The next few days had been a very peaceful, lulling Lila into a calm once more. Today there was some light rain outside, adding greatly to the relaxing atmosphere of the quiet library.

"Lila, shall I go and get some fresh water?" Daphne suddenly asked, breaking the almost deafening silence.

Lila turned and looked down at the bucket of mop water. She frowned at its black appearance.

"Perhaps you should. I will just finish dusting until you get back." She replied.

Daphne nodded and headed towards the cleaning room down the hall outside. As she left the room, Lila grabbed her duster and began wiping areas they had not previously cleaned. As she neared the end of a long table stacked high with books, she noticed a spot at the top of one of the bookshelves that had been missed. In fact, it looked to have been collecting dust for weeks!

Lila frowned. She did not want to get in trouble or be docked any pay for other people's laziness! What would it hurt these maids to climb a few steps and finish a job anyhow? So she grabbed a ladder and leaned it against the shelf. It was a bit rickety, but it would do well enough. Slowly she began climbing the unsteady steps, making sure to get as high as she safely could. However, her duster was no long enough to reach the top shelf so she climbed all the way back down and grabbed a broom instead. Perhaps this was why the maids never cleaned it.

Now, with the broom's extended reach, Lila was indeed able to reach the top shelf. She gave it a brush and swept it all off in one fell swoop. The debris immediately flew up into the air and formed a thick cloud that almost instantly engulfed her. Lila could not help but cough as the old dust quickly filled her lungs and clouded her vision. She tried to turn away until it dissipated, but it was making her cough so hard that she feared losing her grip. Quickly, she tried to make her way back down the ladder to escape the dust. Unfortunately, one last cough was all it took to make her hands slip.

Lila thrust out her arm, hoping to break her fall and avoid hitting her head, but before she made it to where the ground was, a pair of arms wrapped around her, miraculously catching her from the fall. The two of them fell back and bumped into the next bookshelf, the person behind almost losing their own footing in the process.

"Oh dear, I am so very sorry!" Lila said with another cough, looking back to see just who had saved her.

A familiar pair of worried blue eyes met her gaze.

"Are you alright Miss Lila?" The young tutor, Bartholomew asked with concern.

Lila blushed. She quickly got out of the boy’s arms and turned around completely to face him.

"Y-yes I am just fine! Thank you for catching me, I apologize for your fall!" She said with furious embarrassment.

She could not believe it! Why him of all people? Just when she thought this nonsense was all behind her too!

The boy shook his head. "I am just glad I was here so that you did not get hurt."

"T-thank you again. I am just so clumsy sometimes..." Lila said, blushing still.

She quickly looked around the room nervously for any onlookers. Much to her relief though, Lila saw that the King was not present with the tutor, or anyone else for that matter. Which meant she would not have to deal with any nonsense at least…

But wait, Daphne was not here either. Which meant the two of them were all alone! Lila groaned, wondering what kind of gossip the maids would come up with if they saw her like this now. Plus, she hoped Bartholomew had not heard any of the rumors!

"How have you been Miss Lila?" The boy asked with a fetching smile.

"Oh, well, the same as ever I suppose." She replied vaguely, hoping he would quickly lose interest in their conversation.

He laughed at her annoyance. "So, is that good or bad then?"

"Oh, neither good nor bad really. Just alright I guess." Lila said honestly.

Bartholomew laughed again, such a nice sound to be heard.

"H-how have you been?" She decided to ask in return for the sake of merely being polite.

He shrugged and faked her tone of voice. "Oh, the same as ever."

Lila found herself smiling at his tease. "I-Is that bad or good?" She asked, playing along.

Bartholomew chuckled. "I find that I am quite enjoying my time here at the castle."

"I sure wish I could say the same." Lila mumbled, rolling her eyes.

He frowned. "Oh, is something wrong?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms with a sigh.

"It is just not so easy when embarrassing things constantly happen to you." She said, thinking of none other than the mischievous King.

Bartholomew smiled with amusement. "Indeed. But I find that is what makes life so interesting."

Lila sighed. "I suppose you are right. Still, I would prefer for things to remain mostly calm if possible."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Most people would want at least a little excitement in their life."

