Magnus looked for Mina over the following days, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone. Sylvan raised an eyebrow at the explanation that he was just walking aimlessly down the halls but didn't press any further than a few questions. Sylvan knew Magnus was lonely and that his presence failed to fill that void, being considered much less of company and more of a necessary annoyance that Magnus politely accepted. For that reason, he didn't protest whenever Magnus wanted space. Of course, he was never too far off in case anything happened, and Magnus knew that, but they both knew it was for the best.

The more Magnus sought her out however, the more he questioned himself. Did she even want to see him? Of course, she wouldn't be able to refuse since he was the prince, but that didn't seem fair. He knew that it was well within his power to demand and receive whatever he wanted, which is what his father did, but Magnus never saw the appeal. The importance of using his power and influence for good was the main lesson his mother had taught him, and he etched that into his heart. Sure, it was nice to live in a beautiful castle with comfortable rooms and delicious food, but he'd give that up in a heartbeat if it meant he wouldn't be so alone anymore. Talking with Mina was...well, it was more than nice. The barriers between them were still apparent, but by spending more time with her, maybe he'd be able to level the ground more and they could talk like peers. She already seemed somewhat comfortable with talking to him casually, so he just had to make it clear that that's what he preferred. She looked about his age and if they had only been born in the same social standing, maybe they could have been friends. Or maybe that was still a possibility despite their circumstances. He decided to stay hopeful—optimism was his speciality after all—and continued to look for her.

With Sophie in the sick ward, Jia insisted that she accompany Mina with her tasks until Sophie got better. Mina tried to protest, preferring the freedom of being alone, but Jia wouldn't have it. Her partner rule was set in stone, and she wasn't going to change her mind anytime soon. In response, Mina took advantage of every little moment she could to sneak away. On one occasion, she purposely left supplies in the storage room so that she had an excuse to run back. Jia would grumpily tell her to hurry, but instead Mina took her time, wandering down the halls, looking out the windows, and peeking into every room she passed. She knew not to push it too far, but she also knew that she was wearing Jia's patience thin and it was only a matter of time before it broke. It didn't help that Jia would usher Mina away whenever she detected even the slightest hint of anyone coming their way, never mind if it was just a steward or one of the king's advisors. It was as if Jia was afraid to even be seen for whatever reason. It certainly made Mina's job harder since she knew Jia would lose her mind if she ever found out how much, not to mention how casually, she had spoken to the prince. At least this was only a temporary situation. As troublesome as Sophie was, at least she was okay with talking to the prince. Speaking of Sophie, a new idea popped into Mina's mind.

"Miss Kwan, may I please check on Sophie to see how she's doing?" Mina asked sweetly.

Jia paused her dusting, shooting Mina a quizzical look. "Must you do it now?"

"She's most likely awake now. If I stop by before or after work hours, she'll probably be resting," Mina reasoned.

Jia sighed, turning back to her work. "Fine. But hurry back or else I'm not letting you out of my sight again, you hear?"

Mina nodded. "You'll never even notice I'm gone."

At that, she turned and scurried out of the room. She took the long way to the physician's office, checking every doorway and corner, but there was no sign of the prince in the massive castle, just empty rooms and empty halls. Sighing to herself, she dragged her feet to Crio's door and pounded on it, not caring that her annoyance was obvious. He opened it a few moments later, eyeing her up and down.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to see Sophie."

He clicked his tongue. "Right this way."

Mina stepped in and shut the door behind them with her foot. Crio led her to the back of the room and pulled back the curtain to reveal Sophie sitting up in bed, shoveling soup into her mouth. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were weary, but she still smiled when Mina approached.

"It appears you have another visitor," Crio noted. "I'll leave you two to it."

"Mina!" Sophie gushed. "You remembered me!"

"Who else was here?" Mina questioned, disregarding Sophie's enthusiasm.

"Oh, the prince stopped by, but Crio wouldn't let him stay long."

Mina raised her eyebrows. "He did?"

Sophie snickered. "And get this, he asked for you."

Mina blinked. "What?"

"Can you believe it? He asked, 'has Mina stopped by lately?' and I told him no, you haven't because you didn't care about me like he did, but look, I was wrong! You're not as heartless as I thought!"

Mina ignored that comment. "Did he say anything else?"

Sophie tilted her head. "Just 'my heart so deeply yearns for her, and I cannot bear to be apart from my beloved Mina.'"

"Sophie—"

She chortled. "You should've seen the utter disgust on your face."

Mina frowned. "Are you making this all up? Did he actually come by, much less ask about me?"

"Calm down, he did stop by and he did ask about you, but I just told him you were probably off cleaning somewhere."

