Grace couldn't sleep that night. she stayed up all night just thinking about what she had told him. She was just asked to marry his brother but yet she admits her feelings for him.. Grace is torn between a bitter heart and a soft, broken spirit. Heart bitterness has caused her even more pain while her soul cries for peace. Today, she decided to try and listen to her spirit.

Grace: Breakfast could not be served faster?

Lucy: Well, I never expected that from the likes of you. Why so eager?

Grace: A fresh start. A new heart.

Lucy: Did your little Prince enlighten you?

Grace: The subject of the matter shall not be spoken of.

Lucy: Alright miss fancy. You shall deliver this to Lover Prince's room first.

Grace: Lover.. Prince?

Lucy: Of course darling. Prince Michael or Prince LaJune. Pick one and deliver.

She said as she shoved a tray at Grace.

Grace: If you must mean the one who's a fool for me..

Lucy: Prince of your dreams or Prince of your nightmares. Pick.

Grace sighed as she went down the hall and gave the food to Prince Adrayll. She decided that she didn't have to chose either of them.

Lucy: Who did you pick?

Grace grinned and looked over her should as she shrugged.

Grace: Neither.

Lucy: Playing smart, are we?

Grace: Perhaps.

Lucy knows very little on how to speak in the fancy language Grace does.

Lucy: Well, you shall take there trays and finish your whereabouts before sunrise.

Grace: I believe the royal family awakens at noon.

Lucy: Nonsense. They are preparing for a most formal occasion.

Grace: A ball..

She said, trying not to sound too dreamy.

Lucy: Face it Grace. You long o dance at the ball.. Tell you what, I was assigned to help serve. My job is yours.

Grace: What if I shall fall? Or trip? Or.. Or..

Lucy: Do not stress Grace. You will only serve the people.

Grace: Alright.. Dancing is my fear.

Lucy: You are a good dancer Grace, just try not to.

Grace smiled and went to finish her errands. Princess Dameta was next.

Grace: Good morning Princess Dameta.

Janet: Grace, such a darling you are to me.

Grace: 'Tis only my duty your highness.

Janet: Grace.. You love my brother Michael, but yet, my brother Jermaine cannot help but wilt away over you. He is a helpless romantic.

Grace: He asked for my hand yesterday..

Janet: You answered?

Grace: No.. I was knocked over by the door..

Janet: Who opened it?

Grace: Prince Michael..

Janet: Then what issue occurred?

Grace: He refused to let my arms free. Then.. He found me again.. In the Garden. My anger boiled me to tears and my feelings for him gained a voice of its own before realization hit me and I ran away.

Janet: Put away your fancy lips and speak to me. We are friends.

Grace: Yes Princess Dameta.

Janet: Call me Janet.. When no one is around, that is.. Father would kill me.

Grace: Yes.. Janet.

Janet: There you go! Sounding proper must be a real bother to speak like that all the time. Tell me, do you love Jermaine?

Grace: Prince LaJune has never caught my eye.. But the one I do love will never love me back.

Janet: Just because he is marrying another woman means not that he loves her. Rather, he was just forced into the marriage in most cases.

Grace: What about you and the Prince of..

Janet: The Prince of Scandinavia? Oh please.. You see, us royals have a lot of faking to do when it comes to most situations.

Grace: What?

Janet: Yes. Banquets, balls, meeting new people.. You know, it is very rare to find a real true friend. The peasants and other citizens if the land will never love you for you. They only see money and power. But not too many people are like you Grace.

Grace: Me? What is there that is so special about me?

Janet: You are a good friend to me. Your heart is pure and you treat me as an equal and I thank you.

Grace: I never knew I meant so much to you.. To anyone for that matter.

Janet: You are my only friend in the world. You are worth mire to me than my royal crown and jewels. Us royals are very lonely. No friends, no freedom, no life. We just live each day behind these brick walls. The only company we have are our servants and many animals. You are a forbidden friend but father made an exception for you.. For my sake. Being the youngest of nine has some advantages.

Grace: I am glad that we are friend Princess Janet.

Janet: Just Janet. Call me Janet. No words before it after it. Just Janet.

Grace: Alright.. Janet.

Janet: Grace?

Grace: Yes Janet?

Janet: How do you feel about us royals? I want your honest opinion. I vow not to tell a soul. I just want know.

Grace: Well.. About you, I do not mind much. You amuse me and keep me going each day.

Janet: Michael?

Grace: Prince Michael? He is a tough nut to crack.. Some days I am not too fond of him but I always know I still love him at the end of each day. No matter what.

Janet: I understand. He can be an Applehead.

She laughed.

Janet: And Jermaine?

Grace: Prince LaJune scares me.

Janet: Why?

Grace: He loves me and wants to marry..

Janet: What is the problem?

Grace: He is doing crazy things to prove his love for me, like not eating, Last time, he kissed me and I.. I slapped him.

Janet: You told him you do not love him, did you not?

Grace: Yes.. But he was persistent. He refused to let me leave until I let him prove his love.

Janet: Oh my..

Grace: But it was nor his fault.

Janet: Oh?

Grace: Prince Michael told him to tell me how he felt and took it the wrong way.

Janet: So if he must tell you, he must also prove it..

Grace: Yes.

Janet: He is crazy about you. He really loves you and because he has never been able to love anyone else, he knows not what he should do with his feelings. You are the only girl he has seen and felt for.

Grace: But why me? I am but a poor choice. Why not Lucy? Or Alice, who is with child?

Janet: With child? I do not know but.. With child? By who?

Grace: I do not know.

Janet: Tell me when you know.

Grace: I will.. Oh mercy me! I must deliver the food to the others. Farewell Janet!

