It was evening, just a few hours after I returned to the castle. I was sitting in my room with my ladies in waiting, drinking tea. I kept replaying the sight I saw in my head. Did he really have to keep it from me that he was meeting her?

Eventually, one of my ladies in waiting noticed my lengthy silence.

"Your Highness, are you feeling alright today?"

"Yes. I'm just still a bit tired from today's work earlier. But I'll be fine."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Then a servant poked his head through it.

"Your Highness. His Highness, Prince Antonio, requests your presence."

I stood up from my chair as all of my ladies in waiting looked at me with concern.

"Very well," I said as I began to follow the servant out the door.

I followed the servant all the way to the castle's entryway doors. When I walked outside, the prince was standing at the bottom of the castle's steps. He was looking very anxious, and he kept fidgeting with his hands. As much as I wondered what he could possibly want right now, I decided to remain at the top of the steps until he spoke first.

"Kai."

"What do you want?"

"I have something to ask you."

"Oh?"

"Yes, see, remember that friend we talked about last night?"

"What about her?"

"Well, she really needs a place to stay that's safe. I told her that maybe you would allow her to stay in a room in the castle for a few days."

Is he mad? I found I couldn't say anything in response to that. All I could simply do was stare at him. He looked like he was about to say something else, possibly to reiterate his question, when someone yelled his name.

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"Antonio!"

Just then, a very chubby girl in tattered clothing appeared out of nowhere, running towards him. In a second, I recognized her as the girl I saw hug him hours earlier.

"Kendyl?!" the prince said as she landed in his arms.

A flicker of anger washed through me as I wondered just how close these two were for this girl to address this prince with utter informality.

Suddenly, this girl, Kendyl apparently, started to cry in the prince's arms.

"What's wrong? And what are you doing here?"

"I...I was attacked. I didn't know what to do, so I just came here, hoping to find help, hoping I'd find YOU."

"It's ok. No one will hurt you. I'm here."

Kendyl continued to cry as I watched from atop the stairs. No one said anything else until suddenly, she stopped crying and looked up at me.

"You...you must be the princess of Morado. I heard so much about you. Maybe you can help me."

When I didn't say anything, she spoke again.

"Your castle is so beautiful, and it's very large. That means you have plenty of room. Can I please stay with you? I have nowhere else to go, and I'm really scared."

I weighed the options in my head. I honestly didn't want to help this girl. In fact, the more I looked at her, the angrier I became. But I also knew that if I didn't help her, I could be labeled as a selfish and cruel princess, unwilling to help others in need. But what bothered me even more was allowing whatever filthy relationship the prince and this girl had to continue to thrive in my own residence. Moreover, something was telling me that this girl was trouble. I hated that this meeting seemed arranged with the intention of putting me on the spot, and who knows what could go wrong in my castle with this girl around. I also didn't know just how long she intended to stay. Having thought this through, I finally had an answer for her.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

Kendyl's eyes then started to tear up, which eventually lead to her sobbing again in the prince's arms.

"Why won't you let her stay? Can't you see she's all messed up and scared? She has nowhere else to go."

"I believe it is in our best interests that we don't allow her to stay here."

"What do you mean, 'it's in our best interests to not let her stay'? She needs help. Look how scared she is. The very least you can do is give her a room to be in for just a few days until she feels better."

I couldn't believe that he was telling me that I'm obligated to allow anyone to stay in MY castle because he thinks I should. Then, a sudden question popped in my head.

"If I allow this girl to stay, where will you be, Prince?"

"I'll always be here in the castle to watch over her and make sure she's doing well."

"...Precisely why It's good for her to not be here. That's final."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked back into the castle.