That evening, the atmosphere is tense as we sit at the dining table inside the small kitchen of the house. We've set up a mid-sized projector screen on one side of the table where the chief of the secret intelligence service, the country's defence and finance secretaries have joined remotely for the ongoing discussion.

If the circumstances were different, I would have been fangirling like a pro because I love politics and discussing about its intricacies and I never once in my life expected to have a formal meeting with some of the top executive officials of the country's government where I was an active part of the discussion and post-strategy. Too bad that the President hadn't joined in yet, it would've been an entire party then.

"The size of a hummingbird, you say," the intelligence chief repeats slowly, a deep frown painted over his face, "Neither Russia nor China prefer to use that kind of technology so we can sideline them for now but I don't think we can completely ignore the fact that they have strong, well funded drone surveillance experimental projects. I'll have a detailed report made on all the models of drones we have archived until now so we can delve deeper into this aspect."

I shift slightly in my chair, my thighs and palms sweating because of how nervous I am. Nathaniel sits at the head of the table- opposite the projector screen. He sits calmly at a slight angle, his palms flat on the table top, his eyes calculating and eerily silent throughout the entire discussion except for the formal greetings and short small talk in the beginning. Dad sits on the other side of the table, directly across me. Although he isn't wearing his complete uniform for obvious reasons, he's pinned all the stars he received at various junctures during his service in the military on his jacket over the right breast.

"Davis, we do not have any physical evidence with respect to the presence of the drone yet. And I wonder if it was just some sparkling insect your daughter saw, because I trust our surveillance technology and not one of the patrol vehicles around the school reported anything suspicious." the defence secretary asserts grimly, his hands clasped on the table in front of him, "Can you vouch for the hearsay evidence you have provided based on her story."

"Yes sir," Dad gives a stiff nod, without a moment of hesitation which gives me a small boost of confidence, "She's in training right now and I trust her observations completely in this case."

"Trust?" the defence secretary scoffs, "Love doth make fools of us all. I need hard evidence here Davis, I do not give a damn about who you trust and who you do not."

"I second that," the secretary of finance nods in agreement, her brows arched frightfully, "This is a delicate case. We cannot risk probing into another sovereign state's affairs on a foolish whim. Under no circumstance can we have our trade relations getting affected."

Resisting the urge to counter their argument with a couple of solid pointers, I inhale slowly and deeply, clenching my left fist hard. It's difficult to sit there in silence as people I have always admired speak about me like I'm not even present. But Dad had given me clear instructions before the meeting to stay silent unless addressed directly no matter what.

"Yes of course, Madam Secretary," Nathaniel replies coolly in a crystal clear tone, unblinking, "Your concerns are well founded. But surely you trust my word."

Gone is the shy boy with borderline snobbish tendencies. In his place sits a self assured, confident and calculating statesman who is completely in his element. He is aware of the extent of the power he yields and knows how to use it. It's admirable, really.

"Of course we trust your word, your Highness," the secretary of finance, nods vigorously, "Surely you understand that we plan to leave no stone unturned when it comes to make sure you are protected appropriately. You have the President's word on that."

"Good. I expect nothing short of your utmost you can possibly offer."

Nathaniel uncovers the glass of water in front of him and takes a small sip.

"Moving forward, I think we must assume that the enemy is already aware of the Prince's location and is watching us closely." Dad tries to change to a safer subject, "I think it would be best for my daughter and the prince to stop venturing out to any public spaces including the school they have been attending and to move them to another location which is uncompromised."

"No Davis, We cannot do that on such short notice," the defence secretary shakes his head, "A suitable place needs to be scouted out first, the necessary fortification will have to be done and all of this will also require a long list of paperwork to be completed. How about we leave moving from where you are as one of the last alternatives?"

What an asshole! Just because he didn't want to do more than the bare minimum, he shut down Dad. Just because he had the power to.

Unsurprisingly, Dad nods stiffly, "Yes, sir."

Nathaniel does not grace the exchange with any expression, listening with an indecipherable face.

"I cannot dictate the way you execute things here, remarkably slow as they are, but I urge you to keep in mind the consequences of any mishap." Nathaniel says simply, "It would do you good to keep in mind why protecting me holds such great importance for you. If our adversaries were to somehow get their hands on the nuclear controls of Volatis before I do, the world will be damned. No amount of paperwork will be nearly enough then."

I smile to myself, glancing sidelong as Nathaniel delivers his threat in a calm rehearsed tone- as though he's simply reading aloud the day's weather forecast.

The two secretaries of state glower in silence, nodding in response as the chief of intelligence makes quick notes on his tablet with a deep drawn frown that has been a permanent accessory of his.

"We ask for a mere seventy two hour buffer period to weigh our options before we can promise you all the help you might require, your Highness." The finance secretary says after a long drawn pause.

Pulling his mouth into a thin line, Nathaniel nods his head and waves his hand- granting permission.

After that the secretaries leave the meeting, and it lasts for only a couple more minutes where the intelligence chief and Dad discuss a few things about the extra manpower and increased surveillance as well as setting up of a temporary master system within the house we were currently situated in.

Exhaling loudly, I excuse myself from the table. Walking around the table, I fill a copper bottle with water from the filter tap and grab a box of berries and yogurt from the refrigerator to snack on. Nathaniel remains seated though, listening carefully to the conversation between Dad and the chief of intelligence, even pausing to make notes every now and then.

