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My feet were heavy as I walked to the palace the next morning. Mother and I were very close, and I’d always felt free to talk to her about anything, but I’d been careful not to tell her of my unpleasant exchanges with the princes. She was already sick. There was no need to worry her unnecessarily. And, whether I liked it or not, I needed this job. So, promptly at eight o’clock, I was in the kitchens putting together a breakfast tray for Prince Chevalier. I hadn’t thought to ask what he would like, so I got a little of everything and headed to his room. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves before knocking. No response. Maybe he was still asleep? I opened the door carefully and stepped inside.
The room was well lit by two unshaded windows to my right, high up above a wall of built-in bookshelves. Those shelves adjoined more, covering half the wall opposite me, until they met a large window hidden by heavy, pale yellow drapes which took up the remainder of the wall. There was a massive golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a light blue floral rug on the center of the wooden floor, and a wooden desk and chair to my right in front of the bookshelves. A white cushioned backless sofa was flush with the foot of the bed on my left, which was large but otherwise simple compared with the elegance elsewhere. The prince was indeed still asleep, judging by the lump under the white covers. I set the tray on the desk and looked at him in dismay. He’d only said to bring him breakfast. Was I supposed to wake him, too?
“Good morning, Prince Chevalier,” I called in what I hoped passed as a cheery voice, opening the drapes. The room was overall neat and tidy, but there were dust motes visible in the rays of light shining through the window. I may as well clean up while I was here.
The lump in the bed hadn’t moved yet. How aggressive was I supposed to get?
“Prince Chevalier, breakfast is ready,” I called again. Still no response. It was then that I got a mischievous streak - poorly timed, I know, but there it was. I was probably going to change his bedding anyway, I reasoned, so I grabbed a corner of the comforter at the foot of the bed - safely out of his reach - and yanked it off of him.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep but no less threatening as he rolled over to face me. His sword was next to his pillow. That, and his irritated icy blue glare, set my heart to pounding.
“You don’t want breakfast to get cold, Prince Chevalier,” I said, smiling sweetly and pretending I wasn’t regretting my mistake already. Unfortunately, I had already gotten myself started, and my tongue was still going in spite of the warning bells ringing at the back of my mind. “It would appear that you’ve been scaring maids out of here too, so I’m assuming your bedding is due for a change. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I was heading toward the door with the comforter in hand, simultaneously congratulating and chiding myself, when he caught my arm and spun me around to face him.
“A fragile little dove in a beast’s lair should tread more cautiously,” he said quietly, his blue eyes flashing a few inches from my face. He held both my arms in an iron grip. It wasn’t painful, but I wasn’t going anywhere. My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears that I wondered if he could hear it. At least the sword was still back on the bed and out of his reach.
“I’ll try to keep that in mind. Please accept my apologies, your highness,” I replied, dropping my gaze in what I hoped would come across as meek submission. He released me with a soft chuckle and disappeared through another doorway, presumably the bathroom.
I stood still for a moment, bewildered. Had he been threatening me, or teasing me? Whatever the case, he hadn’t given me any indication that I was to stop what I was doing. I left with the comforter to fetch clean bedding. When I returned, he was seated at the desk, fully dressed with his sword at his hip, eating breakfast. He didn’t acknowledge me, and I didn’t speak to him. I set about stripping the bedding and changing it. I could feel his eyes watching me, but I did my best to ignore the discomforting feeling. Finally, I heard the door open and close. I looked over my shoulder to verify that he was gone before letting out a sigh of relief. That went significantly better than expected. He hadn’t made any ridiculous demands of me. Actually, he hadn’t given me any orders at all, now that I thought about it. And I’d made a potentially massive mistake, but somehow managed to get off with little more than a verbal warning and a chuckle.
If all he wanted was somebody to clean his room, he could’ve just said so. But this, the tea, the books - he seemed to prefer that I guess his intentions and preferences. And apparently, I was guessing correctly so far.
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. He did not return, and I cleaned his room and bathroom from top to bottom. At noon, I headed down to the kitchens to meet Theresa as promised. Her green eyes widened with surprise when she saw me.
“Wow, you’re still here! I’m impressed,” she said, giving me that big smile again.
“Of course I am,” I said, returning the smile. “I need the job.”
We had a pleasant chat over lunch. The hour passed far too quickly, and then it was time to get back to work. I had to tackle those boxes next.
“Hey, where do empty boxes go?” I asked. Theresa was walking with me until her turnoff for Prince Leon’s office.
“Oh, there’s a storage room down in the basement. I can show you.”
“You don’t have to do that. I wouldn’t want Prince Leon to be upset with you.”
She laughed. “See, that’s the difference in our princes right there. It’s pretty hard to upset Prince Leon. In fact, he’d probably get upset if I didn’t help you.”
“Must be nice,” I said ruefully.
I led the way to Prince Chevalier’s library, and she and I each grabbed a box. She took the lead from there, skillfully navigating the maze of halls and stairways to bring us to the storage room.
“Well, I’m glad you came with me,” I said with an appreciative smile. “I’d probably still be wandering around without your help.”
“It’s not a big deal,” she said, shrugging it off. “Let’s head back. I’ll help you with the rest of the boxes.”
“Are you sure?” I asked doubtfully.
“Prince Chevalier really does have you scared. Like I said, Prince Leon won’t mind.”
With her help, I had all the boxes put away well before Prince Chevalier typically arrived at two thirty. I set to work sweeping up the dust in his private library.
“Well, you must be the new maid.”
