Jade took what must have been her ninth glass of champagne. She and Francis has danced a few times together, an act to put on a united front. That was what they all wanted but after they had done the bare minimal Francis had disappeared. He was as drunk if not drunker than she was. He had confessed to not understanding how everyone was expecting him to act like everything was fine when he Father was most likely on his deathbed just down the hall. She understood that but one thing she had learnt in the past 2 days of being 'royalty' was that most of it, if not all of it, was one massive act anyway. She saw that with the Queen and she has heard it from Zachariah about the Princess. Jade sighed and took a sip from her glass, the room was beginning to spin a little. She knew she should stop but knowing she should and actually doing it were too very different things. This atmosphere, the constant pressure she felt of the countless pairs of eyes on her at all times and the worry of being found out were getting to her. She was overwhelmed but with every glass she drank she could feel that pressure lifting, becoming less and less important. Jade finished her glass in one large gulp and placed it on a table to her left. She glanced around. The music seemed louder than when she first came in, the people seemed less scary and the light from the candles gave the place a romantic feel rather than the painfully glaring light that she had seen at the start of the night.

"My Lady?" Jade smiled, she recognised that voice. She turned around to see Ethan stood very behind her, his eyes scanning the crowd.

"What is it?" Her speech was slightly slurred but she didn't notice.

"With all due respects I think that maybe you have had a little too much to drink. People are starting to notice." He said gesturing to a group of old men, chattering in the corner and throwing her disapproving glances.

"Ah, w-well we can't have that now can we? T-the Queen would be dissspleased with me." She hiccuped her words out and laughed at herself. It was a loud laugh, very unladylike, embarrassing for her sober self.

"She would and so would the Princess. Your drunken actions are reflecting badly on her reputation, she has spent many years building that up and as one of the 10 knights I cannot allow you to tarnish that." Jade frowned at him but she said nothing. She knew he was right, the Queen has warned her of that before she left. Everyone thought that it was the Princess that was drinking herself silly in the ballroom, not a simple girl in a world that is not her own and looking for some kind of relief from the pressure, worry and confusion forced upon her. "I think maybe it is time you retire for the night." He said it like a suggestion but his outstretched hand told her she didn't really have much of a choice. Jade glance around at the ballroom, Francis was still nowhere to be seen. He might had already taken himself off and Ethan was right, people were noticing. She sighed and took his hand. He very silently began to lead her out of the ballroom. He took her to the outskirts of the room, guided her in the shadows that he had spent most of the night watching her from and out of the door. Jade pulled her hand out of his as soon as the door closed and they were alone in the long candlelight corridor. Ethan stopped and looked back at her with a confused expression on his face.

"I can w-walk by m-myself." She told him holding her head up in a childish manner. Ethan frowned slightly but nodded respectfully. He gestured for her to walk ahead of him with a small bow. Jade huffed and walked ahead of him. She didn't want his help, he only wanted to help the Princess. He didn't seem to care about her which stung her heart a little. There was something about the knight that got her but walking by herself was a lot harder than she thought it would be. Without the strong support of Ethan's large hand in hers she was all over the place, no matter how hard she tried she couldn't walk in a straight line. She was stumbling over her own feet which was only making her frustrated. She had no idea where she was going, she was walking into walls, taking wrong turns but Ethan just followed her closely behind and watched it all happen. Eventually Jade gave up, after wondering too far to the left and walking into the stone wall for the third time she sighed and sunk to the floor. Her back was to the walls and her knees up to her chest. Ethan stood in front of her with his hands calmly behind his back and looking at her.

"Do you need some help my lady?"

"Jade." She replied bluntly. "My name isss Jade, just J-Jade. I-I get that thisss iss the body of your P-Princess but as you h-have clearly point out I a-am no Princess." Ethan silently watched her from a moment before sighed and moving towards her. He bent down so that he was eye level with her.

