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"Sing, darling!” Erika took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face. She could do this. She had sung many times before. But that was in front of other paupers, not the Queen herself, and the King from a different kingdom, especially without Julian there. That felt so intimidating! But she knew it would be worse and more embarrassing if she didn’t sing, so calmed herself down and prepared herself, in the split second she had.
As soon as she started singing, Erika let the rhythms rush through her bloodstream, and got into the moment. Singing had always been a way for her to relax and forget about her problems, and this time was no different. She closed her eyes and let the harmonies escape her mouth in a gentle tune. When she opened them again, she looked towards Dominick, who was looking at her with loving in his eyes. Erika stepped forward slightly, placing one hand onto the piano, to close the distance ever so slightly. She forgot about the rest of the audience, and focused solely on Dominick.
Dominick took that as a signal for him to stand up - while still playing the notes on the piano - to close the gap further. Erika felt a blush forming on her face, and looked away for a moment, flustered. Of course, she soon looked back up and looked deep into Dominick’s eyes, a smile on her face. He took a hold of her hand, not breaking eye contact as he did, and held it gently for the rest of the song.
They kept singing together until the end of the song; both grinning widely at each other. Erika felt her chest heaving slightly from the exhilaration. Dominick turned towards the Queen.
“If I may, your majesty, could Anneliese and I take a walk together?” He asked.
“Absolutely!” She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “Take all the time you need.” Dominick looked back at Erika.
“Then let us go.” He said to her, before turning around and walking forward, his hand still in hers. Erika followed him close by, her hand still tingling from the contact.
Together, the pair left the cool inside to go to the sunny outside. The warm sun was beating down on the pink marble, and cast a beautiful green glow over the grounds. They walked through the archway, saying nothing, but still feeling completely comfortable in each other’s presence. At some point they stopped holding hands, but that didn’t matter, their close proximity was good enough.
Erika decided to go on the outside of the pink arch, to let the warmth of the weather wash over her. She got halfway past the stone pillar when she realised Dominick wasn’t with her. She looked back in confusion, wondering where he’d gone. He hadn’t found out the truth and was setting the royal guards on her, was he? In a panic, she spun back around the other way, her heart beating out of her chest.
Thankfully, he was standing right behind her, a playful smirk on his face.
“I thought you’d gone for a moment.” Erika stated.
“I would never,” he replied softly. Flustered, Erika looked down then back up, a soft smile stretching on her face. “Shall we keep going?” He asked, which Erika nodded in response to. So, they walked onto the soft grass, and continued their walk.
As they walked on the grass, Wolfie to the other side of Erika, they initiated a small conversation. Erika couldn’t say much, afraid she would give the wrong or conflicting information about Anneliese, but she was perfectly happy in hearing Dominick talk to her. His voice was like music to her ears, and made her feel warm inside.
They eventually got to a rose bush, full of pink roses - the kingdom’s flower. Erika couldn’t help but brush her fingers over the soft petals, feeling their beautiful texture on her skin.
“For you.” Dominick pulled her out of her hypnosis, holding the one and only blue rose.
“Thank you,” she replied in a whisper. How did he know blue roses were her favourite? She smelled the sweet scent, unaware of Dominick watching her adorable behaviours. Erika eventually put the rose in her pocket, letting the head peek out slightly. Again, they continued on their walk.
“So, what is it you like to do?” Dominick asked Erika, which caused her to falter.
“Oh, you know, lots of things! Too many to really say.”
“But, your favourite?” Erika felt her breaths shorten slightly as she chewed her lip, trying to think of what to say. She couldn’t exactly say singing, that was her thing and she had no idea if Anneliese liked it too. Suddenly, she remembered the princess telling her about preferring to be in the library than doing her royal duties.
“Science.”
“Oh yeah?” Dominick quirked an eyebrow up, “what kind?”
“Any and all is interesting!” She really hoped he wouldn’t start questioning her on it. Instead, he looked at her for a few moments, searching her face. Then, he relented, simply nodding his head.
“That sounds good for you.” He said.
“Yeah…”
They got close to the edge of the garden walls, which were less neat than close to the palace, and had leaves and twigs scattered around the grass. Wolfie seemed to decide this was the perfect opportunity to start playing fetch, so grabbed a twig and trotted up to Erika. She took it from him, and threw it as far as he could, watching in amusement as he grabbed it and brought it back.
“Your cat can play fetch?” Dominick asked, perplexion in his tone.
“He’s a talented cat.” Erika shrugged back. Dominick watched the two go back and forth a couple of times.
“Do you mind if I throw it?” He asked.
