Chapter 2

"I see you don't remember a thing I told you," Ivan growled as he once again grabbed the end of Alex's bedsheets and pulled. She let out a whine at the cold air and turned over in her sleep.

"Miss Alex, you are to wake up this instant!"

She turned away from him and buried her head under a pillow. She tucked her knees to her chest to conserve as much warmth as possible. She wore a simple cotton night gown that, in his opinion, was even more tantalizing than the dress had been. Its thin straps certainly exposed more skin and the hem was currently bunched up around her stomach. He had a shameless view of her ass framed by a pair of panties. He narrowed his eyes, took off his white glove from his right hand and with a deep breath, gave her a loud smack on her bare cheek. She yelped and jumped out of bed so fast that it genuinely surprised him.

"What was that for," she cried in anger.

He averted his gaze as he adjusted his glasses before putting his glove back on.

"Do you or do you not remember my explaining to you that the day begins at 5 o'clock?"

"So it takes me a little longer to get up! You don't have to spank me like a child!"

She rubbed her stinging cheek and was angrier at the surprise than any actual pain he had inflicted.

"Bad habits need correcting and with practice, you will learn."

His answer was more of a decline to give her a direct answer. As she cut her eyes at him, she swore she could see a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

"You'll be putting your lessons into practice this evening so please dress modestly. Do you remember what that means?"

"Yes," she whined irritantly. "So what's this evening?"

"You'll be having dinner with his majesty and the princes. Guests are treated to at least one joint meal with the royal family during their stay."

She nodded as she pulled out a long dress from the wardrobe before pausing and turning to him in alarm.

"Do you really believe I'm ready to dine in front of the king?"

She stared at him with a hopeful smile. He smiled back as he shot down her hopes and set them ablaze.

"Not in the slightest," he answered.

"Gee, thanks," she huffed.

"No pouting," he reminded her as she stormed past him on her way to the washroom. "At the very least, we have until evening to go over some final lessons."

From sun up to sun down, she sat at an empty table setting as he lectured her on which fork and knife were used for what dish, and which plate went where.

"Now remember, knife in right hand, fork in the left."

"Right," she said as she held her utensils to mimic him. This did no good at all as he was sitting across from her, which he attempted to point out.

"No, my left is your right."

"But I'm holding it the same way you are!"

"Yes," he answered, "and that's why it's wrong."

"Wait, what?"

She stared confused as she tried to switch the utensils from hand to hand. As her right hand was her dominant hand, holding the fork in her left felt awkward and wrong. She let out a groan of frustration and put the knife and fork back in their place as she gave up. She was about to ask if all that really mattered when she once again, felt his warmth against her.

"Let me show you," he whispered.

He was standing over her shoulder but leaned forward with the weight of his chest against her back as he draped his arms over hers. He took her hands in his and positioned his fingers directly on top of hers.

"The knife is held in your right hand. Your finger position should be firm, index finger extended and resting on the blunt edge, the thumb follows it, understand?"

As he positioned her fingers around the knife, his own index finger playfully traced hers.

"The same for the fork," he continued. "Prongs face downward, index finger extended again but this time, thumb tucked in."

She sat staring at her plate, and only at her plate, as her cheeks burned red. He was close enough to her ear that she could hear the slight of his breathing. Not that she minded at all, but was such hands on training really necessary?

"Keep your wrists bent so elbows are off the table. And remember, one cut or two bites at a time. And when bringing the fork to your mouth..."

His voice betrayed his smirk. She gasped as she heard him open his mouth wide. There was the sudden clacking of teeth and she shut her eyes tight and let out a small shriek of fear. She only opened them when she felt the cold metal of the fork press against her lips. Perhaps it was only her imagination that led her to believe he was going to nip her. She didn't know whether to be relieved he hadn't or outraged that he didn't.

"Prongs facing down," he repeated again.

He let go of her and stood up straight with a stifled laugh at her flustered state. His jovial expression soon left him as there came a beep from his wrist watch.

"Dear..." He kept his polite language though his tone made it clear he was merely substituting for the word he really wanted to use. "We're a bit late. Hurry along."

She jumped up from the table and took a moment to smooth out her dress before following him. She didn't know how late they were but thought it must have been serious as he took her hand and dragged her along in a near jog. He stopped only when they got to the door of the main hall and waited for her to catch her breath.

"Remember," he said quickly and in a hushed tone, "wait to be seated. Do not touch food with your left hand. Never put used cutlery on the table."

"Wait a minute, you said the fork is left but now left is wrong?"

