-Jade-

"If you haven't noticed I have done a lot of things that a lot of people don't approve of." William added and they laughed quietly together. Jade a little bit shyer than him.

The time they had spent walking around the gardens, talking, made her a bit more comfortable around him. He had actually listened to her.

"Well... You didn't strike me as the kind person that cares about what others think." She said and smiled at him.

William gave her questioning look.

"When you came to my home, for example." She added and he pressed his lips together. An expression of remorse appeared in his eyes. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked shyly when he took a long time to answer her.

"No." he said. "I..."

"There you are!"

They both looked towards the person that had called out to them.

The King was standing on the steps up to the castle. There was a broad smile on his bearded face.

"Father, can I help you?" William asked patiently, looking up at his father. The older version of the man next to Jade smirked at them.

"It is getting late." He stated. "But the two of you didn't notice for how long you were gone, did you?" Jade threw a sideway glance at William in embarrassment.

"We were just on our way back inside." William answered.

"Very well." His father chuckled and waited for them to ascend the stairs.

William escorted Jade back to the ballroom. There Elizabeth was waiting for her with a smirk that was barely noticeable.

"Good night." Jade said in a low voice to William. She didn't want Elizabeth to hear her.

"Good night, Jade." He answered her and gave her a warm look. Jade let go of his arm and unwillingly walked away with Elizabeth.

. . .

The next morning Jade felt rested and calm. She hated to admit it but talking to William last night had made her more relaxed. He had let her in for once. On their way back to the castle, as they walked up the stairs, Jade had made one more wish. No more guards during daytime. William had not been able to discuss it properly with her before they reached his father. So he had nodded patiently at her. Now it remained to be seen if he would keep that promise.

Elizabeth unlocked the door and went outside to get Jade some breakfast.

When Jade got outside William stood on the other side of the door. Jade exhaled in shock and screamed shortly.

What is he doing here?!

"I'm sorry." He said and turned his eyes to something behind her when he noticed that she was only wearing her robe.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered and crossed her arms in order to cover her breasts.

It was cold and unfortunately it showed in the area concerning her breasts. Her little peaks were erect and she felt her cheeks blossom in embarrassment.

"I... uhm..." William blinked quickly. "I came to give your governess the key." He answered her. His eyes still didn't fall to the area most men would do anything to see on a girl. "I will see you tonight." He said and cleared his throat.

"What are you going to do today?" Jade asked curiously when she remembered what Elizabeth had told her yesterday. "What am I going to do today?" she added.

"I am going on the hunt with the other guests." William answered and there was a mixture of boredom and eagerness in his voice.

"Do you not like it?" Jade asked carefully and looked over her shoulder to see if someone saw them.

No one else was there. William shrugged his shoulders. He seemed a lot more... human when they were alone. At least since last night.

Maybe he feels more relaxed as well? She wondered to herself.

"I do, but I don't like the people that are coming on the hunt with me and my father." He answered.

"The others besides your father? All of the male guests then?" Jade asked and laughed.

William raised his eyebrows in confirmation and smiled a little.

"Interesting." She said. He appeared to have no interest or desire to spend any time with new people.

Does he even have friends or does he only spend time with his father? Jade wondered. What did he do during the days?

"What is?" he asked, clearly puzzled about her statement.

"I get the feeling that you prefer to be alone, or with your father." Jade answered and watched him as she spoke, studying him carefully.

If he had any friends... what were they like?

"Is there a reason why you don't want the others to come on the hunt?"

Just as William was going to answer her they heard a shriek. It came from behind Jade and they both turned to see who it was.

Elizabeth came running, as fast as her heavy bosoms allowed, with big eyes. She was upset about something. Jade had never seen her like this, and yet there was something amusing about the panic in her eyes.

What is it with Elizabeth? Nothing is wrong. For once we are just talking and she acts like one of us is on fire.

"Cover yourself, girl!" she exclaimed. Jade got her answer. Elizabeth was upset about the fact that Jade was not dressed.

It was as Elizabeth's shriek caused William to awaken from their conversation and his posture became stricter. The warmth in his face faded somewhat as well.

"Your grace!" Elizabeth's words were a whisper but stern. "You know better than this!" she almost sounded like she was scolding a child. She gave him a disappointed look and then studied Jade from top to toe, only to look at him again. Making her point very clear. Jade looked down at herself. She was covering herself, at least the most vital parts. The only visible parts of her were her face, feet and her knees.

"Elizabeth." William said her name as a warning. She moved her shoulders like a cat ready to pounce at him. Jade stood behind Elizabeth and it felt like they were having a wordless conversation.

"Jade. Your bath has been drawn for you." Elizabeth said after a couple of very quiet seconds. It was a sign for her to leave them alone. Jade nodded and left without a word.

-William-

"Liz." He said as soon as Jade had disappeared. "I was-"

"I will not have the two of you skulking around in such an inappropriate manner! You should know better than waiting outside her door like that! This is not the gentleman I raised!" she enunciated every word and William put his hands behind his back and took her scolding without a word in return. Just like he always had as a child.

"No." he agreed. "My apologies."

