"The tea is lovely. I don’t understand how Scarlet says it is not good. Alana? Princess," Samara called, trying to get the young woman’s attention. She had noticed from the moment she arrived that something was bothering Alana. "I have held back from asking long enough. What is it that troubles you?"

"What?" Alana replied, snapping out of her thoughts. "Nothing is troubling me. I was just thinking about the estate."

"You are not a good liar. You never have been since you were a child and I like it. Tell me what it is and I will try to give you some peace of mind. Is it that my presence does not compare to Scarlet’s? I would pick her over me as well," said Samara.

"No. I enjoy your company as much as I enjoy Scarlet’s. Forgive me for being so distracted by something else. It doesn’t have anything to do with Scarlet. I," Alana started but didn’t know how to finish. "When you said yes to Leonard, how did you know he was the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?"

"Oh," Samara put down her cup. "Marriage is on your mind. Well, I already knew that I couldn’t do without him. I enjoyed his company and he showed how much he cared for me. I am a believer that actions speak louder than words sometimes."

"Leonard and I moved fast with our feelings. We acted like the world was going to end tomorrow so we had to marry fast. He was well sought after and it scared me a little. My family has wealth but it doesn’t compare to the Collins. I thought I wasn’t good enough for him," Samara confessed.

She had to be competing against daughters of families with more wealth or status than she had.

Alana scooted forward to be on the edge of her chair. "And what happened? What made you not think of his status anymore."

Samara smiled as the memory was quite clear in her mind. "Leonard did. He didn’t care about it. I thought he was boasting for a moment as he said he had all that we needed. He communicated well that he wanted me for me and not for any wealth. How could my heart not be swayed by that?"

"It is that simple," Alana whispered.

Samara heard what Alana said and before the princess jumped to do anything she said, "It is not easy for everyone. Trust and believe that I am leaving out more to how he convinced me. I was able to accept his proposal because I loved him and knew that nothing else mattered."

"Many care about status and back then, I thought of it. Would the renowned Collins family welcome me with open arms when I didn’t have anything to offer that they didn’t already have? Now many years later here I sit as a Collins looking on as my daughter brings someone to the family. It is best to talk," Samara advised Alana.

"A real conversation where no one tries to run away and your feelings are heard. Even your concerns. If you plan to wed a man below your status as a princess, know that it will be hard for him. This town strives to gossip and judge one’s status. Put yourself in his shoes and then decide if you are ready to fight to protect him."

Alana played with her fingers. "He is the one who has been protecting me right now."

"He- Oh," Samara realised. She looked at the closed door where Alana’s guard was standing outside. "Well, if it is your guard who worries about the difference in status, I understand him. You are the princess so he wouldn’t want your life to be different with him."

"I still think you must have a good talk with him now and if he is still concerned after that, it might be best to start letting those feelings go. You cannot spend the rest of your life waiting and it is not like you will just stop being the princess," Samara said as she wouldn’t allow that to happen.

As one final gift to her late friend, Samara would make sure Alana kept her place as a princess for a long time. Luke could not be so crazy trying to find a way to rip the title from Alana’s hands. Samara would owe it to Luke’s mother to give him a good scolding.

Alana abruptly stood up. "I must speak to him now."

The conversation between her and Dawson concerning their feelings had already started and if it did not continue now Alana knew she would witness Dawson trying to avoid her.

"You can. Would you like me to leave?" Samara questioned, not knowing what to do. Scarlet hadn’t acted this way concerning a man so Samara was inexperienced with what to do. "You mustn’t let the maids see. They are to be quiet but they cannot help gossiping."

Alana considered everything that Samara said as she walked to the door. She opened the door and grabbed Dawson’s hand right away.

"Princess-"

"Just come with me," Alana said, leading him to another empty room.

They were lucky that there weren’t any maids on this floor right now.

"Care to explain?" Dawson asked after they entered the empty room beside the one Alana was previously in. Did she bring him here to yell at him because he left her alone? "You shouldn’t be alone with a man like this."

Alana tapped her hands on the side of her legs, building up the courage to do something. Samara said to speak but there was something that she wanted to do first.

Alana moved before her mind could persuade her to run away and go back to Samara. She grabbed Dawson’s shirt to pull him toward her and tiptoed to match his height. She aimed for his lips to show what she felt for him since she struggled to explain it.

Dawson was caught off guard by the sudden kiss attack. His hands did not move to touch Alana for the first few seconds but then all reasoning went out the door.

Dawson touched her waist and turned her around to head for the wall to press her against. He had been wanting to kiss her since last night after seeing how she dressed up for the party. It was wrong of him to kiss the princess of the kingdom, but now that he had started, he could not stop.

He had a habit of touching things that were to be off-limits.

Alana cupped his face, being the first one to end the kiss. "We must talk and this time you are not to leave me."

Alana felt butterflies in her stomach upon seeing how he licked his lips. She moved her hands to touch her lips but Dawson’s hand stopped her.

"A little bit more," Dawson requested. "Then we can speak."