“Not at all.” Erika handed him the twig, and let him throw it even further than she could. It was amazing to see him caring for her pet like that, and she found herself sighing contently as she watched.
“If we’re going to be spending more time together, then I need to also spend more time with your cat, what did you say his name was?”
“Wolfie. And yes, I suppose…” Erika trailed off, reminders of what she was doing coming back. Dominick may be trying to get to know Wolfie, but it would be useless once Anneliese came back. Erika watched Dominick, half in worry, and half in love. He was such a sweet man, and really cared for her. Erika hated to admit it, but she was falling for him, and falling hard. The worst possible thing she could ever do! Falling in love with someone she could never be with! And with no chance to ignore him, as that could sabotage the kingdom's chances. So, she just had to play along, and ignore these feelings inside her chest and heart.
Eventually, Wolfie started getting too tired to play anymore, and flopped on the floor, his tongue sticking out. Erika and Dominick laughed at him in good humour.
“Perhaps we should take him back to rest?” Dominick suggested, “though I would love to walk further with you, I did see a gorgeous field close by, we could have a picnic?”
“Sounds perfect.” Erika beamed.
After they had dropped Wolfie off in Erika’s - Annaliese’s - room, Dominick went to the kitchen to ask them to quickly prepare a picnic for the evening. Erika waited outside, panic yet excitement bursting in her chest.
Soon, the picnic was ready, and Dominick held her hand again to lead her out of the palace walls and into the large field. The grass was overgrown, and there were blue weeds splattered throughout it. Though, there was still a clear path for where they could walk without being ambushed by these larger than usual plants. The walk was only short, before Dominick placed a picnic blanket down, and ushered for Erika to sit down. She let herself sink into the blanket on the grass, making sure her dress stayed in the perfect position, still covering her legs. As she sat there, Dominick laid the food out on plates on the blanket, then filled a cup of wine for each of them.
“A toast!” He exclaimed, holding his cup up, which Erika mimicked. “For a beautiful day with a beautiful lady.” He looked at her with soft eyes. She smiled back, maintaining eye contact. She could have leaned in for a kiss, but she was sure that was against royal etiquette, and would further solidify her falling in love with Dominick, which she absolutely couldn’t do.
Instead, she looked away with a small sigh, and took a sip of her drink. It tasted rich, velvety, more expensive than everything she had eaten in the past year put together. Dominick’s smile faded slightly, but he still stayed positive, talking and laughing with Erika while they ate.
Once they had finished, they made their way back up to the palace, holding hands again. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the purple mountains. The temperature wasn’t going down very quickly, but a small breeze was swirling around them.
Dominick took hold of both Erika’s hands (she wasn’t sure where the picnic stuff had gone) while twirling her around, then placed one of his hands on his waist as if ready to do a dance. Erika used her free hand to place on his shoulder and hold him close. It seemed even more like they were going to kiss, even though she knew they shouldn’t. Instead, she leant her head on his shoulder, and sighed in content, feeling the warmth radiate from him.
“I have one more thing to show you.” Dominick said. Erika wasn’t sure what it looked like to others that he was the one directing them around the palace (when she was supposedly the one living there), but it was cute and romantic so she didn’t mind.
Dominick kept holding Erika’s hand, as he led her back up to the castle and through passageways, finally taking her to a seated area at the edge of the mountain. They sat down just in time to watch the sun setting. Golden rays illuminated from the orb, casting a gorgeous light over the mountains and grassy areas in front of them. Pinks and purples painted the clouds which swirled around the sun. A flock of birds flew in front of them, like shadowy figures, taking advantage of the last light of day.
“Breathtaking.” Dominick said, as Erika stared out, before she let out a deep sigh, attempting to release all the worries and regrets that had filled her during the day.
“The prettiest sunset I’ve ever seen.” She agreed, before turning her head to look at the man she knew she now loved. She looked away, a whisper of a smile on her face, remembering how awful the situation was for her.
“There’s something about you…” Erika looked up with a smile, expecting a romantic statement. “You’re honest, no pretences, I like that.” A pang of guilt hit Erika’s heart as she struggled to keep her smile up. “Until tomorrow, your highness.” Dominick softly grabbed her hand and kissed it before leaving. Erika looked at it, half wishing those were her lips, and half wishing she could tell him the truth before it killed her.
The whole day had been such a success, but not for the right thing. She had fallen in love with the wrong man, and he’d fallen in love with the wrong woman. They could never be together, yet the romance and love had surrounded them all day. Out of the corner of her eye, Erika saw Wolfie jump on the seat behind her, but even he could barely comfort her.