"Talk about what?" Natsu said as he stood by the door. He rubbed the back of his neck and his gaze avoided Lucy. It annoyed her somehow. She didn't get it, but why did this man seem so jumpy? Was it because of their agreement?

"Did you know about this?" Lucy asked simply. She wanted to understand everything right now. She didn't know if he knew about him being appointed. But if he did, then did that mean he slept with her on purpose? Then her mind remembered a memory. He had told her last night that he didn't know she was the princess at first. However, that didn't mean he wasn't aware of being her appointed knight. People like to lie, how did she know he wasn't a liar too?

"If you're asking about this arrangement, then no. Not before today anyway." Natsu answered, crossing his arms. He rolled his eyes and pointed at Lucy. "Thanks to you, I got yelled at this morning for not being at the barracks. Erza almost had my ass because I came back half naked."

"Thanks to me? It was both of our faults this even happened. Don't tell me...Did you tell her?"

"Are you out of your mind? I don't have a death wish. From you or her." Natsu scoffed and took his hand back, crossing his arms once more. "However, everyone I personally know from the guard is trying to find out who I gave my virginity to. That includes Erza."

A sigh escaped Lucy's lips. Now they really had to make sure it stayed a secret. Rules had to be set between the two. If either slipped up, that was the end of it. Lucy chewed the inside of her cheek. What lie could they possibly tell for Natsu for his friends to believe him?

"What did you tell them?" Lucy questioned as she moved to the couch. Something inside her felt weak. She didn't think she was able to carry this secret alone. And she knew that Levy and Juvia were bound to the king, so it was better to keep it from them so neither let it out.

"I told them I got too drunk and didn't know the woman. That I snuck out of her place before she woke." Natsu explained. Lucy could hear the nervousness in his voice. "Lucky, Erza had been too focused on what needed to happen with you. So before anyone could press on the matter, Erza practically dressed me in my armor and dragged me through the palace. Didn't exactly have any time to myself."

"I'm sorry." Lucy wasn't sure what else she could have said. Natsu must've felt the same because they sat in an uncomfortable silence. Lucy knew she wasn't going to ask for another appointed knight. She knew her father would allow it of course, but she wasn't sure if he'd ask her reasoning.

"Was this all you wanted to talk about?" Natsu questioned, breaking the stillness between them. At the sound of his voice, Lucy found herself staring at him. His copper eyes were already on hers, and for some reason Lucy didn't want to look away.

Some how they held warmth in them. It was a radiant heat that lit a small fire. They were hypnotic and dangerous. Lucy felt as though if she wasn't careful, she might just fall in love with Natsu. Would that be so bad?

No! No, do not think that Lucy! She thought to herself, now was not the time to think about love. Lucy had to make sure they had rules in between them. She couldn't risk anyone finding out about their night together, and on top of that she didn't want to love him.

"Can we agree to a handful of rules?" Lucy requested, finally pulling her eyes away. Natsu only hummed in agreement as he sat down across from her.

"Well..." Lucy felt horrible for having them keep it a secret. Because they wouldn't have had sex with one another if they didn't feel something last night, right? Lucy knew deep down that Natsu was a very charming man, but because she was engaged nothing could happen between them anyways. An idea popped into her head. "To make up for this awkward situation, is there anything you'd like that I can offer you?"

Natsu stayed quiet for a moment before a sigh escaped his lips, "What I want is something you cannot offer me."

"Impossible. Tell me." Lucy implored, rolling her eyes. She was a princess, what could he want that she couldn't give him?

"This is not the time to play clueless, Lucy." Natsu growled as his frustration grew inside of him, "No offense to you, but I felt something last night. I don't know what it was, but you can't tell me you didn't feel it. It wasn't like we were so drunk when we kissed in the ballroom. A little tipsy, maybe, but you kissed me willingly."

Lucy was taken back by Natsu's outburst. She knew that she wanted to kiss him last night. And of course she felt something, but her duties always mattered more than how she felt. She didn't know what to tell the man in front of her. He was in pain, but could he really feel that way considering they only met last night?

"It was one night, Natsu. I'm sure plenty of other women have had your eye before." Lucy scoffed, "My duty always comes first. I can't ever do what I want..."

"You're a princess, you mean to tell me you can't have everything?" Natsu asked, the pain in his voice weakening. "You get to have a fancy husband and become queen of your kingdom, and you don't get to control any of that?"

