Once I got used to my new routine, the days sped by faster and faster. It was the same thing every day: breakfast, tutoring, dinner, sleep. Miscellaneous meetings were thrown in there from time to time, mostly about planning my coronation and the wedding. 

We hadn't gone too in depth with the wedding yet, which I was extremely grateful for. I couldn't handle even thinking about that yet. Though, according to Mother and Father, I wasn't spending enough time with Marie. I didn't really see where I could even have a chance to spend time with her in my schedule, but Father made sure to have us spend some "quality" time together.

There wasn't much we could do during winter, so Marie just came to my room for dinner, then we could watch a movie. We sat on my bed, plates in our laps and some random movie she had picked playing in the background. I wasn't too big on movies. 

"Your TV is dusty," she commented as she ate. I had started getting used to the Zolvans' presence, though sometimes, they still shocked me. Marie was a lot more blunt than I had expected; I wasn't very good with blunt people. 

I looked up from picking at my food, looking over to the TV that was mounted on the wall, fit perfectly above my dresser against the back wall. "I don't use it a lot."

"That was obvious, you didn't even know how to get the movie to play." I scowled, nearly rolling my eyes as I looked back down at my plate. 

It was spaghetti for dinner, something I liked, but I wasn't very hungry. Marie on the other hand, had devoured hers. She was already setting her plate off to the side.

"What do you like to do for fun then?" she asked, looking over at me. I met her eyes, staring blankly at her as I came up with an answer.

"Oh, I don't know."

"You don't know?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me. "Everyone has to have some hobby, at least."

"I guess I read sometimes."

"So you're a nerd?"

"I wouldn't call myself that." Marie just rolled her eyes, leaning back in the bed and going back to watching the TV. I continued to pick at my food, uninterested in this whole endeavor. I would much rather be sleeping.

I eventually ate, even though the spaghetti had turned somewhat cold. Once I was done, I set the plate off to the side, slumping back against the pillows. Marie hadn't said anything in a while, and I wasn't going to say anything unless she did. 

The movie eventually ended, though I barely noticed. I was staring at the TV, but my mind was in a completely different place. Marie seemed to notice, and she waved a hand in front of my face. 

"You good in there?" she asked, snapping me out of my daydream. I shook my head a little, then turned to her, my face blank.

"Yeah."

"Are you always like this?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Dry? You're not very fun to be around."

I couldn't help but flinch a little at her words. They were spoken calmly, but they still hurt. I wasn't usually like this. Ever since Celia was killed, I had been more quiet, more drained. There was so much going on, I still hadn't processed most of it. It was hard for me to wrap my head around.

When I didn't respond, Marie sighed, sliding off of my bed before turning to me. She twirled a lock of her brown hair around her finger, giving me a curious look.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Patrick." With those words, she left the room, leaving me confused. I couldn't tell if she was upset or not. Or maybe she was just bored. Maybe I had bored her that much. 

I grabbed the remote to the TV, turning it off with the press of a button. There was too much on my mind now, I wouldn't be able to sleep. I got up, putting a robe on over my pajamas, then began the trek to the kitchen.

The palace was oddly quiet, people turning into their rooms for the night. It was sort of nice; it was calm when it was usually chaos. 

I reached the kitchen, turning on the lights as I walked inside. The staff had their own separate part of the kitchen, which was separated by a door. That's where all of the meals were prepared, but there was a smaller kitchen that was meant for cooking your own meal or just grabbing a snack. 

The countertops were marble, the floor a dark wood that matched the cabinets. The appliances were black, the walls having a backdrop of dark marble, contrasting nicely with the rest of the room. It felt more homey than the other kitchen, which was a plain, large, gray expanse. 

I walked over to the stove, finding a teapot rather quickly. After filling it with water, I set it on the stove, going to find a tea bag while the water heated up. Tea was definitely my comfort drink. I noticed more people tended to drink coffee, but I personally didn't like it all that much. It was too bitter, even with added sugar. I much preferred tea; it helped me calm down. 

I searched through the assortment of kinds of tea, eventually deciding on a peach tea. I was just putting the box back when I heard the door to the kitchen swing open, startling me. The tea bag fell out of my hand as I jumped, quickly turning around to see who had come in. 

Prince Leyton stood in the doorway, staring back at me with those stunning hazel eyes of his. We simply stared at each other, until the whistling of the tea pot broke the silence. I turned, taking the pot off the burner and turning the stove off.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Leyton finally spoke. I turned back to him, remembering our last conversation. I wasn't sure how to act towards him.

"It's fine," I replied, the two simple words being the only thing that came out of my mouth. Grabbing a teacup out of a cupboard, I poured the water inside, plopping the teabag in the water, my back turned to Leyton. 

I heard the fridge open as I stirred my tea, assuming Leyton was grabbing something. My eyes drifted over to him, studying him as he looked through the fridge. He was still dressed up from the day, which surprised me a little.

"What were you doing today?" I asked awkwardly, trying to fill the silence. 

"Paperwork; mainly stuff to secure the alliance we're making."

I nodded, turning to him with my steaming cup of tea in hand. Leyton turned to me, closing the fridge without grabbing anything. 

"You're the heir, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Leyton responded, walking a little closer to me, then jumped up to sit on the counter by me. "I'm getting coronated around the same time you are. I think just a bit before. I just became old enough."

"So you're eighteen?"