I'm on the threshold of the first floor when something vibrates subtly inside my trouser pocket. It's my frequency controlled modem.

Patting my pockets, I fish it out in a hurry so that I don't miss the message Nathaniel is sending.

.-- . / -. . . -.. / - --- / - .- .-.. -.- .-.-.-

I've become accustomed to deciphering the short and long bursts of clicks from memory without having to write the sequence down on paper now.

We need to talk.

-.-- . .- .... --..-- / .. .----. .-.. .-.. / -... . / ..- .--. ... - .- .. .-. ...

Yeah, I'll be upstairs, I quickly type a message back before punching it back into my pocket.

We really did need to talk. Our timeline was entirely screwed up now, we didn't have the kind of time we thought we'd need to find the key to unlocking the nuclear reserves of Volatis.

Maybe I could start looking into all the potential leads myself rather than leaving it all up to Nathaniel to figure out. Like JT, the dealer who was hounding Devin was definitely up to something other than just looking to convert new customers if he was desperate enough to wave off money in exchange for a few threats.

Entering my bedroom, I walk up to the large, slanting attic window to let in the cold evening sea breeze into the room. It's warm and stuffy otherwise and I can't seem to be productive with the window closed. But that's probably just in my head.

"May I come in?" I hear Nathaniel's voice behind me as he knocks on my already open door.

"Yes, you don't need to ask every single time." I roll my eyes, biting back a smile as I settle down on the edge of my bed and pat the space beside me.

He shakes his head, "I'll take the chair if you don't mind."

He unbuttons the front button of his formal silk jacket as he turns the rotating chair to face me and sits down, his shoulders slightly tense and his back unusually straight.

Nathaniel opens his mouth to say something but stops, buttoning his jacket quickly only to find that it was creasing in the middle before unbuttoning it again.

"Ok, I know what's bothering you," I sigh, leaning forward to place my palm on his knee lightly, "Trust me it's me eating me up on the inside too."

He stills, his nervous movement stopping for a few moments as he looks directly into my eyes wordlessly.

"Well, clearly you're handling it much better than I am. Because I don't see you losing your peace of mind every other minute like me." Nathaniel says softly, removing my hand from his leg gently.

"Of course it's not like that, Nathaniel!" I shake my head, "It's just that both of us losing our minds over it and being so obvious about it isn't going to do us any good."

"You're right." he looks down at his clasped hands in his lap, "I'm being absurd."

I frown. We start talking at the same time almost immediately.

"No, you're being anything but absurd. You're worried about the world and the role you play in its safety and that's totally understandable."

"It was my first kiss, with a very beautiful girl, and as unforgettable as it was I shouldn't let it affect my work by thinking about it all the time."

I look up at him in surprise, mouth dropping open at his admission. He quickly averts his gaze, refusing to meet my eyes as I continue to stare at him blatantly.

"Never mind." Nathaniel sighs, "Not the best time to talk about this. I should have anticipated that already."

"What?" I manage to cough, after a few seconds when I finally register what he said.

"I do not wish to repeat my words." he answers, running his fingers through his hair, "I think I have already humiliated myself enough."

Nathaniel looks around to my room awkwardly for a couple of seconds before getting up abruptly to leave my room without a word. I'm shell shocked and honestly I have no idea what to say.

I mean, I found him very attractive and his entire personality pretty much matched that of my dream boyfriend that I wrote in my secret diary when I was thirteen, but that was that. On the other hand, I was also well aware of the fact that when I signed the non-disclosure agreements, it was also an unsaid agreement that I would never pursue any kind of relationship with the mission's subject. Our tightening friendship was already cutting it close.

"Wait, Nathaniel." I breathe out quietly, as he reaches the door.

I stand up and pad towards the door slowly.

"That was your first kiss?" I ask dumbly, because I should have expected it.

"You don't exactly have girls swooping in to kiss you in the middle of international meets when you live in a castle." he replies bitterly, crossing his hands in front of his chest.

"Right." I mentally kick myself for asking such a stupid question.

Nathaniel frowns slightly before quickly shutting off his emotions, morphing his features into his usual mask of perfect calm and control.

"I'm sorry." I say genuinely, "It was nothing more than a dare to me, but I should have known that you wouldn't view it in the same way. I shouldn't have let it happen in the first place."

A small part of my heart shatters as I say this. Because deep down I knew that a small part of my brain had been thrilled when the bottle had stopped on me since I loved watching him let go of the control he always seemed to hold tightly onto, even though like ninety percent of it was strongly against it.

"Ok, thank you for letting me know." Nathaniel nods brusquely, "I'll see you at dinner."

Without wasting another second, he races down the staircase and zooms out of my sight.

Breathing out heavily, I shut the door of my room quietly and make my way over to the window- leaning my head against the windowsill and gazing at the vibrant hues that the setting sun had painted the sky with, ruefully.

My throat feels constricted as I try to swallow.

But no matter all the what if's, I knew that I had done the right thing.

•><•

An update as promised but first, I need a moment to find my tissues >_<

So, the conference I attended last week was absolutely brilliant and all the wonderful people I met there just made it extremely special and memorable. Like a literally used to stay up till five every morning talking to someone in the plenary or having heart to heart conversations about life in their rooms or simply watching people get drunk during the social agendas and having fun XD.

Hope you're enjoying the story so far- do vote, comment, share and don't forget to spread the love!

My exams are coming up this week. Are your exams over?