”Oh Seth, it just isn’t fair! I don’t want to be stuck inside. I want to be out there, walking in the sunshine! Couldn’t you take me out just this once?” Brielle was pacing the floor to her room, only pausing near the window to point out at the beautiful scenery beyond. Seth was the Prince of the Kingdom neighboring her own, and they spent quite a bit of time together before they had received their invitations.

The blonde, almost silver, haired man sighed and shook his head, knowing Brielle wouldn’t see it. ”Brie, darling, you know I can’t do that. The doctors told you that the light would be too bright for your eyes. I don’t want you to do harm to them, not when they’ve been on the mend.” He watched his female friend as she pouted, her nearly sightless blue eyes losing what sparkle they had left.

Brielle pouted and sighed softly to herself. It wasn’t fair that she should lose her sight only a month before coming to the castle. She wouldn’t be able to do the things she liked and she would be forced to stay inside. Of course, she was glad she had been the one to be injured in the accident instead of the little peasant girl. Brie shuddered; just thinking of the end the little girl would have come to. Temporary blindness was a small injury in comparison to the life that could have been lost. ”Alright. I won’t ask it of you again.”

Seth groaned to himself, knowing he would do whatever Brie wanted him to do, no matter if he knew it was wrong. ”Let’s go and get something to eat for breakfast first, then I’ll take you out to the gardens. How does that sound?”

”Really? Thank you Seth!”

”Yes, but you’ll have to bring a parasol or something. I don’t want to blind you again if the sunlight is too harsh.”

After a quick hug and peck on the cheeks, Brie made her way down toward the kitchen, Seth at her side in case she needed assistance. The accident, which no one knew much about, had left her blind for a month before her vision slowly started to come back. She could make out shadows and shapes, but color was something she couldn’t quite see just yet. Things were getting better, but very slowly and Brie was impatient to finally get back outside and into a garden or even on horseback. She just missed doing what she loved most; even being able to read on her own was something she missed very much.

As the two reached the kitchen, they both realized soon that everyone seemed to be in there. Brie felt a little overwhelmed already, by the looks of all the shadows and silhouettes moving around the room. Seth kept her from turning and fleeing, a hand going to the small of her back as he led her toward a chair. In the process of making it to the other side of the kitchen, Seth had to black her from being knocked over by one of the other noblemen as said man when on a sudden rampage. Making sure she hadn't been hurt, Seth pulled out a chair at the table and helped Brie into it before taking a seat across from her.

As soon as breakfast was over, Seth quickly ushered his lady friend out the side door and into the sunshine. The male took the feminine parasol from her and opened it, giving it back as soon as he was sure she would keep hold of it. Brie seemed much happier to be outside, and he couldn't blame her. After being locked inside all day everyday for a month straight, it was enough to drive a person crazy. They stayed out, wandering around and losing track of time as the afternoon sun continued to shine down on them both.

Maiara tended the young duke’s injuries, chatting lightly with him as she did. She answered his question about the sparring and any others that he asked. She explained that she always trained first thing in the morning and it would have been nice to spar if she had someone to spar with. Once she was finished she helped the man up before excusing herself. Taking her things she went into the kitchen grabbing some fruit for her breakfast. Time seemed to pass rather quickly after breakfast.

Once again the young raven haired woman felt restless. She had already messed up her plans by showing her softer side when she helped the duke and then helped with the emperor whom was now confined to his room due a high fever. A soft sigh came from her as she now sat in the garden to think. She no longer had her glaive, just a bag with an apple and a couple carrots for her horse. Due to the events that took place that morning she had yet to get out to the stable to tend to Ryou. “What am I going to do now,” she whispered to herself rising to her feet. Once she was standing her mask was back into place. She made her way out of the garden and headed to the stable where her stallion was waiting for her. A ride would help to clear her mind she thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Nathanial chatted a while with Kitty before finally saddling Anselm and going for a morning ride. While out riding in the forest he took note of animal markings and trails that would be useful when hunting. The man returned to the stable just before lunch time. He tended the horse before returning to the castle for lunch. Things seemed to have calmed down and he was thankful that he was able to eat lunch in private. After eating the young crowned prince moved to the garden to relax a bit.

