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Eight o’clock the next day found me in the back room of the library again. I’d almost finished my dusting yesterday before Prince Chevalier had arrived, and I was determined to get as much done as possible this morning. I just hoped he kept to a consistent schedule. He truly was a terrifying person, and I wanted to interact with him as little as possible. The way he’d said I could serve a purpose made me think there would be no avoiding him, though. I had the unsettling feeling that I’d signed my life away by taking this job. Several hours passed with no incident, and I was hard at work mopping when I was interrupted.
“You must be the new maid.”
This voice was far more pleasant and conversational than Prince Chevalier’s, but it still startled me enough to jump when I turned around. The man in the doorway was quite distinctive, with violet hair and golden eyes, and his immaculate dress identified him as another prince. He wore white pants and a white shirt, a violet jacket with gold fastenings, a deep purple tie and a pair of blue boots that cut off just below the knee, a white cloak, and a pair of brown gloves, all tailored for a perfect fit. On first impression, he wasn’t as threatening as Prince Chevalier, although he, too, wore a sword strapped to his side.
“What a reaction! You must have met Chev yesterday,” he said, laughing.
I didn’t appreciate the humor of the situation, and I certainly didn’t appreciate his laughter at my expense. “Yes, your highness, Prince Chevalier was in here yesterday,” I replied.
“And lived to tell the tale. What’s your name?” His golden eyes danced with glee, like a little boy who had just received an amusing new toy. I was immediately on guard. He was going to be trouble, just like Prince Chevalier.
“My name is Ivetta, your highness. And you are…?”
“Clavis. Now tell me, are you brave, or just foolish?” His tone didn’t change at all, but his eyes narrowed slightly, and I suddenly felt very trapped.
“Prince Clavis,” I said carefully, “I’m not sure I understand the question.”
“Not the brightest one, then. I’ll spell it out for you. Do you really think Chev wants you in here?” He dropped the volume of his voice slightly as he finished his question, as if he didn’t want to be overheard by someone.
More insults. Had nobody taught these princes any manners?
“There is no reason for you to call my intelligence into question, your highness. The library, including this room, has been placed in my care, and Prince Chevalier has given me no indication to suggest otherwise. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do before lunchtime.” I turned back to my work in what I hoped would be a smooth, decisive motion. There was a brief silence, followed by an amused laugh.
“Such a brave little dove. I may have to stop by later to see if you’re still in one piece.” The laughing continued but grew softer as he walked away.
I sighed as I continued my mopping. There were eight princes, all sons of the king and six different women. Prince Chevalier’s mother, the queen, had died a long time ago. The king was very ill and had been for some time, so his regent, Sariel Noir, was the de facto ruler of the kingdom, with the princes supporting him. If all the princes were like the two I’d met so far, I was going to have a very hard time maintaining my professional composure.
After a quick lunch and a good read in the alcove, I returned to work in the main library. Prince Chevalier arrived midafternoon, as he had the day before, and walked over to where I was washing windows. Even though I was on a ladder above him, it still felt like he was looking down his nose at me. His icy blue eyes regarded me coolly.
“Would you like me to bring you some tea, Prince Chevalier?” I asked, climbing down the ladder. A good maid should always try to anticipate her master’s needs, and like it or not, I had the feeling that was what he had become to me.
That condescending smirk appeared. “So, you can be trained. A single cup will suffice.” He turned on his heel and disappeared into his library. I bit my tongue and headed for the kitchens, which were as busy as before.
“Oops, sorry!” I said, accidentally bumping into another maid in my effort to dodge a cook.
“It’s okay, happens all the time. I haven’t seen you around here before. I’m Theresa. What’s your name?” She gave me a bright smile that reached all the way up to her green eyes. She was a little older than me, mid-twenties if I had to guess, and tied her curly red hair back in a messy ponytail.
“Ivetta. Nice to meet you,” I said politely as she walked with me toward the tea sets.
“So which prince are you working for? I’m one of Prince Leon’s,” she said conversationally.
“Oh, is everybody assigned to a prince?” I asked.
She glanced up at me as she poured boiling water into the teapot she’d selected. “Of course. You didn’t know that?”
I shook my head. “The head maid just assigned me to the library, so I guess I must be one of Prince Chevalier’s maids.”
“Ugh, tough luck. You seem like you’d be a lot of fun to work with, but I doubt you’ll be here much longer,” Theresa said sadly.
“What do you mean?”
“The only servants that stay on with Prince Chevalier are the ones he doesn’t come in contact with. He scares everybody else away. He’s even said he doesn’t want to have a maid around, anyway, so I don’t know why the head maid keeps trying to hire one for him. That’s probably why she didn’t tell you.”
I followed Theresa to the door, carrying a single teacup and saucer. “He is pretty frightening, but he hasn’t told me to go away yet.”
Get out of his library, yes. Go away, no. There was a subtle but important difference.
“Well, be careful. He’s not called the Brutal Beast for nothing. Maybe we can get together for lunch sometime, if you stick around.”
“Sure, that would be great. Meet you back at the kitchens at noon tomorrow?”
She smiled again. “If you’re still here, but I won’t hold my breath. Bye!”
