While the girls were having lunch at one of the food stalls Quinus was sitting on the balcony with Hilda. It was apart of Duval's plan to force him to have only time with the Alliance Princess.

Quinus wasn't pleased by this but he did it reluctantly. Hilda for her part was excited but nervous. All she was trained to do was sit silently and wait to be spoken to for her future husband. And the first two days with Quinus was nothing but dead, awkward, silence between the two of them. She was beginning to panic about their situation. Because she saw how he acted around that Dark Elf during all the joint dinners with nobles and the Royals. Hilda saw how she would initiate the conversation with him. How she would tease him and how he would tease her back. Hilda saw how they flirted with one another and how he would stare at the Dark Elf. Hilda saw his eyes roam her body. She saw everything, and she knew that she had to step up her game. Leandra didn't really help with giving her any pointers for flirting and her half-brother started to berate the few times she met with him after Iyomelka showed favor towards her. She had done the worst sin possible in the eyes of the Divine Three, she gained the favor of one of a god from another religion. She knew there was no going back to the Alliance after what happened in the Temple of Balance, but she had to do it to stop the Dark Elf. Unfortunately, Iyomelka also showed favor towards Rya and two more false Goddesses formed on the Idol. It made her worry that Iyomelka was a Dark Goddess, and if a Dark One showed favor towards her then maybe she was destined to become evil. Which was a scary thought and she prayed vigorously to the Divine Three to forgive her for what she's done and promise to bring the word of the Divine Three to Fiafyr once she stops the corruption of the Dark Elf. Luckily Marquess Duval and Duchess Leandra were still in her corner and a new development was that Rya's appetite seemed to have grown this second week of observing her during the dinners.

It was by the end of day three when she noticed that the Dark Elf was looking shapelier and motherly. It wasn't obvious at first but Hilda noticed that her stomach looked a little bloated then last week. And Rya hid it well due to her already seductive, curvy figure but her stomach was fighting against her corsets and it got more prominent when she indulged herself after lighting up the Idol.

Hilda thought that Rya was rubbing it in by eating and drinking the delicious and extravagant food and drinks. She had the audacity to sit and eat the food that was for the Royals only. She was a Dark Elf, a disgusting monster that didn't belong at a royal banquet. But then when her belly was stuffed full, Rya's dress looked like it was fighting to keep her breasts covered, and her butt was starting to strain against the fabric of her dress. It was when her corset couldn't hide her ever growing stomach even so slightly was when she knew the Goddess must have cursed her instead of blessing her. Hilda saw the slight discomfort in the Dark Elf's face and it brought a smile to her lips. She might have worried that this Dark Elf was pregnant at first due to all the fooling around her and the Prince did but after reading up on Female Elves' birthing cycles she found out that they can only can get pregnant every ten to fifteen years. So it was highly unlikely that she was pregnant and that she was cursed with an ever-growing appetite and weight gain by the Goddess.

Hilda knew that it was only a matter of time before Rya was found out to reverse what ever Divine intervention she was getting. Then Hilda would be able to take her rightful place as the Queen of Fiafyr. But the fact that the Crown Prince seemed to flirt with her more the shapelier Rya got was infuriating. Sure it wasn't obvious to tell that Rya had grown a bit but sooner or later it was going to catch someone's attention. But the thing that worried Hilda the most was that Rya seemed to have a lot of the male nobility coming to her side due to her advice for dealing with issues within Major Lords' domains. The two Barons two the south, Eamon Stirling and Thaddeus Windermere, were starting to side with the Crown Prince after they finalized their trade deal with the Earl and Queen Nefer Aquarius of the Kartoll Kingdom. The other Major House that took interest in Rya was Baroness Ysandra Fairchild who's domain was to the far Northeast. Ysandra got word from her younger sister, Saffron L. Fairchild, Headmaster of the Arcane Institute of Magic, that Rya was a multi-elemental Mage through Archmage Hajdah, The Fire Mage of Ironside. Saffron wished to bring Rya to the Arcane Institute of Magic to teach her professors in the ways of wordless casting and to see if she can help with more arcane breakthroughs, like what she did for the Ironside Mage's Guild.

Hilda knew that Duval was struggling to hold his grip on Parliament and that losing anymore support would mean the peace treaty with the Holy Alliance would end and the Fiafyr Kingdom could possibly fall to the combined might of the Human Kingdoms once the word got out that a Dark Elf were to marry the Crown Prince. Hilda wished she could come up with economic policies to get the attention of the Major Lords but she wasn't trained for it and listening in on it make her head spin. She didn't know how that Dark Elf was so good at it and wished she could at least understand some basics just so she didn't feel like a fool. But that wasn't possible for right now. She conceded that Rya was far superior it this area of politics to challenge her and poor Duval was struggling to right the ship because of that Dark Elf who was taking up so much of the Crown Prince's time was outwitting him with every smart-ass retort. In his eyes, she was far more worse than Alaric who's been laying low every since Iyomelka's ritual. He would get a message every once in a while telling him to support his wife with the Ladies of the court. It makes the Prime Minister uneasy with how the Duke was being silent, and not trying anything to disrupt the peace talks, which Duval knew he was against.