Jasper would untangle himself from the other two calmly, smoothly standing up and brushing himself off once he was back on his own two feet. Dismissing the exchange between Samuel and the young lady - he knew all of his guests names, but didn't bother to actually put names to faces nor attempt to - he would instead look down hopelessly at Zamir. "What on earth were you doing, anyways?" he murmured, not intending to receive an answer as he ran a hand back through his hair. Then shaking his head and looking rather morose in doing so, he would slip his hands into his suit pockets and casually walk off to leave the two with their injuries. "Try not to be so troublesome," he called after them, his personal way of saying a temporary goodbye.

With those hooligans out of his hair, Jasper would retire to his room again to take a hot bath before redressing in fresh, clean clothing and simply lounging atop his bed. These next weeks would be a true waste of time. With no proper woman in sight, to his standards, and a bunch of flirtatious, boring, or otherwise troublesome men waltzing about, he was sure it would be quite a struggle to make it through without a constant headache. Rubbing his temples troubledly, he would lull himself into a bit of a nap that would overtake his clouded thoughts.

After breakfast, Ai made her way casually down a short hallway and into the Great Hall through which everyone had entered. It was peaceful there, with its vast expanse of space and little to no other guests in sight. Truly a sight to see, too, with it's incredibly high ceilings and the marvelous surrounding architecture. She took a leisurely walk through it before returning to the second floor and slipping into her room to set her book down and take a few moments to collect herself as she sat at her desk. It was certainly strange to see Samuel whisked away by that rambunctious purple-haired emperor. Perhaps the duke was more outgoing than she had at first believed? Unsure of what to think, she would simply dismiss her thoughts and instead move to go through the small trunk of belonging she had chosen to bring with her.

That afternoon, Ai would make her way downstairs with a bamboo flute case in one hand, and a soft smile on her face. Getting in some musical practice would be a good use of time, surely, and as she entered the music room near the kitchen, seeing all of the sheet music and the variety of stained glass windows there, she was even more so encouraged to play. Smiling to herself, she sat down at the bench where she had seen Prince Jasper playing earlier, and brought out her wooden flute from its case. Sheet music aside, she would play a soft tune to herself to warm herself up, a light, frothy melody that she supposed wouldn't make much of a noise.

It seems that talking so casually with Princess Maiara had helped Samuel forget the humiliation he experienced just moments ago. When she was done, he thanked her and joined the others at the table for breakfast. The duke helped himself to a big meal that morning. Afterwards, he helped with as much of the dishes as he could although he was quite reluctant to do so. He liked work, sure, but housework was a different matter entirely. When all was done, Samuel returned to the third-floor library to finish the business letter he had been slaving over since he had woken up at dawn.

He thought that he would be satisfied after completing this task. But after he had sent it by carrier pigeon, the silver-eyed young man suddenly felt the emptiness of his schedule. Not sure how else to fill his time, Samuel decided to explore the rest of the castle until he thought of something else to do. He started with the ballroom that stood next to the library. It was very spacious and grand. A very fitting place to hold royal dances. After taking in all the intricate decor of the great room, Samuel left for the next area. Moving towards the back of the castle, he took the door across the hall from the ballroom. It was a room he hadn't been to before but he was glad to have discovered it now. This was the game room and it was filled with various forms of amusement from playing cards and dice, to board games, to chess and checkers sets. Perfect for keeping himself entertained for a while at least.

But the setting in the room, while comfortable, was not what he wanted at the moment. Samuel had been stuck indoors for too long and it was time he had a bit of fresh air. Taking a pack of cards with him, the nobleman descended back down to the first floor. He stopped by the kitchen for a quick lunch before heading out to the castle's colorful garden. There was a gazebo or two there, if his memory served him right, and that was where he would pass the time for most of the early afternoon. It would seem that he wasn't the only one who had thought of going outside. He could make out the forms of at least three other people. Two of them, Princess Brielle and Prince Seth, walked together and had been out there for some time already. The third was Prince Nathaniel who also had spent a while in the garden. Unbeknownst to the duke, the crown prince had finished his lunch just before Samuel reached the kitchen to have his.

Tyler dragged himself out of bed with no hint of urgency which was not the case considering he had slept the first two days away in this new place. He had been brought here to find a match, a person to whom he would wed. Though it all seemed to be so pointless. Tyler did not long for any kind of relationship, at least not enough to be trapped in a place with only candidates in it. Female candidates at that. Sure the women were fine and dandy, but Tyler sought after a man. In this place it was the good old lock and key, a metaphor to the dirtier things in life Tyler was sure. Still that is how the cards had been played, and with that Tyler sauntered off to his room on day one and just slept. Of course, sneaking out and grabbing food while the rest of the candidates slept or were else were.

