"Hey, criminal.", a voice spoke to her, waking her up. Aithne blinked slowly, trying to come to her senses. It was one of the more unfriendly guards, that now kicked against the bars, creating a rather shrill noise. She sat up, looking at him. "You've been granted an hour in the gardens. They're here to pick you up. Try not to look like you're homeless, it's the Royal's Garden, in the end. They shouldn't have to look at your poor condition."

The man's insults were rather weak in her eyes and didn't sting anymore by now. She was used to worse than that, so she didn't react. This particular guard seemed to hope for her to lash out, just so he could punish her. She looked over to the shy girl, that would help her, and gave her a fragile smile.

"I'm coming.", she said softly. Then she stood up, walking over to the cell's door. The guards tsk'ed, but unlocked the door anyways.

"I'll escort you. A thief shall never be unsupervised. Especially not you."

"I understand.", Aithne replied. This wasn't the worst she's been treated. Without saying anything else, she followed the young girl, the guard constantly in her back.

"Is this alright, my lady?", the timid girl asked. She was a rather silent, but polite brunette, that wore her hair in two braids. Her eyes glowed in a soft brown, with a tint of red in it, that reminded Aithne of Heine. "Or is it too tight?"

The woman shook her head to the latter, twirling the simple dress that now emphasized her curves. "It's beautiful. More than would I'm entitled to. Thank you."

The maid smiled a little. "If I may say so, you do look absolutely fantastic, my lady."

Aithne returned the smile. "Thank you. Though I don't deserve to be called a lady, I'm afraid."

This time, the younger one shook her head, a fierce determination in her eyes. "You are, no doubt. I've heard how kindly and highly the guards talk about you. They say that you don't behave like any criminal they ever watched. Some even ask for a shift with you. And even the prince and the professor visited you. There's no doubt about you being a lady."

Yet I don't feel like one...

"Thank you.", Aithne repeated, then cocked her head a little. "I don't think I ever fetched you name...?"

The girl blushed. "It's Lilia, my lady."

"Well then...", the prisoner said, smiling again. "Thank you, Lilia."

"Phew... Finally...", Leonhard sighed, enjoying the breeze, that went through his hair. "No lessons anymore..."

Or at least for today...

Green surrounded him everywhere, and while he was the first to be freed from his lessons, he liked the sound of nature around him and only him. It was peaceful, relaxing. Maybe with a Sachertorte, even perfect...

He started imagining the dessert and him eating it, felt his mouth water from this thought. However, it was still to early in the morning to order some now. But he was a Prince...

Should I...? Or should I not...? Hmmm...

The rustling of some leaves ripped him out of his dream, so he turned his head. Some metres next to him, he could see a woman, sitting quietly in the grass. Her beauty took his breath away for a second, and suddenly, he recognised her.

"Hey, you! You're that woman they arrested some days ago, aren't you! What are you doing here?!", he snapped, pointing his finger at her. She looked at him, completely calm.

"My apologies, Prince Leonhard. I didn't know you were here. I was granted an hour out of the cell, to get some fresh air."

Her voice was friendly, polite. It took Leonhard aback, who still lingered a good distance away from her. "I don't believe you!"

Aithne closed her eyes, yet not moving. She breathed in some of the air surrounding her, loaded with the scent of the flowers that grew here. "You don't have to, Prince. I am still within reach of the guards, and should I act up, they'll come get me."

Not much soothed, Leonhard felt the turmoil inside him. His gaze was critical. "You're not half as bad Bruno-nii made you out to be."

A brief grin curled up her lips. "I tend to surprise people every now and then. I can assure you, however, that I mean no harm. I simply wish to enjoy my time out here, before I have to get back to my cell."

That finally settled him down a bit. Still some distance away from her, he sat down. Observing her, he noticed, that she truly did not show any signs of hostility but endured his looks. She was on ease, completely vulnerable. Leonhard buried his mouth in his arms. She didn't seem like a threat at all. "Kai-nii was kind of right. You are quite nice, I guess."

There it was again, that beautiful smile. He began to wonder, if she was even able to do anything bad. She surely didn't look like it. On the other hand... his dear brother wouldn't lie. Would he?

"Thank you, Your Highness.", Aithne said quietly. "It means a lot to me. Even though I don't believe I am worth this much of a compliment."

She felt tears building up, as pictures from the past and the present overlapped. The young prince reminded her of the kids she's taught and protected. His eyes were so sincere, that she felt that urge again, that urge to protect. It was unsettling. To feel the same after all these years, after everything it put her through. A weakness, that had given her strength, whenever necessary.

Aithne didn't let it show how she felt, too often it had been taken advantage of. So, she kept it for herself.

"Why would you think that? You don't think a prince would lie?!", Leonhard exclaimed bewildered, a confused expression on his face. Aithne herself was perplex because of his words.

"I am a wanted criminal for several crimes. Normally, one wouldn't call such a person 'nice'.", she explained.

"Oh...", Leonhard said slowly, remembering what his brother and she had told him. Then he rose an eyebrow. "Did you have a reason for them, though?"

Again, Aithne was surprised by him. "Of course, I did."

"A good one?", he followed up. "Like, good intentions?"

"I- yes. But how would you know...?"

"See!", Leonhard declared. "So, you did nothing wrong! No criminal!"

She blinked. "But... what I did was still against the law."

I literally killed someone. How can he still be so pure about it? Besides, I could be lying.

His face scrunched up to a funny grimace, and she chuckled. "I think the intentions are quite important. Like, when I tell my sister no, because she could get hurt, it wouldn't be bad. But if I said no, because I didn't want her to have fun, then it would be bad."

What a simple way to see life...

"Would you still see it like this, if I had killed one of your relatives? No matter what he did?", she said quietly, not looking at him. "For the man's family, I might be a greater villain than anyone else. They might even want me dead for what I did. And I am sure many others as well. It's quite easy to imagine what the newspaper are spreading about me."

At this, Leonhard slightly winced. "How would you know...?"

Another faint smile crossed her face. "I've lived long enough to know about what they usually pick up."

Finally, the first part caught up with the prince. He thought about it. "If you see it that way, I'd probably be super mad. I'd be too, if you'd killed one of my brothers." He shook his head. "Still, if they don't know what happened, they should have the chance to know about that."

Aithne hid her face and her expression behind her hair. "I thank you for these kind words, Prince Leonhard. Whether I deserve them or not, they truly did touch my heart."

As soon as she finished, the guard that had escorted her to the gardens came to get her. "Now, criminal. Time's up, back to the pit you belong in."

She stood up, and the man roughly grabbed her by the arm, nodding to him. She showed an implied curtsy, a smile, before she was forced to turn around. Leonhard watched as she went back to the inside of the castle, now noticing how the guard treated her more harsh than necessary.

"H-hey!", he shouted after them. Standing up, and pointing his finger at the guard, he said in a commanding tone; "There's no need for that kind of treatment! Should I ever hear of anything like this again, I'll make sure to report you to my father!"

The man gritted his teeth, Aithne felt it, he tensed, gripped her even tighter for a moment. "Yes, Your Highness." She shuddered and felt the hatred radiating from him grow even stronger. Her eyes were a little wide, as she saw and heard Leonhard's words, their impact. No one had ever done something like this for her, except maybe Heine. Her eyes only catched the prince's trembling figure, before the guard lead her away.

Dear Prince... Again, I must thank you... You brightened up my heart, in the middle of my darkest days, so close to the end...

------------

I DO NOT OWN THE ROYAL TUTOR; ANY PICTURES OR THE MUSIC USED IN THIS FANFICTION