Zayden looked at Lilith, pretending to be hurt. "Am I not Prince material?" he asked innocently.

She smiled at him, this time in a knowing way. The prolonged silence became awkward and he sighed. "You're right. I'm no prince. In fact, this is the first time I'm as close as this to royalty."

He gestured to his clothes and said, "All this is fake. I'm just a commoner who wanted to experience a day in the life of a Prince."

He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I'm in trouble, am I not?" He looked at her and hoped she wouldn't call the guards to kick him out, or worse, put him in the dungeons for what he'd done. He most definitely didn't seem to want that experience.

Lilith didn't reply but just looked straight at him. He smiled sheepishly and turned to walk away, although he seemed reluctant. As he trudged down the stairs, Lilith ran towards him and wrapped him in a bear hug. He blushed and with a twinkle in his eyes and that lopsided grin, he returned her embrace.

Lilith exclaimed, "I'm glad I met you." She added softly, "Did the palace meet your expectations?"

Zayden turned his head to face Lilith, his face still red from embarrassment. They walked back to the balcony and Zayden breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment of hesitance, he asked, "How did you find out I'm not a prince?"

"Just a little observation," she answered, pinching the bridge of his nose. His face turned as red as a beet in an instant and she burst out laughing.

~The spell is making her overly romantic, but she doesn't know about it~

"What did you observe?" he asked.

"Well... the moment you walked in, I sensed a different vibe from you. You seemed to be different from the others, maybe even a bit out-of-place as you looked at the ballroom decor, enraptured. Of course, for a while, I too assumed you to be a Prince because of your attire"— she lightly brushed her fingers over the smooth fabric of his linen shirt— "but then your simple hairdo gave it away," she chuckled, looking at his ruffled hair, quite unlike the sophisticated style of the other Princes.

"Of course, one obvious hint, that helped me confirm my suspicions was your inability to dance. Every Prince trains for a minimum ballroom etiquette, including dance and curtsy," she slyly grinned.

He scoffed at her. "I wasn't that clumsy, was I?" he asked.

"I never called you clumsy. You're cute," she answered, grinning from ear to ear to cover up her blush.

Why am I blushing so much?

He listened to her attentively, awestruck at her attention to detail and surprising observations.

She continued, "The way you gulped the appetizers was also a clear giveaway." He smiled, embarrassed.

"When we were dancing, I noticed your palms were calloused..." she said.

Zayden subconsciously brushed his fingers over his rough palms. "Your point?" he asked.

She looked thoughtful and replied, "You must be a hands-on worker of some sort. Maybe a farmer or a stonemason?"

"I'm a carpenter for the most part. But when life gives me lemons, I make qatarzimat. In short, I do whatever it takes to survive. And that includes a variety of odd jobs like the ones you mentioned," he smiled, turning to face her.

He held her soft palms in his, caressing them gently and spoke again, "We are from completely different backgrounds, made especially clear by your keen eye. You are the future Queen of Valoria...

Yeah right. Lilith mock grinned.

A flash of a memory veiled her thoughts. But the memory faded as soon as it came. Lilith crinkled her forehead trying to remember what it was. But to no avail.

~The spell was too strong. It didn't allow any memory to interrupt its working.~

"...and I'm just a carpenter. We may never cross paths again, but now that we have, quite unexpectedly, to say the least-" he stopped talking. He didn't know what to say further. He just stared at her enchanting eyes, transfixed.

Lilith cut his chain of thought. "You were saying..." she said, waiting expectantly.

"Uh yeah, I was... Damn, I don't even remember what I was about to tell you... Your eyes made me lose my focus!" He pointed accusingly at her.

"Now, blame my eyes!" Lilith frowned mockingly.

A small hint of a smile appeared on his lips. He gently tucked a few strands of her fiery amber hair behind her pointed ears. It reminded him of an elf, the kind that appeared in stories.

He cupped her face with one palm, while the other gripped the small of her back.

Lilith shuddered at his touch but tried to remain calm and composed. She placed her smooth palm on his calloused one, the one which cupped her face. Their palms highlighted the stark contrast in their upbringing. But neither of them cared. All they wanted, at that moment, was each other. She felt her cheeks burn. This was a different feeling, and she wanted to relinquish this moment.

Zayden jolted out of his trance and spoke in a rushed, breathless manner, "I- This isn't such a good idea, Princess. What if someone was to catch us here?"

Lilith was taken aback by the abruptness in his tone but remained poised.

"Well, in everyone else's eyes, you're still a Prince. And, I'm supposed to choose my Prince Charming tonight." She shrugged, unperturbed.

He shook his head. "You're not getting my point. Sooner or later, they'll find out my true identity. And then what? They'll probably flog us both. I've had some experience enduring whiplashes, but I don't want you to face the brunt because of what I did..."

Lilith raised her brows. "Cheesy much?"

"What?"

Lilith imitated Zayden's husky voice, put on a scowl similar to his, and said, "But I don't want you to get hurt!"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm dead serious. Do I look like I'm joking?"

"No," Lilith answered, suppressing a giggle.

"Good. Now I'm out of here before anyone suspects my identity and you go back-"

Lilith silenced him with a passionate kiss. She was on her toes to reach his height. He stood stunned for a moment, but then pulled her closer to him and kissed her fervently. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she felt safe in his protective shield. She felt his thumping chest and warm face. His stubble tickled her cheek.

As cliche as it sounded, at that moment, everything felt perfect. Like a puzzle piece fit right in its place. Like a key clicked right through the lock. Like nothing could ever be wrong.

Everything was perfect.

They reluctantly let go of each other, still staring into their eyes as if lost in them.

Suddenly, the emerald necklace around her neck started glowing. It was a strange glow, almost scary and both Lilith and Zayden stared at it in horror. Lilith felt the jewel getting warmer and warmer until suddenly-

Crack!

The largest emerald stone in the necklace cracked right through its centre. The cracks looked like thunderbolts running across the length of the jewel. It stopped glowing.

~The spell has been broken by a true love's kiss.~

Lilith took a step back, getting back to her senses. She stood dumbfounded, staring at the full moon glimmering in the night sky and painting its reflection on the lake below.

Almost at once, she clapped her hands over her mouth, realising the gravity of the situation.

Zayden asked, "Are you alright?"

Lilith exclaimed, exasperated, "Zayden I– What in the world am I doing here? I was supposed to stay with Dad all day! I don't know how—"

"Lilith," he paused, gently placing arms on her shoulders to calm her. "What happ–"

"Look, I have absolutely no time to explain. I'm sorry, I have to go!"

Saying so, she lifted her long, flowy gown up to her ankles, threw aside her uncomfortable pair of heels which hit the marble floor with a resounding click, pushed the glass doors of balcony open and sped off in the direction of the King's chamber.

Author's note

Finally, the spell broke! Lilith has come back to her senses but will it be too late? Or does she still have some time left?

What is your opinion about Zayden so far? Good? Bad? Mediocre? Also, whom do you stan- Dylan + Lilith or Zayden + Lilith?

Thanks for reading this far, hope to see you next week! Stay tuned to find out what will happen when she enters the chambers!

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Happy Reading!