Olivia paid little attention as Henrik left her alone out on the balcony, those cold blue eyes taking on a dreamlike quality as she lost herself in thought. She had only been here for little over an hour and already her presence had been requested by no less than three people, two of which were royal heirs to the throne. Henrik made no illusion of the fact that he wished to court her allegiance, whereas both Theirians had opted for the more subtle approach, treating her with friendliness although she had little doubt that their discussions would eventually lead towards alliance as well.<br/><br/>A soft breeze started to pick up, causing her hair to cascade around her like a shimmering river of rich ebony. Most Nydewians would shiver uncontrollably in this kind of weather, so acclimatised to the harsh desert heat, although Olivia felt truly comfortable for the once time in years, no longer forced to wilt like a lonely desert flower. Small droplets of rain started to trickle down along her soft, silky skin, causing her to let out a gentle sigh. She could have stayed out here forever, but she knew that staying for longer would ruin her dress and it had already been a few minutes since Henrik had left. Closing her eyes and enjoying one final sensation of rain’s touch she finally turned and returned to the banquet hall, her stride graceful and confident.<br/><br/>As always upon re-entering a room her eyes darted about rapidly, taking in every subtle or overt change that had occurred since she had left. Dessert had yet to be served although everyone was still engaged in conversation with one another. The wolf, who she now released had to be Omar, was no longer circling the Queen and had returned to his seat. The most notable change was that Lorenso had left his seat and was now attending to Queen Lyssa, leaving her table devoid of any exciting company for a while. She walked past Henrik without so much casting a glance in his direction, not wanting to give people the impression that the two had now become acquainted.<br/><br/>With Lorenso gone she wondered how she would keep herself entertained and in that brief moment of thought her eyes wandered across to Juliette and noticed an empty seat beside her. Her confident stride seemed to falter for an instant as she remembered the beautiful Princess’ shy smile to her as she left the hall. The way she looked at her as she left had made her heart skip a beat, although she had no idea why. This woman was starting to annoy her, she realised. Those gentle eyes, those full, luscious lips, the softness of her skin. Everything about her caused Olivia’s eyes to slowly wander in her direction and that image was always branded in her memory forever after. She had never experienced her sharp mind being so easily distracted and it frustrated her to no end that not only was this happening, she still could not understand why. She had never spoken to the women, never met her and had only barely heard of her. She was little more than the illegitimate bastard child of a dead king and a common whore, truly beneath her in breeding and her superior in station only as a result of a single act of compassion.<br/><br/>And yet she continued to dominate Olivia's thoughts.<br/><br/>She had planned on waiting until after the banquet to introduce herself to the Princess, not wanting to appear to eager to meet with her, although she now felt her feet altering course of their own accord to bring her around to the front of Juliette’s table. She could resist this strange compulsion no more. Swallowing nervously before flashing a charming smile, Olivia slowly lowered herself into an elegant curtsy before Juliette, lowering her gaze respectfully. “Your Excellency, I am Grand Vizier Olivia Wilde of Nydewia. I apologise for the interruption but I would like to humbly request a place at your table, if you are so willing.” Slowly she rose up from her curtsy, meeting Juliette’s eyes with her own as a sense of nervous unease settled over her. She had absolutely no idea why she felt this way, or why it mattered so much to her that the Princess accepted her. All she knew was that she truly wished to be around her.