The cool breeze of Christmas Day crawled through the walls of the castle. A shiver crept up Blu's back as she walked quietly through the castle halls. Small goosebumps formed as tiny hairs stuck up on her skin. She clutched the sweater she wore tightly on her chest, trapping the warmth.

Yesterday had been a hell of a day. Ohm had kissed her. And although it had lasted only two seconds, the king had caught them. Is he always watching me? Blu thought. It seemed as if he was always lurking in the shadows of the castle, watching her every move.

But Blu didn't want to think of the events of yesterday. It was Christmas Day, and she wanted to make the best out of it.

As for what she was doing now, she was unsure of. She currently had a free session, so she didn't have any work to do for about an hour. She let out a long breath as she came closer to her destination.

The smell of Christmas hung in the air and Blu closed her eyes as she breathed through her nostrils. A joyous yet chilling scent filled her nose. She thought about the gift the king had left her this morning. She smiled as she envisioned the form of the beautiful music box. Oh how she wondered what beautiful sound it would make. She would have to find out later, when there where no servants in the room. She hid it in her trunk where it could not be found.

But Blu's thoughts had fled from her head when she came to a halt in front to a door. The halls were still eerily silent. Not many people roamed this part of the castle.

She slowly looked up and stared at the large, red plus sign carefully painted on the top of the door. She then patted her apron and adjusted her clothes before entering the room. She reached for the knob and grasped it's cold surface in her hand.

Without hesitation, she pushed the door open and quietly shut it behind her. She was soon filled with the smell of medicine and dirty clothes; two things she disliked.

She looked around the clinic. She only came here when she had the nursing session. The 'nursing session was when servants helped the nurses with their needs while they were taking care of a patient.

There were about twelve beds-- six lined up neatly at each side of the room. Light seeped through the large windows, filling the room with bright light. It seemed a lot less depressing than most clinics Blu had seen.

Blu noticed a few nurses at work but not many. Some were tending to the patients, while others scurried around the room busily. Out of the twelve, only five beds were filled; most of them being injured guards. She scanned the room until her eyes landed on the person she was looking for. Her heart beat quickly in her chest as her eyes fixated on him.

She slowly walked towards the Italian boy, her hands resting at her sides. But she soon paused for a moment as she realized his eyes were closed. He was sleeping. Maybe I would come back later, she thought. But just before she turned to leave, she saw him stir in his sleep.

Ryan started to look around the room and Blu immediately looked down before he could catch her staring at him. Two sides of her fought with each other; should she talk to him or not? She didn't know what would be best. But she eventually regretted coming to the clinic at all. Maybe it was a mistake coming here, she thought. But just as she turned to leave, she heard his voice.

"Blu," he said in his croaky voice. Blu froze, her back towards him. She scrunched her face up. Now she no choice. She relaxed her body and slowly turned towards him. Ryan stared at her with a blank face. He didn't look sad nor happy. In fact, he looked almost bored. But Blu didn't blame him. Sitting around in a bed all day was very boring.

She started to walk to him, one step at a time. As she walked closer, his expression remained emotionless. It seemed as if everyone around them was a blur and the only focus was on Ohm. Although he did kiss her forcefully and unexpectedly, she couldn't help but feel a smidgen of sadness for him.

Blu suddenly halted in front of him, his eyes still fixed on her. She looked at parts of his disheveled body which were not covered by the thin blanket. Cuts, bruises, and gashes covered his skin and Blu couldn't help but get flashbacks of the previous night. She envisioned the king kicking, slashing at Ohm and she could almost feel the pain herself. She pictured the king's red-like eyes as he screamed 'she's mine' over and over again. The screams and groans of Ohm echoed in her head and wouldn't escape. She could almost taste blood in her mouth.

"Hello Blu," Ohm said flatly.

Blu quickly snapped out of her thoughts as she realized she was zoning out. She looked down at Ohm who was still staring at her, waiting for her to say something. What was she going to say? What could she say?

"Hello Ohm," was what came out of her mouth. He stared up at her, his eyes full of confusion and need as they dazzled in the sunlit room, making his Hazel eyes look greenish. A deadly silence filled the space between them. They didn't know what to say to each other.

