Roland's POV

A cup of tea in hand and a newspaper in another, I enjoyed the silence of my home while I was being informed on what was happening in the country.

After my return three months ago, everything had been hectic ever since. My father had died due to a stroke during a meeting while I was away. They had rushed to call the doctor but it was too late. He was already gone. As I was recovering, I had been told that I was to become the viscount, which was not a position that I wanted to have, but had no choice but to uphold.

The funeral had already been done and he had been buried. The moment I returned back to my full health, I went to his grave, and cried bitterly there. I felt a hand grip my shoulder, and I looked up to see Maya, Duke Alrich's daughter, looking down at me with a sad expression. I gingerly stood up and followed her to the cart she had brought with her. I had walked.

I was used to walking, after all.

Since then, we became close. She would come to see me and how I was doing, and I also had begun to consider her as a friend. I'd smile at her whenever I saw that she was trying to attract me, because I didn't want her to feel stupid for doing so. I hadn't married after all, and most of the fair maidens had been taken, not that I fancied any of them.

I had liked one woman, infact, loved her rather. She was not here though, and she did not want to be with me. I knew that it could be quite the rare occasion for us to be together, but I honestly did not care. I loved her, she loved me, that I was sure of, and that was all that had mattered to me.

Maybe it was all a dream, and I had made her up in my head. Maybe, it was the change in setting that had made me see things differently.

As I was walking in the streets, I came across a flower shop, where a bed of tulips grew at the front. I rushed in and bought my seeds. I planted them myself and now, they were little green plants growing at the back of the house, amongst the other flowers.

I then realized that I had not drank my tea in a while and it had gotten cold. After heaving out a long, tired sigh, I stood from the large but vacant dining table and went to bath. The maid had already made my water warm, just how I liked it, so I just went in.

After the bath, I looked for one of my best wears for the night. It was now time for the season, and I had to go and find me a fine, elegant woman to make my wife. I looked at myself in the mirror, but a blank face stared back at me, eyes somewhat dull, hair black but very disheveled. I combed it all to the back and forced a smile to my lips.

Wow! I'm really handsome!

I just laughed at myself for making a funny comment. People always looked at me at moments when looking was not required and I always wondered why. My skin had tanned from all the adventures, my body was quite built from all the hard labour we had on the ships and my height was consider to be in the tall category. I sighed again, and whispered to myself,"Beauty is vanity."

Stepping from the mirror, I heard a knock on my door.

"Who is it?"

A female voice answered.

"My lord, a woman is here to see you."

Ah! Maya might have come to take me with her.

"Tell her to come in. Serve her something to eat."

"Yes, my lord."

She walked away from the door. I went to get my shoes from the shoe rack, and then put them on. After one more look in the mirror, I got out and made my way to the sitting room.

The moment I got into the room, I received the shock of my life. Whom I expected and who I was seeing at the time were two different people in all aspects of life. Instead of white skin, I saw black. In the place of auburn straight hair, I saw black thick curly hair. Instead of the short woman who had been here a lot stood a medium height woman whom I never thought I'd see standing in this same room.

"Amana......"

She turned to look at me, her black orbs widening as well before she let off a small laugh.

"You look different, Lord Roland, very different from the man that I know."

I stayed rooted at the spot for a while before I got back to my senses and ran towards her. Crushing her in a huge hug, I twirled around in circles while she laughed out loud, screaming for me to release her. After a while I let her go. I looked at her from top to bottom, and she looked beautiful in her dress. It was a dress made for royalty at her tribe.

"Why are you wearing this?"

Her smile disappeared for a moment, before it came back.

"I'll tell you everything later. But now I have to tell you something."

My eyebrows drew together. Seeing her here was already a shock on its own. What else did she have to say?

She withdrew herself from my embrace and looked to the window.

"I am sorry Roland, for hurting you when we had been captured by Kaj. I didn't mean to say any of those words. I loved you back then, I still do."

Eyes widening, I looked at her back as she continued to speak. The emotions rushing through me too maniacal to contain within myself. My hands were literally shaking, itching to hold her to me again.

"I know that I might have been too late. Maybe you already married and I am just wasting your time here. You look like you have some place to be. You know what, this was a terrible idea. I shouldn't have come here, disrupting your already perfect life. I will go back."

Just as she was about to pass me, I held her hand and pulled her to my chest. Black, teary eyes looked up at me, and I couldn't help but wipe the tears away.

"Oh, Amana....", I whispered before I kissed her. She was shocked but soon responded to it. After a long passion kiss, I withdrew to see her eyes still wide. I laughed softly at her courage to come all the way here, and how innocent she truly was, apart from the feisty nature.

"I love you too, I've loved you for a long time now. I could not forget you. Who in their right mind would forget such a beautiful, strong woman like yourself?"

She smiled now, and looked at me as well. A maid got into the room and saw us in our passionate embrace, my hands still around Amana's waist. Her eyes widened a bit, before she looked down, her face becoming a rosy shade before she bowed slightly. She ran out of the room after she had told us that the carriage had arrived.

"Where is it taking you?"

I looked down at her, her face showing confusion. I intertwined our hands together and began to lead her outside.

"It's taking us to the ball."

She stopped abruptly, making me stop involuntarily and miss a step. I looked up to see worry and doubt all over her face. I took a step in front of her, kissed both her hands, and reassured her that it was all going to be okay. She looked somewhat sceptical, so I held up her face with her chin, and looked into her eyes.

"Love, nothing is going to happen. I know that this is something new for these people, but that should not bother us, because we love each other, and that is all that matters."

She seemed convinced, because she nodded her head, and let a huge grin lose on her face. This resulted in my grin also coming out in full force.

"Let us go then, Lord Roland. Off to a world far much more different from what he had thought, for the both of us. For love."