Though now Tyler was stricken with boredom, and did it ever hit him hard. There was no way he would be able to remain in his room for the entire period of this sick psych experiment. It only left him with the option but to stroll about the halls. That and find a place to catch some sun, he did love to sun bathe. Dragging himself up and about his room, he placed his home lands ornaments on his body, and preferred to be shirtless as to display such. So leaving his room half dressed and with a half assed attitude he would have to make due with the predicament he now found himself in.

Sliding gently out of his door he was careful not to be seen just yet, at least not until he could get some food in him. He did not know much of where he was, though he understood -by eavesdropping- that he was in the room across from one referred to as Jasper. Though he never saw the man, he heard about him and a few others while silently traversing through the halls of this place. As he did so now, his foot steps were silent as to him being barefoot, and he moved swiftly. Ironically for the half dressed man he found himself in the formal dining hall on the first floor. He had taken a different set of stairs then last time and it knocked him of course. Letting out a sigh he slid himself discretely back into the hall, and searched quickly. It soon became familiar and he found himself in the first floors kitchen, though it was strange to hear footsteps of another in the halls. And they seemed quite close.

Almost gilding over to the counter, he began to whip himself up a meal. It was a simple one, some scrambled eggs, buttered toast and jam, topped off with some bacon on the side and the meal came together quite nicely. A cup of orange was quickly brought to the meals side and completed it, his mother called orange sun in a cup. His home land was one that admired the sun quickly, and it greatly influenced his key.

Tyler thought of going back to the hall, but it seemed a life time away. The food ready, and still warm, it made sense it eat it here and now. Pulling himself up onto the edge of the counter he began to eat his meal. It was one of his favorites and he could eat it every day, at any time. It was just, a favorite. Eating and drinking on the kitchen counter felt, strange, but at the same time. Not eating a real meal, and only eating snacks or even quicker prepped foods the past two days, left an emptiness in his stomach that just needed to be filled.

Then, and only then. Could he even contemplate meeting some people in this place. That is, after he did some sunbathing.

((Okay since I have been gone for a reallllllyyyyy long time I'm just going to make a random post about my characters being somewhere in the castle.))

Scarlett sat by the lake behind the castle, staring at the water. She had changed into a simple black gown that had no sleeves and stopped just before her knees. She often wore this dress when she was outdoors, since it was years old.

The blonde let a sigh escape her lips. For the time she had been here she had only spoken to about three people, and no one seemed very interested in the princess from Aurelia. She laid back in the grass and let the water touch her bare feet. It was peaceful and surreal, and one of the most quiet places that she had ever been in her life.

She reached her hand up to her lock necklace and trailed her fingers over it, biting her lip. Even if one of them did have the key, all of them were already caught up with everyone else.

She shook her head and forced herself to stop thinking about locks, keys, and ending up alone. For in the end everyone ends up alone so she might as well just have a nice morning. She looked up at the sky and stared at the clouds before getting the idea to take a morning swim. The blonde grinned devilishly to herself and stood up, taking off her little black dress and tossed it into the grass. She glanced around, making sure no one was outdoors and hopped into the lake in only her black bra and matching panties. They covered what needed covered, so she wasn't worried about being spotted, but she knew many people thought that it wasn't ladylike for a woman of her status to act this way. But Scarlett could care less what others thought.

Once she was in the water she dove under to get her hair wet and then came back up for breath, glancing around. The water was a little cold so her skin now looked a bit pale compared to its normal slightly tan complexion, but her ruby red lips were still bright as always. She shivered slightly and then went back under the water to explore.

Alexander slowly awoke from his deep sleep and glanced around the room with a sigh. Today he would have to leave his room and go talk with the others. Which, he hated most people.. so it would be a rather annoying day for the dark haired man. He stood swiftly and glanced at the mirror, running a hand through his hair to fix it and then slipping a simple black tee shirt over his chiseled chest.

