"Good morning, Prince Chevalier," I called, opening the drapes at nine o'clock as usual. "It looks like the weather's going to be perfect for Rhodolite Foundation Day. Are you planning on attending the festivities?" As I spoke, I went to his bureau to pull out his clothes for the day.
"Why would I do that?" he muttered sleepily.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe just to have some fun, your highness." I dropped the clothes on the bench at the foot of his bed as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"You and I have very different views of fun, it seems," he said coolly.
"But of course. I'll be back with your breakfast, your highness."
Well, that would answer Prince Leon's question when he asked me later. Prince Chevalier would not be attending the festival.
I set his desk with his breakfast and made his bed while he finished up in the bathroom. He swept past me with his usual haughty chill to the desk, and I went into the bathroom without a word to tidy up in there.
"Are you going to the festival?" he asked when I emerged from the bathroom. The question was distinctly conversational. His tone, as usual, was not.
"No, I'm not, your highness." He was still sitting at his desk, but he had turned to look at me. I had nothing left to do other than collect his empty dishes, which would require me to walk right over to him, stand right next to him - very much within reach if he should get into one of his moods.
"Because of your mother?"
"Partly," I said, swallowing my fear and walking over to him. "I could go after I get her settled, but festivals aren't much fun alone, and it's not really safe for me to wander around at night, anyway." He sat unmoving as I stacked the dirty dishes on the tray, his gaze unnerving even though I wasn't looking at him. "There will still be plenty to see on my walk home." I headed for the door with the tray, but when my hand touched the doorknob, I hesitated. Should I just ask? Or wait until later?
"Now would be better," he said, answering the unspoken question as usual.
I sighed, and then I turned to meet his cold blue eyes. "Prince Chevalier, did you pay my mother's doctor's bill?"
"What reason would I have to do such a thing?" he scoffed.
He didn't deny it. That was as much as confirmation coming from him, actually.
"I couldn't presume to say, your highness, but thank you," I said genuinely. "And please, don't do that again," I added quietly. Even if it was an uncharacteristically simple act of kindness, I didn't want any charity, especially from him. I opened the door and left.
One question had been answered, but now there were so many more. Clearly, he had been checking up on my situation - there was more than one doctor in the village and the town, and I didn't see him sending payment to all the doctors in the hopes of getting the right one. How much did he know about Mother's illness? Did he know…?
"Hey, Ivetta!"
Prince Leon's cheerful voice pulled me out of my thoughts and back to reality. I turned around to see him wearing his easy smile as he sauntered down the hall toward me, beyond the door where Prince Chevalier was exiting his room.
"Good morning, Prince Leon."
"Ready to go to the festival?" he asked, passing Prince Chevalier without so much as a glance. I met Prince Chevalier's icy gaze briefly, but Prince Leon tousled my hair to get my attention.
"Prince Leon, you're messing up my hair," I protested, bracing the tray against me with one hand so I could use the other to swat him away.
"It didn't bother you last night," he grinned.
"I wasn't at work last night, your highness. And in case you haven't noticed, I am at work now, and I won't be going anywhere," I said, trying my best to smooth my hair with one hand.
"You're too serious, Ivetta." He reached his hand toward my head teasingly, and I took a step back.
"No," I said firmly, my free hand blocking his. "I've got to get back to work, Prince Leon."
He sighed, and then he turned to Prince Chevalier. "You taking Ivetta to the festival today?"
Prince Chevalier's long strides had already taken him past us before Prince Leon's sentence was out, but he stopped and turned back, flashing an irritated glare at us. "No," he said flatly. "And neither are you."
"There, now you've heard it from me, and you've heard it from him. If you'll excuse me, your highness, I'll be going." I started walking, trying to ignore Prince Chevalier's glare, unsure if it was directed at me or Prince Leon.
"You normally go for an hour or so, anyway, Chevalier," Prince Leon said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Give the lady a break for a change."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Why wouldn't he leave it alone?
"If you want to booze and dance the day away, that is your affair," Prince Chevalier said condescendingly. "I have better things to do with my time."
"Like torture Ivetta?" Prince Leon's voice had descended into an angry growl. I stopped in my tracks, startled by his accusation. Where had that come from?
"You're wasting my time," Prince Chevalier responded with distinct annoyance.
"What kind of game are you playing with her, anyway?"
"Stop that," I snapped, turning around to look back at them. They were staring daggers at each other. "The only torture I'm enduring is listening to this conversation. I took this job of my own free will, and nobody is forcing me to do anything. So go to the festival, Prince Leon, and have a good time, and stop worrying about me."
Prince Leon's amber eyes met mine, narrowing even further. I shook my head in disgust and turned to go, walking much more briskly than usual.
