"Please, is anyone there!? Help! Help me!"

Wherever she was, it was dark. A cell, maybe? She was confined to a small, desolate space made up of three concrete walls and the last of iron bars. There were no windows, and the only way out was through the metal gate locked from the outside of the bars. There was no way out for her, and her only hope of escape was if someone came for her.

But no one knew she was here, because she left of her own free will... Why did he do this to her? Sure, she trespassed, but wasn't this a little extreme!? She was an eighteen-year-old girl for crying out loud, not a threat! She only did it because she was thinking of her mother...!

"Please...anyone?" Halle banged her head on the metal bars, grasping them tightly within her clenched fists. She somberly stared out at the dimly lit hallway, completely oblivious to the fact that such a place even existed in Villa Altaria.

But no one heard her cries for help, and she was left there all alone for what felt like an eternity to her.

______________________________________________

Halle woke up with a start, snapping out of that painful nightmare fairly quickly as she rose her head from the desk she had been lying on. Her chest heaved as she desperately tried to catch her breath.

The dream? That was...

Halle shuddered at the painful memory, and she quickly took in her surroundings. She had fallen asleep at her desk apparently, and she instantly regretted it when she felt the crick in her neck start to bother her. Her whole room was dark, and her hard work was barely illuminated by the soft warmth of the flickering candle she had lit only hours before. She quickly realized she must have fallen asleep in the middle of filling out her paperwork.

There were a lot of pages to fill out, but it also had to be written in the Dresvanese language, which Halle didn't know at all. An English/Dresvanese dictionary could only get you so far. She had been provided with both that and a laptop for looking up the words, but it was still taking her a long time.

Sure, she filled out legal documents like this all the time for work, but just like Prince Roberto had told her, Dres Van and Altaria were nothing alike. In comparison, Dres Van law was much more strict and severe, and Halle found some of their laws quite ridiculous, such as the one keeping her here in the first place...

Halle sighed heavily as she noticed the weight of something draped across her back. Upon checking it out, she found the object to be a blanket.

"I wonder if Jan covered me with this...?" Halle mused out loud to herself as she gripped the blanket's soft fabric within her fingers. Her heart lightened at the thought of the kind gesture, and she turned her attention to the paperwork once more.

Time to get back to work!

______________________________________________

Hours later...

Halle trudged from her room as the sun began to come up, hoping her makeup covered the dark circles under her eyes as she grunted quietly to herself, "it's already morning and I'm still nowhere near finishing..."

At this rate, it would take her over a week just to get the paperwork done... She knew it was going to suck as soon as she saw how much of it there was, but she never imagined it would take her this long! At least she had the advantage of being someone trained in practicing the law... The paperwork was similar to that of Altaria's legal documents in terms of protocol and technical terms, so at least it wasn't completely strange to her.

Halle had been told by Jan that breakfast was ready, and she was heading to the dining hall...wherever that was. She had a pretty good idea, but Dres Van Manor was very extravagant in size, and it was pretty easy to get lost if you were a stranger to it.

The sound of footsteps echoing through the large hall reached Halle's ears, and she grimaced when she turned slightly to see that Prince Joshua was right behind her.

Halle stopped dead in her tracks and forced a tiny smile on her face. "Good morning."

Prince Joshua paused slightly as he just stared at her. "Couldn't you sleep?" At the same time his low voice reached her ears, he touched a finger to the soft skin beneath her eyes. Halle jumped a little and shied away from him, and Prince Joshua smiled slightly. "Missing Prince Roberto so much you couldn't sleep?"

Halle's faced flared up with anger as she reacted automatically. "No!" She clenched her fists tightly as she tried to regain her bearings. Why did he have to piss her off so much!? "I was actually trying to get that paperwork done as soon as possible!"

Nonplussed, Prince Joshua turned away from her as the playful grin he had been wearing melted right off of his face. "Are you always this loud in the morning?"

"Wha..." Halle felt her words shatter as she found herself unable to form some sort of retort to that.

"Come." Prince Joshua threw her a short command that only confused her.

"What do you..." Halle's words fell on deaf ears as Prince Joshua completely ignored her, brushing past her as he walked away without a care in the world.

Prince Joshua kept his back to her as he spoke. "Just keep quiet and come with me."

