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How was I supposed to go back to work for Prince Chevalier and pretend that had never happened?
The question nagged at me when I got home and found the bucket blessedly empty, allowing me to collapse into bed beside Mother and drift into a restless sleep. It was still there when I dragged myself out of bed at six o’clock, as tired as I was when I fell into bed far too few hours ago. I didn’t have the time or energy to smooth my slept-in, rumpled uniform out. My feet were dragging, and I barely finished my morning routine with Mother before I had to leave for the palace. How was I supposed to handle this day, the palace, or any of the princes, for that matter?
Oh. That’s what I meant to tell Prince Chevalier. Prince Gilbert wanted him at breakfast at eight o’clock.
I sighed as I walked through the servants’ entrance. I didn’t want to deal with Prince Gilbert, and I didn’t want to deal with Prince Chevalier, but I had to deal with both of them. Plus nine other princes who were used to behaving a certain way and didn’t always recognize when that wasn’t appropriate.
There was an unfamiliar smell in the kitchens when I arrived at eight o’clock, something deliciously enticing that instantly made me feel more awake. I found Prince Chevalier’s cook and told him not to worry about making Prince Chevalier’s breakfast, and when I turned to go, I bumped into Theresa.
“Ivetta! You’re alive!” she squealed, giving me a hug. She stepped back and looked me over, frowning. “But you look awful.”
“Thanks. I need to go change,” I said, trying to push past her again.
“Hold on. You need some coffee,” she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward a row of steaming mugs on one section of the counter.
“Coffee?” I asked curiously, picking up a mug and inhaling the energizing aroma.
“The Benitoite delegation brought it. You can add cream and sugar to it, just like tea. It really wakes you up.”
I took a sip and grimaced. “It’s too hot, and it’s too bitter. I don’t have time to wait for it to cool, either.”
“Here,” she said, dumping a generous splash of cream and a heaping spoonful of sugar into it. “Now take it with you.”
I shook my head and smiled. Carrying a mug around the palace with me wasn’t practical, but neither was arguing with Theresa. I took another sip, left for the laundry and a quick change, and then I was on my way to Prince Chevalier’s room. The coffee really was energizing. By the time I got to his door, I had my mask firmly in place. I set the mug on his writing desk and threw the drapes open.
“Good morning, Prince Chevalier!”
The blankets rustled behind me. “How can you possibly be so cheerful with so little sleep?” he grumbled.
“Coffee, your highness,” I said brightly. “I forgot to tell you last night, but Prince Gilbert is having breakfast with the other princes. Shouldn’t you join them?”
He pushed the blankets back and yawned, stretching languidly. “How much?” he asked.
I was better at answering his vague questions than Prince Gilbert’s. He wanted to know how much sleep I got. It would have been more if it weren’t for him.
“An hour, maybe two,” I answered as I pulled his clothes out of the bureau. “But I’ll get off work on time tonight, and I’ll be much more rested tomorrow morning, so you don’t need to worry about me, your highness.”
Assuming thoughts of him didn’t keep me awake again, I thought, turning to put the clothes on the sofa. He was sitting up now, watching me. I averted my gaze and turned back to the writing desk for another sip of coffee.
“You’re pushing yourself too hard,” he said, the bed creaking as he stood up, his footsteps padding across the floor toward me. My heart twisted in my chest. I set the coffee down and turned back to the bed, busying myself with straightening the sheets.
“It’s not forever, your highness.”
His footsteps stopped. “How is she?”
Why did he have to ask that? A lump rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down, determined not to cry again. I was doing too much of that lately.
“Not great. But there were no problems yesterday while I was gone.”
That I knew of. Everything seemed fine when I got home, and I’d been dragging too much this morning to take the time to stop at the Stotts’ house when I left. I saw movement from my peripheral vision and glanced over at Prince Chevalier, picking his clothes up from the sofa and looking at me. The split second of eye contact made my heart twinge, and I regretted looking.
“How long do you need me to keep them occupied?” he asked.
