On Her Knees

struck sick

POV: Camille

"Runa," I whisper out as I slip into my room, finding one half of the curtains over the windows drawn. My eyes land on her figure laying in my bed once again, her chest peacefully rising and falling as she sleeps again.

She looks so sweet while sleeping so soundly, it just makes my heart warm to see. She's always homesick and I know her hangover is making her feel horrendous since she isn't used to being drunk, and I just find it so nice to see her relaxed and deep asleep for the second time.

Wanting to see her better, I perch on the edge of my bed and carefully brush her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear as I admire the soft pink flush of her cheeks and her long lashes. I rarely get the time to look at her features so closely but she truly is breathtaking. More than anyone else I've ever seen.

After watching her sleep for a minute or so, I decide to go and take a bath, since I have nothing else to do and I feel a bit creepy just watching her sleep. She's peaceful and comfortable and doesn't need me watching over her.

I want to kiss her forehead before I get up but stop as I realise how weird that would truly be. She only kissed me last night because she was incredibly drunk, not because she has any romantic feelings for me, as much as I want her to have them. Her lips were so soft though and I just want to feel them against mine again, this time without the overwhelming alcohol smell.

I shake off all my desires to hold her and kiss her and feel her body, getting up to go and run myself a cold bath so that I can cool down. Putting Runa as my maid was a huge mistake on my father's side. All she does, whether she knows it or not, is fluster me and make my heart flutter.

Her accent is sweet and like none I've heard in the palace before. Her body is beautiful. Her face has stunning details that I only noticed when she kissed me. Not only is she so fucking physically attractive but her personality just reels me in even more. She's sweet and caring and that show through her whole reason for staying here. She just wants the best for her family, even if it means putting up with me.

As I run the bath and strip, stepping into the slightly cool water, I hang my hair over the edge as I lean back and focus on just clearing my mind of her for a moment. As I try to clear her out and empty my mind, I realise I forgot to ask my father about him bringing in so many new people to work in the palace.

When she wakes up I know she's going to ask about it and I'm going to have to admit I forgot about it. Then she's going to ask what it was about and I'm going to have to tell her, and them I'm going to get a lecture from her that I should improve my relationship with him - which I really don't want to be hearing from the girl I'm crushing on.

This is all a mess. It wouldn't be anywhere as complicated if it weren't for my stupid engagement.

I suppose once Runa's awake and I'm certain her hangover isn't too bad anymore, I should go find him so that we can talk about this, since neither of us seem too pleased with it. There is a bit of a problem though, and that is that I have no clue where he goes between our meal times that we share. We always go different ways and I have no clue where he vanishes off to.

The cold bath manages to cool me down before I decide to get put and get on with my day. My fingers have gone all pruney so it's probably about time for me to get out and see if Runa's woken up.

I rub my body dry and wrap myself in a fluffy, dry towel, manoeuvring I so that it can stay on my body without my hands. With it securely around my chest, I start braiding my long hair, neatly tying it at the bottom once I'm done and my fingers begin to cramp from doing such repetitive movement. I smooth out some stray hairs that bug me once I see them before being completely satisfied.