JENNIE
"I apologize for that." Lisa ground her teeth when we were in the hallway.
"Don't. It's not your fault." I was barely paying attention to the direction we went. I was so tired I had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. I was also mentally chanting the list of women who had been with Lisa, the image of her and Tzuyu flashing in my head. She stopped at a door and turned the ornate handle.
I stepped inside and looked at the giant bed and lavish furnishings. My bags had been unpacked and nightclothes were laid out on the mattress. I turned to look at Lisa.
"Thank you. I guess I'll see you sometime this week." I bit my lip. I had no idea what the rest of the week held for me. Much less the rest of my life.
"Are you forgetting something?" Lisa raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your dress." she nodded toward me. "Or do you think you can manage on your own?"
I frowned. As much as I had complained about having to wear it, I was sort of fond of the dress and didn't want to rip it. I looked up at her and nodded once before turning around so she could see the zipper. She closed the door behind her and moved toward me. I reached down to undo the belt at my waist but her hands slid around and closed over mine before moving them out of the way so she could do it. Slowly she pulled the belt from the loops and tossed it onto the bed. Her fingers tugged the zipper at an almost torturous pace. Her knuckles dragged along my spine the whole way and I shivered in response. When she slid the zipper over my bra I took a deep breath, but she never hesitated.
I knew I should stop her once she reached my waist, but I didn't. I closed my eyes, enjoying the smell of her and the feel of her hands on me. I heard her take a deep breath of her own and she stopped the zipper just above my panties. I could feel her hands shake just before she let go and stepped away.
"I think you can take it from there." Need mixed with frustration in her voice.
"Thank you for helping." I took a step forward, clutching my dress to my chest as I turned around.
"How long are we going to play this game?" She was irritated and I didn't blame her. She wasn't the only one feeling frustrated.
"I'm not going to be another conquest, Lisa. I don't do one-night stands. I'm not that person."
"And I'm not looking for a notch in my bedpost." She took a step toward me.
Her words scared me more than if she was just looking for a quick tumble in the sheets. Falling in love with Lisa would leave me open to too much hurt. Anything I had with her would be short-lived. She'd eventually have to move on and marry someone who could help her rule a country. I looked around the room, at a loss for words. Refusing to say the words that would reveal my cowardice.
"Jennie, none of those women stayed at the palace." Lisa looked at me with serious eyes. She had taken my silence for something else. "At least they didn't stay at the palace with me. Tabitha and Adriane have stayed here because they are from noble families. Kai was just trying to upset you."
"Lisa, I don't need to know." I shook my head and grabbed at the excuse she had provided. "Besides. We're friends. You don't need to give me the list. I don't care." The last sentence sounded forced and desperate.
She narrowed her eyes at me. "You're a terrible liar."
"I know." But I wasn't ready for anything else. Would never be ready for anything with Lisa. I knew with just the little that had happened between us it would hurt too much when it fell apart. I had lost so much already and was on the verge of losing my father. Losing my heart would be unbearable. "I feel like my entire world was just shaken by a massive earthquake. I don't know how anything works or what I'm supposed to do with myself. I can't fall—" I stopped and swallowed. "I wouldn't be a good girlfriend right now and I'm not up for sex with no strings. Once my dad gets here I won't have any time."
"All good things are worth the work. And what we could have would definitely be good." She threw my words back at me and I had no response. I just stood there silently as she turned and left.
I let the dress fall to the ground and sat on the bed, staring at the door. My heart was still racing and I felt like kicking something. Mainly myself. And Lisa. And Kai.
Eventually I pulled myself up and got undressed. I checked out the attached bathroom and whistled. There was a huge jetted tub, separate shower, and everything was shiny. Apparently the inside of the palace was much newer than the outside. After sending a text message to Dad and Somi, I went to bed. I had no idea what tomorrow held for me.
