The Princess' Handmaiden

Chapter 1

"So you were fired from your old job?" The maid asked Nayeon as they were walking around the palace. Nobody else was there. It was only early evening, but the section of the building they were in was the one nobody wanted to enter.

"Correct, Ms Jihyo."

Jihyo stopped and turned to her, a stern look on her face. "Now who are you calling 'ms'? I asked for you to call me Jihyo!"

"Sorry!" Nayeon hastily apologised. "But, why did nobody apply for this job sooner? The pay is amazing!"

Jihyo leaned in close. "Because nobody wants this job. No one who has ever worked for Mina has been fired, because they quit too soon. The last handmaiden broke the two week record with one week!"

"But why? Surely this job isn't that bad..."

"Let me brief you on a few rules and tips, alright?" Jihyo whispered, as they were still walking. "One, you must understand that Mina is nothing like her sister. Mina is gloomy and never smiles, not even a little bit. In my opinion she's a stuck-up brat, because if I had her life I would be smiling everyday." Jihyo's eyes narrowed as she began insulting the princess. "Two, you will not get enough sleep. That's a huge reason why the handmaidens keep dropping out."

"Why not?" Nayeon questioned, her eyebrow raised.

"Her nightmares. Every night, without fail, she has nightmares. So when you wake up at night, try your best to ignore her cries, and don't enter the room. Let her deal with it herself."

Nayeon's eyes widened. "Isn't that far too cruel?"

Jihyo shrugged. "It's the first rule you must follow. I don't know why, but it was ordered by the king and queen themselves." She then continued. "Three, she hates physical affection. Do not touch her any more than is necessary, do you understand?" Nayeon nodded. "Good. Then, finally, the most important rule, be wary of the last day of every month. The princess goes mad and destroys things, so before the clock strikes midnight on the penultimate day, make sure she is safely in her room, and every exit is barricaded so the only person she can hurt is herself. No matter how much she begs, how much she pleads, do not let her out until the clock strikes midnight."

Jihyo's firm tone became a more cheery tone when the two finally stopped at a closet.

"This'll be your room. It's not huge, but it works." 

"It's nice." Nayeon lied through gritted teeth, looking at the dark, cramped interior.

"Have fun!" Jihyo called, as she began making her way back. "Hopefully you stay a little longer than the last..." She murmured to herself.

🐧👑🐧

Nayeon woke up in the middle of the night to screaming. Jihyo's words from earlier came back to her, and she knew this was just one of the princess' nightmares. It would go away after a while.

But as she lay there, listening to the cries, it was becoming even harder to simply ignore her. She came to the decision that she would just follow the monarchs' rules and leave Mina be.

🐧👑🐧

Early the next morning, Nayeon woke up from a few hours of sleep. She changed into her uniform, completely exhausted, before she knocked on Mina's door. The princess hummed from the inside, and Nayeon took that as permission. She walked in, and she quickly realised that she wasn't the only one who was tired.

Mina had dark circles under her eyes, and she was zoning out while staring through the window. Despite her exhaustion, Nayeon was absolutely starstruck by the princess' beauty. Soon she too found herself zoning out, not staring at the view, but at Mina herself. She hurriedly snapped out of it, reminding herself of her job.

"Should I start now, Princess?" Nayeon asked, and Mina nodded silently. For the first half, not a single word was said, not until Nayeon was exposed to the princess' back. Old scars were peppered all over it, and that was when her eyes finally focused and she noticed more all over her body. That was also when she saw the excessive amount of makeup on Mina's vanity. It was to cover everything.

Nayeon gently brushed her hand against the princess' back as she quickly examined it, when Mina flinched. Actually, flinching was a severe understatement. She fell down into a crouching position, her hands covering her face.

"I am so sorry!" Nayeon exclaimed, thinking about taking the princess' hand to help her up, but then realising it would probably be a bad idea.

"It's alright." Mina eventually spoke in a shaky voice, standing up. They were in silence again, until Mina broke it. "Don't make yourself too comfortable. You won't stick around." Her eyes narrowed. "They never do."

Nayeon chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. "Well, I need this money, so you're going to be stuck with me for a while."

Her joke didn't work and Mina just rolled her eyes. "I've had many who would apparently rather be homeless than work in this job." There was a hint of sadness in her voice. "It's only a matter of time before you leave too."

Nayeon finished the princess' hair and makeup soon after their brief conversation.

"They say that it's the lack of sleep, or my attitude, but those are all excuses." Mina said, her voice low. "I know that it's because of the rumors."

"What rumors?"

"The rumors that on the final day of every month, I become a monster, which is why I'm not allowed to leave my room." She looked up at Nayeon. "But I don't remember what happens on those days, it's like I black out. So for all I know, maybe I do become a monster."