"I might be one of the few that is on your side in this whole thing, young man." She began.

Even though William was an adult and Elizabeth didn't have any authority over him, he still felt like a misbehaving child when she was this upset.

"Don't make me your enemy by thinking you can talk to me in that way." She said and the finger he recognized so well from his childhood was waving in front of him. He had truly made her mad this time. He couldn't stop from being amused though.

The woman had spirit and he admired her for not being afraid of him like the rest of the staff in the castle. Elizabeth had always seen through his foul moods and terrible temper. She couldn't calm him down, but she could put him in his place, and that he was thankful for. Even though he seldom thanked her for it.

"May I speak?" he asked politely.

Elizabeth's mouth formed a neutral line, that was the signal for him to speak. Fast.

"I... I know I shouldn't have stayed." He began quietly and kept his eyes on the ground but his chin up while he spoke. Like a child not wanting to admit to the wrong it had done. "I am not sure why I stayed. "

"I am." Elizabeth said and did not sound impressed at all. "And I will have none of it! Do you hear me?" William smirked without being able to control himself. "Leave before I wipe that smirk off for you." She warned him but he could see the corners of her mouth begin to crawl upwards as well.

"As you wish." He said and left.

"Stupid boy..." Elizabeth mumbled as she started walking away as well.

"I heard that, Liz." He called out in a low tone to her.

"I know." She called back.

-Jade-

Elizabeth was in a bad mood all morning and did not speak as much as she usually did. Jade did not tempt fate and stayed quiet during her bath and while Elizabeth helped her into a corset and then her dress. It was simpler than the ones she had had before, and a dark shade of blue. There were almost no details to it except from some lace at her chest and at the end of the sleeves. Jade braided her hair herself and one of the girls tied a band of silk at its end.

When Jade had had her breakfast it was time for her to participate in the nightmare that was spending time with the guests. However, William had arranged what he had promised. No guards.

"Will the Queen be there?" Jade asked Elizabeth as they walked through the castle. They were heading to the gardens were the socializing was apparently being held.

"Yes." Elizabeth answered her shortly. Jade rolled her eyes when she didn't see it.

"Are you upset?" she asked directly. Elizabeth didn't as much as look at her.

"I am upset with both of you."

"Because?"

"Because you are acting like children." She said.

"I did what you said." Jade protested calmly. "I apologized and I spent time with him last night. Why do-"

"I have already had this conversation with one of you today. I am not in the mood for a second one." She interrupted Jade and terminated any more objections from Jade.

When Jade stepped out into the gardens there were girls and women everywhere. She couldn't see the Queen and it calmed her down.

"They are just people." Jade whispered to herself and clasped her hands in front of herself. "People with fangs and claws." She whispered when a girl passed her and it looked like she could have pierced Jade with the fan in her hands. Jade shook her head. It was sad, but she was starting to get used to the mean looks and harsh words. She just focused on letting them run off her like water, even though it was very hard.

It didn't matter who Jade smiled to or tried to start a conversation with. No one smiled back or stayed. They all left her as soon as she opened her mouth or came close to them. After the fourth person walked away from her and hissed something under her breath, Jade gave up. She decided to take a walk by herself and shake the rejections off.

The gardens were not as nice to walk in as they had been last night, but that could be because William wasn't with her this time.

Who am I trying to fool... she thought and finally admitted to herself that she might be warming up to him. She turned her eyes to the woods and wondered if they were hunting in the green ocean or if they were somewhere else. Anyway, she wished that she could have gone with him, or that he was with her now. At least someone would talk to her then...

Jade wasn't having a good time. At all. When she returned from her walk she gave it another try and walked up to the girl that had danced with William last night. She was standing by a rosebush with two other girls. They were all dressed in nicer dresses than Jade but she was quite content about not being dressed to her teeth.

"Your grace." Jade greeted her and curtsied. The girls turned and the girl that the others had called Linnea looked surprised at her presence. "You danced so beautifully last night." Jade said, admiring her. One of the girls held back a giggle and looked at the third girl while Linnea turned to Jade.

"Did you have to interrupt?" she asked Jade rudely. She did not bother to reciprocate any of Jade's kindness. Her blue eyes just stared at her up and down. A frown was telling Jade that she didn't approve of Jade's dress.

"I'm sorry?" Jade asked frowning lightly. "Interrupt?"

"Yes. The prince stopped dancing with me when he saw you." She answered. Once again she looked Jade up and down, as if she was looking for something that wasn't there. Jade fought the urge to search for it as well.

"Even if it is a mystery why he did it." One of the other girls added. Jade inhaled slowly and reined her temper in.

They will not be here tomorrow, Jade... she said to herself and blinked calmly at them. Making sure they did not see her true feelings.

"Well, I am sorry that you didn't get to dance with him as much as you wanted." She said with kindness in her voice. Kindness that they did not deserve. "I am sure that you will get the chance again tonight." She added. Linnea's face turned into a mixture of confusion and hope.

"What do you mean? Are you making fun of me?" She asked and it was obvious that she was thinking of some clever comment to throw at Jade as soon as she had replied.

