I awoke the next morning to the sun streaming through my windows. I must have dozed off some time during the night, because I did not remember falling asleep. I looked out through the window, where the sun was shining brightly. It looked like a beautiful spring day out. One that I would certainly not be able to experience, sadly.

There was a loud knock on my door, followed by the bolt sliding out of place and Agnes appeared, followed by three younger maids carrying the washtub. I bathed and dressed in a soft pink gown, Agnes brushed my hair, but kept it loose instead of tying it up like normal.

Afterward, she brought me a tray with fruits, bread, and porridge.

"Thank you, Agnes," I said, taking the tray from her.

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "Of course, Miss," she said with a curtsy. Once she'd left, shutting and locking the door behind her, I sat at the little table near the window and ate my breakfast.

Some time later, another knock sounded from the door and Miss Grimoult entered. She looked at me severely for a long moment, before shutting the door and sitting beside me at the table.

Lessons commenced and I thought I might die of boredom. As Miss Grimoult droned on, I could not help but marvel at Mother's cruelty, locking me in my room with no place to go or escape to and allowing Miss Grimoult hours of my day to talk at me about things that I could not have cared less about. It truly was the perfect punishment. I never thought it would end. I wondered if it ever would.

Finally, she left in the early evening and Agnes brought my dinner to my room for me.

I ate my dinner by myself, in complete silence. Although, I did not particularly care to be around my family, it felt very lonely being completely by myself. There was no one to talk to, no servers running around, no sound but the clinking of my dishes to be heard.

By the time I finished my supper, I thought I might go insane. I hated how alone I felt. Perhaps this is what drove me to decide that I would go visit William that evening. I could not stand being by myself a moment longer.

After my dishes had been taken away, I bolted my door—which could only be done from the inside—and went to the balcony. I pushed open the door and stepped outside. Peeking over the railing, my stomach dropped. It was a lot farther down than I remembered . . .

I climbed over the railing, still staring at the ground, rather terrified. Then, steeling myself, I began to climb down, until I was dangling by my fingertips from the edge of the balcony. I reached one hand down, in search of something to hold onto, and found the lattice. I grasped it tightly and swung down, slowly, carefully, attempting to lower myself to the ground.

At one point, I tore my dress on the unforgiving stones of the house. And, then, as I neared the ground, my hand missed the next hold (it was very dark and difficult to see), and I fell, hitting the damp earth with a muffled thud.

I groaned and stood up, rubbing my aching back. Now, I was covered in dirt, my dress was torn, and my back ached from the fall. Sighing heavily, I began walking down the road to the palace.

When I reached the front gate, I found William leaning against our tree, waiting for me. I smiled, my heart already lifting, just by the sight of him.

He straightened as I reached him and smiled. Then, he noticed my appearance and his eyes went wide. "Did you dig a tunnel to get here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I laughed wryly and shook my head. "I attempted to climb down from the balcony and . . . I fell."

"Are you hurt?" He asked, concerned.

Only my pride. "I'm all right," I replied instead. "Mother found out about my sneaking out yesterday and locked me in my room. I had no other way to get out except the balcony."

"Really? She locked you in your room? For how long?"

"I don't know," I said, feeling a little defeated. "She did not say."

"I'm sorry, that's awful," he said with a shake of his head. "You did not have to come if that was your situation."

"I know," I said, taking his hand in mine. "But you should only take it as a compliment that I went the extra length to come."

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, as he pulled me into an embrace. "Of course."

We both sat under the tree and talked softly with each other for the remainder of the time. It was a very pleasant evening, warm, the air smelling faintly of flowers, and I loved that we could just talk.

The monastery bell tolled twelve times when I decided I should leave. We went to the palace gates, where William spoke with one of the guards. After a minute, a woman approached, wearing a soldier's uniform.

She bowed to William and then me. "Gabriel—sorry, Commander Thorel is off duty tonight, so I will be escorting you instead, if that is all right with you."

"Oh," I said, startled. "Yes, that's quite all right."

"Erika, this is Sergeant Poppy Thorel, Gabriel's sister. She is also a guard."

"She's the one you mentioned some time ago," I said, connecting the dots. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Erika Lovet."

Poppy smiled. "It's nice to meet you, My Lady." It was easy to tell that she and Commander Thorel were related. They had the same brown skin and light brown, almond-shaped eyes. She was beautiful, as well, much like the commander. Though, where his hair was black, hers was brown, and her jaw was rounder where his was sharper. She was much shorter than me, but she held herself in a way that made her feel taller.

After our introductions, William and I began walking down the path through the gates and Sergeant Thorel followed. The walk back to the estate was pleasant and relatively quiet. We did not need to say much, just relished in the time we got to spend together.

When we reached the house, it was dark, everyone having gone to bed some time ago.

Poppy cleared her throat, looking up at the house. "Alice Lovet lives here as well, yes?"

I paused, confused by her comment. "Yes . . ." I said slowly. "You know my sister?"

"Oh, not well," Poppy said quickly. "Only in passing."

"To be honest, I am surprised you know her even that well. She is not one to associate with those she feels are beneath her."

Poppy smiled. "That does not surprise me. Well, I will count myself lucky to have met her, then."

I tilted my head, still wondering how they might have met, but I did not press it.

I turned to William, then, and he was watching me, looking thoughtful.

The idea of leaving him, of returning to my room to be alone, filled me with dread.

William's eyes met mine and he tilted his head. "Are you all right, Erika?"

"Oh, yes, of course," I nodded quickly as we reached my balcony. Sergeant Thorel stepped around the corner to allow us a moment of privacy.

William narrowed his eyes at me, not looking convinced in the least. "Really?"

I hesitated before shaking my head. "It was just me all day, all alone. The idea of going back to my room and sitting in the quiet, alone with my thoughts all day . . . it is not something I am looking forward to."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I wish there was something I could do so that you did not have to be alone."

I looked away quickly, my eyes burning. "Yes, me too, but it's all right. I suppose I've spent enough time alone in my life that it should not make much of a difference now."

William pressed his lips together. "I will come visit you tomorrow, all right? Perhaps I can help you feel less alone."

I looked up into his sapphire eyes and smiled a little. "You always do."

"So . . . you're going to climb back up, then?" He asked, tipping his head back to guage the distance.

"Well, it isn't like I can just walk through the door, is it?" I replied and I reached for the lattice.

He caught my hand in his before I could reach it and pulled me back to him.

I looked up into his eyes, darkened by the moonlight. Before I could react, he pressed his lips against mine. I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of his lips against mine.

We stayed like that for several breaths, not wanting to pull away, but the moment could not last forever. "I'll help you up," he said quietly.

He knelt down and cupped his hands, holding them out for me. I placed my foot in his cupped palms and he lifted me up easily. I reached out and took hold of the lattice, clinging to it so I wouldn't fall back down.

I looked down, but I could barely make him out in the darkness. "Goodnight," I whispered.

"Goodnight, Erika," he replied softly.

I could feel his eyes on me as I climbed toward my room, struggling the entire way. At one point, my hand slipped and I nearly fell, but, thankfully, was able to hold on. I made it the rest of the way up to my balcony and climbed over the edge. I considered it a miracle that I had made it all the way up here without so much as a scrape.

I looked out over the railing and found William was no longer there. I smiled to myself and went back to my room and sat before the fire. I could pretend that I had never left my room at all . . . Except for the dirt that covered me, the rips and wrinkles in my gown, and my hair, which was an awful, tangled mess. Surely, they would never notice I had left . . .