“I…” he said, suddenly, “want to apologize to you. I fear this is something that I must unburden my soul with and you are the only one that can condemn me, if you so choose.”

This sounded terrible. What in the world could the bashful prince have done to make him feel as though he deserved condemnation, HER condemnation. “I don’t understand.” Sweetheart said, finally.

He sighed, a slow, tired, ragged sigh, before speaking, once again. “When I was younger, I had fallen in love with a woman that I did not know was already married, with children, no less. Once I learned that she was married, I avoided her, out of respect to her and her husband. But, the day of the Great Flood, the day she passed away, I came to her body and prayed over her. I know that I did not have the right, but I just had to. But, that woman…was your mother.”

“Mama?” she gasped.

“Yes.” he answered, solemnly.

“You prayed over her?”

“Yes, and I—“ he started to say, when the golden suddenly leapt upon him and wrapped her arms around his startled form. The action was so abrupt and so unexpected, that the prince did not know what to do. “Miss?”

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