"About yesterday," Ohm said finally breaking the silence. He looked down at his hands as he fiddled with them. "Im- I'm sorry for what I did," he muttered as he looked up at Blu. "I just couldn't help myself." His yearning eyes darted to her lips as he said this.

Blu noticed and quickly looked down as she sighed. Her foot quietly tapped the ground as she looked for the right words to say. She finally opened her mouth to speak but Ohm continued instead.

"Blu." The name slurred out of Ohm's mouth. "What did the king mean when he said you were," he paused for a moment, "his?" He cringed as he said that word and stared at Blu for an answer.

Blu's heart skipped a beat. She knew he would eventually ask this. But what could she say 'Oh I've been having an affair with the king these past few months' or 'I slept with the king and know he wants me all to himself'. She couldn't say any of that.

"Um, well you see it's kind of hard to explain," she went on nervously. She avoided his eyes as she spoke and Ohm gave her a confused look.

"Hard to explain?" He asked with a tone of anger. "Blu I- I kissed you and the king almost killed me as he screamed you were his!" He violently whispered. "What does that mean?"

Blu nervously fiddled with the side of her top and desperately searched for the words to say. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

"On my god," Ohm said as if he had just realized something. "You're having an affair with him!" Blu's heart dropped.

"What? No! That's absurd!" She said with a nervous laugh. She looked around to make sure no one was listening. If anyone was, they had the right to report her and the king to the Council.

"I can see it in your eyes," Ohm spoke. "You're lying to me."

"No I'm not," Blu said as she lowered her voice.

"Yes, Blu. Yes you are."

With those words, Blu gave up. She knew she had failed to keep her secret. If she had kept denying it, it would have just made it worse. She sighed in defeat and leaned down towards Ohm's ear. She tucked his longish hair behind it.

"Please, don't tell anyone," she begged desperately.

"I just don't understand," he said as Blu backed away. "Of all people, you choose him? He's a psycho! What do you see in him? Do you like the way he treats us? Do you like the fact that he has killed hundreds of innocent people? Does he treat you differently?" Ohm asked angrily. But Blu quickly shushed him.

"Please Ohm keep it down! I don't want anyone to know about this," she pleaded. Ohm stared at her as if he can see right though her. She could feel his heavy breaths on her neck. She could tell he was trying hard not to contain his fury. He let out an exasperated look.

"Just answer one question for me," he said flatly.

"Ohm-"

"Just, one," he cut Blu off. "Do you think he's a good person?" His words hung in the air and echoes through Blu's head. Did she think he was a good person? She certainly knew he was getting better one day at a time. But what drew her to him? Was it his dazzling looks? Or was it something more?

"Yes and no," Blu answered. Ohm stared at her in disbelief and pressed his lips into a straight line. His eyes almost seemed like a glass to her. But before he could respond, the nurse rushed over to his bedside.

Blu watched as she opened a small bottle and poured a precise amount into a spoon. She placed the bottle on the small table next to Ohm's bed.

"Medicine Ohm," she said blandly as she shoved the spoon in his mouth. He gulped it down and made a disgusted face. She then took a white bandage and pressed it up against one of Ohm's gashes. Ohm yelped out in pain as he clutched his leg. The nurse then turned her attention towards Blu.

"Visiting hours are over," she said almost rudely. Blu glanced at the large clock standing at the end of the room. When she noticed the time she immediately rushed out of the clinic without even saying goodbye to Ohm. But at that moment she didn't really care. All she cared about was getting to her next session. She was late. And that was one of the most important rules in the castle; Always be on time for every session.

She walked quickly through the halls, her shoes making a quick clapping sound as she hurried to the servants' room. Today she had to clean that room and if anyone caught her being late, she would be in big trouble.

She rushed up the stairs and down one last hall. Her eyes spotted the door and she barged in. The room was empty. No one had noticed she was late.

She leaned against the wall as she caught her breath and sighed of relief. Maybe she was the only one working on this room today. She tucked the strands of her hair behind her ears. The room was cold and a chilling feeling filled Blu.

She went to pick up the cleaning supplies from the floor but when she was bending down, she noticed someone sitting on a bed. Alarmed, Blu quickly stood up and looked at the person.

It was Rachel.

And she was holding Blu's opened music box in her hands.

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Oh no...