Mina nodded slowly. "Right. He's awfully friendly, isn't he?"

Sophie laughed. "He is. I'd probably appreciate it more if Jia wasn't so strict about us talking to the royals."

"Why is she?"

"Because unfortunately, you'll find that most royals aren't as kind as the prince. Don't you know that's why she locks us in every night? She's afraid of the creeps prowling the halls."

Mina hadn't considered that. It made sense, but she didn't know Jia would go to such lengths to protect them. Was that really necessary in a place like this? Sophie made a move to poke Mina in the ribs, but she stepped out of the way.

"Why are you so interested anyway, hm? Feeling a little something-something for the prince?" Sophie questioned.

"The real question is, why is he interested in me? Isn't that odd?"

Sophie shrugged. "Well, yeah. I certainly couldn't tell you why anyone would look for an ugly, grumpy troll like you."

The comment shouldn't have gotten to her, but Mina scoffed, turning to leave. "Oh, shut up."

"Oh come on," Sophie whined. "It was merely a jest."

When Mina didn't respond, Sophie hollered a slew of insults and unsavory names at her turned back. "Thanks for nothing! You know what, I lied! He ain't looking for you and he never will! No one would ever want you!"

"Some friends you two are," Crio commented, not looking up from his desk.

"She's not my friend," Mina retorted, before slamming the door behind her and silencing Sophie's hollering.

Well, now having Sophie as a partner wouldn't be any better after that exchange. Mina knew that she could be nicer if she tried, but the last thing she needed was someone clinging to her, or worse, someone she would find herself clinging to. Getting close to the prince was her one purpose here, not making friends along the way. Plus, Sophie wasn't the kind of person she'd willing choose to be with anyway. She was too immature, too unhinged, too unpredictable. Someone with that combination of traits would only bring her more unnecessary trouble.

Returning back to the room she was cleaning, she was surprised to find it empty. The supplies were still there so she figured Jia had just momentarily stepped away to retrieve something or to converse with someone. Grabbing a duster and a rag, she dragged a stool over to the mantel and climbed on top to get back to tidying up.

Out of all the glittering trinkets, a small wood carving on the mantel caught her eye. It was of a Paxton Warbler, a blue and orange songbird that mainly lived in the southern section of Cordia. She saw them around her hometown from time to time, and their distinct whistle sounded like an arrow flying through the air. She used to be fascinated by their call, but after that fatal day, their song only served to further torment her.

Absent-mindedly, she traced her fingers over the dips and curves of the wood. She had to admit, whoever made it did an excellent job of making the bird appear lifelike, as if it could just open its beak and let out its signature whistle. She certainly wasn't at that level yet, and likely never would be, considering how long it had been since she'd carved anything. When she was younger, her father would let her use the leftover scraps of wood in the carpentry shop to carve whatever she wanted, and that quickly became her favorite pastime. Sometimes she missed doing it, but now she just saw it as a stupid little hobby that wasted time.

While she was distracted by the carving, she failed to notice a certain someone had paused in the doorway. Magnus smiled to himself in triumph that he finally found her and entered the room to say hello. Hearing a noise behind her, Mina turned, fully expecting to see Jia but the sight of the prince caught her off guard. Forgetting she was balanced on a stool, she tried to take a step back and immediately lost balance. The stool tipped over and her foot slipped off the edge, sending her flailing in the air.

"Hey, be careful!"

She barely had time to let out a yelp before the feeling of strong hands holding her cast all other thoughts from her mind. Sucking in a breath, she turned her head slowly to look back at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Using his arm, she pulled herself upright, smoothing out her clothes. "Pardon me, Your Highness."

"It's no trouble. Just be more careful next time, alright?"

She suppressed a glare. I was being careful until you startled me. "Of course."

To her relief, she had saved the bird carving by clenching it instinctively in her fist. Tipping the stool back upright with her foot, she made a move to get back on, but she flinched when she felt Magnus's hand on hers.

"Let me," he urged gently, taking the figurine out of her hand and returning it to its place on the shelf. She just stared at him wordlessly, wondering what his intentions were.

"How have you been?" he asked cheerily, turning back to her.

"I've been alright, Your Highness."

"Have you been getting enough rest?"

"Not nearly enough."

He tilted his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. But on the bright side, the banquet's tomorrow, so that means an end to your longer hours, right?"

"Hardly. The work never ends for us."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Goodness, you all deserve a break. At least a whole week for all you do for us."

She raised her chin. "Please, two weeks wouldn't even be enough." She wished she had used a nicer tone as soon as the words left her mouth, but once again, he didn't seem to mind.

