That night I returned to my chambers for tea with Bea. She sat atop my bed with a tray, as usual. Still giddy from my library visit, and _the kiss from Ad, _I joined her.

“Oh no, what’s that look?” She asked, clearly intrigued as to why I was so happy.

I grinned at her. “I kissed Ad.”

Bea gasped. “No! Tell me _everything._” She had a devilish look in her eyes, which I matched.

“Well, it all started when I woke to find another letter at my door, asking me to meet him in the library after the Game, that he had something for me. Oh, and he addressed me as ‘my favorite stranger’.”

“Oh. My. Gods. Another letter!!! That’s so sweet, and ‘my favorite stranger’? Wow, Ismae, this man’s obsessed with you.”

“Right? I’d hope so. Anyways, so after the Game I walk into the library, which, by the way, you’ll have to check out, it’s beautiful. Ad is sitting on a couch, so I sit next to him, and he says that he was worried I was mad at him after the Game!”

“That’s just crazy, you’re all over that man!”

“I know! So after I tell him that I’m not mad, he hands me this box.” I bring out the box, showing Bea the dagger.

She gasped. “Oh, Ismae, this is beautiful! He must’ve had it custom made by the best in the land.”

I nodded. Bea asked, “How did he know you like daggers?”

I smiled. “He knew from studying my _hands._”

“Wow.” She nodded, clearly enjoying my story. “Then did you kiss?”

I nodded, grinning. Bea squealed. “Finally! For the last three days you’ve just been staring into each other’s eyes!”

“I know!” Though it was only a few days, it felt like that kiss had been waiting years. I suddenly remembered the woman Bea had been talking with in the crowd. “Who was that woman you where talking earlier?”

Bea grinned, I raised an eyebrow. “That was Lady Celine, of Gathe. She and I had a lovely conversation in the crowds today and yesterday, and we plan to meet again tomorrow. In the library, actually.”

I grinned back at her. “Maybe you’ll get lucky in there too.”

“Hopefully.”

The words ‘of Gathe’ suddenly reminded me of a vital piece of information I hadn’t told Bea yet. “Bea…”

“Hum?” She looked up at me from her tea. “What is it?”

I hesitated. “Ad isn’t his full name. It’s Adrien. King Adrien.”

Bea’s mouth hung open for a few seconds. “Of Gathe?!”

I nodded. Bea continued. “Ismae, you realize that you’ve just fallen for the most eligible bachelor King who just so happens to rule over the most powerful kingdom, and is the sole heir to the most powerful and magic bloodline to date?!”

I nodded again, sheepishly. Bea gasped. “And he’s fallen for you. Oh, you’ve fallen for each other.”

“Yes.” I whispered. You’d think a romance would fill me with joy and excitement, and it did, but it was also terrifying. What was I doing, falling for a man like Ad?

Bea looked at me with pity, as if sensing my inner emotions. “It’s getting late, I should let you get to sleep.” I nodded as she began packing the tray and walking to the door. “Goodnight, Ismae. I’ll see you in the morning.” She turned and left, closing the door gently behind her.

I sighed, suddenly overcome with exhaustion and longing for my bed. Already in my night clothes I blew out the light on my bedside and slid under the cover. When the dark calmness of sleep came, I welcomed it.

—————

When I woke I felt very refreshed, ready for another day. Unsure of what the Game was today, I dressed in comfortable trousers and a flowy tunic, strapping my new dagger at my side. I tied my hair off in a braid and made my way to the door, hoping to find another letter from Ad, _Adrien_. I still couldn’t believe he was the King.

Just as I had hoped, waiting at my door was another letter. It read:

_Dear _rurulaic

_Walk down the corridor, and take a left when you see the large potted plant._

_Yours, Ad_

I questioned what ‘_rurulaic’ _meant as I walked down the hall, following Ad’s instructions when I saw a pot filled with an assortment of flowers. I’d never heard the word before, and wondered what language it was from.

I was now in an even longer corridor, lined with large windows letting in the morning light. And there stood Ad, looking out said windows. He turned when he heard my footsteps.

“Hello, Ismae.” He smiled, eyes lit with happiness.

