A/N: Greetings! This is my first Fic for Be My Princess (and, admittedly, the first Fic I've written in a while). So, I would love it if you'd read what I've got and tell me what you think! ;3 This story will be a spin-off of Prince Joshua's main story. Please read, review, and enjoy~

Chapter One:

Welcome

A young woman with chocolate-toned hair and caramel skin stepped out of the taxi. The driver helped her unload her things and then sped off once he received payment. The late afternoon air was chilly and the occasional gentle breeze picked up the brunette's skirt and caused it to swirl. The material was light and of a hyacinth hue. She wore a flowy, cream blouse that was tucked into her skirt and the whole ensemble was pulled together by matching cream, patent leather heels. Although her funds were meager, she wanted to look her very best for her first day on the job. So, she had gone out the day before and purchased the (rather expensive) outfit.

A bright smile curled the corners of her lips and her hazel eyes gazed upon the Dres Van Manor with excitement. Today would mark the beginning of the next chapter of her life! Designing for royalty! She was bent over at the waist, retrieving her bags, when a sleek limousine rolled up beside her. One of the windows towards the rear of the vehicle slid down and revealed a handsome, irritated face.

Prince Joshua…

"You. What the hell are you doing here?" His amethyst eyes flicked to her bags then back to her. "And why do you have those bags?"

In all of her excitement, she'd forgotten how cold and ill-tempered Prince Joshua could be. And that he was included in the royal family she would be serving. She cleared her throat and said, "I'm not sure if your Highness recalls, but my name is Titania Abbot. I work for Jean Pierre. I received a letter a few days ago stating that my services were requested here for one week. Starting today."

At this, the Prince's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "I did not request you. And even if I were in need of a designer, I would hardly consider you competent enough for the task."

Ouch.

That's when another male voice resonated from the limo. "If I could interrupt, your Highness, I believe it was by the Queen's request that the letter was sent out."

"What?! The Queen wanted her?"

Please, try to sound a little more surprised, Titania thought with bitter sarcasm.

Prince Joshua rolled his eyes and sighed. "Very well. If it is the Queen's wish, then I am obliged to consent." Apparently done with their conversation, he turned away from her. "Jan, please see to it that a car meets her here and takes her, as well as her things, to the estate."

"Right away, your Highness."

The Prince shot her a sidelong glare before the tinted window rolled up and the limo drove away.

Titania hadn't realized it before, but her hands were shaking. She was terrified. And disappointed. And sad. This was supposed to be an amazing experience. She had envisioned herself having the time of her life dressing and attending to the royal family. But what she hadn't accounted for was the Crown Prince and his sour attitude. A doleful sigh pushed through the brunette's lips.

She waited only a few moments for the car to arrive. The servant put her things in the trunk and opened her door with a smile—greeting her with warmth. Ok, so maybe things wouldn't be so bad. She'd just have to avoid Prince Joshua at all costs. Right! That was it! If she could just avoid that stuck-up Prince, then she could very well make the best of her situation. Titania smiled once more, her hopes renewed.

After she was shown to her room, she had been left to her own devices. Her room contained a king-sized bed, a large wardrobe, two chests of drawers, and her own personal bathroom. The latter room was porcelain from top to bottom and all the fixtures were bright, polished gold. Even though she was considered a guest/employee, Titania couldn't help but feel honored to be placed in such a grand room. She was pulling back the glass door of the shower and peering inside when she heard the distant sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Come in!" she called out and rushed to meet her visitor.

Jan opened the door and smiled. He was Prince Joshua's butler and his total opposite. While Joshua was cold, calculating, strict, and stubborn, Jan was warm, gentle, kind, and easy-going. His short, chestnut brown hair was brushed up and away from his face, giving it a spiked look.

"Good afternoon, Titania. I have been sent to inform you that your talents have been requested this afternoon. A studio has been arranged for your work. You will find everything you need there. Normally we would not call upon you so suddenly, especially since you just arrived today, but the royal family is going to attend a Royal Gala in a few days and I'm afraid they are in desperate need of alterations. Do you feel up to it?

"O-Of course! It would be my honor and my pleasure to assist the royal family in any way."

Jan's smile softened. "Wonderful. Please, follow me."

So she followed Jan through corridor after corridor. Everything about the Manor seemed to reflect the ideals of the Kingdom of Dres Van. The decorations were elegant, formal, and precise. All lounging chairs were positioned at a 90 degree angle. Every vase sat in the center of its respective table. Even the candles on the chandeliers seemed to burn at the same brightness. Although Titania was usually turned off by so much structure, she had to admit the attention to detail was quite beautiful.

When the two arrived at her new studio, there were still servants inside setting up.

"Please excuse them, they will be done shortly."

"Oh, it's no problem. They've done a fine job."

All in the room stopped their tasks and turned towards the newcomer. At first, their expressions were of mild bewilderment, but then they melted into gratitude. They smiled at her and continued their work.

Titania, a little confused by their reaction, gave the butler a puzzled look.

He chuckled and said softly, "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but the staff are not accustomed to receiving commendation."

Her jaw went slack. "Oh… I'm so sorry…"

"No, no, don't be," Jan said quickly. "Although we do not receive praise, we all love attending to the royal family and take pride in our work." He was so innocent and so earnest. Titania could feel her heart swell. She wanted to work just as hard and have the same motivation that he had.

"Well, the royalty will be coming in to see you one by one. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" She said with enthusiasm.

"Excellent. I shall inform them that you are ready to receive them. Someone should be stopping by shortly." Jan nodded and excused himself from the room. Apparently, the other servants were finished, as well, because they all followed him out. Although they kept their heads bowed, Titania noticed that each of them wore a smile.