She rolled her eyes again. "Some things are too exciting."

He tried to hold back a chuckle. "Yes, I suppose that is true. But you seem to handle unexpected situations quite well you know. I am thoroughly impressed by how well you maintain your composure."

Lila looked away with wild embarrassment and nodded. "Th-thank you."

For a moment, it was awkwardly quiet, so Bartholomew looked away and examined the surrounding area curiously.

"By the way, what are you doing cleaning here all by yourself?" He asked with concern.

"Well my friend Daphne was here too, she just went to get some more mop water a bit ago." She explained.

"Oh, I see now. That is good to hear." Bartholomew replied, looking relieved by her answer.

"What are you doing here today?" Lila asked, curious as to why he was alone too.

His face fell, and he looked extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Well, I am doing some research actually. The King did not want to have his studies today so I had some spare time on my hands. I was just a few shelves away when I heard you coughing earlier." He explained quickly.

Lila was quite curious about his unusual expression.

"Is there any way I could help you find what you are looking for?" She asked.

Bartholomew frowned. "No Miss Lila that will not be necessary. Thank you for your offer, but I do not wish to hold up your own work."

Lila nodded with understanding. Whatever he was doing, it seemed he did not wish to disclose any details to her. And why would he? It's not like it was any of her business.

"Excuse me, I must be going." He said abruptly.

Lila nodded as he bowed politely before turning and walking away. After a moment, when the shock of everything wore off, she got her duster and got back to work, wondering if Daphne had just decided to go all the way to the sea to fill her bucket. Honestly! What was taking her so long?

"Excuse me, Miss Lila?" Bartholomew suddenly said from behind her.

She jumped and turned around with surprise. "Y-yes?" She said, a bit startled to see him again.

"I apologize. I did not mean to be short with you a moment ago. It was very rude of me to leave so quickly." He said in an apologetic tone.

"Oh, I did not think you were being rude. You seem to be busy right now so I do not mind if you must go." Lila replied, shocked by his worry.

Bartholomew smiled, truly looking relieved.

"Thank you, I appreciate your understanding." He said.

She nodded. "There is no need to thank me. We all have our worries to deal with."

He gazed at her for a moment, looking thoughtful.

"Indeed. Although, I hope there is nothing distressing you at the moment." He said.

Lila laughed. "Well, it is nothing apart from all the other maids here, or yourself for that matter. We are all here to make a living."

Bartholomew nodded. "True. But I do hope this job has not been too troublesome for you."

She shook her head. "It is just a big change from what I am used to. I grew up on a farm out in the country, so castle and city here are all new to me. Besides that, I really miss my father some days."

"Oh, he is back home I presume?" He asked curiously.

Lila nodded, this time a bit solemnly. She almost forgot some days that he was sick at home waiting for her to return. Truly, she missed him and the comforts of home, especially amidst all these embarrassing encounters.

"Indeed. He has been suffering with an illness as of late. The doctors and medicine he needs is expensive. I have come here to work until I can pay for it all. but I plan to return home and visit him soon as soon as I can." She explained.

Bartholomew looked quite upset by her words, his eyes easily betraying his deep concern.

"I am very sorry to hear all that Miss Lila. I had no idea..." He said.

Lila suddenly gave a small laugh in an effort to lighten the mood. She certainly had not meant to disclose so much. It seemed she had gotten carried away talking again. She supposed though that it had merely been nice to talk to someone so understanding and thoughtful. Lila did not even like speaking these things to Daphne, for fear she would burden her friend down with such worries.

"There is no need to be sorry. As long as I just keep working as hard as I can, things will work out well enough." She said.

Bartholomew smiled at her confidence. “Well, I have no doubt you can do it. You seem to be the kind of girl who can do anything she puts her mind to."

Lila blushed and looked down at her feet. This boy, he was just so very polite and charming! Why again was he wasting his time talking to someone as boring as her right now?

Just then, she saw Bartholomew reach into his pocket and pull something out. He took her hand and placed a small coin purse in it.

"Here, for your father." He said gently.