Metamorphic Switch

5. Deceived

'Shit! Shot! Shut! Shock!'
Yeah, that was me, Pratima, cursing and I was screwed. I tried, I tried hard to remember who this person was but I couldn't recall. I ignored his question and took out the phone. I scrolled the list but none matched the handsome driving me.

"Princess, I hope you realise how rude you have been behaving since the time we have met." The driver remarked.

I know! But, that's how it was supposed to be and try as I may, I couldn't help it. I kept quiet.

"Chaya, what's wrong? I am sorry, okay. I didn't know speed troubles you so much." Oh! Damn! His address on a first-name basis was so enchanting. How would my name sound in his slightly British accent?
Wait!
He cannot address taking name?
Was Chaya seeing a driver? Is that why she was running away?
I was evaluating all possible options when we entered the mammoth-sized gates of a castle. It was beyond my imagination. Green garden on either side of a road which lead to the main building. The car halted and the driver stepped out. The door of my side was opened and I came out.

"ॐ गंग गणपतये नमो नमः"
I chanted the mantra.

I could see Chaya's parents standing. Now was the moment. Either I will pass or expire. I walked as best as I could and greeted them the way Chaya briefed me. Her father just nodded but her mother looked at me with contempt. I lowered my eyes.
Was I so bad?
No!
But my shoes were. In a hurry, I forgot to exchange footwear. My local footwear was nowhere in comparison to the Gucci sandals Chaya wore. She told me her mother was particular about these things.

Chaya's father greeted the driver with a firm handshake. That was not arrogant. Why was I supposed to behave like that?

"Prince, join us for lunch please." Chaya's father requested the... Driver?

I should have guessed this entire plot was like a typical movie. The heroine thinks of the hero as someone else. But, was he my hero? Or was I his heroine? The thought churned something inside me.

"Princess, please head to your room and change. We will have lunch in exactly half an hour." Chaya's father ordered me and I was escorted to my room by staff. Thank God for such formalities else I would surely get lost in the enormous palace.

My language skills were good but I had no words to describe the place Chaya called her home. It was marvelous just like it's owners. The central hall had a dome with aesthetic carving. The carpeted stairs to my room stretched wide. My luggage was taken to a different route.

"My luggage?" I almost shouted.

The female staff looked at me with shock. 'Talk softly' was a rule as well.

"Princess, the luggage will reach your room before you. Obviously, it can't be carried from the main stairs." The female staff answered me politely.

What a fool you are, Pri. You are in a palace. Talk less till you get to know everything. That was before the time for return arrived.
The female staff opened the gate for me to enter and I stood rooted. Was it a room? It was fussily feminine and opulently private. A huge bed was in the centre with a canopy around it. It had all kinds of pillows. The names of which I didn't even know even though my family was in the hotel business.
Before I could admire the room more, the female staff informed me, "Princess, your bathroom is set and I have put a dress on the table in the dressing room. In case you don't like it, you can choose as per your liking."

My bathroom was set? How do you set a bathroom? I was thinking when she prompted me, "Princess, you shouldn't be late for lunch. King, won't like it."

I rushed to the bathroom and cancelled observing the huge oval tub, Jacuzzi, chandelier, in the bathroom? They were so rich! The vase decorated with fresh flowers was the reason for the aroma? Probably. I shed my clothes and stepped into the shower. The water flowed with pressure lifting the pressure I felt. Even if it was for a day, I was determined to enjoy these luxuries. I forgot about the handsome driver a.k.a. Prince, I annoyed.