Duval's only hope was that the Dark Elf wouldn't win any more hearts and that the Crown Prince would start talking to Hilda during their one on ones, so she could work her natural charms on him. She knew she needed to make the most of these opportunities, so by the third day, she started initiating the conversations. It didn't go well at first, but by the seventh day, while Rya had her wardrobe malfunction. Hilda began to crack Quinus' stoney defenses.

***

The sun was up and the breeze was gentle. It was the first time in days, the sky had been clear. Hilda was making sure that her table arrangements were just right. She had a special tea prepared.

"This is for the Crown Prince." She said and placed the cup to the left of the saucer. "And this one is for me." She placed the second cup directly across from the Crown Prince.

She took the teapot and poured a bit of tea into the Crown Prince's cup. Dori was standing off to the side and watched the two on the balcony overlooking the gardens.

Quinus had a skeptical look that he had whenever Hilda tried something to get him to talk.

"Come now. You haven't touched your tea yet and it's already cold." Hilda said as she placed the pot down.

Quinus picked up the tea cup and held it to his lips.

'Haah... Here we go again... I wish she would find someone else to bother.' He thought to himself. 'I mean, she is gorgeous and is she wearing dresses with deeper necklines and her chest looks more exposed than usual... Wait, did I just think that?'

The Crown Prince took a sip and placed the tea cup back on the saucer.

'Damn. It's really good. Haah... She would make somebody really happy... It just not going to happen with me... Maybe I need to break it to her gently that she should try finding someone else...'

"Well? Is it not to your liking?" Hana asked while looking at the Prince with a bit of worry

Quinus couldn't keep being cold to her, but he knew that his heart already belonged to another.

"No, it's fine. It's very delicious." Quinus said.

"Oh, wonderful! I made it myself, you know. Just for you." Hilda said excitedly.

The way the Princess reacted was adorable and it made the Prince feel a little guilty for not having his heart in their arranged marriage.

'I starting to feel like a piece of shit... Fuck!... I did the Alliance pick her!... Grr! Because they want me to marry and fuck her you moron!?... Haah... They really did their homework on this one...' Quinus thought.

"So, what's on the agenda for today, your Highness?" Hilda asked.

"Uhm. I have to design some plans to construct an aqueduct for Edermines City. It's a town located west of here... In the Eder Hills Domain... I promised the Mayor that I would come up with a plan... I have a good supply of fresh water that is on higher ground then the town, which is the tricky part... I probably will need to hire a artificer to help us create a water pump to bring the water up to the aqueduct, and then use gravity to let the water flow down into the city's cisterns..."

Hilda was beyond over the moons when Quinus started answering her, but at the same time, she started to panic. Sure she hear everything the Prince said, but it was over her head. She was taught all about was how to use Fiafyrian etiquette, how to be a wife and how to have children. Which Hilda didn't mind doing, but she didn't have any experience with the outside world, and she's only been away from her Kingdom. So she doesn't have the best understanding of the outside world.

Quinus saw Hilda with a smile on her face but her violet eyes looked lost and confused which made the Crown Prince want to smirk at how adorable she was.

Quinus took another sip of the excellent tea before setting it back on the saucer.

"If there's something that you aren't sure about. Don't be afraid to ask." Quinus said.

Hilda was shocked to be found out and quickly used a fake chuckle while waving her right hand dismissible, "Oh, you!... I don't want to bother you with trying to teach me things that I don't deserve to know."

Quinus smirked before he shook his head slightly, "And why is this subject is something that is above you, your Highness?"

Hilda was surprised by this response. She was always told that if she bothers men with asking about their work, they'll get annoyed and possibly angry. It was a woman's job to make things pleasant for a man. That's why she was so excited about being able to brew tea, which she had no experience doing until now.

"I wouldn't want to be a bother." Hilda replied while taking a sip of her tea to calm her nerves.

"Well, I would never consider a conversation about this sort of thing a bother. I find it in good practice to talk to people who have no experience in the things that I like to get a different perspective... Sure most of the time it's me explaining more about the engineering side than anything else... But sometimes I get a knew idea from talking to a non-engineer, and it gives me a new approach. So, if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them to the best of my abilities."