He then went over to his wardrobe and pulled out his old, dark blue, work pants so that he could go explore the outside. He stopped in the kitchen on his way out to grab something to eat and gave a smile to everyone in the room. "Morning everyone, sorry my presence hasn't been known that much for the past two days, I hope you can forgive me for that." He said, giving a bow. "My names Alexander." He said, flashing his charming smile and then turning to get an apple for his walk. "Now if you all don't mind I'm going to go check out the grounds." He said, nodding in a goodbye as he exited the room and made his way out the back door.

The tall man headed towards the forest and smirked when he saw an attractive female swimming in the pond. He turned his eyes away from her. not wanting to be rude, and headed into the forest He started to wander down a path and started to make mental notes of how to get back so he wouldn't end up lost.

Ever since he was a young boy he loved to explore the woods, or the inner, most secret parts of the castle he lived in. His father had always told him to beware of the lower parts of the castle for all of its dangers, but he never listened. He found that the dark, dusty place was a place that he could be himself and find hidden treasures that no one could ever take from him. He still had a few of the items he had found ranging from old notebooks to swords and daggers.

Shiriki had spent a wonderful time with Nerine that morning but now that it was noon and he ate some lunch, he decided to go to one of the gazebos to try and relax. As the male did so, he couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be a lot of people coming out and around, he just snorted at it all as he just stroke the head of his fox companion that seemed to have found it's way towards him. He had drifted into a nap only be awoken from the fox growling at someone's approach. "I suggest that you stay still." he said to the person, his eyes were still closed before he he lazily opened one of his eyes, it seems that when he is inside and around others that he is different from the person that he is when outside a building. "Duke Samuel." he said to him as he sat up, looking the male over before he patted the fox on the head and pushed him to the ground while he was sitting up.

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Kiah in the mean while, was lost and stuck on the second floor, she had plans to go down the stairs that morning but she wanted to explore some more, having resorted to knocking on every door before she opened or entered the room. She gave a defeated sigh as she sat down on a bench near a window, she was tired to the point that she didn't feel like she had the energy to go on.

'Hmmm. Should I invite them to join me for a game?' the young man thought as he glanced at the couple walking together. They seemed rather preoccupied at the moment so it made him wonder if it was alright to interrupt them. Prince Nathaniel on the other hand looked free. Perhaps he wouldn't mind a round of cards either.

Since Samuel had been distracted with looking at potential people to ask, he didn't notice that there was someone else already in the gazebo he was approaching. The first thing he actually noticed when he reached the structure was the fluffy tail of a creature and a low growl. 'A fox?' he thought, perplexed. Only when he heard a familiar voice telling him to stay still did he realize there was another person near the animal. "Oh? Good afternoon, Prince Shiriki! I didn't know you were here." the duke called out, stopping at the entrance to the shady gazebo and watching as the prince shifted from his reclined position. "Is that fox your pet?"

Because he did not know that the Grayveth prince's demeanor would be different from when he was indoors, Samuel continued to speak with him in an obliviously cheerful manner. "I came out here for a change of scenery, some fresh air, and also to play some cards." Showing the pack he had in his hands before shuffling it twice, he continued, "There's already a game room in the castle. It's got great amenities but it can get dull staying indoors all the time, you know?" Then, Samuel took a step into the gazebo before finally adding. "So how about you then? Have you come out here just to take a nap? I can hardly blame you. The weather's very agreeable today."

"Chepi is no ones pet. She just likes to follow me. I do not claim any animal as my pet but many put that label on them." Shiriki said to him as he nudge the said fox away from Samuel as he motioned him to have a seat across from him instead of leaving him standing, his eyes looked towards the woods with a longing before he turned his hazel eyes towards the male once more. "Chepi has a mean streak towards people she does not know. No i wouldn't know that about being indoors all the time." He said to him in a indifferent voice as he gave a small yawn, motioning for him to go ahead and deal the cards out, not like he had anything to do around here since they were suppose to find a wife to take home. "Let's just say that me and nature get along then me and buildings."

"I see..." Samuel said, glancing at the strange fox once more before moving to take a seat at the space the Grayveth prince had offered him. "I've never heard of a wild animal acting so tame without having been trained in any way. But I guess if you are as in tune with nature as you say then it wouldn't be surprising this...uh, Chepi was it?... would be amicable towards you." He made an attempt at petting the woodland creature but a short growl from the fox deterred him from trying any further than stretching out his hand. "But it looks like she won't be warming up to me any time soon." After he sat down, the duke quickly began setting down five cards for each of them before placing the rest of the deck between them on the table. The game they would be playing was Poker. It was a fairly new game, yet one that had swiftly gained popularity across the land. "I hope you don't mind if we played this game, do you? I'm no expert but I think I've grasped the rules of the game well enough. But if you'd like, we can play a different one."