A tall man with reddish-brown hair and sharp burgundy eyes stood in the open doorway, a cheeky grin on his face. He crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned against the doorframe. His clothes were all of fine craftsmanship and much nicer than anything a villager would wear, even at a fancy event, so he had to be a prince, but he was much more casual in appearance than the others I’d met so far. His pants were a dark gray, the cuffs covering the tops of his black shoes. He wore a light gray shirt, the top button open, with a dark blue vest and tie, but the tie was loose. His dark gray jacket had ornate gold and black lapels and cuffs, but he had rolled the cuffs up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms. The apparently requisite sword fastened at his side hung from a rather loose belt.
Why were they all wearing swords? There were guards everywhere.
“Hello, Prince…?”
“You can call me Jin,” he said in a friendly, relaxed manner, as if we had bumped into each other at a tavern. “I hope Chevalier isn’t working you too hard. A beautiful dove like you should be treated with care.”
Prince Jin. Theresa had warned me about him. He was a playboy, and I could see that he certainly was smooth. I didn’t want to encourage him, but I couldn’t help but blush at his compliment.
“Prince Jin, you flatter me.”
“Your name is Ivetta, right?”
“Yes, your highness.” I swept the last of the dust into the dustpan and headed for the door. “Excuse me.”
He stepped aside so I could pass. “I’m glad Chevalier hasn’t succeeded in scaring you away. If he gives you any trouble, just let me know. I’ll take care of him.”
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, your highness,” I said cordially. He had followed me across the library, and as soon as I set the broom and dustpan down, he took my arm and led me to a sofa.
“There were a ton of boxes in there the last time I visited Chevalier. Did you get rid of all of them?” Prince Jin asked, sitting down and drawing me to the cushion next to him. The alarm bells were ringing in the back of my head again. We were uncomfortably close already, and then he draped his arm across the sofa behind me to add to my discomfort. I was not about to become one of his conquests, but he was a prince, and I had to be careful not to offend him.
“Yes, your highness,” I said politely, my mind racing to come up with a way to get rid of him.
“Well, I’d say you deserve a break, then. Just sit back and relax for a few minutes.” His fingers brushed the top of my shoulder. Prince or not, he was being way too forward.
“I would love to stay and talk, but unfortunately I have a lot of work to do,” I said, standing up quickly and stepping around the coffee table so it would separate us. “I’ll take a break later, when my work is done.”
He chuckled as he looked up at me. “So, do you want to go out for drinks later?”
He just wouldn’t quit.
“I’m afraid not, your highness. My work doesn’t end when I leave here.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders and stood up. “Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be at the Rose and Thorn tonight. Do you know it?”
“Yes, I do, but I won’t be able to join you, your highness.” The Rose and Thorn was a tavern down in the city. I passed it on my way to and from the palace, actually, and I made a mental note to alter my route tonight so I wouldn’t accidentally run into him.
He was still grinning at me. “Playing hard to get, huh? I like that. See you around, Ivetta.” He winked slyly and turned to go, just as Prince Chevalier entered the library.
“Hey, Chevalier,” Prince Jin said casually, ignoring the icy glare Prince Chevalier was giving him. “I just stopped by to check out your new maid. She’s quite a looker.”
I blushed again and turned away, heading into Prince Chevalier’s library. He and Prince Jin were blocking my path to the kitchens, so Prince Chevalier’s tea would have to wait.
“You’re interfering with her work,” I heard Prince Chevalier snap. “And avoiding yours, too, I see.”
“Don’t tell me you actually like this one?” Prince Jin said, amusement evident in his voice. “Well, this is a change.”
“Don’t be absurd,” Prince Chevalier said dismissively.
“Then you won’t mind if I take her out for drinks sometime.”
“I couldn't care less.”
“Great! And if you end up chasing her away, try to shoo her in my direction.”
They didn’t say anything more. I heard the main library door open and close just as Prince Chevalier entered his library. I was leaning back against a bookcase, my arms crossed over my chest, waiting for Prince Jin to leave. Prince Chevalier smirked and walked over to me.
“Hiding from Number One, I see,” he said, poking me in the forehead.
If these princes didn’t stop touching me without my permission…
“I probably shouldn’t say this, your highness, but he’s a bit of a pain,” I said, straightening up. “I’ll go get your tea now.”
He let me pass without correcting my disrespectful attitude toward Prince Jin. But, then again, he didn’t seem to have much respect for Prince Jin, either. What had he called him? Number One. That probably referred to their birth order. Prince Jin was the first prince, and Prince Chevalier was the second. Is that how he categorized the other princes, too, by number? It wouldn’t necessarily surprise me. He hadn’t even asked my name, and this was my third day working for him. And he hadn’t said a word about the boxes, either. Apparently, silence meant approval. That made sense coming from him. If he couldn’t be bothered to ask a person’s name, he certainly wouldn’t concern himself with compliments.
The hands of the clock made their rounds, and finally it was a few minutes to five o’clock. Prince Chevalier hadn’t called for me all afternoon, and I hadn’t seen anybody else either. Just a few more minutes to freedom. It occurred to me that I should probably tell him I was leaving and see if he had any final orders, although I didn’t want to give him an opportunity to harass me. I wrestled with myself for a moment, but duty won out over self-preservation, and I steeled myself and knocked on his door. There was no response. Maybe he didn’t want to be disturbed. Unfortunately, I’d already knocked, so I couldn’t just leave now. I took a deep breath and let myself in. He looked up from his book with deadly annoyance. I picked up his empty teacup, uncomfortably aware that I was very much within his reach if he decided to go after me again.
“Is there anything else you need me to do, your highness?” I asked.
“Come to my room in the morning,” he said, his eyes returning to his book. “I don’t want to be disturbed until nine o’clock.”
So clean in silence for an hour. Got it.
“Have a good night then, Prince Chevalier,” I said politely.
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