Sunlight was streaming in the room and I woke to a knock on my door. I sat straight up and looked around the room in confusion. The knock came again and I slipped out of the blankets and padded to the door. I pulled it open and glared at Jimin on the other side.
"Good morning, Duchess. I brought you some coffee." He held a cup out to me that I took without hesitation. It could have been poison, but as long as there was some coffee mixed in I'd die happy. As I drank, he made his way into my room and set up a laptop and notebook on the desk in the corner. "I've already ordered another cup for you and can call for food if you're hungry. I wasn't sure if you'd want breakfast or lunch."
"Slower, please." I looked at him confusion. "Breakfast or lunch?"
"Yes, it's almost noon."
The cup stopped halfway to my mouth. "Oh my God. Why didn't you wake me up?"
"There was nothing pressing this morning." He sat down and went through the drawers until he found a pencil. "I thought you might need the rest. You've had a busy week."
"You could say that." I sat down in the chair across from the desk.
"I've gone through your schedule and set up some of the meetings you'll need to have in the next few days, including time for you to see some of the country. Lisa insisted you get to spend a few days here in the capital before leaving for your estate." Jimin sat primly at the desk. "I believe Ryujin is hoping to join you as well."
"Okay." I pulled my feet up in my seat and finished off my cup. "First, food. Then we start doing what we need to do."
"Excellent. We've already received requests for appearances and you've been invited to several dinners here in town. I've told them everything was pending approval at this point."
"Appear where?" I latched onto the thing I thought most important.
"The American embassy has requested you meet with the ambassador. I believe they want to check on you." He smiled fondly like it was cute. "There was also a request for you make an appearance at a local American school and the local zoological gardens sometime this week."
"An ambassador, a school, and a zoo." I thought it over in my head. "I haven't technically been granted my title back."
"That's a formality. Speaking of which, the queen would like to perform the ceremony in two months, unless you have other plans?" His voice rose at the end letting me know it was a question.
"I do believe my calendar is clear."
"Not exactly, but I understand what you mean. I'll let the lord chamberlain know." He smiled at me. "I've also spoken to Dr. Bielefeld's staff and gotten them in contact with your father's doctors. He should be looking over his paperwork at any minute."
"Great! Is he here in town?" I sat up and leaned forward.
"Not yet. He was in Paris for a convention and to see a few patients. He keeps in regular touch with his office though, so we can expect steady updates." Jimin smiled a bit mischievously. "Apparently the doctor was excited to help out America's Duchess."
"Oh no. Tell me that hasn't stuck."
"It certainly has. Catchy, if you think about. There's a definite fascination with royals in America. Probably because they don't have any of their own." Jimin flipped open his notebook to a different page. "I hope you don't mind, but I had your luggage inventoried and I believe shopping may be in order. You have several lovely dresses and outfits, but the fact is you're going to need much more."
I glared at her and set down my cup. He picked it up and put a coaster underneath. "You inventoried my clothes?"
"Well, yes. That's part of my job. Helping make sure you have everything you need." He looked at me with patient eyes. "I know it feels like an intrusion, but try to not look at it like that. Besides, I couldn't care less about your bras and panties—they wouldn't fit me. Though I would recommend getting more nightclothes. You only brought tank tops and giant shirts." He said it like it was a crime.
"Hey!"
"No offense. They're very nice tank tops and giant shirts if you like that sort of stuff, but if you're going to let Princess Lisa help you undress each night you might want something a little sexier to slip into." He wiggled her eyebrows. "Not that I'll say a word about it of course. Not a word."
"It's not like that!" I sputtered. "She's a friend and I couldn't reach the zipper… I just… It wasn't like that!"
"Of course not, honey. Not that I'd blame you if it was. That woman has sent many a hearts fluttering." Jimin smiled up at me through his red hair and winked. "And if you need any help next time, let me know, I'd be happy to assist. I was coming to see to you, which was when I caught Lisa leaving your room."