"An equivalent of rest to the amount of hours you work seems fair, don't you think?"

"Sounds nice, but what good is it if it isn't a reality?"

"I could make it one."

"Could you really?"

"One day."

She rolled her eyes. "That's still not helpful."

"But you have my promise that one day I will."

She wiped her hands on a rag and tossed it into an empty bucket. "That day better come quick or else I won't be around to see it." Or you won't be around to enact it.

"I hope so too," he murmured.

Staring at him, Mina couldn't help but wonder if he was telling the truth. Would he really make a change once he became the king? Would things really be different once he took power? He certainly couldn't be as bad as his father, even if he wasn't the best. He seemed kind enough, caring and gentle. But she couldn't trust that; she couldn't trust him. The only certain way anything would be different was if someone else was in power, not him, not his father, not any of the Dufort family.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Sophie mentioned you wanted to see me."

"Did she now?"

"Is there something you wanted to tell me? Or do you need me for something?"

He shrugged. "Nothing in particular. Oh, wait, there's one small thing."

She raised her eyebrows. "What is it?"

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small piece of paper and unfolded it. She tilting her head, she walked over to him to peer at a rough sketch of an outfit scrawled on. It was a suit with long, frilly tassels lining all the edges of the long coat. The pants were tight and form fitting, there was no shirt included, and the whole outfit was intended to be sparkly gold. It was paired with white shoes with thick wedges meant to make him look taller.

"This is what they want me to wear for the banquet. It's the new popular style."

"And?"

"What do you think?"

"You want to know what I think?"

"That's why I asked."

"Honestly?"

"That's all I want."

She scrunched her nose. "I think it's ugly." Shit.

There it was. True, unadulterated honesty that he had been seeking. He couldn't help but chuckle, taking her answer a lot better than she expected. "See, that's what I said, but no one would listen to me. Can you imagine me wearing that? I'd look like a fool."

"You'd look like a fool," she said at the same time.

He grinned, folding the drawing up again and tucking it into his pocket. "My thoughts exactly. I think I'll go with one of my older suits, nevermind if it's an older style."

If she wasn't so bewildered by his actions, she'd almost be amused. "Of course, you don't have to listen to what I say."

"Well, I do care about your opinion which is why I asked for it."

She pondered that. Would he really take her opinion to heart? She'd soon find out tomorrow at the banquet, she figured. That is, if she could even steal a glimpse of him at all.

"Your Highness."

The sound of Jia's voice snapped them to attention. Seeing the furious look on her face, Mina immediately backed away from Magnus, lowering her eyes and pretending to focus on the previously forgotten cleaning supplies. Feeling tension flood the room, Magnus stepped in front of her and approached Jia, his protective instincts kicking in.

"Jia," he greeted. "I hope you've been well."

Jia nodded but didn't smile. "Pardon me for this maid's audacity. I strictly told her not to approach you."

"Oh, I don't mind. She's caused no trouble."

"Perhaps not to you, but she's been finding excuses to avoid work," she sighed. "I'll deal with her."

"Please, Jia, be patient with her. It's my fault for distracting her."

"Worry not, Your Highness. You've done nothing wrong."

Magnus glanced back at Mina, but she didn't look at him. He wanted to give her some sort of comfort, but he knew deep down that he could provide no such thing for her at this moment. The agitation in the room was high, and there was nothing he could do than just let it blow over.

"I'd...best be going then. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Jia responded while Mina remained silent.

At that, he awkwardly left the room, fully aware of the explosion that was about to take place. Mina felt the same, but she steeled her nerves and raised her chin, ready to take on whatever tongue lashing Jia had in store for her.

"The prince ordered you not to yell at me," she sassed.

Jia glared. "What do you think you're doing?"

"He just helped me out after I nearly fell off the stool, cleaning those high shelves."

"Even so, what did I say about talking to the royals?"

"He's the one who approached me. It's not like I'm looking for attention. And you're the one who left me alone."

"Oh, it's my fault now? If you'd just followed my rules, we wouldn't be here."

"You're the only one having an issue. His Royal Worshipfulness didn't seem to mind."

Jia's eyes widened. "Do not speak of the prince or any of the royals like that."

"Or what? I'll yell it louder. I'm not scared of them like you are."

"Or so help me, I'll throw you out of this castle," Jia threatened, shutting Mina up. "Now, gather up your supplies, get back to your work, and don't stop until I'm satisfied. I don't care if it takes you all night, but you will do exactly as I say. You're under my charge, and I will not allow you to do whatever you please while you're here. Understand?"

Mina swallowed heavily, knowing she had lost this battle. "Yes, ma'am."