It suddenly occurred to me he hadn’t complained nearly enough about me waking him up an hour early, and he hadn’t said a word about Prince Gilbert sending an invitation to breakfast through me. He wanted to keep Prince Gilbert occupied and away from me. That would mean I wouldn’t see either of them, which would be an enormous relief.
“Allowing for extra time in case somebody made a big mess, two hours should do it.”
“Start in Gilbert’s room. I’ll make sure he doesn't bother you. Go to my library when you’re done and stay there. Do you understand?”
“I understand, your highness, but do I still get to go home on my lunch break?”
He sighed irritably. “Yes.”
I knew what that sigh meant. It was an added risk that he didn’t like, but it wasn’t really negotiable at this point. I was going, with or without his permission. He walked away, toward the bathroom, and I moved around to the other side of the bed to finish making it, relieved that I could move at a normal speed now instead of delaying so I wouldn’t have to walk past him. I tidied up as usual, returning to the mug of coffee for a sip here or there, and then he emerged from the bathroom and headed for the door.
“I’ll stop by the library if I can,” he said, and then he left.
I hoped he couldn’t. The less I saw of him today, the better.
I finished up in his bathroom and headed for the foreign princes’ rooms, starting with Prince Gilbert’s room, as per Prince Chevalier’s orders and my original plan. Prince Gilbert would definitely be at breakfast, and the other foreign princes were likely there as well, but the chance that somebody would finish early and come back to their room increased as time went on, so I was tackling their rooms in order of most to least noxious. First, Prince Gilbert; second, Prince Silvio; third, Prince Keith.
Prince Gilbert kept a tidy room, for which I was grateful. My heart was racing, and my hands were shaking the entire time I was there. My hair ribbon was nowhere to be found, and I didn’t stay a second longer than necessary to look for it, even though I really wanted it back. It was a little thing, and I had a spare, but that one was my favorite. Mother gave it to me with a matching green dress for my birthday a couple of years ago. It was a big purchase, and though time had faded and tattered the dress and the ribbon, I still wore them both regularly out of necessity. And I still thought of them as special.
Well, I still had the dress, anyway.
I took several deep breaths to calm myself as I made my way to Prince Silvio’s room. The worst was over, and it wasn’t even nine o’clock, so Prince Silvio should still be at breakfast with everybody else. I knocked preemptively, just in case, and his voice surprised me when it called out in answer.
“What?”
“Sorry for disturbing you, your highness. It’s the maid, but I can come back later.”
The door opened, and his sharp sea-blue eyes glared down at me. “Get in here.”
I did so, hoping he was on his way out, but he shut the door and walked past me to the sofa, where he collapsed, shielding his eyes with his arm. He was still in his pajamas, a pair of black pants and a white button-down shirt with black-spotted cuffs and collar.
“Are you okay, Prince Silvio?” I asked, automatically concerned.
“Just do whatever it is you came to do,” he grumbled.
I pressed my lips together in frustration. He didn’t have to be rotten to me just because he didn’t feel well. But, then again, he was rotten when he felt fine, too. He was just rotten.
“Yes, your highness,” I said formally.
Fortunately for him, I had plenty of practice cleaning quietly, thanks to working with Prince Chevalier. He hated noise. I started by making the bed, stealing occasional glances at Prince Silvio where he lay on the sofa, still concerned about him, against my better judgment. He didn’t move. Next was the table, where he’d strewn the contents of the gift basket, along with his copious jewelry, willy-nilly. My hand accidentally bumped a necklace.
“Keep it down,” he snapped.
I’d barely even noticed the soft grating of metal across wood, but he acted like it was the loudest sound in the world. I smiled to myself. So that was it.
“Sorry, your highness. But if I could make a suggestion, we have a marvelous recipe for tea to help relieve hangovers. It would only take me a few minutes to get you a cup.”
He uncovered his eyes for just a moment. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“It’s my job to see that you have a pleasant stay here, your highness,” I explained patiently.
“Is that why you were with Gilbert last night?” he asked bitingly.
I blushed, hoping he was just talking about me escorting Prince Gilbert to the ball. Or being forced to escort him, rather.