"I did not mean to offend you. I can assure you that was never my intention but I have a job to do here, to protect the Princess. Protect her in every way and that includes protecting her reputation from you."

"Because I'm a t-terrible person?"

"Because you are not from this world. You do not know our ways, all this is new to you I get that. I can understand why you might have taken the chance to feel better tonight, I can only imagine how lonely and scary all this must be for you."

"Do you th-though, I-I mean you don't seem scared o-of anything. You're a kn-knight." Ethan smiled at her.

"Even knight get scared sometimes. My biggest fear is losing the ones I truly care about, not being able to protect them as I should."

"D-do you care for the P-Princess?"

"In a sense yes, I have too. It's my job to lay down my life for her but if she were to pass I would not mourn for her. She is the future of my Kingdom, my home and that is something I care about."

"I-I want go home. I m-miss my parents, my r-real parents. I misss my fr-friends. Everyone h-here acts like they need to walk on eggshells around me and I-I don't like it. Th-the Princess and me a-are different people."

"Then how about we make a deal?"

"W-what deeal?"

"When it is just you and I you will be Jade, just Jade but when others are around you will be the Princess. You and I can be friends but I cannot be friends with a Princess."

"So y-you'll be my friend?"

"I will, if you agree to be my Princess when others are around."

"O-okay, I-I can do that." Ethan smiled and stood up then.

"Then as a friend it is my duty to get your drunk self safely to bed." He told her holding out his hand. Jade smiled and took it, he pulled her up with ease and held on to her waist making Jade blush, lucky for her her cheeks were around red from the alcohol. True she had just been friendzoned but she could live with that, nothing could have happened between them anyway but at least that way she couldn't have felt so alone. She had someone looking out for her, not the Princess and that felt good...

Jade's eye flew open. There was a bright light that was pouring into the room. She covered her eyes from the harsh light, her brain was throbbing inside her skull. She closed her eyes and held her head tenderly, it was so loud. There was a knock on the door, it wasn't loud but the sound pierced Jade's head like a sharp knife.

"Come in." She croaked. Her throat was painfully dry, she felt beyond exhausting and the mere thought of having to get up and spend the day riding on a horse made her want to throw up. The door opened and the same brown haired maid she had met yesterday sheepishly entered the room carrying a silver goblet. Last night was hazy in Jade's mind but she could remember that she had been the one to put her to bed after Ethan had dropped her off at her room. She has been incredibly patient and helpful, Jade felt bad that she had had to deal with her in that state. Now that she thought of it, how was she supposed to face Ethan after that? She has totally embarrassed herself. Jade sighed and pushed the thought from her mind and forced herself up with much more effort than normal. Her head was even worse sitting up. She winced and held her head in her hands as her gently maid came her her side.

"I brought you some water for your head my Lady." She said softly and quietly. She hadn't spoken that way yesterday and it occurred to Jade that she had lowered her voice knowing that she would have a massive headache. Jade smiled at the gesture and took the water.

"Thank you." She said. She knew it was out of character for the Princess but she couldn't let such kindness go unthanked. She has told Ethan that around others she would be 'Princess Jade' but she couldn't let that compromise who she was. She carefully sipped the water, anymore than a sip and she was afraid it would have come straight back up. "I never asked your name, what is it?" She asked the girl that was stood patiently by her bed.

"My name is Carla my lady." She bowed when she finished speaking.

"That's a lovely name. Thank you for last night, I understand you were very helpful and I apologise for my...behaviour." She said.

"That's alright my Lady. I have dealt with many drunk nobles before." She smiled at the memories and Jade smiled too.

"Were they all as bad as me?"

"Oh no my Lady they were much worse. I had one Lady beg me to pretend to be a dog for the night because she thought it amusing." Jade laughed quietly, aware that it would hurt her head but unable to hold it back.

"And did you?"

"Well I didn't have much of a choice my Lady." She told her with a smile. "I do not think she remembered anything in the morning however."