Our paths split as I broke off to go to the library. So, Prince Chevalier didn’t even want a maid. Maybe fetching his tea was all he’d request from me. I wouldn’t mind that.
He was in his chair with an open book in hand when I returned. I set the teacup on the table next to him and stepped back. “Is there anything else you need from me, your highness?”
He looked up at me, his contemptuous blue eyes sending a shiver down my spine again. “The head maid does not set your hours. I do. You will stay as late as is necessary,” he said coldly.
I frowned. “It would seem there was a lot she didn’t tell me. I regret to inform you that I can’t stay past five o’clock, your highness.”
He took a sip of his tea, the warm liquid doing nothing to melt the ice in his eyes. “Are you refusing my direct order?”
His voice had taken on a threatening edge. Was he going to make another scene like yesterday? No wonder he couldn’t keep a maid.
“Perhaps you don’t understand, your highness. I don’t live here in the palace, and there are certain circumstances that don’t allow me to stay late. I’m happy to do whatever you like during the hours I’d agreed to with the head maid.”
He set the tea down and stood up, walking over to me and taking my chin in his hand. “Perhaps you don’t understand. It is in your best interest to do as I say.”
I wanted to push his hand away and maybe slap him, too, but better judgment prevailed, so I stood still, maintaining eye contact with him. “I realize that, your highness, but as I said, I cannot comply regarding this particular matter.”
“And why is that?” he asked, his voice dangerously low as his finger slid down my neck again.
My heart was pounding. He had been deadly serious yesterday. Was he again today, or was this some sort of game to him?
“It’s not really any of your business, your highness, but my mother is very ill and requires a lot of care. As her only family member, that responsibility falls to me.” I couldn’t help but flinch as his finger traced up and down my neck lightly.
“I see. You have explained your reason for defying me, but you have not yet explained what benefit it is to me if I consent to your demands.” His lips curved up into a taunting smirk, and his finger continued its dance across my skin.
Benefit? I had to bargain with him? I had nothing to offer him - nothing except my service and my body. And my body was off limits unless there was absolutely no other option.
“Prince Chevalier, do you have a personal attendant?” I asked quietly.
“I have a palace full of servants, all of whom will do as I say at a moment’s notice. Is that all you have to offer me?”
“I know of nothing else, your highness. If that isn’t suitable, perhaps you should name your terms,” I said, trying to ignore the way my stomach was twisting.
“You really are a foolish little dove,” he said quietly, his finger sliding back up to my chin, his thumb running across my lips. I shivered at the touch. This was not what I’d signed up for. I’d been looking for consistent hours and a steady, reasonable paycheck, that was all. If he demanded what I thought he would, I may as well have signed on at the brothel in the city - and that was only supposed to be a last act of desperation. I wasn’t there yet. At least, I hadn’t been fifteen minutes ago.
He released me and took a step back, poking me lightly in the forehead. “Start with these boxes,” he said, smirking again. “We’ll see how useful you can be.”
“Yes, your highness.”
He returned to his chair and his book, and I turned to the boxes, trying to keep my hands steady as I pulled out the first few tomes. I loved books, and I loved reading. If the circumstances were different, I would have really enjoyed this task. As it was, I was painfully aware of Prince Chevalier’s presence, and I wanted to get this done and over with as soon as possible. I started sorting the books from the first box into stacks based on the categories I’d noticed on his shelves yesterday. When that was done, I checked the nearest shelf to get a better idea of how he’d organized the books within those categories. He’d sorted them by the author’s last name, and then by title. Simple enough. I sorted the stacks accordingly, and then I started the work of integrating them into the bookshelves.
“You are familiar with literature,” Prince Chevalier commented. I wondered if he was doing any reading at all, or just watching me.
“Yes, I am, your highness,” I said. “I enjoy reading when I can.”
He didn’t say anything further. I finished the first box and moved on to the second, and then the third, stacking the empty boxes in a corner as I went. An occasional glance at the clock kept me apprised of the time as the afternoon flew by. I slid the last book into place a few minutes before five o’clock.
“I can take one box as I go, but I’ll have to get the rest tomorrow, if that’s okay, Prince Chevalier,” I said, surveying the boxes. They were large and made of heavy wood, so I couldn’t carry more than one at a time.
“You say that as though I have a choice in the matter,” he said with amusement. I turned to look at him. He had one elbow propped up on the arm of the chair, his chin resting in his hand as he looked at me. I’d eventually been able to forget his eyes on my back as I’d worked, but his icy gaze now was unnerving.
“My apologies, your highness. It’s a force of habit to ask for permission or approval. What I mean to say is, I’ll get the rest tomorrow.” I’d never had to be so careful of my wording as I was with him.
“What time do you arrive in the morning?”
“Eight o’clock, your highness.”
“I’ll have breakfast in my room,” he said, his mocking smirk daring me to question him. The thought of entering his bedroom was sickening, but I tried not to let it show.
“Yes, your highness. Will that be all?”
“Take this when you go,” he said, tapping the empty teacup on the table. “Leave the boxes for tomorrow.”
I picked up the teacup. “Have a good night, your highness.”
Well, overall, that had gone better than expected. I just hoped he wouldn’t try anything with me in the morning.
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