The horn sounded near midnight, signaling the arrival of the prince and king. We are all required to crawl out of our beds to greet them upon their return. I can't help but feel nervous just thinking about seeing him. I haven't seen him in two weeks, and despite my strong desire to do so, I cannot seem to make it happen because we still have some unfinished business.
As the car approached the palace, we lined up in preparation for its arrival. The first person to exit the vehicle was the prince, but no king exited the vehicle. As a sign of our reverence for the prince, we bowed our heads. After two weeks, I was finally able to see the prince again.
Our gazes meet, but I can't stand staring at him for long, so I immediately avert my gaze.
After the prince reached the head of the line, we left the line. I waited a few minutes before heading back to the room, and once I knew I wouldn't run into the prince, I headed upstairs. At least, that's what I thought would have happened. He remained outside of his room and merely waited for my arrival. I literally had no idea what to do at this point, so I just bowed to him and rushed into the room.
After seeing him for the first time, I couldn't help but let out a gasp because my heart was racing so quickly from the anxiety I was experiencing. I am sorry, Prince Augustus; I'd love to catch up with you, but I can't just hear what you have to say right now.
"Gemma..." I looked around, trying to figure out where that voice had come from. But then I thought of the intercom. "Meet me at the barn; that's where I'll be waiting for you; please come!" a voice said over the intercom.
My heart is racing faster than usual. My thoughts are jumbled, and I have no idea what to do. A lot of things are going through my head at the moment. I'm worried that he realizes now that it wasn't me he loved but Raeanna.
I gave myself a moment to mull over whether or not I should go with him to the barn and hear what he had to say. I'm not sure where this is going. All I know is that, despite my fear, I followed him to the barn.
"Gemma, you came," was about to come up to me when I took a step back and said, My reason to meet him was not for personal reasons; I came here to tell him that I had found where his mother was.
I was about to grab the envelope behind me when he pulled me behind the haystack. "What..."
"Shh," he said as he covered my mouth with his hand. "He has eyes in every nook and cranny of the palace; we need to be extremely cautious so that we do not get caught."
I even held my breath when we heard footsteps approaching. Because it was completely dark here, they couldn't find us even if they tried. When we heard them come out of the barn, I was able to catch my breath again, which made my breathing abnormal for a moment.
"Gemma, take a deep breath." The prince said anxiously as he helped me take deep breaths. "Please follow my lead and keep breathing steadily."
As I watched him, my eyes remained fixed on his chest, rising and falling with each breath. Before I even knew it, hot tears started to fall from my eyes, and he noticed it instantly.
"I'm sorry, Gemma. I'm sorry." He comforted me while he wiped the tears off of my cheeks.
He paused, and then, without any prior warning, the prince kissed me on the lips for a longer, more passionate time while his strong arms were wrapped around me. The prince's hot mouth slid down my neck and across my shoulder, relishing the feel of my body as it aroused him.
I ripped the envelope open. There are documents as well as photographs. A woman dressed like a maid and a picture of Prince Augustus when he was young. The thought of Prince Augustus' mother was the first thing that popped into my head after looking at the photo. "Could it be..."
I didn't get the chance to finish what I was going to say since he responded quickly. "Yes, the woman in the photograph was his mother, not just the photograph. The paper also contains additional information about his mother, including where she currently resides."
Those flashbacks jolted me out of my illusion. "No," I said, putting an end to whatever the prince was doing, and I stood up once more. This is not why I came here. "We really shouldn't be doing this,"
He repeated his apology over and over, each time beginning with sorry. "I was completely out of control; I couldn't even recognize myself."
I picked up the envelope that had previously fallen out of my hand. I was at a loss for words. I just left the envelope in the scattered hay and ran back to the palace. While I was running, the events that had occurred earlier came flooding back into my mind. The ways he whispered my name and placed his lips on my neck seemed different as if he were thinking of Raeanna. As much as I try to ignore the thought, I can't help but wonder if Raeanna was with him during those two weeks or if his lips were attached to someone else besides me.
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Imagining the worst kept me up all night, making me second-guess my decision to leave him in the barn.
Before sunrise, I thought about going to the prince's room. I stood at his door, hesitant to knock, but I did so anyway. It took him a while to open the door.
"C-can I come in?" I stuttered.
The only thing he did in response was nod.
The photograph and papers that I had given him earlier were disorganized and scattered across his bed. When I turned my attention to the prince, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he, too, had not slept well the night before. He sat quietly on the bed, clutching his mother's photo between his two fingers.
I went up to him and knelt on one of my knees.
"I know where my mother is, but I can't get to her. The king kept ordering the guards around to follow me. Until he returned, I could not leave the palace," he said glumly. "He wouldn't let me see my own mother, despite what I have done for him." 
My hand gently stroked his cheek. "You'll see her," I said as I handed him another envelope containing forged documents and a passport. "There was one person who wanted you to meet her, who wanted you to see your mother. The same person who gave me this picture," I said, pointing to the photo he was holding.
The prince reached out and touched my hand, which was simultaneously touching his face.
"Let's go see your Mom," I said, flashing him the biggest smile I could muster.
This is the least that I can do to make up for all of his sufferings.