Both the prince and Miss Freen had a brief conversation at the ball, barely discussing the weather. Neither of them disliked the other, it was just a lack of interest. As in a kind of tacit agreement, the two stayed together the rest of the night, although they did not communicate with each other. They joined lady Irin and the princess in order to remain inconspicuous, so it could be said that the queen's ball was a success.

Despite everything, the princess managed to arrange a walk the next day in the park, so that both of them were seen in public and considered "off the market".

"Becky, is it really necessary to do this?"

"Yes, Richie. You have to woo the queen's diamond, that's what we came for, remember?"

The princess saw her brother's grimace, so she smirked, her arrangement with Miss Freen would work out very well, and perhaps, she could get to know her better.

The park was quite nice, the air was fresh, the spring flowers smelled good, and even the occasional decorative fountain looked cute, so the princess walked quietly, chatting with her friend while watching her brother try to strike up a conversation with Miss Freen, which she thought was funny.

The prince noticed that the people around him were watching them, which made the situation more uncomfortable. However, the lady next to her didn't seem to flinch, she seemed rather immersed in her own thoughts.

"What are you thinking, miss?"

The young woman jumped a little, which made the prince blurt out an apology.

"I was only thinking about my own things, while I was observing the landscape."

"Oh I see. Do you have a favorite hobby?"

"Yes, indeed. I really like to paint, my mother is tired of so many paintings that I have accumulated."

The prince smiled, at least the lady was trying to be nice. He had the impression that her sister had told her something, and so she didn't even bother trying to speak.

"I see. My favorite hobby lately was archery."

There was another silence, one so long that even the prince glanced back at his sister with a look of help. So the princess positioned herself on the other side of Miss Freen, who despite being abstracted, she immediately noticed her presence.

"Miss Freen, last night you had no problem arguing with me, but you can't say hello to my brother today?"

"I didn't remember that we agreed that I should be friends with your brother, did I, Princess Becky?"

The prince looked at them sideways, surprised. There was a strange intensity between them, as if they wanted to confront each other, but at the same time they didn't.

"I'm not asking you to be her friend. I only ask that you at least pretend to have a conversation, so that other people believe that you are really courting. And maybe smile once in a while."

Freen smiled falsely upon hearing her, she didn't like the princess giving her orders at all.

"It's not my fault that your brother doesn't know how to carry on a conversation, princess, unlike you who seems unable to contain your glibness."

The princess bristled at Miss Freen's response, but she restrained herself and smiled diplomatically at her.

"My brother knows how to carry on a conversation, but sometimes he runs into people who don't side with him and don't communicate. It is then that he asks me for assistance, since I have experience in diplomatic relations."

"Is it necessary to mention every time you may that you like diplomacy, princess? Is it the only attractive quality about you?"

"Since when do you care how attractive I am, Miss Freen?"

By this point, they were both very close to each other and with very heavy breathing, they had even stopped walking, so the prince decided to intervene.

"Sister, I thought you were going to help me get along better with the lady, not that you were going to argue with her. Please calm down both of you, we're attracting unwanted stares."

"How about we go to my country house for tea? I'm sure you can relax there," Lady Irin suggested, trying to defuse the situation as well.

Without taking her gaze from the princess, the young lady nodded.

"No problem for my part, Lady Irin," the princess replied dryly.

The group walked silently to the carriages, Lady Irin would share a carriage with her guests, while the lady would go in her own carriage. The trip was relatively short, but the wait for tea was made eternal thanks to the tense atmosphere that existed. Despite everything, the princess felt uncomfortable and somewhat guilty, since she had approached the young lady in a provocative way that sparked a whole discussion.

So, as she saw the lady walking towards the nearby lake that was within the property, she decided to follow her to apologize. Upon reaching her, she stayed a couple of meters away from her, seeing her standing there, motionless, with her hair waving from the breeze of the moment, she thought she was beautiful. Her heart seemed to betray her at the worst moment, because Miss Freen's dislike for her was clear.

"Miss Freen," she told her, still with her back to her, "I'm sorry I provoked you like that. I wasn't looking to confront you, I just wanted to help my brother."

Before answering, Freen turned to look at the princess's face, which was serious, so she spoke sincerely. But also, behind that guilty look, there was something more about her, as if she was looking at her deeply, seeking to see beyond what she could know through her words.

"I owe you an apology too, princess. I got carried away and insulted you, it was wrong. I promise you it won't happen again."

Freen gave her a sincere smile, a smile that shook the princess's chest. At that moment, both of them approached a few more steps, until they were face to face. As if by magic, the hostility between the two had disappeared, that seemed the beginning of something else in their relationship.

"I think you'll be glad to know that I like more things than diplomacy," said the princess, smiling, making the young lady laugh. When she heard her laugh, she was more drawn to her than she already was.

"Oh yeah? Don't tell me you like to embroider princes and princesses," the young lady joked. This time it was the princess who laughed, which made Freen feel a comforting sensation in her chest.

"No, embroidering is too boring. Did they force you to learn? I always escaped to the library in those classes, I preferred reading a thousand times."

"Of course they made me. The worst thing is that I'm good at it. However, I also prefer books."

It didn't take long for them to talk about their literary tastes, while Lady Irin and the prince were having tea, they didn't bother to go looking for them, since they noticed that they had reconciled and it was much better if they got along.

"Lady Irin, if I may ask, do you know anything about the deal my sister made with Miss Sarocha?" Asked the prince, since he was not aware of the subject until he saw them discuss.

"I might get an idea, Your Highness. I think it's because you share common interests, you're both averse to the idea of getting married."

"Is it that noticeable?" asked the prince, smiling.

"In your case, I know because I am a friend of the princess. In the case of Miss Sarocha, well, she's always been somewhat eccentric, it wouldn't be surprising if she didn't really want to get married."

"Clear. And what does it mean that she is eccentric?"

Lady Irin sighed before answering, since she did not like to talk about such topics.

"Let's say that, in high society, there are certain attitudes that are not appreciated in a lady from a good family. It is said that Miss Sarocha wishes to be an artist, something unthinkable for a woman in this realm."

"So, that she is something eccentric, it is something negative."

"Regrettably yes. But since she has been chosen as the queen's diamond, it is possible that the "eccentricity" of her will be overlooked."

The prince pondered over Lady Irin's words. Miss Sarocha was a rarity in that kingdom, no doubt why she caught the attention of her sister. Perhaps it was fate that their paths crossed, since there was undoubtedly a gravitational attraction between the two, he even wondered what would happen if love arose between the two, since he understood that relationships between people of the same gender were not allowed in that kingdom.

He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice that Lady Irin was asking him a question.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

"Yes, Lady Irin, I'm sorry to worry you, I was just deep in my thought."

"Is there something worrying you?"

"Not at all."

Lady Irin decided not to ask any more, although shesuspected that the prince was worried about something, but she didn't have achance to ask more, since at that moment they were joined by the princess andthe young lady, both looking quite animated. Thanks to the fact that they madepeace, they were able to spend a pleasant afternoon having tea.