She was tired.

It was barely even half the day yet and she just wanted it all to be done and over with. Who knew living the royal life could be so boring? The responsibilities that came with it was boring and hurting just like those heels.

Anne-Marie slowly narrowed her gaze on her six inch heels. She could feel her legs trembling from walking and standing on them for so long. What on earth was she thinking, even considering the possibility she could wear them the way Paris did? They were dreadful and she was barely comfortable with the height from on top of it.

Unlike Paris, dressing up in pretty dresses and really nice shoes with high heels was one thing Anne-Marie was never used to. She never had the luxury or time to, or money. She had spent the entire day wondering how much the jewelries on her cost and her dress and shoe. They must have cost a fortune.

Anne-Marie let herself sigh softly.

"Just endure it Marie, it'd be done and over with soon."

She slowly raised her gaze to the middle of the huge hall in the children's hospital. She could see how the children were so focused on Aiden who happened to be sitting on a throne like chair in front of them, reading them a story.

Fancy him sitting when she had to stand the entire time. Walking around with Aiden while he performed his duties as the prince of the kingdom wasn't as eventful as she thought it would be. To think of how all of it was a show...a show for the public and she had to be roped into it.

The flickering sound of camera from the media beside her was frustrating. She wished they had stopped already, she was so tired of listening to all those annoying loud flickers. She rolled her eyes.

She knew nothing about the royal family but something about how Aiden related with the kids at the orphanage got her thinking a little bit. She was almost swayed to believe he didn't have any ulterior motives for reading the kids a story, like it wasn't just a plan by the royal family to put themselves out there like that to the people. Pathetic.

"And in the end, the little red riding hood and her grandmother returned home and lived happily ever after."

Aiden closed the story book slowly as the kids around him started to clap loudly. You didn't have to even hear them clap to see how happy they were, the expressions on their face said it all. Aiden's smile grew wider as the kids cheered softly.

The children at the Breton children hospital loved him and everyone knew it, everyone could see it. They always looked forward to him reading them a book every Friday. It was their favorite day of the week, not just them, the doctors and nurses at the hospital loved it too when Aiden stopped by.

'The heart of the kingdom' as he was fondly called by a lot of people. At a very young age, Aiden already had a soft spot for the helpless people of Breton, especially the children and the old people of Breton. He was a charm and was adored by a lot of people.

"Your highness," one of the children shot her hand in the air, she had a question. Aiden narrowed his gaze on her as he slowly stretched the story book so Elijah could take it.

"Mnnn."

"What happened after little red grew up?" The little seven years old asked. "Did the story really have to end there? What happened to the hunter and her grandmother?"

"Didn't you hear what the prince said?" A boy said, slowly turning to her. "They lived happily ever after."

"But still," another girl said. "Don't you want to know what happened to little red? Don't you want to know how she grew up? What she grew up to be?" The girl frowned a bit. "I wish the story was a bit longer."

"Me too." The first girl said. "I wish we got to know how happy she was and every other adventure she went through."

"What do you think happened to little red your highness?" Aiden slowly turned to the little girl in front of him. She had the brightest eyes and palest skin and she looked like she was the tiniest among all the other children. "Do you think she met her Prince Charming in the end?"

Aiden pursed his lips and pretended to think for a while. He inhaled sharply.

"Perhaps she did." He told her. "She should have shouldn't she?"

"Well I hope she did your highness." The other girl said. "And I hope her prince was as brave as you, handsome and charming too, kind and tall."

Aiden tried so hard to stop himself from smiling so hard but he couldn't help it, especially since the other kids kept cheering him on like that.

"I wish little red and her Prince Charming lived happily ever after like you and lady Vutron."
The girl continued and that was all she had to say to get both Aiden and Anne-Marie to hold their breaths. That was a subject he didn't expect to be involved in during his visit. He found his head slowly turning to where Anne-Marie was standing at the other side of the room while the other kids kept agreeing with what the girl had said. Some turned to Anne-Marie too.

Wow.

And there it was again, she was back to being the center of attention. She looked away immediately, burying her gaze on her folded hands. She was nervous as hell. Aiden could see how she kept a straight face, trying as hard as she could to avoid all sorts of eye contact with him or anyone else. He could also see how she kept raising her legs slightly from the ground and shaking them gently like she was trying to stop them from hurting so badly. He lowered his gaze to her heels. He scoffed.

Why did she have to wear them anyway when she was clearly not comfortable in them?

Anne-Marie slowly turned to the court lady that was assigned to her at the palace.

"I need air," she said to her.

The lady nodded.

Anne-Marie was done. She was sick and tired of the flickering cameras. She wanted out. She needed to breathe.

Aiden watched how she and the lady found their way out of the room with Anne-Marie limping slowly, trying as hard as she could to not make it so obvious.

Now where was she going?

Aiden let out a tiny breath and turned to the rest of the kids. His smile widened.

"Where were we?"

