Alessandra felt disappointment rush through her even more. Perfect. She nodded slightly and followed closely behind. The pain was weird for her, why was she so upset? She knew that Prince Adrian wouldn't stay in need of her for too long. She knew he would get other female company-- She knew she was nothing special to Adrian. But why did he say he wouldn't let go of her? Why did he get her a gift for just completing her job.

She shook her head and thoughts as Adrian walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. She blinked a few times, confused that he didn't ask her to get his bath ready for him. She felt down-- Did she do something wrong? She slowly took a seat in her usual chair, pulling her legs close to her.

A few minutes later, Adrian came out of the bath. His hair was damp and unruly while his cheeks were flushed pink from the warm water of his bath. His facial expression had relaxed a bit but he still looked lost in his thoughts. He remained silent and didn't seem aware of Alessandra's presence as he crossed the room and headed to the doors that led out into the balcony. He reached out, opened the doors and let the cool night breeze in as he stepped out.

Alessandra was almost falling asleep after such a long day, but at the sound of the door opening, she straightened up. She scanned the Prince carefully, wishing she could just fix his hair for him. She blushed as she caught herself thinking of such a thing. She shook her head and followed behind the prince.

"You shouldn't step out in the cold air while your hair is still wet your majesty." She commented softly as she stood beside him.

Adrian blinked when he heard Alessandra's voice. He had gotten used to her being around that he no longer noticed her presence most times and especially when he was deep in thought. But instead of smiling at her like he used to the past few months, the expressionless look on his face remained. He felt that irritation tug at his heart again. Why would she spark such irritation and so much confusion in him? She was his handmaiden, nothing else. Perhaps he had gotten so used to having her attention that having her look at his younger brother... and even at Henry... bothered him.

Yes, that is probably what this is, he thought.

But...

Without thinking, he grabbed her hand, pulled her towards him and pressed his lips against hers.

Alessandra looked up at Adrian as he grabbed her hand, but she had no time to react as he pulled her closer to him, so close that almost their bodies touched, Alessandra gasped but was interrupted by Adrian's lips on hers. Her eyes widened as blood quickly rushed to her cheeks. She blinked slightly. She didn't move, didn't pull back-- She liked it. She came to the realization that she really did like it. Her hands slowly found their way to grab his pajama slightly; She didn't know what she was doing, but in no time she was kissing him back-- She had never kissed anyone before, but as her lips moved against his, she was kissing him.

Adrian's mind was reeling with confusion at what he was doing. Why was he kissing Alessandra? Why was his heart racing? But even as he questioned himself, he didn't pull back. And when she responded to his kiss, he felt his heart beat a little faster than it already was. He reached up and then stopped.

There was a knock on his door, loud enough that he heard it from the balcony.

He stepped back and ran a hand through his still damp hair. He glanced at Alessandra and noted how red her cheeks were. His eyes fell on her lips and for a moment, he thought about kissing her again. He blinked when the knock echoed in his room once more. Without saying anything, he walked back into the room just in time to hear a female voice call out.

"Prince Adrian? It's Hye Jin," the voice called out.

Adrian shook his head to clear it before he himself reached out and opened the door. He was met by the smiling foreign princess, an ornate wooden box in her hand. She gave him a polite bow. "I have brought you some incense oil that would help with relaxation and improve your health," she held out the box to him.

"Thank you," Adrian responded in a neutral tone as he took the box offered to him.

Alessandra's mind was blank, too blank as she kissed the man she served so feverishly. Suddenly all sense came back to her as the door knocked not once but twice. She abruptly stepped away from the Prince and stared up at him with eyes that held fear and confusion. Was he going to send her away? Was he not going to let her be around him anymore? Did she make a mistake?

Of course you did. You kissed the crown prince. You idiot. You should have never let the overwhelming feelings get to you. She thought as he walked away from her. She ran a hand through her hair and breathed out softly, trying to calm down, but her heart was racing so quickly she thought it would suddenly stop.

A few moments later, she stepped out to find it was Hye Jin handing Adrian the box. She blinked and smiled at Hye Jin, a tight smile as she stayed in the back.

A frown immediately pulled the corners of Hye Jin's lips down when she noticed Alessandra standing in the room behind Adrian. She gave Alessandra a pointed glare before she turned back to Adrian. "I had no idea that handmaidens also serve to warm their master's bed in this kingdom," she commented, her tone dripping with disdain.

Adrian met Hye Jin's gaze equally. "If you are hinting that I have an illicit and inappropriate affair with Alessandra then you are gravely mistaken. You are not to question my virtues nor hers," he answered a little coldly, his gaze just as cold as his tone.

Hye Jin was taken aback by how coldly the Prince spoke to her. She bowed her head. "I apologize if my words offended you, Prince Adrian. It was not my intention," she immediately apologized despite the growing irritation and anger she felt towards the handmaiden.

Adrian softened his tone. "I am sure you did not intend to offend. Do not concern yourself with it," he looked down at the box in his hands. "I appreciate your concern and thoughtfulness. I will put your gift to good use." Adrian handed Alessandra the box and closed the door behind him.