"No. Never have. You think I want to marry some man I've never even laid eyes on before?" Lucy could feel tears sting at her eyes. She stood from her seat and glared at Natsu, "I can give you certain things. A higher pay grade, all the food you could ask for, your own room, or even your own piece of land if you wanted. But if you're asking me about any kind of relationship, then you need to leave."

Natsu drew back a bit and took a deep breath. His eyes began to have a certain sadness to them. One that was a small whisper, but Lucy could hear in it. It matched with her own. Her heart hurt and her breathing was fast, but why did it hurt to feel this way?

Someone in front of her had been asking to have something, anything, between them. She loved the emotions she felt towards him last night. And they felt so right to have. Was her duty the only thing stopping her, or did she know it could never happen?

"I'm sorry. My duty is first. It's been like this all my life. I didn't mean to get you wrapped up in this ball of sadness I'm always in." Lucy said as she whipped the tears that had fallen. She prayed her makeup wasn't ruined, but at this point what could she do?

"I wasn't trying to make it seem like it was all your fault..." Natsu started, but he kept his voice low. "I've never felt this was towards anyone, and it's hard to know exactly what I'm feeling...You're right it was just one night, but I've never felt something like that before last night."

The room fell quiet again. Silence hung heavily in the air, neither of them knew what to say to each other. Natsu had just given his heart to Lucy on a silver platter, and she didn't know how to handle it. What could she do? If she gave into it, that meant having a secret relationship. Which was frowned upon, and Lucy didn't want her father to be more disappointed in her than he already was. On the other hand, if they did have a secret relationship then her marriage wouldn't be so bad. However, that meant trying to contain the secret from her husband.

It was too much all at once, and Lucy wasn't sure how to keep it all together. Her marriage, having lost her virginity, and then proceeding to finding out the knight she had slept with would be at her side constantly. It all happened too fast for her to process any of it.

"Look," Natsu began, the words almost coming out in a whisper. "I shouldn't have dumped all my feelings on you. It's not really fair of me. How about we talk more tonight? We can set some rules down then. I'm sure Levy and Juvia have been waiting a long time." Lucy couldn't tell what Natsu had been thinking, but nonetheless she nodded in agreement.

As if her ears had been ringing, a knock sounded at the door. "Your Highness?"

"Come in, Levy." Lucy replied almost immediately. With permission, Levy entered the room carrying a small tray. On it, there were a few pastries. Levy came up to Lucy with a smile and held the tray to her.

"Your favorites!" Levy giggled as she took one of them off the tray and took a small bite. "However, since I came to you with them, I get one of these beautiful things."

"Liar. You only brought me them because you like them just as much as me." Lucy rolled her eyes and took one of the pastries. Her eyes then moved to Natsu. In the moment, her body moved on its own. She quickly snagged one of the desserts and held it out to him, waiting patiently for him to take it.

Natsu walked over to the duo and grabbed it from Lucy's hand. Her heart fluttered when Natsu's fingers grazed against her own. If this is what happened when either of them slightly touched one another, then they were in trouble.

***

The day had passed rather quickly for Lucy. Dinner with her father had gone as expected. The king had asked Lucy a handful of questions about Natsu. She gave basic answers, which was easier than she had initially thought. Although she usually tells her father white lies. He was somehow always content with what she gave.

But now, Lucy sat alone on her balcony staring at the stars. Seeing them always gave her a sense of calmness. It brought her memories of her mother and the nights they'd spend talking about the constellations. However, those memories faded when she realized after tonight she would be on her way to meet her future husband in the morning. Her life would be different from then on. Could she handle that?

Ever since losing her diary, Lucy felt as though she couldn't think straight. The one thing she could do was write to help her process, but now she felt lost without it. Lucy knew she needed the time to herself to think clearly. But did she only feel this way because she was a princess? Or did everyone always feel so lost in their lives?

Lucy shook her head and decided to prevent her from overthinking anymore. Her only choice was to take herself to bed. So she went inside and closed the door behind her. She stood there for a moment, praying that her future husband would be a good person.

Maybe she'd fall in love with him. Then she could get the happiness she craved for. Anything that felt good to have, she prayed for. At this point, Lucy knew she'd have to grab it before it was gone if given the chance to have such happiness.

She began to pray to God until a sudden knock at the door behind her yanked her from her thoughts. Through the glass, a figure had been standing outside of the door. With help from the moonlight, Lucy was able to make out the face of her appointed knight. Her jaw dropped slightly at the sight of him. How did he manage to get on her balcony?

