Days passed since the attack on the palace, and the French court began to return to its normal routine.

Zia had also woken, but had to remain in bed until his body healed fully, or else he could not fulfill his duty. The princess ordered for him to rest and not even dare to come back until his bandages were removed.

Till then, Nadim and another French guard, provided by her hosts, would replace him.

They stood behind Afsana and Lubna in the hall, where a ball was being held. 

As always, the foreigners were regarded with slight hostility by the natives, but for the most part they simply drank and danced. The King of Navarre had gone back to his land, but not before telling Lubna how incredibly sad he was to not have had the chance to dance with her.

"Where are your suitors?" Lubna asked, as dwindled her glass of lemonade in her hand.

"Care for a dance, your majesty?" Louis arrived as if simply mentioning his name was enough to summon him.

"That's kind of you, but I have no with to embarrass myself." Afsana said. "Again."

The Count chuckled, still holding out his hand to her, rosy palm up. "Well I can't disagree with that. Then would you care for a walk?"

Looking around with her eyes, Afsana noticed that few in the court were carefully watching the interaction. Taking the Count's offer would raise a few brows, but that was much better than spending the rest of evening awkwardly shifting from foot to foot in this warm hall.

She slowly lifted her ring adorned hands, and placed it above his. The skinship gave her a fluttering feeling in her stomach, which she ignored.

"I'd quite like that." Afsana said.

Naturally, her guards and lady-in-waiting followed them, albeit at a distance behind.

Louis figured it was a bit too windy to walk in the gardens, so they took strides in the palace halls illuminated with torches of fire that made the young princess' skin look like melted honey.

"You're suddenly being quite pleasant towards me, Count Blois." Afsana remarked.

He grinned. "Well, I have come to realisation we have far more in common than I imagined, your majesty."

She mulled over that as she fiddled with some of the fabric of her blue gown, her other arm hooked over his elbow. Little fires seemed to ignite where they touched.

Being close to the Count seemed to affect her body in new found ways these days. She almost struggled to remind herself that a relationship between them would not be in either one of their interests.

She had thought many times about his words. About how twisted their faith was that without a say they had been pushed to pursue a undesirable alliance.

At least one of them should have a choice.

"I can simply refuse you." Afsana said, quietly.

Louis stopped, but left his arm linked with hers. He turned his head towards the princess, who looked at him with red painted lips folded in a small smile.

"Excuse me?"

"I can simply refuse to marry you, with a letter to your cousin, and of course his wife." The princess stated. "That'd way you'd be free."

His tawn brows drew into a frown. "You no longer wish to marry me, your majesty?"

She let out a sigh at his misinterpretation. "I simply think that marriage would make us both unhappy, and at least one of us should avoid a lifetime of misery. Given I have no choice, it should be you, Count Blois."

She watched his face, but found it to be completely blank.

But deep inside his heart fluttered a little at the royal's words. Never in his life had be shown such consideration from anyone, not his family for certain. Yet here was a girl who barely knew him, offering to marry a child in exchange for his freedom.

"Your majesty, I-" Louis was at loss of words.

With his mouth still agape, he was for the first time seeing her not as a little girl but a young woman, with a whirlpool of wit and maturity in her almond eyes.  She surprised him with how clever she was, with a bank of knowledge and quick learning abilities, upon arriving at court. She surprised him with her ability to speak up when necessary, never shying away from a intellectual conversation.

And now he knew Afsana was also considerate beyond his imagination.

The Count of Champagne was so in awe of her in that moment he subconsciously drew closer to her, the smell of rose water wafting to him. The princess seemed quite taken back by his approach, and before they got any closer, she withdrew her arms from his and stepped back.

"I believe I should retire to my chambers, Count Blois." Afsana said, unable to meet his eyes for more than mere seconds at a time.

Despite the disappointment, he nodded. "I shall walk you back then."

"There's no need." She said, rather firmly.

"But-"

"Goodnight, let's be on our way." The princess said to her servants, and they obediently complied, putting on a good act of not having witnessed everything that had just happened.

The Count of Champagne was simply left standing on his spot.

As Afsana stormed down towards her chambers, in what would be considered an unlady like pace, she could not get her thumping heart to calm down. She did not understand why her body acted this way when the Count drew close to her, and wondered if he had heard her heart, because it certainly felt loud to her.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts she did not even hear Lubna call her, until she grabbed onto Afsana's arm.

"Wh-" She looked at her companion in confusion, before Nadim and the French boy rushed past her.

"Who's there?" Nadim asked sternly.

That is when the princess noticed a figure standing by her door, ginger curls swept across his forehead and his tall body dressed in fine white clothes. She recognized from the banquet.

"Ambassador Morris?" Afsana recalled his name, as it was briefly mentioned by Lord Cosson.

"Yes, your majesty, it is I, Elias Morris the Ambassador of England." He said in firm voice adorned by a northern british accent. "But you may know me simply as E.M."

♡

Louis was like Dobby the free elf lol