Sara ran her fingers through her hair, trying to give it a bit of volume and a beautiful form, she decided to let it untied for the day as it was a beautiful day with temperate weather with was neither hot nor cold, once done with her hair, she looked at her all in the mirror, smiling in satisfaction. The dress she wore for the day complemented her indeed, grey wasn’t her favorite color but it did make her complexions look livelier, especially with the little white flowers made of silky threads on it neckline and skirt, the hem of it stopped right above her ankle to prevent it from being dipped in the forest mud, the skirt wasn’t a fancy one, it was made of several layers of fabric that fluid down her body smoothly, the upper part however hugged her torso intimately, not hiding her thin waste which made her breasts look fuller, the round neckline was reserved but it still allowed her long neck and a part of her collarbones to show, giving her an extra touch of femininity, the sleeves were also tight and stopped in the middle of her forearm. Pulling her long hair to place it all on one side, she applied a scented essence right behind her ear and her wrists, Jasmine of course, it was something she read about once in a book about being a lady, something the priests provided her with to learn how to act properly, not knowing it wasn’t merely about daily etiquettes but also some hidden tips and advices about the art of seduction. Once she finished her preparations, Sara played with the ends of her silver hair nervously, a part of her was embarrassed with what she was doing, not only she was meeting a man behind her father’s back but she was also dolling herself up for him, trying to look her best for her handsome savior, but another part loved the whole thing, the whole adventure, the feeling of waking up every single day with something to look forward to, the feeling of having someone who cared enough to come visit her every single day after their reunion at the river which was a week ago, someone who talked to her freely, not bothered by all the secrets she was so adamant to hide, someone who…treated her with a unique delicacy and made her feel all those things in her heart and stomach. Sara learned that Eren was the third son of Duke Robert Salvatore, Sara heard about the Salvatore duchy, even though it wasn’t as great and wealthy as it used to be it was still one of the respected names in the kingdom, not that it mattered to her, her savior’s status and decreasing wealth wasn’t a problem for her, not while he didn’t care whether she was a noble or not. Eren was curious about her but never intrusive, once he saw her hesitation, he made sure to tell her it was okay if she didn’t want to talk about it and that he wasn’t going to take it to heart, he was willing to wait for her to be comfortable enough to share her story with him even without any guarantees to have any answers, yet still, he told her all about himself, creating one subject after the other to talk about and keep her entertained, something she was very grateful for, she didn’t want to hide things from him as he had grown to be quite important to her, he was the first true friend she ever had, but she didn’t know what exactly to tell him, that she was the king’s illegitimate daughter who was born to an unknown mother and was locked on the holy tower until some priest tried to rape and kill her? that a demon saw her through a book and tried to track her? or maybe that she was deprived of human interactions all her life? Sara couldn’t fine anything worth telling in her dull life, all while her handsome savior was a noble with barely any time to scratch his head as he had many duties. According to him, his parents died long ago in a demon attack when he was two years old, they were actually strolling down that particular woods with his second brother when the bloody monsters attacked them, it was why Eren visited the woods and ended up meeting her, Sara saw the sadness in his eyes when he talked about the matter, and understood without him saying it how lonely it was to grow up without his parents, especially with the way his elder brother was traumatized of the accident and indulged himself in drinking, in a way, his story made her feel a little blessed, as she always had her father by her side, and because of the way she lived her life, she was spared the pain of losing anyone she loved and cared for, she was also protected and sheltered from all the responsibilities that came with being born in a noble family, the daily struggle of trying to keep up with everyone’s expectations and deal with the hypocrites who smile on one’s face while waiting for him to fall in order to step on his body to clime higher in the social ladder. He confessed to her that one of the things he admired about her the most was her sincerity and honesty, with her he felt at ease to talk freely without worrying of being back stabbed, without having to watch every single word and action of his in fear for it to be misread and turned into a gossip material, the young duke was trying his hardest to reestablish the Salvatore Duchy and couldn’t afford to have his reputation slandered with baseless rumors, but with her, he was free, he was himself. Sara smiled when she remembered those particular words, reaching out for the delicate necklace on her dressing table, she wore it before running her hands on the thin silver chain and the beautiful pendent, admiring the unique design of it, as it was a beautiful black pearl, it wasn’t small but it wasn’t big either, just perfect, but the pearl wasn’t attached to the chain directly, and instead placed inside a little silver cage that had the form of a tear. It was his first gift to her, and the first gift she had from anyone but her father, she was beyond surprised to receive it and tried to reject it politely but Eren insisted, saying it was important to him and he wanted her to keep it safe, and it was his way to make sure that she remembered him, as if she was able to forget about him in the first place. Taking a deep breath, Sara left the shack with a little basket in her hand, filled with cranberry mini pies, she made a mental note to ask her father to bring her more supplies in the next time he visited, he didn’t visit her in ten days meaning he would tonight, she also had to return to shack early to prepare dinner, her father always arrived right before sunset to find his dinner ready, any retardation would make him suspicious. Reaching the river, she noticed the beautiful horse tied to a tree near it, the animal was of a magnificent black color just like his owner who was busy taking down a little basket as well, and to her surprise, it was filled with strawberry mini pies. “These are really good...” Eren said with raised brows as he ate a second pie, he and Sara sat under a tree not far from the river, enjoying the sun warmth without having to endure the direct rays. “I am truly glad that you liked them, the ones you brought are much better.” Sara said while noticing the beautiful design and decoration of the small pies, their taste was truly wonderful as well with a wonderful texture, making hers look like a failing attempt of a bake. However, her handsome savior didn’t share the same opinion as hers. “Unlike you, my fair lady, I didn’t make those pies, I bought them from a popular pastry shop, that is why I still can’t believe you made these, they taste as if they were made by a professional chef, actually scratch that, they taste better because you made them yourself, you gave the time and effort to make them, how can I be odious enough to compare them to anything else?”. Leaning forward, he took a lock of her hair and rubbed it gently between his thumb and index, “The little things that makes you you…”. Sara’s face immediately turned into a bright shade at his words and voice, the way he said it, lower than his previous sentence, closer, huskier, coughing a couple of times, she stood up, avoiding his gaze. “It is late, I better get going before father comes back…”, at her trembling words, Eren smiled warmly at her, his eyes looking clearer in the sun, standing up he stood in in front of her, towering her with his height. “Alright, as long as you promise me to meet again, tomorrow...” “You know I will...” she smiled back at him before grabbing her basket and keep and head back home, Eren followed her with his eyes as his smile dropped only to be replaced with a serious and troubled expression.