Hye Jin stared at the door for a while, a disbelieving look on her face before she turned and angrily walked away.

At Hye Jin's words, Alessandra was greatly taken back; Her eyes widened as they filled with tears. Why did she dislike her so much? Just for being a handmaiden, or rather Adrian's handmaiden. Their kiss flashed through her head as her cheeks warmed up. It must have been a mistake. Adrian must have just needed a different kind of care that neither could Alessandra offer to him nor she would. Her eyes widened even more as Adrian actually came to her defense, never in a million years would she have imagined he would do so. She felt slightly relieved as he embarrassed Hye Jin. Hadn't he noticed she was almost all the time like that?

She took the box and watched him in disbelief as he simply closed the door.

''You shouldn't have done so--She is your future Queen. I am just your handmaiden. I can handle a word or two.'' She said, in a way she was thanking him, while just telling him that it was not his responsibility to stand up for her, especially not in front of his future wife. It would only cause trouble.

Adrian looked at Alessandra, his heart accelerating as he remembered the kiss he had shared with her only a few minutes ago. He cleared his throat and shook the memory out of his head. "Then why do you look close to tears? he asked in a lazy tone he almost always used with her. And then he did something completely surprising. He sighed. It was the first time he did it in Alessandra's presence. "There is no need to worry about me. Being Crown Prince lets me get away with a lot of things. And that includes speaking the way I did. I assume Hye Jin will let that pass because of her great desire to become queen," he further surpised her by speaking his honest thoughts out loud.

At the mention of her tears, she averted her eyes to the floor. She never and hoped to never cry in front of him, or anyone in that case. Her head shot up again in surprise as he sighed and actually let her into his thoughts. She blinked as she set the box aside and walked closer to him. ''Do you not like her though?'' She asked as she looked up at him, in a way, she hoped he didn't, yet she hoped he did so he could be marrying someone he actually liked.

"Does it really matter if I do or don't?" he asked. "An arranged marriage is just what it is. A joining of families to strengthen kingdoms or to gain power. There's rarely love or even fondness in it," he said. "The most I can really hope for is that we get along."

Alessandra felt anger once again like she had a few months ago. ''You should never settle for that! I-I-I am sure you can find someone that you can actually love and will also strengthen your kingdom. You just need to try--Prince Adrian you don't deserve just losing everything for your crown.'' She argued as she stepped closer to him, uncontrollably her eyes drifted lips.

"This is the responsibility that comes with the crown. I'm afraid it is something I will not be able to escape even if I wanted to," he stopped and looked thoughtful. He opened his mouth to speak again but hesitated. He looked at Alessandra and noticed her eyes drifting towards his lips. Memories of the kiss they shared came crashing down on Adrian and he turned away in confusion. "I believe I should turn in early tonight. You may take your leave. I would not want to have Hye Jin question your honor again."

Alessandra blinked as he hesitated to continue their conversation. She felt disappointed as he even asked her to leave. ''I will stay if you need me. I am still not comfortable enough leaving you yet.''She said softly as she cleared her throat. ''Or do you really wish for me to go?'' She asked and her tone held some underlying sense of defeat. She knew the kiss was a mistake-- She knew she wasn't supposed to get so close to her Prince.

She does worry about my health. Nothing else, Adrian thought to himself at Alessandra's refusal to go. He looked at her and tried to avoid looking at her lips. If he were to be honest with himself, he would have her stay and continue where they left off. Kissing her was... He stopped himself. Thinking about it was useless and would just confuse him more than it already has. He gave her a cheeky grin. "You may stay if you wish to watch me sleep. Or...Did you want to kiss me again?" he asked, wondering how she would react to his question.

Alessandra's jaw dropped to the floor as he asked her his question. Her cheeks flamed red as she blinked a few times. She cleared her throat and stared at his eyes. ''Does it matter what a mere commoner like I wants? Aren't we here to just serve.'' She asked, or rather stated with a slight smile using two of the statements she had heard at least a couple times. ''If what I want suddenly matters, then yes your majesty, I would like to kiss you again.'' She challenged.

Adrian raised an eyebrow at how boldly Alessandra challenged him. She always was a little outspoken even to him. And perhaps that is the exact reason why he allowed her to stay close to him. She was not at all boring. He crossed the distance that separated them and stood close to her. He looked down into her eyes, his brown eyes dancing with amusement. "Are you certain that you want to kiss me again? Kissing me might come with a hefty price to pay." he challenged back.

Alessandra's breath hitched slightly as he stepped closer to her. She stared up at him with excited,yet wary blue eyes. The corner of her hlips lifted slightly at his question. She stepped even closer to him, their bodies barely separated. ''It is a price I will have to pay, hm?'' She suggested as her eyes drifted to his lips again, slower this time, focusing more on them.

Adrian's eyes drifted down to Alessandra's lips and doing so undid him. He felt that pull, that need to kiss her. And seeing her want it the way he did only made the pull a lot stronger. What in the world has come over you, Adrian Havensworth? the words ran through his head like a far away voice. He didn't care anymore. He would give in to it now and then puzzle it out later. He reached out, laid a hand on her cheek and then leaned down and pressed his lips again on hers.