[b]"I suppose I can understand her worries, though," Ella sighed as Marken kissed her cheek, "It's not often that the prince of a country doesn't marry a princess. She probably had great hopes that you would marry a woman with more pedigree than me. I'm not a stranger to people with that mindset. You aren't the first prince to ask for my attention; but you are the first to have marriage in mind."

Knowing that Marken was the first man to honestly like her made Ella feel a little bit of pride. While Marken did have his ball because of an agreement with his father, his willingness to marry a woman in a lower class than him still spoke volumes.

[i]'But I still have to kill him,'[/i] Ella thought bitterly to herself, [i]'Congratulations on finding a good man and killing him.'[/i]

Holding back the urge to scowl, Ella hooked her arm in Marken's and followed him out to the dining hall. She wondered to herself if his father would be present as they walked, knowing that the curry should be finished soon, and then his mother would get her cure.[/b]