Hilda's mind was trying to understand what Quinus just said. He was to be her future husband and he was willing to have a conversation with her about his work. It made her feel like this was too good to be true. But then she remembered what her father said, 'A woman has two goals in her life. One is to have a child for the family. And the second is to support the man she's married to.' She originally hated this line of thinking and thought Prince Quinus was going to be like every noble man she'd seen in the Alliance. Cold, dismissive, and rude. But every interaction she saw when he was with that Dark Elf slowly started to change her mind. He would listen to her, flirt with her, make her feel embarrassed and she would do the same to him and he would smile at her with the most radiant smile she'd ever seen. Hilda thought that this Dark Elf had cast a spell on him to act in such a way and she thought she needed to save him from being controlled. But now she was starting to realize that this wasn't the case. Quinus not only respected women, but he valued them as equals. She could tell the difference between a man who is pretending to treat her better and a man who truly believed in it. Quinus was the latter. She felt her cheeks start to turn red and quickly took a sip of her tea.

Quinus could tell that he was making her blush, "Do you have a question?"

'S-Should I ask?... But it's not my place to ask, right?...' Hilda was struggling with the question. It would be improper to ask such a question that was outside her station. But, she was so curious about what he did and what he was working on.

"Are you sure you don't have a question for me? I promise I won't bite," Quinus joked, and then took a sip of his tea.

Hilda looked at him and saw him smiling at her and her face was still red. She took a deep breath and asked, "What exactly is a aqueduct, and how is it useful?"

Quinus' face brightened and said, "Aqueducts are an artificial channel for conveying water, typically in the form of a bridge across a valley or other gap. There purpose is to provide water from a distance and distribute it to different sections of a city."

Hilda tilted her head slightly, "How does it do that?"

"Aqueducts are built with an elevated section and a lower channel. Think of it as a bridge for water," Quinus said, and then started drawing a picture. "You see these small stones, the aqueducts are designed like this, and the water is moved down this channel, where it can be delivered to various points of the city or a town. And Edermine City doesn't have the greatest source of water after a monster destroyed the grounds to the north west of the town. Cutting off the flow of water, and forcing the people of the city to buy water from the merchants or hire a water mage to fill up a reservoirs."

"I'm assuming the water mages aren't cheap," Hilda said.

"No, they aren't," Quinus sighed, "They can charge a premium and get away with it. Because they are needed in the world of the arcane and defense of monsters attacks. There's a few water mages that live in the Capital and one who lives in Ironside but none of them live close enough to Edermine."

Hilda smiled, "So you're going to build a new aqueduct, and you're planning on hiring some workers to help construct it."

Quinus smiled and said, "That's correct. But we need to research the geography of the area and how far the aqueduct has to go, to transport the water back to the town."

"Huh?... That makes a lot of scene," Hilda said and Quinus gave her a questioning look. Hilda elaborated, "I've never really seen an aqueduct in action before, so it was hard for me to picture what it is. But, after you described it, it all makes sense."

"Well?... If you want. You can see three of them in action right here in the Capital. One near the center, one to the west and another to the south east. But they are quite a walk away," Quinus said.

Hilda's face beamed, "I would love too!... Where are they located?"

"W-Well... I don't have a map... But I can grab one later to show you," Quinus said, and then continued, "And if we have time after the meeting with my father tomorrow. We can head over to the central aqueduct... It's nothing too exciting but you'll see it working. And, you'll be able to get an idea of what to expect when I start building an aqueduct."

"I would really like that," Hilda said, and then her gaze softened, "I never thought men could be so... Patient with a woman."

Quinus' face became serious, he knew that women weren't held in high regard in the Alliance, and seeing her smile made him realize something, "You've never been allowed out before have you?"

"No... No, I haven't... B-But that's fine! I perfectly fine with staying in the palace or a room... I don't need to go outside," Hilda said and averted her eyes.

Quinus guilt came back again and he opened up to Hilda without even noticing. He felt like shit when he knew he was going to break her heart if he continued. He needed to plant the seed that she my need to look elsewhere for a husband.

"H-Hilda?... Why don't you try and find someone who would appreciate you?" Quinus asked.

"Why are you saying that? I-I was chosen by the Divine Three to be your wife... I will admit that I thought you were like all the men I knew before... But that wicked creature is using you. She is tainting you with her body," Hilda said, as her face turned angry.

Quinus was silent and was going to say something until Hilda continued, "I know what I must do, and I will make you realize that she is only using you. She is using her body to control you or maybe it cast a spell on you. But I will save you from her wiles. Just give me some time," Hilda said.

'She doesn't get it... She's blinded by her faith to see that Rya isn't like what the Alliance is telling them. How can I convince her?... Is this the wrong thing to do?' Quinus thought.

Quinus was conflicted because he could see a world where Hilda and Rya could be good friends. Hilda who is a strong willed girl was wants to learn while Rya is a understanding and calm woman who loves to help teach those willing to learn. Rya also knows a lot about plants and would probably have a lot to talk to Hilda about. But at the same time Rya didn't want to have anything to do with her and Hilda was the same way.

