“Neria…”

“Lyraen.”

Xavier raises an eyebrow at my tone. “What?”

I close my eyes and fall onto the edge of his bed, regrettting even saying anything. “Neria… it’s not my name.”

He just lets out a breathless laugh. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m not here for a fucking maid position.” After a few moments I finally flick my green eyes to his warm brown ones. His expression is filled with confusion and something else I can’t put my finger on. “I’ve told you about my father. He’s dying. I don’t even know if he’s alive right now.” I laugh out of disbelief.

“Ne- Lyraen, what the hell are you talking about?” He persists.

“I’m saying that I’ve been lying to you this entire time.” I finally say.

He looks away for a moment before looking back. “Go on.”

I sigh shakily and nod. “Everybody knows that the Palace of Caltherra has the cure. I guess the only ones who don’t know are the people inside because no one has suspected me of anything, not even you.”

He crosses his arms before bringing a hand to run through his dirty blonde hair. “No, we don’t.”

I laugh. “It’s a well known rumor.” I continue. “Whenever I saw that the palace was excepting maids, I had to take a advantage of it. To save Eirenhold.”

He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “You’re from Halsten, though.”

I smile faintly, guilt filling my body. “I’m not. Ever since you interviewed me, I’ve been lying to you. My name isn’t Neria Vale, it’s Lyraen Ivory. I’m from Eirenhold, the city your kind of people hate. I’m not here to be a maid, I’m here to steal the cure, somehow.”

“I-“

“Let me finish.” I cut him off. “You confessed your feelings for me last week, and I had to agree. I needed to find that cure.”

“You- you don’t feel the same?”

“I didn’t say that. But what I am saying is that you have feelings for Neria Vale. Not Lyraen Ivory. As much as I agree, nothing can happen between us.” I watch his expression change. “I mean, you’re looking at me like I killed a ferret.”

He lets out mixture of a scoff and a laugh. “You just confessed to me that you’ve been using me this entire time. I’m going to be a little mad.”

I put my elbows to my knees and put my head in my hands. “I know.” I whisper. “I never found it. I haven’t been able to.”

I put my head back up and avert my gaze back to his eyes. There is a glisten of tears in them. “Xavier… I need to go.”

His head immediately shakes side to side. “No.”

My pulse quickens. “I- please, I need to get back to my little sister. I can’t die here. I can’t let my father die.” I feel panic start to set in.

He sees me start to panic and his expression softens immediately. He walks closer and grabs my hands. “I’m not going to turn you in to the king.”

I look up to him, a few tears falling down my face. “What?”

“For the past months that I’ve gotten to know you, I can’t help but feel this longing for you. Every time I’m away from you, you’re all that’s on my thoughts. And when I’m with you? God, I can’t think clearly. I can’t breathe.”

“Xavier…”

“I _love you.”_

_ _I shake my head, my eyes not meeting his above me. “You don’t even know me.”

I go to look at his eyes, but he’s not above me anymore. He’s on his knees.

“Let me get to know you. I want to know everything about you. I want to know what it was like growing up. What your favorite color is. I want to know all of it because I love you.”

I look down at him, continuing to shake my head. “You can’t love someone you don’t know. And you’re the Prince of Caltherra, I’m some woman from Eirenhold.”

“You think I care about where you come from?” He almost sounds insulted.

“We _can’t.” I _repeat

“_Please.” _

_ _I furrow my brows and watch as his expression fills with more desperation and longing. “You don’t want to get to know me.”

“Try me.”

I laugh, tears rolling down my cheeks.

He brings his hand up to my cheek and wipes the liquid off with his thumb. “I hate that I’m making you cry.” He says softly.

“You’re not making me cry. I’m making me cry. I feel like I’ve hurt you. I didn’t want to use you because ever since I met you, I started developing feelings. I’m filled with so much guilt I just want to punch myself in the fucking face.”

“But, that’ll hurt.”

I let out another laugh, finally meeting his eyes. “We can’t start anything.”

His head falls to my knees, his hands going back to rest in mine. He lifts his head again. “Please. Nobody has to know if that’s what you’re worried about. I will make sure that nobody in this fucking palace suspects anything if it makes you feel comfortable.”

“That- that’s not what it is.”

“Then what? You just said you have feelings for me, I said I have feelings for you, so why can’t we do something about it instead of sitting around.”

I have no response to that. I want to be with him. I want to be his. I want to be labeled as his.

“I-“ I don’t finish my sentence. My words catch in my throat as I lean down, close to his face. I stare at his lips for a few moments before finally pressing my lips to his.