“Hello, Adrien.” I smiled back. “Was there something you wanted me to see here?” I asked as I looked out the window. The view was spectacular, crystal lakes reflected the sun and a city was visible in the distance. The mountain that hosted the first Game was also just a ways off from here. But there was nothing out of the ordinary.

“No,” He said, not looking at the view, but at me. “I just wanted to see you.”

I blushed, looking away. “what’s _rurulaic _mean?”

Now it was his turn to blush, which he did profusely, even placing a hand behind his neck. “It um, means ‘my beloved’ in the ancient language of Gathe.”

I must’ve looked stunned, because I was. He began apologizing. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’ve-“

I put a finger to his lips, quieting him, suddenly with a boost of confidence. I brought my mouth to his ear, and whispered, “Hush, _rurulaic. _You apologize too much.”

He stayed silent for a second, and I worried I had crossed a line. Then he pulled me close with one hand on my hip, the other cradling my face as he leaned down. He then kissed me, sweetly, passionately, lovingly. I wrapped my hands around his neck, kissing back with just as much emotion. We stayed like that for a while.

Eventually, I pulled back, yet remained pressed against him. “If we stay like this we’ll miss the Game.”

He looked into my eyes, staring for a while. “I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. They’re not required for us to go, just preferred.”

“But-“

He copied my action from earlier, pressing a finger to my mouth and leading down to my ear. “Hush, _rurulaic. _Being_ _King of the host Kingdom has its privileges.”

I stayed like that for a few seconds, understanding the shock and pleasure that Ad himself had just experienced. I brought my lips to his, kissing him for a few seconds before pulling away. “Alright then, what should we do?”

—————

What we did was run. Laugh. Kiss. We just enjoyed the day, running through sunlit hallways, laughing when one of us tripped or said something. We kissed in hidden corridors, even though we had no one to hide from. The castle was empty, everyone at the Game.

“This way.” Ad said as he led me through another empty hallway, holding my hand. This one was on the highest floor.

A question sprung into my mind. “Why did you intoduce yourself as Ad, when you could chose any name?”

He looked at me, some kind of sadness flashing through his eyes. “My… family would always call me Ad.” He whispered.

My heart ached. The family that he had lost, so young. “Do you… want me to call you Ad?”

He thought for a second, and nodded. “Yes. I think I’d like you to call me Ad.”

A bit of happiness burst through the heartache. Adrien wanted me to call him Ad, the name his family had known him by. I was honored.

We countinued on, Ad leading me further I to the castle. Eventually we came to a stop before a set of doors.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“The the private library of the royal family.” He pushed open the doors, revealing a beautiful space, filled with book shelves and a large desk. It was smaller than the other library, but just as beautiful. A stained glass ceiling let in the mid-day light, illuminating the room.

Ad took my hand, and led me over to the large desk. It was clattered with loose papers and a few open books, but in a neat kind of way. Ad pointed to a painting hanging above the desk.

“That was my mother.” My heart dropped, for a viriaty of reasons. This woman had the same kind eyes and deep bronze skin as Ad, and was smiling warmly just like him. “She would have loved you.” He said softly.

If possible, my heart dropped further. Oh, how was I going to tell him?

“Ismae? Are you okay?” As noticed I hadn’t moved since seeing the painting. “What is it?” He took both my hands in his, looking me in the eyes.

“I- there was a man who found something out that could cause Milsglade to crumble. My family found out, and sent me to assasinate him.” I couldn’t believe I was telling Ad everything, but it all spilled out. “There was a ball, and I poisoned his cup. I placed it at his spot at the table, and waited. But a woman switched spots with him.” My voice broke, tears coming.

Ad looked scared to here my story, understandably. “What are you saying, Ismae?”

“I’m- I’m saying that that woman was your mother, Ad! I’m saying that I killed you mother!” I cried, tears staring to roll down my face. He had trusted me with calling him Ad, cared for me so much. And I had killed his mother, the only family he had had left.

Ad dropped my hands, hurt and betrayal pouring off him. I couldn’t stay here, watching him, so I fled. I ran as fast as I could out and back to my room. Ad didn’t try to stop me.

———————

……..yeah, plot twist. Very fun to write, so I hope you enjoyed!!! Part 5 coming as soon as possible.❤️❤️❤️