章 42: The Lonely Bird

SPADE HAD LED Alice out into the courtyard right outside the palace. While it wasn't as fancy and extravagant as the rose garden she had the luxury of visiting, the lawn outside was still as splendid as ever. Roses, the seemingly favorite flower of the royal family, were at their most beautiful. Summer was the season that they thrived in.

Under the glaring sunlight, the duo strolled leisurely. The temperature was scorching and immensely unbearable. However, for some reason, it didn't seem to matter to Alice. She couldn't really feel the beads of perspiration drenching her corset nor could she feel the sticky sheen across her skin. In her mind, there was only the dark-haired prince, walking right by her side. His steps were not slow or fast, always making sure to keep with whatever pace she was comfortable with.

"Are you really planning to do something like that?" At last, Alice could no longer contain her curiosity. She had to ask. "I don't know how these things work. Where I'm from, it gets messy but never as bad as some rumors I hear about foreign royals. Are you really going to…"

She couldn't finish her sentence. At least not in the palace where there were eyes and ears watching and listening everywhere.

"Aren't you a curious bird?" Spade smirked.

"You were the one that incited this curiosity," Alice countered. "But I understand if it's a sensitive topic. Palace walls don't make for safe havens, after all."

Sighing deeply, Spade shook his head.

"It's not that I don't wish to share, Alice. Rather, I think it's better for you if you don't know these things. As you said, things can get messy and if they do, you will be dragged into it just because you know things. Hence, it's better to be left in the dark."

"I understand." Alice nodded. "I represent the House of Ragan as well. I am no doubt the target of many onlookers just by being your friend. It must be troublesome for you."

They stood on different sides. If Hartley and Spade were competitors for the throne, and Wyatt was Hartley's assistant, that must mean that Spade was an enemy to the Ragans. There was no way that no politics would be involved in Wyatt's job.

"Not as much as it might be for you," Spade pointedly said, gesturing in the direction of Hartley's bedroom. "You're caught in between a lot of people."

"It seems like I am," Alice agreed. "However, for some reason, I still feel so alone."

Spade paused, refusing to walk even a single step further as he looked at Alice with curiosity. His eyes were a little wider than usual, staring her way as he waited for her to continue. When he noticed that she wasn't going to, he licked his bottom lip, taking a deep breath before daring himself to ask.

"What makes you say that?"

"It's nothing in particular," Alice replied, shrugging. "I think it's because the more I talk, the more I feel the judgment people harbor for me. This stems a little from my own insecurities, I think, being so far away from where I am originally from. It's like how a small-town girl will feel after being thrust into the big city." Spade frowned at her odd choice of words but Alice didn't notice his expression. She continued, "I don't mean for it to be offensive but I do feel… sometimes… I think that no one really understands me. With so many people around me, it just makes me feel… sad. Sad that despite all the human bodies I roam with, no one gets my predicament. I am… still alone."

"Do you feel like the capital is a cage?" Spade questioned.

"Not so much a cage, rather a whole different continent. The birds are migrating but it seems like I am the only one that went the wrong direction."

At her words, the leaves on the trees a distance away started rustling, the wind picking up to create the sound. A flock of birds emerged from behind in a timely manner as if to further back up Alice's words. Their beautiful wings flapped under the sun, bringing them soaring across to new horizons. Once, Alice was like them. She wanted to visit somewhere she had never been, own a life she could never have even with all the riches in the world. The woman in the woods had made it possible for her with just a single candle and a night's sleep.

Yet, the grass was also greener on the other side. Humans had always been such fickle creatures, after all.

"I was the one that yearned for this," Alice confessed. "I wanted this life so badly and my wish was granted. But now… Now I kinda wanna go back."

"Please forgive me for this," she heard Spade say.

Then, without warning, she felt a pair of warm hands pull her close until her face was plastered against Spade's broad chest. She could feel the thump of his heartbeat right by her ear, the sound an ever-present constant with how they were positioned. Alice was from the future, the world of the twenty-first century where such things between men and women were nothing but friendly. So, it didn't seem like a big deal for her to reach out and hold him back.

She gently curved her arms around Spade's torso, her palm resting on his back. As quietly as she could, she allowed herself a few tears just to mourn for the life she lost. For now, she could only assume that she wouldn't have a way to go back and that this was her life. From the moment she woke up in that sprawling field, she was fated to stay in Gladiolum, a place where all her adventures would be. Seeing things in this light made the weight on her chest a little lighter than before.

Spade, on the other hand, was at the most flustered point of his life. He tried his best not to let it show but he hadn't thought Alice would be gutsy enough to wrap her arms around him. Despite his charms and status, he never allowed himself too close to a woman. It wasn't proper, for one, and for another, it wasn't something he enjoyed. In his eyes, the roses of Gladiolum were all but thorns in his side, waiting to strike. It was only the exception of this single woman, a proper lady that bore no ill intentions, had his interest been piqued.

In the beginning, Spade had thought that he had found an interesting new toy to play with, a new chess piece to use in his game for the throne. Now, it seemed like he was the one charmed instead.

"You're not alone," he murmured in his hair, gently combing through the strands. "You'll still find an ally in me."

In between sniffles, Alice looked up. She prided herself in being strong but with her heart spilled on the table, she had shed all her pretenses. Ultimately, she was still a little girl, not yet an adult.

"Just an ally?" She asked.

At the sight of her silly expression, Spade couldn't help himself but chuckle. He was a magnificent sight when he smiled, Alice had thought. In her mind, in an ideal world, Prince Spade would always be smiling. He was a sight for sore eyes.

"A friend," Spade corrected himself. Wiping a stray tear away from the corner of Alice's eye, he fondly held onto her cheek. Even through gloved hands, Alice could feel his body warmth radiating into her skin. Funnily enough, she didn't think he was cold anymore. Not like she had always assumed he was. "And my closest confidant."