The Palace Maid { Slow Updates}

Quest

Leonardo was the most wanted thief in RiverGreen kingdom. Every time he embarked on a journey to steal, he would change his appearance thus making it hard for guards to catch him. He had the power to become anything and anyone he set his mind to be. He was the only one in RiverGreen who possessed and practiced magic and no one knew of his well-hidden talents.

For a while, Leonardo had the throne of RiverGreen on his mind. He knew of the king's illness and that it was only a matter of time until he was pronounced dead. His grandmother had told him how she had cursed the king for killing his mother and everyone who possessed magic. "Atleast she was wise enough to live his salvation to her generation." Leonardo always said to himself.

Leonardo knew he could heal the dying king, but he liked the prospect of being king better. To Leonardo, the king did not deserve to live, he was heartless and cruel, he denied him a chance to be with his mother and for that the king had to pay with his life and his precious kingdom.

Leonardo made it his duty to sneak into the palace and pretend to be the prince once in a while, so many times he had gone in and out of the palace without anyone suspecting he was not the prince. He become accustomed to his new found habit until he decided to stay away from the kingdom and wait for the king to be declared dead. But this was before he had set his eyes on the servant who dared to read books.

From a far he watched her. Her beauty was not hidden from anyone who dared to look. Her eyes were beautifully brown just like her hair that was always tied in a neat bun, she was truely a beauty to behold. Leonardo had been with different women, but no one could be compared to the treasure he had found. He was determined to have her, no matter what it took. He could see himself drowning in the depths of her eyes and refusing to be rescued, he could watch her the whole day just to satisfy the burning desire of being close to her. So many times he had imagined himself kissing her passionately, he wondered how her full pink lips would feel against his.

His desire to kiss Joanna had finally gotten the better part of him. Leonardo decided to go to the river and wait for her, he knew she always went by the river to read at the afternoons so he waited patiently but this time Joanna did not show up on time as usual. He was almost giving up when he heard tender footsteps approaching.

And there she was, elegantly swaying her hips in the most seductive way without even realizing the torment she left behind. As usual, she had her book in hand, she went to her favourite spot behind the boulder and sat down to read her book.

Leonardo watched her from the bush, suddenly his heart started beating faster than usual, he realized his body was also getting hotter despite the cold weather."What is going on with me?" He confusingly questioned himself. It was not in his nature to get cold feet, he had been in the most dangerous places, he had dealt with the most cruel people but never once had he had cold feet. Now he stood inches away from the girl who had given him nothing but sleepless nights and he found it had to gather the strength to approach her.

"Aah!" He groaned out of frustration and slapped his hands against the leaves making them to rustle a bit. Immediately he attracted Joanna's attention causing her to stand on alarm. He watched her as she tried to find the cause of the noise. Not wanting her to see him, he went towards the left side of the bush where it will be easy to surprise her from behind.

In seconds, Leo was behind Joanna. His heart was beating so fast against his chest he wondered if he would collapse and die before the beauty that stood before him. Suddenly Joanna had faced him and he couldn't help but smile, he could tell she was not afraid of him but there was something else in her eyes, he could see confusion, it was as if she knew something was amiss about him, but that was not possible, he knew he was the exact replica of the prince and only the gods could tell the difference. Rubbing the absurd thought away, he summoned the strength to speak.
"Is it a habit of yours to watch people when they are not looking?
"Your...your highness." She managed to say as she diverted her eyes away from him. Leo's heart suddenly arched, for a moment he had forgotten that he was pretending to be someone else and this made him to be slightly annoyed.
"Look at me," he said. Without thinking twice Joanna did as she was told and before she could ponder on what was going on, Leo had yanked her close to him and his lips were against hers. To Leo, Joanna tasted heavenly, he was surprised she responded so easily to his kiss. " Is it that she has been with many men already?" Leo questioned himself, but before he could dwell on his thoughts further, Joanna pushed him away from her.
"How dare you behave so improper with me? I may be your servant but am not and will never be your mistress!" Joanna firmly stated as she picked up the hem of her dress and run off, living her book.

To say Leo was not impressed would be a lie, he was mesmerised by her courage and strength to do what many women wouldn't dare do to the prince of RiverGreen. Leo had found his match and he was not about to back down, he picked up her book and walked away smiling.