Twenty five minutes!
She'd have spent more than that time taking as much air as she could at the small park beside the hospital. Anne-Marie needed all of it. What she also needed was more time to let her feet heal. She let out a weak breath, watching the court lady walk behind her with two bodyguards with the corner of her eyes.

Great.

She couldn't even walk down the hall of the hospital without them following her like that. Anne-Marie let out a weak breath she had no idea she was holding as she kept her eyes focused on the kids in the hallway. They were either sick or in the process of recovery. Watching how some of them ran around the hallway while some sat in the waiting area with their guardians reminded her of Abel a lot.

Hospitals.

She practically lived most of her life in and out of one so she was used to the really cold and unpleasant aura in them. She missed him. Being in that room with all those kids reminded her of just how much she missed him and hoped he was okay. She hoped the Vutron's were keeping their end of the bargain because that was the only reason she was in all of the mess she was and taking it.

This life wasn't meant for her. She wasn't used to having maids at her beck and call, bodyguards following her to make sure she was safe, trying to win the trust of an arrogant prince who was clearly not interested in her or the role she was playing. She wasn't used to having all she wanted without actually working for it. In as much as her old life was tough...she missed having to wake up early and work just so she could at least afford to get lunch for both her and Abel. She missed the early morning breeze sweeping through her skin when she rode her bicycle. She could never get used to all those designer clothes, expensive jewelries, responsibilities she had no idea how to even carry out and those heels, those annoying long heels.

She narrowed her gaze on them as she could feel the swell on her big toe worsen. Did all rich people really need shoes like that? How on earth was Paris even able to walk in them?

She stopped walking for a second. It was like the more she did, the worse it was. The court lady and bodyguards behind her noticed. They exchanged really confused glances before the lady walked up to her in a hurry when she noticed how Anne-Marie kept drawing deep breaths. 

"Lady Vutron." She called for her attention. "Are you alright?"

Anne-Marie nodded in a hurry. There was no need to  cause all that unnecessary drama and attention.

"I'm fine." She said. "I just thought I could stop walking for a second and breathe."

"Your highness."

"Shh." Aiden placed a finger on his lips to stop Anne-Marie's guards from calling her attention to the fact that he had just arrived into the hall.

For some reason, he just wanted to see, to watch her. He was running out of time and it was only a few more days to the engagement party. The faster he found evidence that could make the Vutron's lose favor in the sight of the royal family and the people of Breton, the better for him. He was going to watch her when she wasn't looking. He needed everything he could get, anything he could get to prove his suspicions were right and call off the wedding as fast as possible.

He could see how the court lady bent over to have a look at Anne-Marie's feet even when Anne-Marie asked her not to bother. Anne-Marie gave up. The lady in front of her was just going to do whatever she wanted anyway. She swallowed hard when she saw a ball bounce towards her with a boy running after it and one of the nurses running after him with his IV hanger, trying to make him stop.

He looked so tiny in his hospital dress and yet so pale even with the oxygen tube hanging between his nostrils. His head was perfectly shaved so you couldn't even find a strand of hair on it and he kept running faster after his ball, not bothering to even care about his drip and the needle that looked like it was going to pull out if the nurse wasn't trying so hard to keep up with the hanger.

Anne-Marie bent over quickly so she could stop the ball in order to stop him from running the way he did. The little boy stopped when he saw her bend over slowly and reached for the ball. He reduced his pace and came to a stop some feet away from her, making sure not to take his eyes off her or the ball.

With the way she looked at him, Anne-Marie could tell he was nervous. Nervous to even come closer to her or try to take his ball from her, more like scared.

Anne-Marie could see it, she didn't need him to say anything and Aiden just watched her as she lifted the ball from her legs and stretched it to the little boy.

"I believe this belongs to you." She said warmly.

The boy was hesitant like he wasn't sure if he should take the ball, like he wasn't sure if he wanted it anymore. The nurse came to a stop in front of her, taking as many deep breaths as she could. She was exhausted from all that running. She gasped when she saw Anne-Marie. It was like she recognized her for a quick minute.

"Lady Vutron."

Anne-Marie raised her gaze to the nurse immediately as the boy quickly grabbed the ball from her hands and hugged it tightly, taking a step back.

"Oh my." The nurse noticed as Anne-Marie turned to face him slowly. "I'm really sorry Miss Vutron, he's not just used to being around people." She said in the boy's defense. "We are still trying to help him get used to it."

Really?

Anne-Marie slowly turned to the boy. She let herself smile a bit brighter.

"What's your name?"

He didn't even blink an eye. He just kept staring at her.

"Adam." The nurse said. "His name is Adam. He doesn't speak much either." The nurse added. "He and his parents were involved in an accident a year ago, he was the only survivor. Both of them died and he was diagnosed of cancer a month later. Ever since then, he hasn't said much to anyone. He doesn't associate much with people either."

"Is that true?" Anne-Marie asked him.

For some reason, the boy in front of her made everything go away. Looking at him made her heart warm and made her forget everything else happening around her, including her heels. He reminded her so much of him, so much of Abel. Abel had to be around his age when he was first diagnosed. He used to be that little too.

