[b]"I like you."[/b]

Those words.....to hear them echo from the subtle lips of this young girl before her...it made her feel.....well...really Irina couldn't decide how she felt about this. Surprised yes, but at the same exact time she became quite overwhelmed by other sorts of emotions, the most dominant being a sense of bewilderment along with feelings of acute rapture that the Princess said she liked her sworn guardian, even after all that the woman had put Crystal through on the very first day they were...not exactly stuck together, but Crystal at first seemed reluctant to accept the knight as her personal attendant, and of course the very thought of having someone guarding her 24/7 frustrated the white-haired beauty to no end, that Irina could sense. So to just say that she "liked" Irina, was it a true feeling or....was it more out of sympathy for Irina's ungrateful past of being only a mercenary instead of an honorable knight. Irina couldn't fathom what it was...but for now, she would just treat it as Crystal's honest word instead of false security. Though a few tears had threatened to fall from her ice blue eyes, deep with sorrow, Irina of course was trying her damndest to make sure not a stray drop escaped, just to keep up the strong and brave approach, but even the hardest of hearts crack every once in a while. "M'lady..." She replied with her best smile of sincerity aimed to the young girl. "I-I wasn't crying." A chuckle escaping her. "There was....just some dust in my eye is all." 

Briskly, she wiped away any instance of tears from her eyes, still playing up the "dust in the eye" act with a few sly winces here and there. Then again, Crystal was quite cunning, sharper than the blade Irina wielded no less, so there might be no possible way the Princess was buying into the knight's excuse. After a minute or so, Irina turned to the doorway, whereupon she noticed one of the Princess' ladies in waiting approaching them, a small, decorative golden card adorned with fancy embroidery and lettering, the common calling card of royalty usually, but twas when the Princess accepted the card from her wench, Irina noticed it was an invitation...from the Alegasia Theater to attend one of their lavish and elegant operas, a common production for the nobles by this heralded and most magnificent of theater troupes. Irina was interested in it of course, but...again there went her suspicions. [i]I should definitely go along. Something tells me this might be another trap...but I shouldn't spoil it for M'lady, and....it might be enjoyable to spend quality time with the Princess.[/i] Crystal must've been pondering the same, judging from the friendly and inviting smile she graced the woman with, Irina returning said smile, but again it faltered into an expression of bewildered astonishment when the Princess now gave her servant....over to Irina. "Huh?" She blinked a bit in confusion towards Crystal and towards this...Ginger lass. She was cute, yes, but for Irina....to have her own servant? [i]Oh no....what is she up to now?[/i] Back to her conniving ways it seemed with the Princess, again having Irina....worried.