He stared at her flabbergasted but quickly cleared his throat as the doors opened.

"Not now."

She stood as he had taught her, back straight and with her hands folded in front of her. She waited for him to take the lead but he merely nodded. She nodded back and smiled with a raised eyebrow in confusion. He jerked his head and with a quick motion of his hands, signaled for her to enter first. She let out a small 'oh!' in surprise and began walking in. The sudden formality was making her more nervous than she thought she would be.

She walked from the main doorway and to the table where the king and the six princes stood waiting for her.

"Well it's about time."

She was immediately greeted by Prince Lambert. He stood with his arms crossed and glared in her direction.

"I'm sorry." She gave an apologetic courtesy but Lambert paid it no mind.

"And just how long did you plan to keep us waiting?"

"I was brushing up on my manners," she answered. "It seems you could do with a bit of the same."

In her opinion, she had already apologized for being late. If he was so insistent on finding a bone to pick with her, then she would be sure to make herself no easy target. Lambert stood in indignant shock and the dining hall fell silent as the king and other princes let their eyes dart back and forth from one combatant to the other. Only Prince Alvah dared to make a sound as he laughed.

"Hmph. Of what use is a show of good manners to a commoner," he retorted with a haughty toss of his head.

"I guess it's about the same as a commoner showing good manners to an ass," she replied without missing a beat.

"Okay you two, settle down," said the king with a wide smile and a clap of his hands. "Alex, as a guest, please respect my household and the people in it. At the very least, please be civil."

"Yes, your majesty," she said with a nod. "I'm sorry."

"Mm-hmm," he continued, brushing off her apology. "Lambert, likewise, you will show respect to our guests. It's not your place to chastise them."

"Yes, father." He answered with a humble bow of his head but the anger in his voice didn't dissipate. "I apologize."

"Good. Now, commoner, ass, apologize to each other so we can eat."

They said the words so quickly that the two words came out as a single syllable, then turned away from the other in a huff. After they were all seated, she and Lambert locked eyes. Their dislike of each other was clear. She thought of him as a stuck-up brat. He saw her as beneath him in every way; another of his father's flings who was only in the palace because of his flights of fancy.

"I think I like her," whispered Prince Jun to his insulted brother.

"You would," Lambert spat back.

As her eyes looked around for some distraction, she saw the youngest prince, Prince Nagit, seated immediately to her left. He smiled and greeted her nervously, wondering if he'd get the same treatment as Lambert.

"Uhm... Good evening?"

"Good evening Prince Nagit." She smiled back and greeted him warmly, "it's a pleasure seeing you again."

"Wait, why does he get a proper greeting," shouted Lambert.

"I'm cordial to those who are cordial to me," she answered, now with her own haughtiness.

"Sounds fair," shrugged the king.

"What about me," asked Alvah. He was seated next to Nagit and so leaned forward so he could make eye contact. "Good evening and how do you do, right?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she answered. "A good evening and I hope all is well with you?"

She and Alvah shared a laugh at their excessive formalities. Nagit smiled with his own sincere happiness that he wasn't disliked.

"My turn," said Prince Melchiorre. "Miss Alex, you're looking lovely this evening. If you don't have any plans later, would you care to join me for a romantic dessert?"

"No, thank you. I would not."

Even though he sat the farthest across from her, she sat back in her chair to widen the distance and answered him quickly and firmly. Melchiorre's approach was like cologne that had been laid on too thick. Maybe he wasn't a bad person but she found him repelling all the same.

"Alright, everyone greets everyone nicely," said the king, who was growing impatient. "Now bring on the food."

She smiled and took in a confident breath of air. She was certain she was ready to show off what she learned. However the food arrived without a knife, fork, or any other sort of cutlery. Instead, the plate in front of her held a large flat bread. There were several smaller flat plates around it that held various dishes, none of which looked familiar to her or had any indication how they were supposed to be eaten. The light in her eyes dimmed and she smiled in laughter to herself, knowing she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

"What's the matter, Miss Alex," asked Nagit. "Aren't you eating?"

"Certainly..." she answered with a nervous smile.

She felt their eyes staring at her, and she stared at her plate. She moved her hands into position as if she were holding a knife and a fork. What was it Ivan had said when they entered?

There came the sound of a polite cough and she looked up to lock eyes with Jun. He winked at her and slowly moved his hands. He took the round bread from his plate and ripped it into two. Next, he placed the bread face down into the dish nearest to him and picked it up again with a pinch of his right, careful not to touch either the plate or the food directly, then popped the stuffed bread into his mouth.