"No. I thought you danced so perfectly together." Jade said. "I hope to see it tonight again." She added before she nodded at them as she left.

The other girls and women rejected her every effort to join them. Jade felt shot down and didn't feel like she belonged anywhere. It seemed that the only people that wanted her here wasn't in the vicinity.

Jade returned to her cold room and let her hair out. Her cheeks were wet from tears that she couldn't hold back now that she was alone.

There was no winning with these people. She just had to accept that she wasn't going to win anyone of them over. No matter how kind she was it wasn't enough. It was as they had their minds set on not accepting her, and somewhere deep inside, Jade knew that the Queen had something to do with it. Sniffling Jade pulled her fingers threw her braid until it was completely undone.

Afterwards she washed her face. All of Elizabeth's hard work went to waste but she didn't care. She just wanted to look like herself. The girl that had been in the mirror a minute ago was just an outline of who she used to be. The face that looked back at her now didn't fit the lifestyle she had been forced into. But it looked like Jade.

On the bed Jade noticed that Elizabeth had placed her old clothes. They had been watched and mended. An idea that Jade almost didn't dare to imagine appeared in her mind. What if she just... put her own clothes on and went outside for a while? If she wasn't dressed like these spoiled ladies, she might be able to sneak outside the castle walls... Be it just for an hour.

I wonder what he would say... Jade thought and remembered William's request that she stayed close to him.

"But he isn't here right now..." she mumbled and felt a tingling sensation in her stomach. She knew that this would upset him if he found out, but she needed to be around people that weren't royal or noble, or servants that treated her like they had been instructed to. She needed to be around people that would frown at the very sight of her and people that didn't know who she was or who she wasn't.

Jade got dressed in her old blouse and her skirt. When she watched herself in the mirror she exhaled and felt calmed than ever.

There I am. She thought and smiled.

Afterwards she ventured outside the room and walked around. After a few steps she remembered that she didn't have any shoes on. She found a pair of shoes in the kitchen that fit her and put them on. No one was there to see her leave and it couldn't have been more perfect.

Not long after Jade was standing in front of a door that she had never seen before. Could this be her way out? Just for now?

-William-

The hunt was the worst one he had ever been on. The guests were either too drunk to actually get something done, or they were not interested in what they were supposed to be doing. William rode in front and avoided the group.

This traditional hunt was a bad excuse for the men to get away from the women. William on the other hand would have preferred to have stayed with Jade if he had known just how terrible the hunt would be. This usually was where he got peace and quiet and where he got a chance to reflect over things. But now he couldn't even have heard a mating call from a deer even if it had been right next to him. The guests were singing drunkenly or calling out to each other.

From nowhere his father rode up next to him. He looked equally bothered as William felt.

"I am impressed that they can even sit up in the saddle." His father muttered. William kept his mask on.

"This is a waste of time. We should have just gone by ourselves. I guess that the majority of them would have been deep down in their glasses if we had just left them at the castle."

"I know. The young ones don't even seem to enjoy it." His father muttered. "I used to love hunting as a boy." He said and William could hear that his father wondered how these younglings couldn't appreciate hunting like they did.

"Your grace!" A man's voice shouted in the distance. William ignored it. The guard was probably coming with news about something that his father needed to hear.

"What now...?" his father sighed and turned his horse around. "It's Loren." He said with a much more serious voice.

William immediately turned around. His personal guard, which he had assigned to watch over Jade, was riding towards them. The speed he pushed his horse to keep indicated bad news.

"Jade." William exclaimed in a whisper and forced his horse to a prompt start.

William met Loren halfway and he had a very worried expression on his face.

"What is it?" William asked and didn't bother with the formalities.

"The girl." Loren breathed. "She is missing."

The words made his blood freeze. His heart stopped as Loren said the last word.

"WHAT?" William bellowed. "AGAIN?" He gave Loren a look that demanded an explanation.

"Her governess noticed that she had left the-"

"Where is she?" William interrupted.

"We don't know yet." Loren answered. "Her clothes were found in her room and..." Loren went quiet.

William wasn't going to be able to stay calm and the guard knew it too well. That was why he hesitated.

"... her governess found the door to the tunnel open. We suspect that she walked through it and into the city." Loren finally said.

The city? William thought. Fear filled him immediately. How can she be so stupid? Does she think that a city is the same as her village? William's thoughts raced off as he thought of all the horrible things that could happen to Jade until he had found her.

"I knew I shouldn't have dismissed her guards..." he mumbled.

Had she done this on purpose? Was this her plan all along? To make him trust her and give in to her wishes? He didn't want to assume that Jade would be manipulative like this, but it was hard to keep that thought away. He felt betrayed and used.

"Gather your men, Loren. I want two search parties out looking for her." William growled.

"Yes, your grace." Loren said and nodded.

"I will join you as well." William said with a hard voice. Loren's eyes widened in even more panic. This would reflect badly on William. Letting the people and the guards see him search for Jade...

This would make him look weak...
But he needed to make sure that she came back. No matter the cost.

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Hope you liked it ♡

Love Jenny