As Samuel checked his cards, a thought occurred to him. "Out of curiosity, Prince Shiriki, have you given thought as to who you would like to marry? As in, what kind of woman? I...well, I actually had some things I wanted to choose my wife-to-be by. However, as soon as I go here I realized that it was pointless to stick to expectations since we wouldn't actually be doing much choosing, will we? We've already been paired by locks and keys. All we have to do is figure out who we're paired up with." Subconsciously, the young man turned to look at the castle. He soon found himself wondering of how he would even begin to ask any of the women if he could try matching his key to their lock. No matter how he imagined it, it always seemed like quite an embarrassing question to pose to anyone. "Urgh..." He couldn't help but groan at the awkwardness of it all.

Brielle and Seth eventually found themselves a bench in a partially shaded area and they both sat down. Brielle smiled and closed her eyes, leaning back against the seat. Fresh air felt wonderful, and maybe it would help her recovery a little more. If she felt better, then maybe her body would heal faster.

Seth watched his friend for a moment before looking away. Brielle was strong, he would give her that, but she was surprising him with how optimistic she was being. The doctors had said that there was also a possibility of her sight never coming back. Leaning back, Seth stretched out his long legs and hooked them at the ankles and closed his eyes. A small rest would be okay. He had been up far too early for the past couple of days, so he would catch up with his missing sleep.

Brielle could tell that her friend was dozing. He was far too quiet and her ears could pick up the steady breathing in him, suggesting he was asleep. With a smile, Brielle felt for her shoes and took them off. Not bothering to take them with her, Brie silently crept away. She didn’t know where she was going, but all she knew was that she wanted a little more freedom than what Seth was giving her.

((I thought I would try to keep this thing going.))

Shiriki just watched the duke much like the fox that was next to him, he didn't say anything as he listened to what he had to say, causing him to snort as he started to pet Chepi once more. "Those people are mean and cruel, beating them when they are wrong locking them up in cages." he said to the male as he got fired up about thinking how those people treated animals, hunting them for food was one thing but capturing them, tormenting them to train them and locking them up in cages just pisses him off, which was clear by the look on his face. "I saved Chepi from a traveling side show. She is free to be herself now what she chooses to do with her life is up to her.....she is no longer in the bounds of man." he said in a much calmer voice, being very happy that he had saved the animals from the side show that treated them less then dirt. "I never played this game before." he admitted, his eyes noting everyone that seemed have the same idea, spend the rest of the day outside. He picked up his five cards and stared at them, trying to figure out what he was doing, he spent all his days outside, which explained his skin color, so indoor games like poker and other such things were not something he knew about. "I just want her to have a beautiful voice, love the outdoors just as much as i do and if she is blind then even better." he said to him as he looked down at Chepi whom had decided to look at the cards as well he thought about the rest of what the Duke had said to him. "Well I have already eliminated one female as my bride......and expectations are very much pointless but we all have them. As for the locks and keys....even if mine does not fit the girl's that i personally choose i will trade my key to just find the key that goes to that bloody lock." he said to him thoughtfully as he set a card down, pulling one from the pile, completely playing the game wrong.

Scarlett continued to swim around in the pond until she grew tired. She then swam to the shore and laid down on it, letting herself dry off from the sun. She glanced around when she heard people talking and saw two men playing cards in the Gazebo. She recognized one of them from before. His name was... Samuel? But the other she did not know of at all. But she decided to not interrupt their game.

The blonde eyed the two for a moment until a small fox caught her attention. It was quite a lovely creature. When she had been younger she had taken in a baby wolf from the woods by her kingdom after her father had shot its mother by accident. But one day it had scratched her when she was playing with it and her father had ordered someone to take it out of the kingdom immediately. She had cried for hours.

She then turned her attention away from them so they wouldn't think she was staring and then starting to wring out her long, golden hair.

After Alexander had been walking around for awhile he stumbled across a small Gazebo with two men playing cards in it. He stood there for a moment as they talked of who they wanted as their brides. He hadn't thought of that yet. Really he just wanted someone that would accept him for him and just someone to love him. If anyone could love someone like him it would be enough. He didn't have any thing else he really wanted.