Titania grinned in return and started taking in her new surroundings. She began opening drawers and making mental notes of where everything was located. "Pins, needles, measuring tape, safety pins, thread…"

But not even two minutes had passed before the door abruptly flew open, slamming into the adjoining wall. The sudden action caught the young woman by surprise, causing her to jump. She quickly slid the drawers closed and spun around. Without even looking at her guest, she curtsied low and kept her head down. "Good afternoon, your Highness." She tried her best to make her voice sound calm and even. Her heart was slamming into her ribcage and sweat was beginning to bead at her hairline. What if it was the Queen? Or the King? She was nowhere near mentally prepared to great either one of them.

"Good afternoon." The voice was deep and monotone.

And familiar. Titania raised her head slowly and hazel eyes locked with violet—confirming her suspicions. It was Prince Joshua. Although she was relieved it wasn't the King or Queen, she still felt uneasy. He was the Prince of Buzzkill. She could see it now: he would scrutinize and criticize everything she did. So much for avoiding him. She bit back the urge to sigh and smiled, instead. "Are you ready for your alterations?"

"Obviously. Why else would I be here?"

"O-Of course… Right this way." She gestured towards a small, round platform in the middle of the room. The Crown Prince was dressed in his suit for the Gala, minus the crest. He donned black slacks, a white shirt with shiny gold buttons, and his coat was draped over his arm. As he stepped onto the platform she went to retrieve her pins. She carried the box in one hand and placed a few between her teeth, the points facing outwards. The brunette decided to start with his pants, so she crouched down and started feeling around the hem of each pant leg, placing a pin in the areas which needed to be taken in. The silence between the two was awkward and heavy. But Titania tried not to let it get to her. She just kept placing pins and slowly working her way up.

"Did you say something to the servants?"

His sudden question broke the silence and caught her off-guard.

"N-Not really," she stammered out after a brief pause. "I just told them they did a good job setting up the room." Had he noticed the change in their demeanor like she had?

The prince glanced around and scoffed. "Did you expect anything less from servants of Dres Van royalty? They perform their tasks excellently and perfectly."

"No, your Highness, I did not expect anything less. I just thought it would be nice to commend them for their efforts. Even if excellence is their standard, people still like to hear that they did well."

Prince Joshua stiffened. Scared that she might have pricked him with one of her pins, Titania straightened immediately and looked up at him. "I-I'm sorry, your Highness! Did I hurt you?"

He looked down at her and the corners of his lips turned upwards ever so slightly. Was that almost a…smile?

Ba-dump…Ba-dump

"I thought what you said was interesting. That is all."

"Oh…" She didn't know why, but her cheeks were getting warmer and warmer by the minute. Change the subject. She had to change the subject. "W-Well, I need to do your shirt now, so could you please hold out your arms?"

He did so silently and she quickly made the necessary adjustments. Although the rest of their session went by in silence, Titania noticed that the tense air from before had lifted. After she finished his shirt and his jacket, she stepped back and admired her handiwork with a wide grin.

Then something struck her. She looked towards the door then back to the Prince.

"Is something the matter?" he asked coolly.

"I'm done placing the pins, but to finish making the alterations…I need your clothes. And I didn't see you come in with anything to change into."

"Oh, that's all? Check the closet behind you, there should be clothes in there."

She nodded, walked over to the large, mahogany armoire, and opened both of its doors. Inside were articles of clothing she could only dream about. Satin dresses, double-breasted coats, sashes, scarves, you name it! Did they always keep stuff like this just lying around?!

"Just get me some slacks and a shirt. I'll put on something more suitable once I leave."

"Yes, your Highness." She snagged a pair of dark gray slacks and a light blue, button-down shirt and laid them over her arm. When Titania turned around to face him, what she saw nearly caused her to drop the clothes on the floor. Red flooded her light brown cheeks and her eyes went wide.

Prince Joshua was standing there, staring at her.

And he was shirtless.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod OH MY GOD!

To say that the man was sexy was beyond an understatement. His body was lean and muscular. The muscles in his abdomen were taught and firm and his chest was flat and smooth. Oh, and those arms? Toned and strong. His body was built for the gods. Not a scar and not a hair to be seen. No matter how much she tried to swallow, her mouth remained dry. She tried to make her legs move, but she seemed incapable of all motor functions.

Prince Joshua rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "How long do you intend to make me stand here? Quit gawking and hurry up."

"S-Sorry!" She started forward on wobbly feet. Damnit, I can't even walk straight. Why the hell did my legs choose now to turn into jello?! And in these heels, I might—

"Ah!"

Her worst fear was realized. Her heel slipped and she felt herself falling. She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact with the ground and for the embarrassment soon to come. But instead of her face connecting with hard-wood flooring, she felt warm flesh against her cheek. Her heart skipped a beat and she went completely still. She opened her eyes and saw that she was being held tight against Prince Joshua's half-naked body. He had stepped down from the platform and…caught her. With their proximity, she wondered if he could feel her heart hammering away.

"I didn't know you were so clumsy." They were so close that it felt like he was saying those words right into her ear. His deep voice sent chills up and down her spine. He helped her stand up straight and took the clothes from her shaking limbs.

Titania felt dizzy and on the verge of falling again.

"Now, if you don't mind."

His words snapped her right out of whatever stupor she was in. "O-Oh! Right! I'll give you some privacy." She started to make a run for the door, but a firm hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.

"Don't be silly. I scratched by arms trying to take that damn shirt off, so you're going to help me with the pants."

Her brain. She could feel it melting.

At that moment, Titania knew she was going to die.