Freya stood there, lost in thought about what her feelings really meant. She hadn’t realized the maid had already left, leaving her alone with the princess, who was now looking at her.

"Are you thinking of telling my mother?" Lirien asked with a tired sigh.

Freya who was not really paying attention, nodded absentmindedly. "Yes, what? No!" she quickly replied when she noticed the look of horror on the princess’s face.

"Please, Freya, don’t tell her. I’m going to tell her myself," the princess clasped her hands together, begging. She could already imagine the countless ways her mother would find to punish her if she discovered this part of her life.

Freya shook her head, looking at the princess, who was obviously scared of her mother. Freya couldn’t blame her, as she was also scared of the Queen.

"I won’t tell her. It’s not my place to do so, so I won’t," Freya assured her.

"Thank you so much, thank you, Freya." Lirien moved as if to hug Freya but stopped herself. "I should probably stop acting too friendly with you, so you don’t misunderstand."

Lirien observed Freya’s expression before continuing. "If it makes you feel better, I don’t really see you in that way. I mean, wanting to do things with you. No, I see you as a friend I’ve never had in the palace."

Freya offered a small smile, still standing near the stairs. She wasn’t sure how to feel about everything she had just witnessed, so she remained quiet and occasionally glanced at the princess.

"You’re not going to ask?" Princess Lirien inquired, waving for Freya to come over as she sat back down.

Freya finally let go of the railing and walked toward the princess, sitting in the empty chair beside her. "Ask what?" she responded.

"How it started? And why I’m still going through with the marriage," Lirien said, her gaze fixed on the candlelight, though a tinge of sadness was hidden in her eyes.

Freya hummed, gently raising her gown to check the wax on her leg before letting it fall again. "It’s your privacy, and I’m sorry for invading it earlier."

The princess exhaled deeply, shaking her head. "I don’t want it to be hidden anymore, but I can’t speak up. If I do, my mother will hang me in the village like a criminal. As you’ve probably noticed, my father won’t do anything about it. We’re all scared of my mother." Her voice grew quieter.

"But while growing up, I realized I was attracted to women the way I was supposed to be attracted to men. I tried to explore and understand whether it was because I grew up around my maids, but I realized this is just who I am," the young princess confessed with a sigh.

Freya pursed her lips, if for anyone she understood the pressure of pretending to be the perfect daughter while hiding the truth about oneself. "It must have been hard for you, right? To hide it from everyone."

"Hm," the princess agreed, "Sometimes it was fun, the thrill of hiding. And someone else knows, Gerald found out and promised to keep it a secret if I let him smoke in the library." The princess smiled briefly before adding, "Turns out we’re not the perfect children my mother thinks. Unlike you. You’re pure, decent, and just... perfect."

Freya nodded but felt a twinge of guilt. She was far from the perfect daughter, especially if her father ever found out about Rowan. How disappointed he would be.

"So about Rowan," Princess Lirien said, taking Freya’s hand. "I don’t want to hurt him, but you’re the only one I trust to tell him, so he won’t be hurt. I thought maybe if I... tried with him that night I told you, I’d change my mind about the marriage then go ahead with it. But when the time came, I couldn’t do it."

Freya cleared her throat, knowing that Rowan’s intentions were not what the princess believed. Rowan had no intention of getting married to her. Perhaps it was better this way, for Lirien to think she had left Rowan rather than the other way around.

"Though, I think Rowan will be fine. He already has someone he likes. Do you know who she is?" The princess asked curiously, her eyes lighting up.

Freya’s breath hitched, her heart racing. This was her chance to tell the princess the truth, or she could continue hiding it. Would it hurt to stay silent, given that Lirien had no feelings for Rowan? Freya bit her lip.

"I guess you wouldn’t know. You don’t seem like someone who pries into other people’s lives. Must be nice to be you," Lirien said, letting go of Freya’s hand before leaning back in her chair with a sigh.

Freya wiped her clammy hands on her dress, staring down at her feet. She had just discovered the princess’s darkest secret, and now Lirien saw her as perfect. But Freya didn’t want to be seen that way anymore.

"I know..." Freya’s voice trailed off, surprising even herself.

"You know what?" the princess asked, still leaning back and tapping her feet absentmindedly.

Freya hesitated, chewing her lips. She was scared of what she was about to reveal, but she needed to talk to someone. If it was back at Avon, she had people like Oriana and Madame Rosalie but right now she has just been living like a lost sheep.

"Princess Lirien, first I want to let you know that I’m not a perfect daughter or an innocent girl," Freya began, squeezing her hands. "I... have been with a man before. I’ve done it."

Lirien gasped, "Really? With who? The man Rowan mentioned... does anyone know?"

Freya shook her head, "No one knows. He’s from Avon... and he’s here in Eridor."

"From Avon... and here in Eridor?" The princess’s eyes widened as realization dawned. "Freya! You and Rowan? Oh heavens! Does your father know?"

Freya shook her head again, looking down at her lap. "No one knows, except you now. But I’m thinking of ending it."

"Why? Don’t you like Rowan?" Lirien stood in front of Freya, concerned. "He’s a good man. From what I’ve seen, he cares about you. Why didn’t I suspect this before?" The princess tapped her fingers on her lips thoughtfully.

Freya raised her hands, exasperated. "I’m not that kind of girl. I should wait until marriage, and Rowan... I don’t know. He’s wild, and I just don’t know what I’m doing."

"You shouldn’t!" the princess chimed in. When Freya looked at her with furrowed brows, Lirien nodded and continued. "Why worry about all that? We’re young! You shouldn’t know what you’re doing. You’re supposed to live, to be yourself. Wait until marriage? Why? Some women get married and still live in misery."

Freya looked at the princess in surprise, speechless.

"Yes! I’m tired of being told to do this or that. We let our parents decide for us, and we just watch everything pass us by. Before we know it, we’re old, and we pass the same burden to our daughters," Lirien sighed, sitting back down beside Freya.

"Let yourself go, Freya. Give it a try while you’re still here in Eridor. If it doesn’t work, forget about him when you return to Avon. But if you’re having doubts, maybe it means you should go with the flow."

Freya considered the princess’s words, her eyes fixed on the candle wax on her foot. It was tempting. She could let herself enjoy her time with Rowan. But what if she fell in love with him? What if she couldn’t forget him after leaving Eridor, and Rowan moved on?

"Freya, don’t overthink it. Just live," Lirien encouraged, tapping Freya’s shoulder. "My brother’s coronation party is tomorrow, and you only have a few days before you leave for Avon. Let yourself go and enjoy these last days doing what you want. I won’t tell anyone."

It was tempting, too tempting to ignore. Freya would have to decide tomorrow whether to follow the princess’s advice or let the world actually pass her by while living queitly.