Opening the door, Lucy glared Natsu down. For a second, they stared at each other before Natsu put his hands up and giggled. "We had an agreement earlier, remember?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and let him inside her room. Natsu thanked her as he entered her room for the third time that day. He happily took a seat on the couch and beckoned for Lucy to come sit with him.

At that moment, Lucy remembered the white scarf she had forgotten earlier. She quickly went to her bed and pulled the clothing from under her pillow. She then turned to Natsu and held out the cloth.

"This is yours, right? I didn't remember to give it to you because we were too busy arguing." Lucy explained as she shrugged her shoulders.

Natsu's face lit up at the scarf, and he quickly grabbed it from her hand. He immediately threw the scarf on himself. He took a deep breath before looking at Lucy once again, "Thank you, Lucy. My father gave this to me. Would you like to sit with me now?"

Lucy thought for a moment, then decided that having Natsu in her room late at night was a horrible idea. She got the feeling if she kept him here, someone might have the idea to come check on her for whatever reason.  Lucy walked away and took the candle on her nightstand and lit it. She went back over to Natsu and held it toward him.

"How about we go to the gardens? I don't like the idea of someone catching you in here." Lucy stated as she moved towards the door. Natsu followed behind her. He took the candle from her hand and grabbed the door knob.

"So be it. Just be quiet, don't want to get caught by the night guards. You're lucky I know the routine." Natsu replied cockily as he led her out the now open door.

Once in the corridor, Lucy had realized it wasn't as quiet at night as she thought it would be. She could hear distant chatter of staff and guards echo in the hallway. She didn't think anyone else besides the night patrol would be awake, but then again she never snuck out before.

It was thrilling going through the empty halls as if they were the only two in the castle. Natsu kept close to Lucy and always peeked around corners. Once he knew no one was there or was going to come out, he would continue on. Lucy had wondered how he knew to do this. It wasn't like the guards had lived in the palace.

The guards had their own separate building on the castle grounds. And only a select handful of knights were picked to guard the stone fortress. They needed to be higher ranked knights, and apparently Natsu had been one of the best since he was hand picked to be her appointed knight.

Before Lucy knew it, Natsu had gotten them outside the castle. Now they stood in the coldness of the night. Chills ran up Lucy's spine and she shivered. A sudden warmness covered her, she glanced at herself and noticed Natsu had wrapped her in his cloak.

Natsu wore a one-sleeved long coat with white knee-length trousers, along with open toe shoes. This man was wearing an outfit as if the sun was beating down on him. However, Lucy couldn't help but to admire how his clothing had suited him. He was a very mysterious man, even if he didn't try to be.

The duo had walked over to the garden where they met again for the second time at the ball. Lucy had thought it was a little embarrassing to come back here considering how both felt on the topic. Nonetheless, Lucy took a seat on the stone bench before Natsu.

After a minute had passed, Natsu sat down next to the princess. Lucy couldn't understand him at all. He was so keen on them speaking tonight, yet he seemed so hesitant. Was he nervous about being alone with her? He had been at her side all day long, accompanying her to dinner and to the library. Yet he didn't seem to be this way throughout the day.

"So..." Lucy began, but then she hesitated. Did she truly know where to start? She thought for a moment and bit her lip. "If I'm honest Natsu, I don't know where to start with the rules. I can't even remember how our night together went. It's all one big blur, so I'm not sure how to fully feel about it."

"The whole night wasn't a blur. The dancing, us meeting here, and even kissing..." Disappointment had been laced in his words, and they were like spears to Lucy's heart. Was it always this painful to talk about emotions?

"It wasn't, but..."

"But what?" Natsu whispered, his gaze keeping to the ground beneath them.

"The kiss...Do you remember what you felt?" Lucy asked, finally glancing over to Natsu. She studied his now rose tinted cheeks. He was just as awkward as she was. Neither of them knew how to go about the situation, but that didn't mean that bringing up the events from last night was embarrassing.

"Yes." Natsu simply answered her. "I don't fully know what it is I feel. It doesn't help when no one else has made me feel this way before."

Lucy stayed quiet for a moment. Her mind drifted off to the memory of the kiss. She felt an explosion of warmth and happiness. Nothing felt more freeing than to kiss the man who sat next to her. She didn't know if it was the booze they had to drink, or if she truly felt that way.

What if it was just the alcohol? What if they had only felt this way because the wine had only made them feel more risky? Maybe Natsu didn't notice that, and maybe this could be all over. One misunderstanding and mistake.

"Are you sure it wasn't just the wine that made us feel that way?" Lucy felt stupid for asking, but if Natsu truly had any sort of feelings for her then she couldn't let them continue. She was a princess after all, Lucy figured he was most likely confusing his infatuation for love.

