She scowled even harder at his smile and easy attitude. It had been her first kiss. "Asshole," she muttered as she walked past him as graceful as possible. Her scowl quickly dissolved in to a placid look, something that all nobles required after a time to keep their emotions from showing. Even while dressed in a nightgown and her hair down and loose she looked a princess, even more, a queen. "Come along Lucid," she called.

Lucid quickly came over and, with a hand around her waist, he kissed he one last time before removing his arm and opening the door to see the other servant standing there. He nodded gently at him, then ushered his lady past him and to the King's quarters. "Here we are, my lady," he said softly.

Adaa ignored the butterflies after his brief kiss and made her way in to the Kings quarters. He was seated in a chair by the fire, his face calm and placid.

"Father," she murmured as she curtsied deeply.

"Yes, Adaa. Come here. I have something to tell you," the King said, ushering her over to the fire to sit on the stool by his feet. "You are of the age now where you have to think about the future. I have found you a husband."

Adaa stared at him, the shock present, but not showing on her features. "Married?"

"Yes, my dear. Married. He is a Prince and your second cousin. He will be arriving tomorrow in the afternoon I believe." He stood, which meant she had to too. "I except you to greet him warmly. Now, go back to bed so you look pretty tomorrow." The king left the room, leaving her standing there staring at the wall.

Lucid, who stood by the door, felt his heart drop. He didn't dare say anything, simply waited for his lady to come back to him. He could barely contain the shaking, his eyes threatening tears, but he didn't show it. He stood stiff, more stiff, he knew, than he ever had. Adaa would be able to tell that he was bothered, that he was holding his emotions, but no other would know a thing. He swallowed hard and it hurt. He felt like his heart was trying to choke him. Losing the lady he had in a single night... It wasn't fair. Perhaps... Perhaps he had a plan... but it would have to wait.

She turned slowly, her eyes meeting Lucid's. Adaa could tell her was just as upset at her about this. At this pivotal moment she knew what she needed to do. "That will be all for tonight, Lucid. You may go," she dismissed him and then walked away back to her own chambers, climbed in to bed, and stared at the wall with dry eyes. "Married," she murmured. "Shit."

Lucid knew he'd been dismissed, but he didn't care. He followed her to her room and when the door closed, he was in her room with her. "Adaa... Listen, I... have a plan," he murmured, knowing full well that she knew he was there. He took her hand and made her face him. "We... We can't be apart," he said, he eyes misty with tears. "Please? Just hear me out?"

"I believe I dismissed you," Adaa said, sitting up and turning to face him. "Go now." She didnt want to hear him out for if she did she would grow weak and do whatever he said so they could be together. And yes, maybe they would be happy, but what about the kingdom? It would leave it in turmoil and she couldnt have that much blood on her hands. She shook her head and pulled her hand back. "No. No plan. I will marry this man. We will inherit the thrown. And then king will be prosperous."

Lucid stepped back, unused to this Adaa. An Adaa that didn't... that didn't want him... His eyes filled with tears. This was one rejection that he couldn't handle, one he couldn't keep from his eyes, or his face, or any other part of him. His bottom lip trembled, and he felt like that little boy that had once met Adaa all those years ago... Met the little girl that he had grown to love. It was... He didn't know what it was when he said what he said next, he only remembered the first words he had spoken to her when they had met.
"Miss Pwincess... Can... C-can I cawl you Adaa? I tink it's a vewy pretty name, miss pwincess..." He had had a silly childish lisp back then... and lapsed back into it almost too easily, as if these words played through his memory 86,400 times a day...

((God that almost made me cry))

Adaa had gotten very good at hiding her emotions over the years. So well, that even Lucid could not see what she was thinking sometimes. She stared at him with a calm expression and waited till he was done speaking. "If that is all, you may go." Her heart wrenched in two as she tried to block out images of them together when they were younger up till now. Up till the kisses and the embraces. She felt like crying, but kept it all back. She didnt want to hurt him, but she couldnt continue to lead him to believing there was hope for them. "Also, I will not longer be requiring your services. I do not think my soon to be husband would be pleased with a man taking care of me." She felt like flinging herself at Lucid and clinging to him, apologizing for the hurt she had caused. This was so wrong. So very, very wrong.

Tears ran freely down Lucid's face now, his emotions no longer in check. Didn't she trust him? Didn't she know just how easily this could all be fixed? He fell to his knees, he couldn't permit himself to leave if this was the last moment he could have with her. "My l-lady..." he sobbed, unable to catch his breath, his crying jag catching his every breath.

Her bottom lip quivered as she almost flung herself at him to comfort him, but instead she turned away so her back was towards him. She breathed in deeply, trying to regain some semblance of calm.

"Ad-d-daa, don't you know... Don't you know i love you so?" he begged. He looked at her, saw through her facade, saw she was losing it. In moments he had gotten up, taken her waist, and pushed her to the wall and kissed her, a solid, wonderful, pure kiss, his warm lips against hers, his body pressed to her. It was not against her will, he was not pushing so hard, he simply wanted to keep her there for a moment, to make her see this much, that he loved her, and always would, that it wouldn't stop simply because she was married, or because she was the queen. IT was as if they belonged together... forever. This he conveyed in that kiss, his last effort to get her to listen to him.

She kissed him back, twining her arms around his neck and pressing her body against his. She didnt want it to end and she she felt his feelings through the kiss, tears pored down from her eyes. "I love you, I love you, I love you," she found her self murmuring against his lips. She knew she would never find someone like him again. That this was it. He was it.

He wrapped his arms so tight around her that she couldn't have moved away if she had wanted to and murmured "I love you too," over and over to her against her beautiful lips. Finally he let her go. "We can do this, Aada. He can't ruin what we have. Ever."