"Once in a while"...

"...!!!!"

Francis slowly approached Eleanor and gently touched her lips, he looked at her in the eyes and she went blanc with her eyes wide open from the unbelievable action of Francis. Then with a sly smirk on his face, he continued and kissed her again, but this time the kiss was long and he did it passionately. His hand left her shin and caressed her cheek.

At his hand's touch on her cheek, Eleanor regained consciousness and separated from him abruptly.

"Waaa...You!...What was that?!"

"Have you never saw a kiss? I mean have you never been kissed?" He said with a smile on his face as if he was ridiculing her lack of experience.

"No, I never saw it....well...I mean..." She replied honestly and then after getting aware of her confused state of mind she got angry and continued,

"Wait that's not the question!....I asked, why did you do that?!"

'Heh, cute!' Francis thought as he had a bright smile on his face and began a game he came to like very much, teasing Eleanor.

"I did what again can you remind me?!"

"You...You....ki..kissed me." She said while averting her eyes with her face flushed red until the ear, and her heart beating terribly fast.

'This crazy, stupit guy what did he do to me? is this the reaction we have after being kissed by another person?! I never saw that in book. It is like I will die if my heart keep beating this fast.' She thought as she bite her lower lips.

"Hahah! yes I did! and seing your reaction you make me want to do it again..." He said as he leaned toward her, with his two arms in each side of Eleanor, leaned against the sheet. His golden eyes scanned every part of her being and each one of her expressions.

As he stared at her intensely, she didn't know where to look and got even more nervious. 'Wait, why do I have to be cornered like that, he is the one who made a mistake. A person shouldn't kiss just anybody like that!' She thought as she remembered what Elias told her once when she was 14 years old. 'Always remember, Lea you can only kiss the one you like and no one else.'

'Why?'

'Because for us it mean, that we are giving to that beloved person every inch of our being.'

'Oh really? but I kissed you too Eli.'

'Yeah but it is not the same, you will understand one day.'

As she thought about what he had told her, she muttered,

"Is that what you mean...Eli"

Francis who was about to kiss her again since she didn't react to his flirt stopped moving after hearing a man's name come out of her mouth. with a frown he said,

"Hey! did you just think about another man?in this situation?!"

"Hein! ah, I was think about what a friend told me..."

"And what was that?" he asked while getting even more annoyed.

"Well,....You shouldn't just kiss anybody like that it isn't good because we should only do that to our beloved only. And, I don't think that I am that person to you? right?"

"Why?.....did that friend of your tell you to not kiss anyone other then him?!" At that moment, he himself couldn't understand where this irritating feeling was coming from, but he left it be and continued questioning her even though he didn't knew the reason.

"what?! No, I mean...I did kiss Eli but..." She said while being embarrassed after comparing the two impressions she had from Eli's and Francis's kisses, and figuring out that what she feel were completely different with Francis. Even if the kiss with Eli happened when she was a kid, she couldn't help but compare and think that what she felt with Francis may have been what a person felt toward their beloved.

"Sigh!..So it was like that!" said Francis While interrupting her thoughts and got up as he continued after a moment of silence,

"You don't need to worry about what just happened, it was just out of habit."

"What?!....habit? are you serious?!"

"Yes, I do this once in a while....with every woman I meet,...unfortunately, it just happened that you were there."

"You! how could you do this to...but I guess that could be truth since royalty like you can hurt people as they wish." As she said that her blue eyes were tearful. At that sight, Francis left her room in anger and frustration. ' So she had someone...but Why does it bother me so much this is getting on my nerves. She is just a little different and beautiful but that's all...Yes this is just momentary....it must be!' Those thoughts keeped his mind busy as he walked back toward his room and ignored the aching inside his heart caused by Eleanor's tearful face.

Eleanor clasped her arms around her crouched legs with her head down. 'No, you are wrong Eli...it musn't be him...it surely isn't, but then, what is this feeling?' She thought as she cried quietly.

In the morning, Sebastian came with a report about the movement of the enemies and handed it to Francis. And as he read it, Francis smiled and left the palace with Val. Before leaving he told Sebastian,

"Take care of.....everything here, I will be back tomorrow night."

"Yes, your majesty, and about your birthday party....You didn't forget right?"

"Yes I will be there before it began tomorrow. And tell Lydia to prepare a dress for Eleanor."

"....very well your majesty." Sebastian said with a confused expression on his face. 'Lydia is a dress maker and she is the most talented person on this earth. Indeed, she do create dresses for nobles since she has a lot of famous shop, but the dresses and clothes she make for the imperial family are of another quality, and she only make it for the royal family. I wonder why, he told her to make a dress for Eleanor, even if she is really beautiful, she still isn't a princess. Maybe, he like her...No nonsense not our dear womanizer.'

Eleanor ate her breakfast, then went to the balcony to read a little, it was a book about the empire's history. She wanted to learn about what she didn't know since the book at Elheim were all outdated. As she was reading she thought about Elheim 'I miss Elheim, even though there was some sad moment. Still I had a lot of good moment too with Eli, and Elheim was a peaceful and great place. Apart from how everyone aside from Eli thought that I was weird...you know Eli, even here they think that I am weird, so I must be cautious all the time...' Her face became sad and she uttered what she thought out loud without being aware,

"I seem to be accepted nowhere..."

"What do you mean by that my lady?"

In surprise Eleanor dropped the book that was in her hands and turned around. Leaning against the large window that is open on the balcony, she recognized Alphonse.

"Ah, you scared me!"

"Yeah, I can see that....though I called you at least three time." He said as he took the seat in front of her after picking up the book on the floor.

"Oh, I am sorry,....I was thinking about something."

"About the fact that you aren't accepted nowhere?!...."

"Eh?! you even hear that?....don't mind it, it was just a foolish thought."

"I hope so because I would feel hurt if you thought like that."

"Hein? I don't get it what do you mean?

"I, Eleanor thought of you as my dearest friend since the afternoon you fell on me."

"Haha! if that is truth you must be a weird guy who like been walked over by woman." Eleanor said as she laughed at his answer.

"I am happy to see you regain your good spirit. But nevertless I was saying the truth, dear friend. And I am extremely gratiful to have meet you."

Eleanor smiled brightly while blushing a little because she figured that Al must have been worried about her because of last time. And thus, he was trying to comfort her.

"Thank you Al, you are the first person to tell me that. I am happy to have meet you too."

They chatted while drinking tea and laughed about a lot of things. Alphonse told her a lot of things about the empire and Eleanor keep listening to him like a child hearing stories from their grand mother. He found that part of her cute and continued to tell her all the stories that came to his mind.