"Thank you for dinner once again. Please excuse me, I will head back to check on Casimir." I inform the royal couple.

"Glad to see that you've managed to finish your food today, Thank you so much for looking out for him and you can always approach me or Athena if anything." King August says merrily and I can feel a knot in my stomach.

Deception certainly does not feel right.

"Do let the maids know if he needs anything and inform me if Casimir still feels sick." Queen Athena adds on apprehensively, clearly worried about her son.

If only I could tell her that it was just an excuse.

I smile and nod, "Don't worry. I'll make sure the prince is fine."

With that said, I saunter out of the dining room calmly before quickening my pace as I rush towards Casimir's room.

Gosh, I feel guilty.

Never in my life did I think that I would ever have to lie to a royal couple. Especially about their beloved child's safety.

Once I reach the doorstep, I knock against the door in a panic. The door swings open swiftly to reveal a gleeful prince.

"You didn't hit your head... right?" I question, perplexed about his unanticipated exuberance.

Casimir's smile instantly fades as he rolls his eyes.

"Quick, come in."

He grabs onto my arm, pulls me into his room hastily and closes the door behind him. I yank my arm away and frown at him, annoyed by his unnecessary tight grip that did hurt slightly. Though, it was probably unintentional.

"I've been staring at the map connecting Acreria and Vesna for hours now and I also contacted my spies in Vesna. I know where Rosalia was last seen and I think I know how we should go about this." Casimir fills me in on his progress eagerly and my eyes instantly shoots wide open.

"Spies?" I exclaim in shock. "Don't you think they would tell your father? Plus why do you even have spies in Vesna?"

"My father doesn't know about these spies. I was the one who sent them and they're loyal only to me." Casimir answers my question partially and I raise a quizzical eyebrow at him.

"And why exactly did you send them?" I question again but this time suspicion is evident in my voice.

His lips purse into a thin line, then he gulps nervously.

"I needed to know if... was..." He mumbles under his breath and I fail to catch what he said.

"Needed to know what?" I ask, extremely confused.

"I said I needed to know if..." He murmurs inaudibly once again.

"What?"

By now I am feeling exasperated. Can't he just speak up?

"I needed to know if she was okay, alright? It's not that big of a deal." He brushes it off indifferently or at least he was trying to seem nonchalant about it.

Clearly, he is far from moving on.

"Relax, I didn't say it was a big deal," I retort.

Casimir averts his gaze and he starts to rub the back of his neck nervously with his left hand. He then lets out an abrupt sigh before trudging towards his bed where he starts to pack his belongings into a small backpack.

"You should start packing too. We're leaving soon. We'll be stopping by villages so you don't have to overpack." Casimir advises quietly and I decide to follow suit and head back to my room.

I suppose tension is inevitable between us.

♚♚♚

"This is the only way out," Casimir insists.

"You're absolutely out of your mind!" I yell in a whisper.

He lets out a sigh of annoyance and proceeds to toss his bag out of the window. After which, he does the unimaginable.

He jumps out.

Definitely like father like son. They are both secretly suicidal.

My eyes widen in disbelief and my jaw drops. I freeze and it is as if my feet are glued to the ground. Once I finally process what I had just witnessed, I dart towards the window frantically.

To my relief, I spot Casimir in one piece on the ground floor, dusting off leaves that got stuck on him.

"Look, it's not that high." Casimir assures softly.

Normally, if anyone asks, I would say that I am pretty intelligent and logical. Simply stated, I am definitely not dumb. However, perhaps my brain cells decided to take a vacation today.

Stupidly, I decide to take a leap of faith and I fling my bag out of the window.

With that, I jumped too.

"Ouch"

I gradually open my eyes, slightly fearful of what had just happened.

Oh...

I suppose if anyone ever decides to jump out of a window, I would say that it is wiser to have your eyes opened.

"Goodness gracious, you should have hung onto the branch or something. You could have broken a bone or two by falling like that." Casimir points out as he winces in pain.

He had braced my fall and I am practically laying on top of him.

Mortified, I stand up instantly, only to lose my balance and fall back on him.

"Double ouch," Casimir hisses through his gritted teeth.

"I-I'm sorry," I apologise uneasily and this time I simply get off him and sit by the side.