"I believe you heard her," Prince Chevalier said mockingly.
"Yeah, I heard her," Prince Leon muttered. "But I don't trust you. If you do anything, anything to hurt her, you'll have to answer to me."
My ears were burning as I turned the corner. I shouldn't have said anything to Prince Leon. He had good intentions, but he was way out of line. Well, at least I was done with both of them for a while. Prince Chevalier would be working in his office until two thirty, so after I dropped his dishes off at the kitchens, I would have the library all to myself to decompress.
But when I walked into Prince Chevalier's library, I found him sitting there, reading.
"Prince Chevalier, what are you doing here?" I asked without thinking.
"I don't answer to Black, and I certainly don't answer to a foolish little maid," he said, raising his icy blue eyes to meet mine. "What happened to not walking around alone at night?"
I sighed. "It was a mistake, your highness. I couldn't sleep, and I wandered a bit further than I had intended - but not through the red-light district," I added quickly as his eyes narrowed. "I'm not that careless. Although meeting an incognito prince was not on my list of things to watch out for."
A contemptuous smirk came to his lips. "How long did your little rendezvous last?"
"It wasn't a rendezvous, Prince Chevalier," I protested, blushing. "He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him. We talked a little, and then he walked me home. End of story."
"Except the story did not end there. It continued to my being accosted in the hallway outside my room by a love struck idiot," he said bitingly.
My blush deepened. "I don't think that's the case at all, your highness. It's no secret that you and Prince Leon don't get along, and you do have a history of violence. Prince Leon was just worried about me, that's all. And he clearly didn't believe me when I told him there was nothing to worry about."
The longer this went on, the more frustrated I was becoming, and I was willing at this point to risk Prince Chevalier's wrath rather than continue talking about it.
"Prince Chevalier, I know I've probably said too much, and I know it's not my place to end a conversation with you, but I'd really like to drop this and get back to work."
The way he could look down on me, even when he was sitting and physically looking up at me, was really intimidating.
"And if I refuse?"
I pursed my lips. "Then I'll continue to discuss whatever you would like, your highness."
A moment of tense silence passed before he spoke again.
"Today is a national holiday, so I will not be working," he said flatly, answering the question I'd accidentally asked earlier. "You are dismissed."
"Thank you, your highness. I usually clean in here during the morning. Will that be okay, or would you rather I stay in the main library?" I spoke calmly, as if this were the start of our conversation, not the end.
"Do what you like," he said dismissively, turning back to his book.
"Yes, your highness."
We didn't speak again for the rest of the morning. He read in silence, and I did my best to follow my usual routine and pretend he wasn't there. But he was there, and he was bothering me. Finally, noon came, and I made my escape for lunch. A quick meal in the kitchens, and then back to the alcove so I could get a bit of reading in. I slipped out of my shoes and made myself comfortable, knees tucked up in front of me and to the side so I was angled toward the window. With less than an hour to myself, I intended to take full advantage of every minute.
A finger poked me in the forehead a little after one o'clock. I looked up, startled, to see Prince Chevalier's teasing smirk.
"Your lunch break is over," he said condescendingly.
"Oh, sorry, Prince Chevalier. I just got to the climax." I closed the book and slid my legs back down to the floor, reaching over to get my shoes.
"Do you want to go to the festival?"
I looked up at him quickly. He wasn't smirking anymore. His face was impassive, his icy blue eyes as hard and unfeeling as always. Was this a genuine question, or was it a trap?
"I'd better get back to work, your highness," I said carefully, looking back down to finish getting my shoes on.
"Answer the question."
This time, I didn't look up. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to go, Prince Chevalier," I said quietly.
"Then come."
Come. Not go. That meant I would be accompanying him. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Regardless, it was an order. I left the book on the window seat and followed his billowing cloak out of the library. He led me through the palace to the front gates, where we boarded a carriage, sitting across from each other. My hands wrung nervously in my lap as I kept my eyes fixed on the view outside. Prince Chevalier always had a powerful, awe-inspiring presence, and that, combined with the small space and the confusion surrounding his invitation, made me feel like I was suffocating. Surely, he could hear how loudly my heart was pounding. I nearly jumped out of my skin when he reached over and caught my chin, turning me to face him.
"I'm not going to eat you," he said quietly, a teasing smirk on his lips. "A little dove like you would hardly be worth the effort."
I swallowed hard and pushed his hand away. "Sorry, your highness. I'll try to relax."
"Do that," he said, leaning back in his seat. "I don't need Black on my case again."
That brought a small smile to my lips. "No, of course not, your highness. And I don't want him following me around all the time, either."
The rest of the carriage ride was silent, but it was much more comfortable, at least.