"That's a good thing then." Jade smiled at her.

"I do think so but we must get ready my Lady. I left you to rest as long as I could but Prince Francis has been calling for you this morning. He wishes to have breakfast with you before you leave." Jade sighed. It was back to reality too quickly. It was nice for a second, their conversation. Like she was making a friend but of course much like it had with Ethan her position prevented that. At least Ethan knew her situation but even he said he couldn't be friend with a Princess and Carla was none the wiser to the fact that she was not talking to the real Princess. Their relationship was strictly professional, it had to be. She pulled the covers off herself and stood up against the great protest inside her head. Carla stood and waited for her to find her footing before walking towards the dresser and picking up the corset.

"I don't think I can bring myself to wear that thing today." She thought out loud. It was hard enough to breath in it anyway and she was already having trouble breathing without hulling her guts up.

"But you must my Lady. People would notice that you were not wearing one, they might talk. Spread unflattering rumours." Jade sighed, yes of course, it was all about upholding the Princess' reputation. Jade nodded and with much effort, walked over to behind the small partition where she was helped into her corset. Carla pulled on the strings forcefully. Everytime she did Jade felt herself gagging. She put her hand over her mouth and bent over, Carla stopped immediately. "Are you alright my Lady?" She asked with a worried tone.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She replied removing her hand from her mouth. She immediately regretted that. She tried to stop it but it was too late, everything she has eaten the night before was coming back up her esophagus at a volcanic rate. Jade opened her mouth and let it all back up, the lumpy, yellow substance burning her throat on the way up. The smell seemed to hit her like a brick wall, making her heave even more. Carla stood silently rubbing her lower back gently. She didn't flinch or look away once. Jade stood up and wiped her mouth, she felt a little better but not much. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine my Lady. I shall have it cleaned up in no time. We must finish getting you dressed though, Princes Francis might be getting impatient."

"Yeah...of course." Jade sighed and walked away from the puddle she had made on the floor, the smell still lingering in her nose. She couldn't seem to get away from it. No matter how far away she went from it. Carla went to the wardrobe and got out the green dress she had arrived in the day before. It had been covered in mud from the long ride and sleeping on the ground but now it was clean, freshly washed and smelled like lavender. Carla brought it over to her and smiled softly.

"I took the liberty of washing your gown for you my Lady. I hope you do not mind."

"No of course not." Jade replied as Carla helped her into the dress. She would have much rather put on an oversized hoody, a pair of joggers and spent the day sleeping off her pounding headache in the giant, ridiculously comfy bed. Carla was carefully adjusting her dress when there was a sharp knock at the door, Jade flinched at the harsh sound but called her guest to enter the room. It was Ethan.

"Sorry to bother you this early my Lady, I hope you are feeling well." Carla stood up when she heard his voice and moved aside. She placed her hands behind her back and looked to the floor. Jade kind of wanted her to leave but like Zachariah has said the the day before, for a Princess to be alone with a man in her private chambers would stir gossip. Not that she believed Carla would do that but she didn't really know. She sighed and looked to Ethan.

"Well you don't need to be concerned I am perfectly fine." She lied. Ethan glanced towards Carla and then back to Jade.

"I was wondering if I might have the honour of escorting you to breakfast." He asked her. Jade couldn't help but smile. It was a chance to be alone with him, something he seemed to want as well. Jade made her face relax and cleared her throat.

"Yes I should think that will be fine." Jade turned to Carla and gave her a small nod. She should thank her for everything she had done for her but with the presence of Ethan she realised how out of character she had been acting all morning. Although she hoped that Carla merely thought that her actions were because she was hungover and not right in her mind. Jade held her head up high, trying to not seem like her head was killing her and she hadn't just thrown up all over the floor, and out of the door Ethan held open for her. She waited outside and held her breath as the door closed and she and Ethan were alone in the castle's long, candle lit hallways again...