most. She craves true freedom and not some deceptive freedom inside a cage adorn with jewels and precious stones they call Castle.
That's why when she met Kurtis everything change. With him her boring, uneventful, and monotonous life started beaming with excitement and fun. It was a different kind of adventure I had picture out but, nevertheless, it was still one heck of a ride.
"My Lady, it's Rita." I stop sewing for a moment and stared at the door. It open and reveals Rita, my trusted handmaiden. She's holding a golden tray.
"A letter has arrived for you My Lad--" before she can even finish her word Ultear stood up and grab the letter.
"Huh? It's not from him?" Ultear's voice lace with disappointment and frustration. How can't she if Kurtis haven't send any letters nor gifts for the last three months. Ultear has been worried sick about what happened to him.
"Yes, My Lady. It was indeed not from him. It's from the young Duke, Alastrair Verkin."
"What? From that jerk?" Ultear hissed.
"Please refrain from calling him a jerk even if he's a jerk, My Lady. He's still from the Verkin household, you must be careful of your word of choice." Ultear roll her eyes as she seated back to the luxurious maroon sofa, exhausted from hearing Rita's repetitive nagging.
"Uhh...how can you make me watch my words if I'm the princess?" She complains.
"That's the point, My Lady. Because you're a princess that is why, you must be careful of your words. You must have elegance, grace--" Ultear cut her off.
"So, you're saying I don't have a tiniest bit of elegance?"
"Uhh..." Rita gave her a kind of look that says, Whatever, I'm done with everything.
Ultear heave sigh as she tried controlling her raging emotions. Lately, she's been losing her cool more often than usual. The Kurtis effect is really...astonishing.
"Should I burn down the Knight's Academy?"
"My Lady, next joke please."
"I'm not joking, Rita! I'm serious here!"
"Why don't you cool your head down first with some refreshments? And read the Young Duke's letter?"
"I will kick you." Ultear warn.
"I'll get your drink and burn the letter. This humble servant will heed to her Ladyship command with the utmost of my ability. Please, excuse me." Rita immediately leave my room with the letter. After some time, Rita came back with the refreshments and some freshly bake cookies.
"Calm down, My Lady." Rita said after watching Ultear's impatience grow as time passes by. The number of her sighs significantly increases with each passing day. "Maybe he's just busy. You know, being a Knight is not that easy."
"I knew he's busy, but in the past, even how busy he is he still manages to send me letters and gifts every month. It's been three months since the last time he sent me a letter and do you have any idea how many letters I already sent him within those three months?"
"How many?"
"37 letters!" Ultear exaggeratedly exclaim while Rita remain unfazed. As if she's already used to this kind of situation. "With all those many letters I've sent, how come none came back? What the hell is that jerk thinking? Is he flirting with someone? Is that why he doesn't have the time to reply to any of my letters? How dare he! I'm the princess, how can he do that? Rita, what should I do?"
"I guess the best thing you need to do now, My Lady is..."
"Is?"
"Is to listen to me. That's what you should do--" before Rita can even finish her sentence Ultear raises her hand in front of her to make her stop.
"I've heard enough. Just like I thought, I should have just burn down the Knight's Academy, after all."
"My Lady tell me honestly, do you already love Sir Kurtis?"
A moment of silence envelope the whole room as if the angel of light happened to passed by. Ultear tilted her head in confusion. The frustration and impatience in her face suddenly vanish as she deeply thinks about Rita's question.
"Love?" She ask. What does even love mean? Ultear thought to herself.
"If you feel an intense kind of like towards someone. For Starters, there are different kinds of love but what I'm asking My Lady is, if he feels a strong feeling of like towards Sir Kurtis?" Rita explains.
Ultear tilted her head again as she falls into a deep thought.
"Strong feeling of like? Yeah, I guess? I did feel like a strong feeling of, I like to kick him."
"It's this kind of moment that I think you're a normal human being."
"What? What the hell's do you mean by that? Wanna get kick?"