Isadora had just decided to cross the hallway in a hurry when that familiar yet annoying voice called her, stopping her on her tracks. Meeting with Roselyn was the last thing she had on her wish list. But now that she had called her, she could not avoid her. If she continued on her trail without answering her call, that would raise some brows, and that was the last thing she wanted. Not until she had made sure Alexander got the antidote.

But what would happen next was what that made her worry. Of course she would not here forever, and her disguise would not last that long. Lord Richard wouldn’t hesitate to have her executed. But if Alexander would be fine by then, he would prove her innocence. That’s why she wanted to help him regain his health before her head got separated from her body.

A familiar voice sounded in the distant and she now lifted her face to only be met by a probing gaze from Roselyn. Her eyes shifted to the back of the hallway and she saw Lord Richard speaking with another man who was dressed like a royalty. He looked like a Lord or a king. Lord Richard threw a glance her way and their gazes met sending a bolt of fear down her heart. His gaze lingered longer on her and she could see him crease his brows before he turned to look at the man he was talking to. Oh! Right. Roselyn had asked her something, but what?

"How may I help you, Your Highness?" She enquired adopting a softer tone. But deep inside, she was loathing with hatred. She shifted her gaze on Roselyn’s face and saw the look of disappointment on it. Was she expecting to see someone else? But she had made sure to look unrecognizable. Even her dark hair had now turned a bit brown and paler.

"Bring me and my mother two glasses of water," Roselyn said getting out of her dazed state.

"Right away Your Highness," she bowed and left. Roselyn watched her retreating back with a dissatisfied look on her face. She was sure she had never seen that maid yet something about her seemed familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Maybe she was just overthinking.

"You seem interested in that maid," her mother chimed in walking closer to where Roselyn stood. Roselyn watched until she disappeared out of sight before turning to look at her mother.

"I just thought it was someone else. How can I associate with maids?" She scoffed at her mother’s line of thought. She was a princess after all. How could she associate with those lowly beings. Little did she know that there was a princess somewhere who had turned herself into a lowly being due to love. And here she was, claiming that she loved Alexander. What exactly had she done to prove her love for Alexander? Nothing! Mere words with no actions meant nothing.

Isadora released a silent sigh once she was out of Roselyn’s sight. She was not going to the kitchen. Never! What if she stumbled across Jessica? The head maid knew every face of any maid working in this palace. Her disguise would only bring her trouble if she stumbled across her. She would definitely call the guards and she would be executed on the spot. Infiltrating the castle was regarded as treason, and it was even more worse if the culprit came from another kingdom. That could even spark a war between the two kingdoms involved. She would first be tortured before she got killed in the most gruesome way.

Pushing the thoughts at the back of her mind, she took notice of her surroundings when she noticed Alexander’s room. A knight was standing on the door talking with someone from inside. The look on his face was that of awe and surprise. It was like he had seen a ghost or the devil’s incarnate. This piqued her interest and she found herself taking measured steps towards his room.

Her heart was now hammering incessantly inside her chest with every step she took. She missed to hold his face in her hands and have a taste of those alluring lips of his. She remembered their last kiss and ripples of heat spread across her body like lightning. She missed to feed him, to hug him, she just missed everything about him. But now that he was arms reach away, why did she feel like she was not ready? Why? Why did she feel like he would not acknowledge her presence.

Ah! Right. Her disguise. She had almost forgotten about it. But would she let it fall? But there was a knight standing at the door. What if he recognized her? She was not ready to go back to that dungeon. At least not until she was sure Alexander was at his best. She had got so much engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn’t recognize someone step out of the room and was now heading her way. She almost ran into him, bumping on his chest.

That scent! It smelt exactly like the garden in Alexander’s chamber. She could hear his heart beating inside his chest and as his chest heaved up and down. It was then that she realized she was so close. Her cheeks burned red as she took a few steps back. She couldn’t help but act like a girl in front of him.

She slowly lifted her gaze taking in every inch of his body until her gaze landed on his face. Wait! What was with that face? She creased her brows making Alexander to frown as he looked at her questioningly. She had just ran into him and she was looking at him as if he had a devil’s horn on his forehead.

Isadora was surprised by the look on Alexander’s face. He looked as beautiful as she could remember, but he now looked a bit younger. He looked boyish and way too young, like a 18-year-old boy. Maybe that was the reason the knight from earlier looked stunned.

"Don’t you watch where you are going?" He asked in a harsh tone. She looked him in the eye and she could tell something was different with them. Their burning intensity had now increased and something different could be felt coming from him. A dangerous aura leaked from him, making her to stiffen when he asked that question.

"I’m sorry Your Highness," she said taking another step back instinctively. He just scoffed and walked past her without even sparing her another glance. Isadora was pissed off by him. Why could he not recognize her? If Roselyn was suspicious, the Alexander would have been more than that. But how he reacted, it was like he had never seen her. Maybe he didn’t recognize her in the disguise. That was at least what she presumed.

But he looked fine! He in fact looked more healthier than she had thought she would find him to be. And something was different in him. The aura he leaked was one akin to that of her uncle, Griffin. Was he....? Ah! No! That couldn’t be it. She shook the thought out of her head. Both his parents were Valorian and every one knew about it. It was therefore silly for her to have thought of such a thing. But what had happened to him that he changed so much?