The next morning, she walked into her office to find that Joseph was already there. "Good morning Joseph." She smiled.
"Good morning Your Majesty." He bowed.
"Please, you mustn't bow constantly." She implored.
"My apologies."
She was about to also make a comment about his constant apologizing, but then Rupert stepped into her office. "Clarisse." He smiled. "How are you this morning?" He asked as he walked over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Rather well, thank you."
Rupert looked over and saw Joseph standing against the wall. "Well Joseph, you've survived day one." He joked as Clarisse glared at him. "How did it go yesterday?"
"I could have done much better, Your Highness." Joseph admitted as he stepped forward and bowed.
"I hardly think so. Joseph is beating himself up for not knowing my schedule yesterday." She told Rupert.
Rupert chuckled softly. "Would you give us a moment Joseph?"
"Of course." He stepped towards Clarisse. "Your Majesty." He bowed, took her hand and kissed it. "Your Highness." He bowed to Rupert, then left.
Rupert was rather confused at what just happened, but he dropped it because it wasn't important. "He's always been like that. If he misses one thing, he believes that he made a massive mistake. It is both one of the best and worst things about him."
"He used to look out for you, correct?" She asked.
"Indeed."
"Tell me more about him." She gestured to the sofa and took a seat beside him.
"With Joseph you must be completely honest and forthcoming. He nearly makes himself invisible, but yet, he's always there. Over half of the time I had no idea Joseph was even in the same room as I." He laughed. "But you must also be able to trust him completely. He only functions well if there is a good trust foundation between whomever he is working with. You need to be able to let him be in control at times, and trust his judgement. If he says something is too dangerous, don't question him." He watched as she nodded.
"He's much different from the last person you had watching me." She stated.
"How so?"
"Well, Joseph is both very expressive, and not. He's worried about stepping on my toes." She answered.
"That's Joseph all right. He knows what needs to be done, but he does not want to cross a line in asserting such things. Give him time. Eventually, he will just tell you his opinion without you even having to ask."
"How long did it take him to become like that with you?"
"About five years. But, keep in mind, for over three years I hadn't even noticed he was right over my shoulder." She stifled a laugh as he stood up. "He will protect you, but you must put complete faith in him." She nodded as he opened the door and invited Joseph back in. "Trust him." Rupert said then disappeared behind the now-closed door.
"Is everything all right Your Majesty?"
"Quite." She replied with a smile.
"Did I do something wrong?" He mustered up the courage to ask.
"What?" Her eyes shot up and she was stunned. "Not at all Joseph." She reassured him as she walked over and stood in front of him. "As I'm sure you're well aware, the last of the security team that Rupert had watching me, well, needless to say, it didn't go well." She paused as he nodded. "I just wanted to know what I was getting into."
"Do you trust me, Your Majesty?"
"I trust you because Rupert does, but I hope that overtime, I trust you because of my own reasons." He nodded again. "I also hope that I'm not as much trouble for you as for the last person. I've heard the maids talk, I know his perceptions of my actions."
"With all due respect, I've chosen not to take in someone else's perspective, but rather create my own." He spoke calmly, but confidently.
"Thank you Joseph." He bowed, took her hand and kissed the back of it. His constant bowing wasn't warranted, but she didn't mind him kissing her hand, she actually found herself hoping it would happen again soon.