Halle sighed sharply as she stared at him from behind, biting her tongue to keep herself from saying anything she might regret later. So much for her thought to apologize to him! At least Jan was nice...

Halle found herself falling in step with Prince Joshua as he led her to the dining hall, remaining silent as she buried her consciousness within her swimming thoughts.

______________________________________________

"This is awkward..." Halle thought to herself as she observed the situation.

She was alone in the dining hall with Prince Joshua, and neither of them spoke a word to one another. She recalled that the Prince had been the only one present at meals the day before as well. It appeared that the part about him living separate to his parents was indeed true.

Her eyes wandered around the room, and Prince Joshua spoke. "Jan has gone out for a while. He should be back soon though." He paused slightly as he eyed her up and down curiously. "Was there something you needed?"

Halle froze immediately when she realized he had figured out exactly what she was doing, and she quickly forced out some sort of reply. "Oh, no..."

With nothing better to do, Halle started to eat the food in front of her, and she was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. She glanced over at Prince Joshua, and she wondered if he would mind if she spoke to him. After all, they did hit it off pretty well and were able to converse fairly easily at that party a few nights ago...

Prince Joshua was reading the newspaper as he ate, paying Halle no mind whatsoever.

"This tastes really good." Halle smiled awkwardly as she attempted to strike up some sort of conversation with the Prince.

Prince Joshua responded without looking up from his newspaper at all. "Mm."

Encouraged by his response, the lady lawyer grinned a little as she worked up the courage to speak again. "Are meals always like this?"

"Mm."

"Isn't it quiet sitting in here by yourself?"

"Mm."

Halle looked a little shocked for a moment before she grew a little irritated. "Are you listening to me?"

Prince Joshua's eyes didn't leave the newspaper. "Hm...mm."

Halle stared at Prince Joshua unbelievably. What nerve...! "You're not listening to me, are you?"

"Mm."

A vein bulged from Halle's forehead as she felt her whole body surge with anger. Why, that little...!

"Hey!" Halle quickly found herself snapping at Prince Joshua, trying to gain his attention, which was no easy task.

Prince Joshua finally lifted his eyes from the newspaper. "What is it?" He asked calmly, seemingly unaware of how disrespectful he had just been towards Halle by ignoring her.

Halle bit her lip and she quietly began reprimanding him. "I don't think it's very good manners to be sitting there reading a newspaper at the breakfast table."

Prince Joshua seemed unconcerned by her disapproval as he went back to reading. "It's not against the rules."

"The rules...?" Halle thought to herself, making an odd expression on her face.

"I don't read like this out in public or when there are other people around." Prince Joshua gave his off-standish excuse, tuning Halle out once more as he paid only his breakfast and newspaper attention.

"Other people..." The words quietly fell from Halle's mouth as she looked at the Prince in shock.

Prince Joshua glanced up at her for a brief moment. "Oh. You don't count. Sorry."

Halle felt her jaw clatter to the floor at such a rude comment. "I...don't count?" She over enunciated each passing word as her anger boiled up once more, and her knuckles were white as a ghost as she balled up her hands into fists. "I don't mean to be rude, Your Highness, but while I think rules are important, I believe a person's feelings are even more important."

"A person's feelings?" Prince Joshua questioned her with a remarkably serious look on his face.

"Yes." Halle awkwardly crossed her arms over her chest, not expecting him to react to her lecture so calmly. "I think it is important to be able to put yourself in another person's position and imagine how they must be feeling."

The only thing Prince Joshua did in response to that was laugh at her. "What's the point of doing that? It's not something I'll need to know when I become King."

Halle's expression was a bitter one as she bit her lip from frustration. "The point is..." She tried to calm her tone in attempt to conceal how upset she was. "...wouldn't it be better to enjoy your meal since we are here having it? That way, even your food will---"

Prince Joshua stared at her coldly, not allowing her to finish that sentence. "I don't understand what you're talking about. It is a more efficient use of my time if I read the newspaper while eating. That way, I have more time for work and study." He set his newspaper down as he shot a thousand daggers at her with those cold, dead eyes. "Why should I take time out of my day just to savor a meal?"

