Risk

Chapter 3: Emilette

   I sprayed the glass walls of the throne room one last time and wiped away the final smudge. Finally, I deemed the glass shiny enough and I stepped back, admiring my handy work. I tucked the bottle of cleaning spray into my maid's apron and was about to exit the throne room when a voice called out to me.

"Emilette, wait for a second," the voice of the queen rang out across the room. I turned to face her, a smile already one my face. The queen always made me smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" I asked.

"Can you stop by Julian's room please?" she asked. "I have a feeling that he's not really packing his things."

"Of course, Your Majesty," I said, before leaving the room. Only a couple people in the castle had been told of the Holt children's departure in a day, me being one of those people. I had been a trusted maid in the castle for many years now, and was told of most goings on of the castle. I was sad to hear that the Holt children would be leaving; I very much liked them, and to be honest, I didn't see why the Risk hated the royal family so much. The king and queen were nothing but friendly and the children were fun and never treated me as if I was below them.

The Risk had their reasons, and I didn't question them. Ever.

I walked up a flight of stairs, rounded the corner and tripped over a pair of trousers, catching my balance on the doorway of the crown prince's room. Straightening up, I saw the mess that was Julian's room. Clothes were scattered across the bed and floor, and more clothes were spilling out of a knapsack that sat in the corner of the room. The sheets of the bed were tangled and falling over the side and candy wrappers lay crinkled up in little piles.

And in the midst of it all, sat Julian, on the bed, reading a large, leather-bound book.

Julian looked up as I came into the room and he smiled. "Sorry about the mess."

"It's fine, Your Majesty," I answered, stepping over a black cloak. Julian sighed.

"Emi, how many times have I asked you to just call me Julian?" he asked, placing a bookmark into his book and setting it aside.

"Since the day I started working here," I replied. Julian chuckled softly.

"Let me guess," he started. "You're here because my mother sent you up here to make sure that I was actually packing and not dilly-dallying?"

"Right on," I answered. Julian sighed, pushed his hair back with his fingers and slid off the bed. He looked tired; dark circles ringed his eyes and he kept blinking repeatedly, as if he was struggling to stay awake. He was thin, and his height made him look even thinner. To add to that, his elegantly made clothes hung just slightly off his frame.

In short, he looked unhealthy.

Spending two years in a prison cell with meager food and mental and physical pain every day was obviously not good for one's health. But even with the unhealthy look, Julian was unquestionably handsome. His dark hair and bright green eyes complimented each other and his smile was dazzling and beautiful. Many of the palace maids were infatuated with him, not to mention almost every young maiden in the kingdom.

Julian took a step forward, then almost immediately clutched the edge of his bed to keep from falling over.

"Julian!" I rushed to his side, helping him back down on to the bed. "Another dizzy spell? You said that they had stopped."

He nodded, but waved me off. "It's fine, they barely happen anymore, and they are not serious."

"Not serious?" I asked, disbelieving. "You almost collapsed there."