To my surprise, he lets out a soft chuckle and sits up. He then extends his arm towards me and I pull back instinctively.

"Relax, I don't bite." Casimir jokes and proceeds to pick up a leaf that probably got tangled between the strands of my hair. "If only I had known that you were terrified of heights, I'd have just scared you away by dragging you to an amusement park to ride a roller coaster or something. It would've been a lot more fun than burning down someone's apartment."

He then gets up from the ground and offers me a hand which I gladly accept.

"Well, at least you got a blonde chick to stay over at the palace." I tease and nudge his arm with my elbow.

He flinches for a split second but continues to respond normally.

"Oh believe me when I say that I burned down the wrong house. I should've chosen someone else's apartment to incinerate instead. Anything would've been a whole lot better than inviting Ava to the palace. She would never let me hear the end of it. She's been obsessed with the idea that I am secretly in love with her since then."

I completely ignore what he had just said and I lean to the side to look at his arm. It did not take me long to notice a cut on his arm.

Could it have been from the fall?

Realising that I was staring at his wound, he shifts and tries to hide his injury.

"Let's head to the stables. The horses are there. We can't travel the forests by car because there's no road and it'll be subtler with horses." Casimir suggests quickly upon noticing creases that had formed on my forehead due to concern.

"Is that from catching me?" I ask falteringly.

"It's just a small cut. Don't worry about it." Casimir reassures and I bite my bottom lip in guilt, unsure of what to say.

"Thank you," I mumble and he looks at me in surprise.

"You're welcome. It was nothing," Casimir replies and the corners of his lips tug upwards, forming a soft smile.

We amble quietly towards the stables and for the first time in a very long time, I feel peaceful. I did not feel tense or uncomfortable. It just feels serene.

"You know this is why jumping off was a bad idea," I point out.

"What?" He asks quizzically.

"The cut. It could've been avoided," I explain.

"It doesn't hurt at all and to be honest, it was pretty entertaining to see you freak out over it." Casimir banters and I shoot daggers at his comment.

"We could've just lied and said we were going over to Dom's or something." I mention only for him to stop in his tracks which stuns me and causes me to halt as well.

"Well Sherlock, you could've come up with that idea earlier. Though, I don't regret it. It was pretty fun." Casimir laughs it off and continues to walk ahead.

Realising that I am being left behind, I start to walk briskly to catch up to him.

Tranquility once again settles in but it does not last long as Casimir soon interrupts the silence.

"Are you already close to Dom?" He asks randomly.

"I'd very much rather not listen to his endless list of horrible pick up lines," I immediately deny.

"Just be careful. It won't be good if you fall for him. I've seen it happen to girls around him way too many times. Never ends well." Casimir elaborates and I am startled by his advice.

"It won't ever happen." I state confidently and I shiver at the mere thought of getting together with Dominic.

Never.

"You say that with such certainty that I may start to think that you have never been in a relationship." Casimir teases.

I keep mum, uncertain of how I should respond.

"Wait... have you actually not?" Casimir says with such shock that I do not know if I should feel offended.

"Of course I have been in one," I correct him and he simply chuckles.

"Can I ask you something?" He asks.

Curiously, I nod my head.

"Were you ever in love? You know, aside from casual dating and all. Have you properly fallen in love before?"

I am taken aback by his unexpected question. Nonetheless, I choose to reply.

"Perhaps."

"Falling in love is scary, don't you think?" He questions rhetorically and I simply shrug my shoulders.

I wanted to correct him but I held back. After all, we all have our own versions and fears of love.

For me, falling isn't scary. Getting back up is more terrifying.

Weirdly, I feel sorry for him.

He reminds me of the heartbroken soul I was just a few years back. Though, I can't exactly say that I have healed from it or if I ever will.

Heartbreak.

It was heart-wrenching. Mentally torturous. Painful.

Heartbreak was crushed hopes.

Hoping that things may work out again. Hoping that everything would still be the same. Hoping that you would be completely fine without him.

Yet, the world can be merciless. None of those hopes come true.

That's what heartbreak is.

Not hopelessness but rather, a bunch of futile hopes.

But now, heartbreak is emptiness.

That's right.

That is all it is now.