"He cares more about being efficient...?" Halle's face visibly fell into an expression of pity as she thought that inside her mind. "It's so sad that he would think enjoying a meal is a waste of time..." She found herself staring at him as she thought that, and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"What? Did I say something strange?" Prince Joshua prodded her for some sort of explanation to the strange look on her face, a little annoyed.

"Not strange..." Halle's head rested in one of her hands as she looked off to the side. "Just a different way of thinking to me..."

Just then, she recalled what she had heard about the special training a Prince must go through. Was that the reason he thought the way he did...?

Prince Joshua looked straight back at her and opened his mouth to speak with an almost unreadable expression. "You look like you pity me. Don't."

"Ah---" Halle's words got caught in her throat at his sudden order, and she found her confidence wavering under that harsh glare of his.

"Sorry, but I see no reason why a commoner should pity me." Prince Joshua looked back down to his newspaper once more as he shoveled a bite of his food into his mouth.

Halle cast her eyes down to her lap, keeping her mouth shut. She could only just barely make out the words he whispered next.

"My life has always been like this..." Prince Joshua's face faltered slightly, and his eyes swam with uncertainty and sadness.

"Huh?" Halle rose her head to look at the Prince, feeling a pang of guilt in her heart as she almost regretted what she said.

His face went blank as soon as he noticed her staring at him, and he almost looked a little startled. Caught off guard, even.

Was Prince Joshua...?

Her thoughts were then quickly cut off by the sound of the door suddenly opening, and Jan entered the room as cheerful as ever. "I have returned, Your Highness."

Halle felt a sense of relief at hearing his cheerful voice echo through the room. "Hello, Jan." She greeted him with a warm smile.

Prince Joshua looked up from his newspaper and simply stared at Jan. "You took your time."

"Yes..." Jan smiled apologetically at his master. "I had trouble finding---"

Jan's words were cut short as Prince Joshua stood up, skidding his chair backwards. "I have work to do. I'll leave the rest up to you."

"Understood." Jan bowed deeply as Prince Joshua briskly walked past him, leaving the dining hall immediately. Once he was gone, Jan turned a soft smile towards Halle. "His Highness must have been worried about you to have stayed in here this long."

"What?" Halle scoffed, almost laughing at how ridiculous that sounded. "No, His Highness was eating his own breakfast..."

Jan tilted his head slightly as the amused smile he wore previously flattened into a relaxed look. "But His Highness doesn't like to waste time, so he wouldn't usually be in here for this long."

Halle blinked her eyes repeatedly, not even sure what to say to that. "Oh..." She frowned immensely as her head fell into her hands, and she frustratingly grabbed at her hair. "Ugh... I just don't get you, Prince Joshua!"

Surely, that could not possibly be true... Right?

Jan smiled worriedly at the woman before him as she seemed to be going through some inner turmoil. It was only natural for her to be confused by His Highness. The only reason Jan understood him as well as he did was because they grew up together since they were both just children...

The young woman suddenly recalled the blanket she had woken up with during the night, and she rose her head back up to smile at the butler. "Oh, Jan... Thank you for placing that blanket over me during the night."

Jan's eyes widened at her words, and his mouth opened wide enough to form a perfect circle. "Blanket...?" He blinked back his shock as the puzzled look remained on his face.

Halle drew her head back warily at the look on his face. "Yes... Someone covered me with a blanket last night. Wasn't it you?" She inquired curiously, a little suspicious at this point.

"No, it wasn't me..." Jan denied any involvement honestly, but then he seemed to realize something as he spoke, but he kept whatever it was to himself as he smiled at her. "Oh, yes...here." He held the bag he had been carrying out to Halle.

"What is it?" Halle blinked owlishly at the little bag as she took it in her hands, peering down into it in attempt to catch a glimpse of its contents.

Jan's eyes crinkled with happiness as he smiled brightly at the lady before him. "It is a cell phone. You will be able to contact your own, or any other kingdom with this."

An appreciative smile crept up onto Halle's face as she stared at the bag. "Oh, how thoughtful... Is this what you went to buy?" She smiled so brightly that it could have blinded any man in his right mind from how adorable it was. "Thank you so much!"

Jan was a little hesitant as he responded, but the pure joy of her smile was contagious. "It is His Highness that you should be thanking, not me..."