Quinus sighed as he knew, this girl's feelings were going to be hurt. No matter what he did.

"Hilda... If you aren't going to be my wife in the future and everything that comes with it. What will you do?" Quinus asked.

Hilda's face froze and her eyes widened at his words. "I-I will be a good wife for you! You just have to realize that you are being controlled by her!"

"Hilda... Please answer me," Quinus said.

Hilda went quiet for a moment and looked down as she spoke, "I-I don't know... I probably be executed for my sins... Or I will go to the nunnery where I give away all my possessions. Then devote my life to the Three."

Quinus' heart sank and he could hear the fear and pain in her voice.

'She'll get executed for sinning? How the fuck did this girl sin?' Quinus thought.

Then Quinus' anger was growing and his thoughts became angrier but he couldn't show it in front of her.

"What have you done to sin?" Quinus questioned.

Hilda looked at Quinus with a puzzled look. She thought it was obvious and didn't understand why Quinus didn't know.

"Well?... I'm wearing revealing clothing, my breasts are too big, I spoke up against Prince Terenthiel and my half-brother, and the worst of all was praying to a false Idol and that Goddess showed favor toward me," Hilda listed off.

"You will be executed for any of those things? You did nothing wrong..." Quinus said with a hint of worry.

Hilda was touched and was confused as she thought, 'He's worried for me? Why is he showing kindness toward me?'

"T-Thank you," Hilda said, "But I still sinned and if I fail to be married by you then that would mean the Divine Three were wrong to choose me. That would be another sin that I must answer too... But it wouldn't be too bad though..."

Quinus was confused and he didn't like how she was thinking of herself.

"Why wouldn't it be bad?... I'd rather not have someone as innocent as you executed for nothing," Quinus said.

Hilda gave him a sad smirk, "Well... If I were to be executed for my sins, then I will be reunited with my mother."

Quinus was speechless and all he did was stay silent while looking at her with pity.

"You didn't know about my mother?... Well... She was the youngest daughter of a royal family in a conquer Kingdom... My father said she used witchcraft on him to seduce him, and she gave birth to me... She payed you for sins when I was a little girl... I thought my life was going to be a nun for the Divine Three but when Prophet Paul said I was to be married to you, I thought that the Gods had forsaken me," Hilda explained, "And if you were a cruel tyrant or if you were an ugly, hideous monster, then I would accept my fate... I was wrong... You are nothing like I had imagined you to be... But if I fail to save you and I return to pay for my sins, then I will at least get to be with my mother."

Quinus felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach. He had a sudden urge to comfort her and hug her, and he didn't know why. From what he had seen she didn't deserve anything she got and she wasn't at fault for being alive. He felt helpless and he wished he knew a way to save her from this fate. He would do almost anything to help her. Anything but marrying her. He just met her and he wasn't willing to give up Rya. She was his everything and his only link to Earth.

He felt a slight tear coming from his right eye which he wiped away as stealthily as possible.

"Ahem!... Um... This is very good tea," Quinus picked up his cup and finished it.

Hilda recomposed herself and gave a nod, "Yes. It's the best tea I've ever had... Thank you for listening to me... I... Nevermind," Hilda looked down into her lap, "I have no idea why I told you this. But I have a feeling I can trust you... I just have this strange feeling."

They say their silently for a minute when a knocking came from the door. Dori's attention was drawn from their conversation and went to open the door.

She cracked open the door and saw Quinus' retainers standing there.

"Excuse us, but Lord Johan has arrived in the palace for a meeting with his, Lordship," Sir George said.

"Alright. I'll get his Highness. Please come in and take a seat," Dori opened the door and the duo entered.

Dori walked over to the balcony.

"Your Highness... Your retainers have a message about Lord Johan's arrival. Do you need anything before your departure?"

Quinus took a deep breath and turned his head towards the living room.

"No. I will be fine. Thank you, Miss Dori," Quinus stood up and looked at Hilda who stood up as well. "It was a pleasure, Princess Hilda..."

"Please call me Hilda, Prince Quinus," Hilda curtsied and smiled.

"Then please call me, Quinus," Quinus bowed.

"It was a pleasure, Prince Quinus," Hilda smiled and sat down in her seat.

Quinus glanced at her one more time before he turned on his heels and met up with Sir George and Percy.

The two saluted their Lord and followed him out of the room.

Hilda watched as Quinus left her quarters. For the first time she had hope. Maybe... Just maybe...

"My Lady. May I ask why you decided to open up to his Highness, Prince Quinus?" Dori asked.

Hilda smiled and looked up into the sky, "I... Don't know... He's not like any man I've met... It's hard to explain... It's like I can feel my soul is being pulled to his."

"Soulmate, My Lady?" Dori asked.

"I don't know what's a Soulmate is. But I want to find out," Hilda had a determined look in her eyes.