“Prince Gilbert asked me to show him where the ballroom was, your highness.”
“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about you disappearing into his room. Are you a call girl on the side or something?”
My cheeks were hot with embarrassment, but he wasn’t even looking at me, lying there miserably with his arm over his face as he insulted me. I picked up a necklace and dropped it on the table. The clatter made him jump up, his sea-blue eyes flashing at me, but I spoke before he could.
“My apologies, Prince Silvio, but I wanted you to look at me when I say this, because I’m only going to say it once. I am a maid, and that’s all. I’m not a call girl, or Belle, or Prince Chevalier’s mistress. Is that clear?”
“Watch your tone,” he warned. His eyes were almost as frightening as Prince Chevalier’s when we first met. Almost.
“Watch your accusations,” I retorted. “Would you like the tea, your highness, or not?”
He scowled at me. “Does it really work?”
“Prince Jin swears by it, your highness.”
“Then get it. Quietly,” he added, flopping back down on the sofa.
“I’ll be right back, your highness.”
I was careful to open and close the door as softly as possible, although I was very much tempted to slam it shut. He probably wasn’t the only one with a hangover this morning, I mused. It was likely that the breakfast table was not full today. Prince Chevalier wouldn’t be happy about the absentees.
“Ivetta!”
Like Prince Nokto, who looked as disheveled as ever, coming down the hallway toward me. I remembered the woman giggling last night, waiting for him in his room, and wondered if he ended up spending the night with her.
“Good morning, Prince Nokto.”
“Was everything okay at home last night?” he asked, falling into step with me.
I really wished everybody would stop asking about that.
“Yes, your highness,” I said curtly.
“Mm. Then why aren’t you smiling?”
I shrugged. “Maybe the coffee’s wearing off, your highness.”
We walked in silence for a little while, and then he stopped me and turned me to face him. His long fingers caught my chin and tilted my face up to look at him. “It’s not just the coffee.” He tilted his head to the side, studying me, his expression and voice lacking the usual undertones. “So, what can I do to bring that beautiful smile back?”
I managed a small smile. “Sorry, but I’m running on an hour of sleep. I think this is the best I can do today.”
He stepped back from me, a sly grin spreading across his face. “You can’t tell me something like that, Ivetta. It gives me ideas about inviting you up to my room.”
I shook my head as I started walking again. He would never change. “It’s not already occupied?”
“What can I say?” he confessed, coming alongside me again. “You were right about the beautiful women in beautiful ball gowns wanting to meet me.”
“Mm hm. I thought so. Well, the party’s over now, and Prince Chevalier and Prince Gilbert are having breakfast together. Prince Silvio is in his room with a hangover, and if all the other princes slept in, then nobody’s there to keep the peace.”
Prince Nokto frowned. “You’re asking me to check on Chevalier and Gilbert? I didn’t expect such cruelty from you.”
I giggled. “It can’t be that bad.”
“You say that, but I’ve been avoiding Chevalier since last night,” Prince Nokto said, wincing. “Maybe you could come with me? He won’t kill me in front of you.”
“He won’t kill you,” I said reassuringly. “And I’ve got to get back to Prince Silvio’s room with Prince Jin’s hangover remedy. You’ll be fine.”
“If I survive this, will you forgive me?”
“I already forgave you, Prince Nokto,” I said, smiling up at him.
He sighed. “At least I got to see that smile one more time before I die.” He winked and turned to go.
“If you survive, I’ll give you another one,” I said teasingly.
“Hm. In that case, I’ll see you later, Ivetta.”
I got a refill of coffee and returned to Prince Silvio’s room with the hangover remedy, still smiling. Prince Nokto was possibly the last person I ever thought I’d call a friend, but we had a rapport that was closer than anything I had with the other princes, except Prince Chevalier. Even the flirting and teasing was usually just part of our banter. I knew he still wanted to be friends with benefits, but he didn’t push that anymore - most of the time - and it meant a lot that he really cared about me and my mother.
I would miss him when I left. I would miss all the princes. Even Prince Clavis.
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