"Prince Joshua?" The smile fell from Halle's pink lips as her eyes fluttered curiously.

"Yes..." Jan curiously smiled as he suddenly found the floor very interesting to stare at. "His Highness was the one who ordered that this cell phone be made ready for you immediately."

Halle pulled the brand new iPhone from the bag and rubbed her thumb over the screen, and instead of smiling, all she could think to do was frown in confusion. He had stayed with her in the dining room until Jan had come back just so she wouldn't be alone, and he had arranged for Jan to get her a cell phone she could use to contact people in other kingdoms. And...

Did he give her that blanket...?

His eyes were always so cold, and he seemed not to care for anything, yet his actions didn't quite match his outward appearance. Halle brought Prince Joshua's face to mind as she got lost in her own thoughts.

Suddenly finding her resolve, Halle smirked as she rose her gaze to stare at Jan. "Well, I still need to thank you for going to the trouble of getting this for me." She smiled brightly once more as she outstretched her arms, and she pulled Jan into a tight hug as she spoke. "So thank you, Jan."

Jan's eyes widened as she hugged him, but he found himself smiling as he rested his hands on her back. "You are most welcome, my lady..."

Halle suddenly let go and turned around, leaning into Jan as she held up her new phone in front of them. "Now, time to set a new wallpaper. Say cheese, Jan!"

_______________________________________________

That night...

Halle paced back and forth in her room, as restless as ever. Should she go to sleep, or should she try to find Prince Joshua? She did want to say thank you for the cell phone, but of course he wasn't there at dinner this evening...

She sat back down at her desk, motivated to get some more of her paperwork done. She got about five minutes into it when her pen suddenly ran out of ink, and she couldn't write any further.

Halle sighed as she glared accusingly at the pen, as if it was the source of all her problems. "I need to find Jan..."

She looked up at the clock to see it was much later than she had originally thought. Maybe she should send him a text... Oh, darn! That's what she forgot! In the excitement of getting a new phone, she didn't even think to ask Jan for his number... She plugged in all numbers she had memorized, plus her boss Harper and Prince Roberto, but she didn't think to ask for Jan's number...

Slightly troubled, Halle got up and decided to take a walk down the hall. She paused at her bedroom door as she looked down at what she was wearing: a sweetheart-shaped, lacey, rose-pink, spaghetti strap nightgown that Jan had left for her in her closet, among a selection of various clothes in her size.

Did she really care that she was in her pajamas?

...nah.

Halle slipped on her white flat shoes at the door and quietly stepped out into the dark hallway, disappearing into the night. She hoped she could find a servant or a maid somewhere along here...

She carried her pen around with her as she walked. The Manor seemed a completely different place at night, with all of its dimly lit hallways. She felt as if a ghost would jump out at her at any moment, and she quickened her pace, not liking the thought of that. She tiptoed through the halls further, trying to make as little sound as possible. Just then, she noticed an open door into one of the rooms.

Halle blinked at the glowing yellow light that escaped through the open door. "I wonder if anyone is in there..."

As soon as the thought slipped from her lips, she heard a dull thud. What was that...? Halle hurried towards the door and peeked inside, curious as to what that sound was. The room appeared to be some kind of office. Was it Prince Joshua's...? It didn't look like there was anyone here, though...

She wondered what made that sound as she was about to walk away, when her eyes suddenly caught sight of Prince Joshua collapsed on the ground.

"Oh my god!" Halle instinctively pushed open the door and ran into the room, and she fell to her knees beside Prince Joshua, who was on the floor beside the sofa. "Your Highness!?"

Her hand flew up to his cheek, and she rested her fingertips on his face gently as she slightly shook his body with her other hand. He was completely unresponsive to her voice, and she had no idea what she should do as she looked down at him.

"Your Highness!"

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DUHN DUHN DUHN. A bunch of shit went down here. Halle's nightmare at the beginning of the chapter showed you guys a short little glimpse of her "mysterious-not-as-cliche-as-you-might-think-it-will-be" past. Joshua and Halle don't get along, but his actions don't match his words, which only confuses the poor girl to no end. And then he just had to go and collapse at the end here, worrying the poor girl to death.

XD the idiot doesn't deserve her if you ask me... Not until he gets his shit together, at least.

Read, comment, vote, and enjoy!