Janet: Farewell..

She smiled. Grace weaver to the kitchen and stopped when she found Prince Michael sitting at the table with his tray in front of him.

Lucy: How nice of you to join us! Prince Michael has delivered the trays for you voluntarily and now, you two may eat together.

Grace shook her head.

Grace: No.. No! What about you? Have you nor eaten already?

Lucy: Actually.. I did. I eat before anyone else does. I wake up earlier than you and eat before I begin to cook. Well, I have chores to do.

Grace: Let me do them for you.

Lucy: Nonsense, you will not survive on an empty stomach.

Grace: I will eat later.

Lucy: Grace.. Sit and eat.

She left after Grace took the first bite of her omelet.

Michael: Good morning Grace.

Grace: Morning Prince Michael..

Michael: Please Grace.. Call me Michael.

Grace: Once I finish my breakfast, I will start on my chores.

Michael: Do you mind showing me how?

Grace: Sire, you will never need to know how. Everything will always be done for you.

Michael: I want to learn.. Show me.

He said slowly. Grace looked at him for a while and then nodded.

Grace: Alright.

Michael: Thank you.

He smiled. Grace finished her food and began to clean up. She put her dishes in the sink and went about her day. Prince Michael tried to eat as fast as he could so that he could catch up with her before she started on anything but by the time he had gotten o her, she was finishing up her dusting.

Grace: How nice of you to join.

Michael: At the moment, what chore must you do?

Grace: I am dusting.

Michael: Teach me.

Grace shrugged.

Grace: Just dust and go.

Michael: Easy.

Grace: Really?

She grinned.

Michael: Watch.

He tries to dust a vase but almost knocked it over. Grace caught it before it fell to the ground.

Grace: Not so easy Prince Michael, is it?

Michael: I shall not own my defeat, rather, try again.

Grace: Break not and dust not anything glass sire. For I fear you may get me into a great deal of punishment.

Michael: The only punishing my father will do shall be on me.

Grace: For helping an old servant girl? Surely the punishment will be mine.

Michael: Not if I may help it.

Grace: Prince Michael, you are taller than I and wish to help. Please do reach at the top of the cabinet and dust there.

Michael: Alright then.

Grace began to laugh as he began to sneeze and cough from all the dust up there. He climbed down in a grey old mess and had a twisted expression on his face.

Grace: Oh my, what a pitty! Rather you take a bath and stop learning?

Michael: No, I shall learn.

Grace shrugged.

Grace: Alright then.. I will polish the silverware now.

Michael: That shall be an easy task.

Grace: You shall not polish a thing in that! Be gone until cleaned.

Prince Michael sighed, then went to change clothes and wash himself. By the time he came back, Grace was already finishing her sweeping and beginning to make water to mop with.

Michael: I missed polishing..

Grace: And sweeping, and feeding the animals, and you will miss mopping. That is my job.

Michael: Grace.. Please. Allow me, just for this morning.

Grace: No sire.

Michael: Michael. Call me Michael.

Grace: Michael, you may not mop today. Mopping is my job.

Michael: What is it with you and mopping?

Grace crossed her arms.

Grace: Tis a symbolic feeling I shake loose when I mop and it shall not be part of your knowledge!

She began to mop the floor and didn't mind that the Prince was watching her.

Michael: Grace.. I really wanted to speak with you.. About yesterday.

Grace: Oh?

Michael: You were furious with me, but yet you said you love me.. And I do not love you.. Those words parted your lips, did they not?

Grace bit her lip and looked down.

Grace: Yes si-Michael.

Michael: Explain your love to me.

Grace: Sire, I-.. Michael.. I cannot..

Michael: Why not?

Grace: I do not wish to.

Michael: I wish you would Grace. To let me know how love feels. To see if I truly love no one. Please, explain your love Grace.

She took a breath and let it out slowly before speaking.

Grace: When you come near, my heart beats faster. It slows at your touch and I love you so much that it hurts. I hate that I love you because you love another. My love for you is forbidden and that is what hurts me. I can never be with you and Lisa.. Princess Lisa has your heart.. Not I. I act on hate because of jealousy.. Princess Lisa is my jealousy. Not her fortune, her looks or anything tangible.. But the way you look at her. How you speak of her. I envy her for everything with you in the picture.

It was silent for a while.

Michael: Who says I cannot marry you?

Grace let two tears fall before she turned around but no one was there.

Grace: A pigment of my imagination.. I knew it.

Grace put her back against a wall and sank down it as she continued to cry. Prince Michael had walked away from her and into the Garden. He met Princess Dameta there and sat in the grass.

Janet: So, she finally told you?

Michael: Who told me what?

Janet: Grace admit her love for you.

Michael: Yes. I think I discovered love..

Janet: What are you talking about?

Michael: I.. I found that I do love.

Janet: Love whom?

Michael: I do not know yet..

Janet: Perhaps Grace?

Michael: I.. I do not know.

Janet: Princess Lisa?

Michael: I do not think it is so.

Janet: You know you must only marry of royal blood.

Michael: I know, I just cannot fight my feelings.. I thought I did not love a soul. I thought I needed not to marry. I thought I.. I thought I needed no love. So therefore, my heart hardened and hurt the ones around me. Grace constantly has me drawn to her. I do not know and cannot explain why.

Janet: Michael.. Love has found you.

Michael: Jermaine.. He loves her.. Not I..

Janet: Do what you will, but do not deny love.

Michael: My love lies with my family. I now know that I love you.. My family.

Janet: I love you too, my brother.

Michael: I must find the one I love. Whether she be Grace or Princess Lisa.

The day went fine on his side of the world, but on Princess Lisa's side, things were looking down