Anne-Marie thought hard for a second and then reached for her hair. She took off the plastic brooch on it and held on to it for a second.

"You know what Adam," she told him calmly. "I know someone who is just like you. He used to be so scared of everything too, especially the dark but I gave him this."

She opened her fist so he could see the brooch in it.

"It's a magic stick that helps us absorb all our fears." She went on, encouraging him to take it and hoping that he did but he hesitated. "Whenever you're scared of anyone or anything, all you need to say is the four magic words, I am not afraid, and it would take all your fears away."

"A-all my fears?" He asked her.

Anne-Marie smiled and nodded.

"All of it." She said.

The boy slowly lowered his gaze to the brooch just as everyone around them did too. It looked like he was still trying to ascertain himself. Like he needed to be sure he could trust her.

"Go ahead." Anne-Marie told him.

He slowly reached for the brooch and took it from her hand. He held on to it and raised it so he could look at it.

"You're the third person that knows about the secret of this brooch in the whole world." Anne-Marie went ahead to let herself smile even more when she said those words, especially since the little boy had already started to smile a little bit too.

What on earth just happened?

Aiden was not exactly sure he understood what had just happened but a part of him could feel his heart warm up a little bit to the scene in front of him. Something about it made him freeze a little bit and made his heartbeat slow. He had never seen her smile so brightly in years ever since the first time he saw her in that room when they were much younger. There was something about the way she smiled that brought him back to the moment he thought he had forgotten, that moment in the piano room, eight years ago.

Aiden couldn't walk down memory lane for long though, at least not until he started hearing the loud footsteps of the media as they scurried into the room immediately, hurrying as fast as they could to Anne-Marie with their cameras up in the air, trying to capture the moment.

Anne-Marie noticed how the boy took quick steps back and turned around into the nurse's embrace as he saw the people walk closer to him. He was terrified. Anne-Marie got up immediately too and turned to them.

"Lady Vutron." One of the men said. "Could we take a shoot of you and the Prince with the little boy?" He asked her, trying to be as discrete as possible so as not to get the attention of all those people in the hospital. "It's going to be really great for the documentary." He lowered his gaze to gaze to the boy as he cringed back in more fear.

Anne-Marie turned to the little boy. She could see how he was trembling all over, it didn't look like it was possible for him to even stand for a picture at that point. He was terrified of them. Anne-Marie turned back to the man with a camera.

"Haven't you had enough pictures at the hall already?" She asked him. "Is this really necessary?"

She watched how the man turned to the other man beside him and they both exchanged really confused glances.

What on earth was she talking about?

He slowly turned back to her.

Had she forgotten the reason why she was even there in the first place?

"But Lady Vutron," the second man added. "We were asked by the queen to capture every sensitive moment that can be used as an advantage for the royal documentary." He leaned closer to her just so the nurse beside them wouldn't hear what he was saying.

"We have to give the public something to thirst for. Taking pictures with the sick and poor kids here at the hospital would help us build and sell a strong reputation of you and the prince to the rest of the country. It's content everyone wants to see. Everyone would love to see an image of the future queen of Breton taking pictures with the underprivileged. It's good content and good business."

Anne-Marie scoffed.

She couldn't believe the height of her irritation at that point. Did she just hear him right? Did he just talk about selling a fake image and taking advantage of the poor kids at the hospital for the personal gain of the royal family?

Like the hall wasn't enough, how could he just blatantly admit to it like that? To her face too? What was this? How could they? How could they be so comfortable and brag about feeding off the people's pains for their own selfish benefits.

She noticed how the boy behind her was almost at the point of tears. Anne-Marie frowned and glared at him.

"I'm done." She told him. "I'm done filming the documentary for today." She took a step to leave and then another one but the man rushed to stand in front of her with an even more confused look on his face.

"Just one more." He told her. "You can't quit now," he was persistent. "Just one more with the boy, that's all we are asking." He raised his video recorder to her face again, pretending like he hadn't just heard what she said. "Oh my goodness, you're even more beautiful when the camera is focused on just you." The man said with a huge smile on his face and that even made Anne-Marie more irritated.

Was he deaf?
Had he not heard what she had said?

"Did I stutter?" She didn't take her eyes away from him. She made sure her words were clear and her voice sounded serious enough. Too serious to get the camera man raise his eyes to her again and pause for a second. His smile was slowly starting to fade too.

"Get that camera off my face or I'm going to break it."

He gulped hard.
He slowly turned to his assistant who already had his camera down before she even completed her sentence. He looked even more scared than the first one.

Anne-Marie watched the man take a deep breath right before he lowered the camera from his face reluctantly. Just what she thought.

She let out a relief breath, trying to keep her face even straighter right before she felt a hand grab her arm immediately. She froze for a second and traced her gaze to Aiden who was barely even looking at her. She watched him flicker his tongue at the inside of his right check right before he slowly turned his gaze to her.

"Come with me."

He pulled her away.