With a sign he walked up to the Gazebo, knocking one of the posts. "Mind if I watch?" He asked, his eyes darting from the men down to a fox that stayed near its owner. He had heard what the man was saying about how cruel people could be and gave a small nod. As he talked of how he had already eliminated a woman the man forced himself to not scowl. He had no clue why that statement bothered him other than the fact it sounded a bit like the women were just something they could all pick out for themselves like little trinkets.

The male bit his tongue and gave a smile. "I'm Alexander. I haven't really been out of my room for the last two days so do you mind if I ask who you are?" He asked, raising his left eye brow at the men in question. So far he knew no ones names, so he might as well start asking.

When a newcomer arrived and asked if he could observe their game, Samuel easily replied, "By all means. You can also join us if you'd like.", before offering him a seat and placing five cards for him on the table.

After he was done, the duke continued to listen to what Shiriki had to say about the lock and key system. He was soon taken aback by what he heard. "That's.... actually a pretty good idea! Why didn't I think of that?" he exclaimed, truly perplexed at how he had never realized such a simple and obvious solution to the potential mismatch conundrum before. "Of course that means we'd still have to ask around for the right key if ours do not match our lady love's lock." Then the silver eyed youth watched as the Grayveth prince decided to emphasize the fact that he had no clue about how to play the current game by putting down a card from his hand and taking another from the deck without waiting for Samuel to ask. As the self-proclaimed dealer, the duke felt slightly off put by it since he looked forward to giving people cues on when to do things during such games. "I suppose I shouldn't have assumed you knew how to play Poker without asking..." he muttered, frowning slightly. "Well then, let's just play Go Fish. I'm certain it is more commonly known and both of you surely must have some inkling of it. Even if you didn't, the rules are fairly simple to teach so I can- Wait, why a blind girl???"

Samuel did not know why it was only now that his mind registered the odd characteristic that Prince Shiriki wished in his opinion of an ideal woman. He could not help but stare at the man with a confused expression until their latest companion decided to introduce himself.

"Oh, pardon my rudeness. I'm Samuel, Duke of Zima Kruzhevo, and this is Prince Shiriki of Grayveth." he answered, pointing to the both of them respectively. "So you say you've been in your room for two whole days? I think I'd go crazy if I ended up being stuck in my room for that long. Were you feeling unwell or something?"

Shiriki watched as one female rung her hair out after her swim, he then noticed another female that was sneaking away from a male, heading their way, clearly unknowingly, deciding to let her stumble upon them herself, though he did keep an eye on her. "Go ahead and join." he said to the new male, he clearly had not seen him around the castle before, then nodding his head slightly in understanding when he mentioned he stayed in his room the whole time. "Because you were not faced with such a desperate situation." he said to him as he frowned at the change of the game, he may have been winging it but he believed that he had been playing it right. "Let me ask you this......why do you choose the qualities that you did in your partner?" he said nonchalantly to him as he thought for a few minutes, staring at his cards and sighing before he picked the card he had put down back up, placing the one he drew in the middle of the deck before looking at Alexander, nodding in greeting when his named was mentioned.

Nathanial noticed that the garden had become a popular place. Even though he would have much rather stayed away from the others for a while longer, but it seemed that might not be an option. The young crown prince yawned slightly. A nap would do wonders, he thought to himself. His journey had been long and rough and he still wasn’t fully rested. Deciding to leave the others to their own devices he slipped out of the garden and back into the castle. He managed to navigate his way through the vaguely familiar hallways to one of the stairwells then he proceeded to ascend the stairs to the second floor.

Approaching the top of the stairs he yawned lightly. When he entered the hallway he stopped in his tracks. He hadn’t expected to run into anyone up here, but to his surprise one of the princesses was there sitting on the bench by the window. Taking a moment to look her over, he couldn’t remember seeing her before. He had been so sure that he knew all the others that had been invited to this little event. A few moments passed before the male cleared his throat slightly, approaching the woman. “Good afternoon,” he said in a polite tone.

((I’ll make a post for Maiara soon. Just need to decide what to do with her since she’s the only one at the stables right now.))