She mimicked his actions as she watched him, again confusing her left for her right until another cough corrected her. She picked up her bread from the plate nearest to her, which held some kind of meat. Upon eating it, the taste and texture told her it was a lamb. She smiled in relief that eating this foreign food wasn't so bad. She swallowed quickly when she realized she had spoken too soon. Her eyes began to water and her face turned bright red. It was spicier than anything she had eaten before.

While trying to be as polite as possible and failing, she grabbed the drink accompanying her meal and gulped it down to soothe her burning mouth. It was a cold sweet tea, for which she was thankful. As a server came to refill her drink, she blew quietly.

After two more downed glasses, there was another cough and Jun shifted his eyes, leading her toward a dish of some fluffy cream. She took another piece of bread and scooped out the cream. Her diligent taste buds told her it was yogurt. With a thankful expression to the gods above, she took another scoop, knowing that milk neutralized most spices.

She looked around in embarrassment as she regained her composure to see the curious glances were now staring at her in shock.

"Uhm... the food is great," she said meekly.

"If those are the manners you worked so hard on then I'd hate to imagine how you were before," Lambert sneered.

She narrowed her eyes at him but could say nothing in her defense. It was only thanks to Prince Jun that she didn't end up in tears.

The king let out a boisterous laugh as he now began to eat. Between the wit and slapstick, he found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable meal.

"It's alright to be a little informal," he said with a smile in her direction. "This is a private gathering."

"Sweet," cheered Alvah, "then who needs manners, right?"

"You still do," teased Melchiorre. "You're a prince, not a guest."

"Tch," he whined. "I know I have to but I hate being all stiff."

She stared at him and nodded in sympathy. She did feel better though that she wasn't the only one at the table being teased.

"Don't be so hard on him, Melchiorre," said Lambert. "He's not the worst one at the table."

Alex cut her eyes at Lambert as he wore a proud smirk.

"On that, we agree," she retorted.

"I take it you've never dined like this before?" The king's casual tone cut through the tension and his words held no intent to shame her. "Take your time and enjoy this experience."

"Thank you, your majesty."

She breathed a sigh of relief and now with the air cleared, got to enjoy the food freely as she watched and learned. After everyone had eaten a bit of everything from each plate, a second course was brought out. Then there was a third course and finally, only coffee and tea was served at the end. She was much more relaxed on a full stomach and comfortable with a cup of tea in hand, holding it the way Ivan had taught her.

"Alexandra..."

The softness of the king's voice and the way he called her name lulled her to stare at him through a daze. She shot up straight after a split second remembrance of who he was.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"I've very much enjoyed your company. Dine with us again tomorrow."

"Yes, your majesty!"

She beamed but restrained herself from jumping for joy. Surely Ivan would praise her now that she was invited to a second meal.

"So I think dinner went well," she sang.

She was back in her room, specifically the washroom, changing into her night clothes as Ivan went about doing what he called 'turning down the room'. This usually meant putting away her clothes after separating what needed to be cleaned and setting the thermostat to the appropriate temperature.

"Dinner was horrendous," he answered in a distant tone. He had watched the whole affair from his place in the wings with the rest of the servants. As one catastrophe unfolded after the other, he was sure he felt his soul leave his body.

"It wasn't that bad," she objected. She emerged with a dance and did a twirl of happiness. "I messed up a little bit but the king didn't seem to mind. He invited me back, remember? That's a good thing!"

He stared at her in disbelief as she swayed from side to side in her bliss.

"Are you completely ignorant?"

His words stopped her on a dime.

"What kind of life were you living before you came here," he asked in astonishment. "Did you receive any formal education at all? Can you not be taught-"

He was cut off from his rant before he could even begin with a hard slap to the face. There were tears in her eyes but what struck him was the anger behind them.

"I'm trying," she yelled. "Yeah I messed up at dinner when I fought with Lambert or didn't know how to eat that food. Don't think I don't know that! This place is different then what I'm used to but I'm doing the best I can. So what if my best isn't good enough or if I never get it right? That doesn't give you or anyone else the right to call me stupid!"

She stood trembling in her fury with her hands balled tight by her side. He was immediately stabbed with a pang of guilt as she began choking on her tears. He went to hug her and got as far as nearly wrapping his hands around her when she forcefully pushed him away.

"Get out!"

"Miss Alex, I'm sorry, I-"

"I said get out," she screamed. "Get out of my room!"

He swiftly bowed his head and silently left, just as she had ordered. She ran to lock the door behind him. Let him and his high horse stay out there for all she cared. She buried her tears in the pillow until she fell asleep.