A Mother-like Figure

Teresia's little tales almost sounded like folktales, driving all sorts of emotions in the Princess's heart. Teresia resembled the Princess's mother a lot. The way she talked, the way she put a phlegmatic cover over herself amidst the tense situation, and the way she showed respect to people who had wronged her. She was one of a kind and the Princess couldn't understand why Heinrich lost feelings for such a beautiful, elegant, kind-hearted, and sweet woman; even the Princess looked up to her. 

"If you had the choice to leave here, would you?" The Princess asked, curious to hear what Teresia had to say about it. 

Teresia smiled bitterly and shook her head, "That would be too cruel to the Great Father. He is too kind for me to behave this way." She said softly. "He has lost a wife already. If I disappeared, he would not be able to take it." 

"You care about him deeply, do you not? You say that you do not love him anymore but you still seem like you do." The Princess said, "Actually, he has said this to me once. If you panic over losing him, then you might as well consider him your lover." 

Teresia looked out the window, "I will never lose him." She said solemnly. "That is why I do not panic over such thoughts. He is one person you can never lose, though he loses people now and then." She added. "That is why I wish to stay even when no one does. This world is too cruel to him." 

The Princess frowned slightly in confusion. She had realized that a lot of words uttered by Heinrich and Teresia seemed to fall over the same tone - the distinct voice of eternity. She wondered why they talked like they had forever in front of them. 

"What if he chooses to never come out of his room?" The Princess asked. 

"He will." Teresia said, "There is no way he will neglect his family over his emotions. He has always been a placid person." She added confidently. 

The Princess nodded and smiled. She still felt betrayed by the man for lying to her about his time travels but what could she do? She was the one who followed him; he never asked to be followed. If she could, she would ask Teresia about it. 

"I can see that you have been wanting to ask me a question." Teresia noticed the discomfort on her face and asked. 

The Princess cleared her throat. How could she ask a ground-breaking question? 

"Do you know the Great Father did not choose me as his mistress because he fancied me?" The Princess molded the conversation differently. 

Teresia looked visibly confused. "Then why?" 

"It was to save me from the Crown Emperor. He was going to take me in as a concubine." The Princess clarified. She did not want his wife to think that he liked another woman. 

Teresia smiled and shook her head, "If that was the case then he would have told me. He fancies you. He told me that he did when we were invited to the Palace." She added. "Did he not walk with you at night, holding your hand?" 

"That was an act." The Princess denied it. 

Teresia ended up breaking into chuckles, then hysterics. Servants outside her room glanced inside with surprise, seeing the woman laugh for the first time after the sudden death of Wanda. It was heart-melting for them to see how the Princess was able to make Teresia laugh. 

"You are in denial!" Teresia said while laughing. "This is adorable!" 

The Princess ended up laughing alongside her. Teresia was easy to approach. But the Princess still thought that it was too quick to ask her for such a big favor. Knowing that Heinrich didn't favor Teresia as much, the Princess wondered if she could even persuade Heinrich to send the two back home. 

She also didn't know why Heinrich lied about his time travels and why he suddenly traveled to Miraculum only to return with a bunch of herbs. Heinrich needed to come out of his isolation to answer all these questions. The Princess promised herself to not ask Teresia anything before talking to Heinrich. 

Maybe what Killian faced was a miscommunication. Killian was never fond of Heinrich anyway. The Princess wanted to give him another chance. She still wanted to trust him. What would a powerful man like him gain by keeping a Princess and her bodyguard from the future in his abode? You might as well throw them back to where they came from! They were a handful to keep anyway. 

"Miss Teresia," The Princess called her politely. 

"Hm?" 

"Thank you so much for today." She expressed her gratitude. "I had the best time with you!" 

Teresia looked surprised, "Oh my," She placed her hand on her chest in utter surprise. "I should be the thankful one. You have brought so much peace to my heart just by being you. Please visit often. It would be delightful to know more about you next time." 

The Princess smiled warmly, stood up, and performed a small curtsy before leaving the room. After talking to Teresia, she got a closer insight into Heinrich as a person. There was no way he was going to betray her like this. He would send her back! And she was going to make sure of it.