Brie bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. Oh Seth would be furious with her for sneaking off. He thought she was some delicate flower or something. The doctor had said not to strain her eyes too much. Just because they were in bad shape didn't mean the rest of her was. Her head no longer had a large lump on it and she didn't feel weak any more. She wanted to be able to be free again, though she knew she had limitations. Brie glanced around, taking in the forms that she could see. Something large and dark was looming ahead of her. She could hear voices too, the sound of cards hitting a table. Putting her hands out, Brie was surprised at how close she had actually come to walking into the smooth pillar of the...well whatever it was. She couldn't see it to really know. "Good day everyone." she said, hoping she was in the right place. Brie hated not knowing if she was actually looking at someone or if she was completely off and facing a wall. Her cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment, but there was really nothing she could do about it. Things would have been different if she had brought Seth with her, but he was napping on the bench and she hoped he wouldn't get too much of a burn from the sun. Maybe she should have propped open her parasol over him. Brie had to stop herself from giggling. These other royals would think her odd for laughing at nothing at all. Bringing her attention back to the people gathered around, Brie put a charming smile on her face. "If it would be alright, may I sit and be in your company? If so, would someone be so kind as to help find a seat?"

"Ah!!" Was the surprised sound that escaped Kaih's lips, having jumped a bit also at hearing someone clear their throat out. She pressed a hand to her chest as she tried to calm down, tossing her floor length hair back over her shoulder as she turned her head in different directions to see who it was. Smiling in relief at hearing the male speak to her, she seemed to be able to relax after a bit, gripping at the wall as she stood up, smoothing the front and back of her dress as she was told to do after sitting down. "Is it afternoon? If so then Good Afternoon sir I am.....ah Kaih Silver." she said she curtsied, towards the spot she believed him to be at, having left titles off since it seemed rather pointless to her, after all they were all of noble blood. "I apologize...i seemed to be....well this is rather embarrassing, but i can not seem to find my way back down the stairs." she said to him, her cheeks flushed slightly considering she had always tried her best to be independent but it did not always work out that way.

"Why did I choose those qualities? Well..." While Samuel tried to think of a reply, another person arrived at their little gathering place. He recognized her to be the lady who had been walking in the garden with a gentleman earlier. "Good Day to you as well, Madame." he replied cordially to her greeting, though when she started giggling he looked at her quizzically.

The odd noblewoman then asked if she could join their company and for assistance in finding a seat, to which Samuel immediately complied. "Certainly, Miss.", he said with a smile, unaware as of yet that she had difficulty seeing. Her request for help with a seat might have provided a clue to anyone else more observant of such things but, alas, not to the raven haired male. He was raised to be polite to women and only assumed that the azure-eyed lady was asking for a little respect. The duke placed his cards face down before getting up to guide her around and in to a free seat. "My name is Samuel, by the way. This is Prince Shiriki and over there is Lord Alexander." He gestured to each noble as he introduced them. Since the northern duke was unsure of Alexander's title, he decided to just use 'Lord' for safe measure. "Lord Alexander joined us shortly before you did."

When she was acknowledged, Brie smiled, perfect white teeth almost glinting in the sun. "Thank you kindly, Samuel." Brie let him guide her, only to turn her attention to the shadows that seemed to protrude from the one she assumed to be a table. Yes, there were quite a few people there already. As the nobleman pointed out the others, Brie bowed her head politely and smiled once more. "A pleasure to meet you all. I'm Princess Brielle Reimie, but please don't bother with the long title. Brie will do just fine. Now, I won't get in the way of your game, I give you my word. I just wished to be in more lively company. The prince I was out walking with earlier is currently detained."

The thought of Seth getting a little bit of a sunburn made her feel a little guilty, but he could use a bit of color. As she moved to sit, Brie stumbled but caught herself quickly, flushing in embarrassment for a moment as she settled herself in an empty seat. While there was silence, Brie wondered if maybe she should just cut to the chase and ask if anyone was willing to try their key in her lock. There really was no point in getting to know someone if they weren't going to be the match chosen for you. However, Brie had already disrupted their game once, and she didn't wish to do so again, not until either Seth came for her, or the game seemed to come to an end. Maybe then she would reach out and ask her question.