"If it was, then let's test it. Let's kiss again."

"What?" Lucy was flabbergasted. She hadn't expected him to ask her such a thing, but her curiosity did wonder if it was the wine or if she truly felt something else. What would happen if she did kiss him? They had only met yesterday night. What if she liked the feelings this kiss gave her? Only one way to find out I suppose.

However, that was easier said than done. At the ball, she was blindsided with alcohol and a rush of adrenaline. Now, she was completely sober and didn't know how she felt about the man in front of her. What would happen if she truly wanted Natsu? She was supposed to be on her way to get married in the morning, so why did she want to kiss his lips? Maybe because they gave her a sense of comfort, one she had never felt before.

Lucy bit her lip and kept her gaze steady on him. His face was unreadable, but he was clearly thinking this over just as much as she was. Lucy knew deep down she wanted to kiss him again. Something inside her screamed for it, begged her to place her lips against his. Did he also feel the same urge?

Suddenly, her mind went blank. This was her moment. She had been wondering all day if what she felt towards him was nothing more than just a small moment in time. For now, her mind had become content with kissing Natsu. She could always regret it later, or keep it hidden along with the sex.

Slowly, Lucy took her right hand and cupped Natsu's face. Their eyes now locked on each other as the wind blew quietly by. Her eyes glanced to his lips, and she watched as he licked his own nervously. Taking a deep breath, Lucy looked into his eyes.

Quickly she grabbed his collar and yanked hard. Their lips collided, and the same emotions she had felt last night poured into her like a waterfall. It was addicting, and Lucy found herself kissing him over and over. Her heart rate quickened as Natsu deepened the kiss. His hand now rested on her cheek

Before Lucy knew it, both of them had pulled away gasping for air. Natsu's eyes burned into Lucy as she tried to steady her breathing. The warmness she felt when they had kissed lingered inside of her. Her face got hot as she realized that they had kissed way more than once. Then a sense of sadness washed over her when she finally understood what she felt. Her eyes drifted away from his.

Nothing changed, she still felt the comfortable warmth from him. No alcohol could change what she felt, nor what she wanted. Lucy had an addiction to him, yet even so he still gave off a sense of happiness that made her feel like she could fly. Was she in love? No, she couldn't be right now. Although, she had never experienced this before, so who was she to say she wasn't? Clearly, Natsu didn't fully understand his feelings either.

"So..." Lucy paused and she finally brought herself to look at him again. "Do you still feel the same?" Natsu stayed quiet as he studied her. He bit his lip and only nodded his head.

"Yeah..."

Lucy felt confused. She loved the way it felt when she was with Natsu. While she did have Levy and Juvia, she wasn't as happy as she thought she could be. Was it because Natsu was a man? Or because she felt something more than that? Obviously she had felt something towards him. Would having him in her life make it less miserable?

Maybe if she took into consideration of his feelings, then maybe keeping them secret would make her life bearable. The two of them would just have to make sure that their relationship stayed a secret. This was her opportunity to have some kind of happiness. Part of her felt as though she was betraying her own words, but she wanted to be happy. To have one choice. Maybe if we do this and get found out, I can cancel my marriage and live the life I want. I'd finally have a choice.

"You mentioned this morning that I couldn't offer you what you wanted..." Lucy said as she looked to the sky. "What would you say if I changed my mind?"

"You mean...between us?" Natsu whispered, almost seeming as though he didn't believe her.

"Yes, I do. If we can keep it a secret, then I'll consider it." Lucy replied as her eyes moved onto him. Natsu's jaw was slightly agape, her words seemed to have shocked him to his core.

"What about your husband?" Natsu questioned, and he sat up straight. Their eyes were locked on each other again. Lucy didn't break away as she took a deep breath in.

"He isn't my husband yet, and honestly it would make my life happier to have someone who could understand me on a level that Levy and Juiva cannot. Just know if we get caught, I don't know that I could save you from my father's wrath." Lucy explained as she got closer to Natsu's face. Neither of them moved for a moment. Their eyes steadily on each other.

The two of them closed the small gap between them and kissed intensely. Lucy felt the warmth grow inside of her, begging herself to forever hold onto what she was feeling. She wanted whatever she was feeling for the rest of her life, and somehow if it was with Natsu she wanted it more.

They broke away and rested their foreheads on one another. Natsu broke the silence and spoke in a soft whisper, "If you wish to be happy, then I'll do what I can, Lucy."