"No, twenty." I looked over at him with a bit of surprise. I expected him to be closer to my age. Though, I supposed there was only a two year difference between us. It wasn't that big of a gap. Leyton noticed my surprised look, giving me that smirk of his. "Are you that surprised that I'm older?"

"I mean, I guess not really. I thought you were like, nineteen." I lifted my cup of tea up to my lips, taking a cautious sip of it. It was hot to the point where it was a little uncomfortable, but it didn't burn.

Leyton chuckled, meeting my eyes. Every time he looked at me, it was like I fell into a trance. Something about him simply pulled me in. I didn't exactly know why. Maybe it was because he was a bit mysterious to me. I didn't know a lot about the Zolvans; everything I learned about them seemed to suck me in.

We drifted off into silence, Leyton's gaze adverted from me again. I looked awkwardly around the kitchen, slowly sipping my tea. I couldn't tell if the silence was awkward or not. Some part of me really didn't mind it.

"Are you okay?"

The three words coming out of Leyton's mouth broke the silence. My gaze traveled over to him, tilting my head curiously.

"Huh?"

Leyton looked at me, those beautiful eyes of his seeming softer than before. They held a level of concern, which made me confused. I hadn't done anything to prompt that, had I?

"Are you okay?" Leyton repeated. "I've been worried about you since I found you stumbling in the hallway that one day. And you haven't been looking the best."

I didn't really know how to respond to that. He was actually concerned about me? Why? In my mind, I hadn't really done anything concerning. I didn't understand why Leyton was concerned.

"I'm fine."

"I can tell you're not. You-"

"You don't know me, okay?" I didn't mean to snap, but I didn't know how to take this. The only person that was ever really concerned about my wellbeing was Celia, and even she had never pressured me about it. I didn't know how else to react to being told I wasn't okay. "I'm fine. End of discussion. You don't know me, therefore you don't know when I'm okay and not okay."

Leyton seemed taken aback, making a twinge of guilt go through me. I opened my mouth to apologize, but he spoke first.

"You're right, I apologize," he said, though his voice had lost it's tone, turning slightly monotone. My face fell, feeling even more guilty. I set my cup of tea down, suddenly not wanting it anymore.

"I should go."

I glanced at Leyton's face, seeing a glimpse of a sad expression, before his face went near blank. His eyes still held a look of sadness, which made my heart break a little. I opened my mouth to speak again, but the only sound that left was a broken sob. 

I didn't realize how hurt I was on the inside. Even as I began to cry in front of this foreign prince who could probably care less about me, I still barely realized. Everything was fine. Everything was fine. That's what I had to keep telling myself. 

Leyton looked like he was seeing someone cry for the first time. His expression was a little shocked as he stared at me, watching the tears slip down my cheeks. Another sob wracked my body as I reached up to wipe away my tears, but they kept coming. I didn't want to cry. 

I was busying myself with trying to stop the tears; I barely noticed when arms wrapped around me, pulling me into an embrace. Leyton felt tense, like he didn't exactly know what to, but the embrace was enough. I didn't exactly hug him back, just standing there like a tree trunk, but the gesture was appreciated.

The tears slowed rather quickly. Once Leyton noticed I was calming down, he pulled away, meeting my eyes again.

"I know we don't really know each other that well, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. Don't feel obligated though, I just want to help." He gave me a smile; not one of his classic smirks, an actual smile. I couldn't help but return it the best I could.

"Thank you."

"Of course," Leyton said, standing there a bit awkwardly, before giving me a nod and heading for the door. 

I watched him go, the smallest hint of butterflies settling in my stomach as I wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my robe.

I awoke the next morning to see nearly all white out of my windows. Upon further inspection, I realized it was snow. Heavy snow. A blizzard, to be specific. They happened often in the winter months in Rithian, but it always made me a little worried. 

After getting dressed, I headed down to the dining hall for breakfast. Upon sitting at the table, I heard Mother and Father, who were already arguing amongst themselves. 

"The blizzard is depriving most of the kingdom of power. The only reason we still have power is because of our generators," I heard Father say. I looked over, interested in the conversation now. 

"I understand that, Kyran, but what are we supposed to do?"

"People are going to die if we do nothing! The blizzard is supposed to last until at least tomorrow, probably longer. We'll run out of power by then too."

"Well, what do you want me-"

"Zolva can loan electricity." I turned my head to see Leyton enter the room, Marie following close behind him. I stayed silent, a bit worried about how this was affecting the kingdom. "Our power lines do connect, we just cut off the electricity once it reaches the border. It would be easy enough to connect them temporarily."

Mother and Father looked over to Leyton, curious looks on their faces. Marie moved around her brother and sat beside me, though I barely noticed.

"How would you send notice to do that?" Mother asked, her brow furrowing. The prince sat down on the other side of Marie, not breaking eye contact with my parents. 

"I would have to travel over, but if done quick enough it should be okay."

"I don't think you would be able to make it. The quickest way to the border is three hours, and the blizzard isn't supposed to let up till tomorrow. It isn't safe," Father said.

"Well, I don't see another option. If you aren't going to supply the people with power, this might be the only way to prevent people from freezing to death," Leyton responded coolly, though I could hear a hit of sass in his voice. Mother and Father didn't seem to pick up on it. 

Father sighed, glancing at Mother before looking at Leyton. "Very well. Later you, Marie, and Patrick can set out for Zolva."

I rose an eyebrow. Why was I being sent along? Wouldn't it be safer with just one person? I opened my mouth to object, but the glare Mother sent me made me shut it. I supposed we were in for a treat later, then.