"Brie, I would be Prince Shiriki." He said to her as he smiled, quickly picking up on the clues that she was blind, he then stood up and took her hand in his, holding it far long then would deem proper if she could see. "I know this must be rather rude, and you do not have to answer if you want too but may we know how you came to be blind?" he asked her as he took his seat once more, it was rather clear that he was fairly interested in this young lady. He took his cards up once more, trying to figure out what they were doing, before he got an idea, smiling as he looked at the Princess, thinking for a few minutes as he tried to think of a nickname that she could use for him. "Would you like to help me play this game, Princess? You see in my kingdom we spend all of our time outside and little things like playing card games are not something i know about." he said to her, chuckling a little bit as he admitted that card games just eluded him unlike what it seemed to be for the others.

Brie had been content it simply sitting there, listening to the chatter go on between the prince and lords. Of course, she wouldn't be rude if they decided to interact with her as well. She was surprised, however, to find that one of the men had moved without her noticing and had taken her hand in his own. How in the world had he guessed so quickly? Though she had never hidden her disability, most people didn't realize she was blind until much later. She flushed a little, both from his knowing and from the way he held her hand much longer than would have been appropriate. "I...Well part of the sea wall back home had been in need of fixing. It was was a danger to the people in the keep, so...it was to be taken down and rebuilt. One of the children had wandered toward the construction just as the wall was destroyed. Instead of letting the child get hurt, I took her place. I'm afraid I don't remember much after that. I only remember waking up with bandages over my eyes. I was told that some of the larger pieces of stone had come down on me, and that there was...well there was blood. A lot of it. The damage had taken my sight. Oh, and the little girl was fine, not a scratch on her."
Brie shrugged it all off, as if it wasn't a big deal that she had rescued a peasant. "I would love to Prince Shiriki, though I'm not quite sure how much help I could be. I myself love being out of doors, though the doctors say I shouldn't spend too long outside in the sun. It could ruin my chances of gaining my full sight back."

Nathanial gave a small chuckled as he had no intention of startling the young woman. “I apologize Miss, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He watched the woman as she used the wall to help her stand. It seemed she was blind which made him a little more curious about her. He couldn’t recall having met her before and her name was unfamiliar. “I am Nathanial Klein and yes it is afternoon already,” out of habit he bowed as he introduced himself. “Oh no, don’t worry about it Kaih. If you would like I can assist you with getting back down stairs and show you to the kitchen. You must be hungry.” His tone was soft and warm as he spoke, moving a little closer to her. For a moment he hesitated before gently taking her hand in his. Even though he had planned to sneak away from the others and stick to himself he had stumbled upon this lovely young princess, at least he though she was a princess, instead. He took this encounter as a sign that he would at some point have to socialize with the others so it was best not to fight the inevitable. “Shall we go,” he asked with a smile.

Kaih smiled towards the spot that she had thought the male was at, as she stayed in one spot, her hands staying on the wall to ground her self in that moment. "Thank you, Nathanial. I apologize for the inconvenience of you having to help me." she said to him softly, jerking a bit in surprise when he took one of her hands, she smiled just as softly as she held on to it. "Thank you very much, Nathanial. Your help is most graciously welcomed." she said to him once more as she slowly started to move forward, using her free hand to make sure she didn't run into anything, though at the mention of food, her stomach growled to let them both know that she was. The fact that this happened, caused her to blush and feel rather embarrassed about it all. "Oh my....i do apologize.....but it seems that i am hungry." she said as she chuckled, trying to brush her embarrassment away.

Samuel was quite surprised when the Grayveth prince asked Princess Brielle about her temporary disability firstly because he had not noticed it himself, and secondly because he had asked outright. The duke would inwardly agree with Shiriki's words that it was 'rather rude'. But seeing as the princess did not seem bothered by it, he would let it slide by. More importantly, Samuel was impressed at the noblewoman's bravery and selflessness. "I think you could be of great help to him." he then said to Brie. "You both can team up, I wouldn't mind in the least! Since Shiriki doesn't know much about card games, you could be his advisor of sorts. In turn, he could be your eyes. I'll even move to the side of the table opposite the both of you so you can have some privacy when you need to discuss something. Sound fair?" Already the young man started to move away to give space to Princess Brie and Prince Shiriki. However, this wasn't just for good sportsmanship on account of the game they were to play. He remembered what the prince had said about his preferences for a wife and who knew when they would meet another blind princess? After eventually settling at a satisfactory distance, Samuel began readying the cards for a new game. "So what shall we play?" he asked with a cordial grin as he secretly rooted for the other raven-haired male. "Still Go Fish? Black Jack? Or something else?"