{Music Recommendation: Love in the dark ~ Adele}

Freya had finished bathing and dressing up. As she cleaned her room, she could only think of one thing; waking up next to Rowan, not as his bed warmer but really as someone he loves, as his wife. And that gave her a thought maybe she shouldn’t just live life as the princess suggested. Maybe she could get Rowan to actually fall in love with her, and then they would get married.

It was no longer a new thing; Freya found herself actually loving Rowan. Her body always craved him, and she wanted to be around him. Maybe it was just love, and she could get it all, love and a husband. All she needed to do was make him fall in love. Freya didn’t want to marry him on a whim; she needed love to also be involved in their marriage.

Thinking about telling her father that she was going to agree to marry Rowan, she imagined everyone teasing her, but they would really be happy for her. After cleaning up her room, Freya walked toward the closet, picking up Rowan’s shirt. She inhaled deeply and smiled.

"Smells so good," she said, burying her face in the shirt. After staying in her room, Freya went to the kitchen, looking for her father.

"Pa!" she waved, the moment she saw her old man sitting on the stool with a blank look on his face.

Louis raised his face when he saw his daughter. Without waiting for her to get close, he walked to her, dragging Freya by the ear.

"Ah, ah... Pa." Freya tried to hold her father’s hand to ease the pressure on her ear.

Louis didn’t stop walking until they were outside the palace, away from other people. Then he stopped. "Freya! You were drunk last night during the coronation?"

"Y-yes, Pa, that’s-" Freya’s world spun the next minute because her father’s palm connected with her face. It was as if her soul left her body, and she was just an empty shell. She didn’t know which was more painful, the slap or the look of disappoinment in her father’s eyes.

"Pa-you..."

Louis, raging with anger, pointed his finger at the girl. "Freya, I tried my best to make you a better person. I tried! Why have you chosen to disgrace me and your mother? Getting drunk in another land and even having men chase you!"

Freya took a step back, her hand still on her face, now turned red. "Pa..."

"Don’t call me that! Ever since we arrived in Eridor, you’ve completely changed into someone I barely recognize. I’ve tried to be a father, to get you to talk. Do you think I’m not hurting?" Louis rubbed his forehead gently. "I have given my best to you, trying to make you have a happy life."

Freya’s eyes welled up with tears. Her lips trembled as she spoke. "What if your best wasn’t enough?"

"What?" Louis snapped his head, glaring at his daughter.

"Yes, what if it wasn’t enough?" Freya repeated. "Other girls have their mothers to tell them what to do, and all I have is a father who thinks cooking is every-" Freya closed her eyes when she saw her father raise his hand again. She heard the loud sound of the slap and waited for the impact, but it never came.

When she opened her eyes, Rowan stood right there in front of her, with Louis’s hand on his face.

"Rowan! Move aside," Louis demanded, anger boiling in his heart.

Rowan shook his head. "The second slap found its rightful owner," he muttered, more to himself.

Louis lowered his hand. "You think I don’t wish every day for your mother to be alive? So she could help me understand what’s going on with you? Sometimes I wish I could trade places with your mother. Maybe if she were alive, you wouldn’t be the way you are right now. Freya, you—" His voice broke. When a tear slipped down his face, he quickly wiped it away. He couldn’t possibly say in front of Rowan that he had found a man’s shirt in his daughter’s closet.

That day, Louis had only gone to clean up his daughter’s room and see if she needed anything. It was a habit he’d formed from taking care of her. That was when he found it, the small gown wrapped in a man’s shirt. He was confused about what to do, so he decided to talk about it first as a joke, to find out if someone was forcing himself on Freya. But looking at it now, it seemed his daughter had changed.

"I don’t know who you are anymore," Louis clenched his fists, his heart breaking as he said those words. "Prepare. We’re leaving Eridor tomorrow."

Freya’s tears didn’t stop as she watched her father’s retreating figure. Something broke inside her. It was the first time they’d ever argued to the point where her father had slapped her. Louis never even let her work or do anything because he was scared she would hurt herself. Yet now, not only had he slapped her, but he also said he didn’t know her anymore.

Rowan stood in front of Freya, his back facing the girl. He listened to her silent sobs, which made his heart break into pieces.

"My father has never raised his voice at me," Freya covered her face with her hands. "And I didn’t mean all the words I told him. I was just..."

Rowan finally turned, and as if she had been waiting for him, Freya crashed into his arms. Holding his waist tightly, she buried her face in his chest, her tears soaking his shirt.

"I really miss my father... I miss the old me," Freya sobbed, her body shaking as she tried to stop the tears from streaming down.

Rowan raised his hand, gently patting the girl’s hair. He knew that everything was his fault. He had caused a rift between father and daughter. He had played a game too far, and now it was time to put an end to it. If only he had left Freya as she was, she wouldn’t have been slapped by her father, nor would she be missing her old self. For the first time again, Rowan had regrets. He was going to have to tell the girl that he had decided to let her go.

Freya’s grip on Rowan tightened. She decided that all she needed to do was tell Rowan that she loved him. Then they would get married, and she would leave her father alone since he no longer wanted her. Freya resolved to wait for nightfall to confess her feelings to Rowan.