"Oh, um." I wasn't exactly any more comfortable with the idea of Jimin helping me undress.
He laughed at my hesitation. "I'm not going to be ogling you, if that's what you're worried about. Not the right bits, okay?"
"Oh. Okay." That explained the joke about my bras and panties. "Listen, you really can't tell anyone what you saw last night. It was nothing and Lisa has had enough trouble with the press."
"You can trust me, ma'am. I wouldn't have been given this job if there was a chance I'd leak stuff to the press or start any rumors." He smiled at me and patted my hand. "Now, I'm going to order some food while you get dressed. Any preference?"
"Fruit? Maybe some yogurt or oatmeal?"
"Done. I'd wear the blue suit-dress. It'll look lovely on you. And it would be appropriately patriotic." Jimin disappeared out the door and I wondered what had just happened. I did as he said though, grabbing my clothes and taking a shower. I hurried because I wasn't sure how long I had before the food would be back. There was a blow-dryer in the bathroom, so I quickly dried my hair and pulled half of it back out of my face. The sheath dress fit perfectly, but I hated I had to wear hose with it. It wasn't really a suit, but rather a simple dress with a fitted jacket over it. I put my mother's earrings back on and slipped into the nude pumps Somi had insisted on.
Breakfast was sitting on the table near the fireplace. Someone had stoked the fire, so I was very toasty as I watched the light snow flutter outside the window while I ate. Jimin had a bowl of soup as we went over the schedule for the rest of the day. Once I was ready to leave, Becca and another "suit" came to escort us. We went straight to the embassy to meet with the ambassador for the United States. There were photographers outside the palace gates and more when we reached the embassy. I stopped and smiled for a few pictures before ducking inside out of the cold. If Jimin hadn't given me puppy eyes, I wouldn't have stopped for a picture at all.
Jimin turned out to be invaluable. He knew everyone by name and could tell me all about the things they were currently working on. The ambassador was a nice lady with blond hair, serious eyes, and quick smile. She introduced me to her aides and offered help getting my things moved over arranging transportation for my father. I was there for an hour total. It was like a whirlwind history class. There were dates, stories, and pictures. I could only pray I wouldn't be tested on any of it. Then again, Jimin would make an excellent cheat sheet. We made an appearance at an elementary school for American workers and expats sent their children to. I enjoyed that visit much more than I did the one to the embassy. The children had all kinds of crazy questions. I took a picture with one of the classes and a tiny girl with dark brown hair in braids crawled into my lap. The palace photographer had met us at the school and while thorough, he seemed to understand too many pictures would drive everyone crazy.
After the school, we went shopping. Becca seemed to enjoy watching me suffer through it all. And suffer I did.
Jimin was a slave driver, constantly handing things over the door. It was as much fun as I thought it would be, but I left with several dresses from a Lilarian designer, dressy slacks, and new sweaters. I was fairly certain I had offended Jimin with my sense of style. He would shake his head and put something on the counter I had originally declined.
"Trust me. If I wasn't the assistant extraordinaire, I would have gone into fashion." He mock-glared at me and I pretended to roll my eyes. "This will look great on you, ma'am."
"Why did I even have to come if you were going to pick everything out?" I looked at him in disgust.
"You did find that gorgeous sweater, so you're not completely hopeless. Think of me as a fashion guru and you're my reluctant protégé."
I laughed at him, glad we were getting along so well. It was a bit like having Somi with me. She had texted me to let me know I had been on the news. Apparently my landing had been streamed on live TV in the States. I had been horrified, but she seemed to have loved it. Said it felt like she had been there. My father had another chemo treatment today and I was feeling incredibly guilty for shopping while he went through that torture. Patricia had texted me to let me know he was fine and that they had watched me on the news.
I needed to call Dad soon and made a mental note to try later tonight. I wanted to hear his voice. I had been busy from the moment I set foot here, but I was still more than a little homesick.