The Spare To The Throne

Chapter 7: Man of His Word

I groan and flutter my eyes open, as the beam of the sun hits me on the face. I hiss, not remembering opening my room blinds. I close my eyes, rubbing them before opening them again. I let out a shrill cry as the face of dainty middle-aged woman hovered over me. The woman immediately takes a step back and an apologetic look washes over her.

"I'm so sorry," she says. "I din't mean to frighten you."

I gave a perplexed look as if she wore two heads. Suddenly a sense a familiarity comes over me, and I recognize the lady. I take in her black dress and trimmed white ruffled lace. The lady wore black flats and this time she didn't hold a feather duster in her hand. She gave a warm smile, but I didn't give one back. She seemed friendly but I couldn't get over how close she had been, hovering over my face. I watched as she walked over to the other side of the room, pulling back another set of curtains by the the window beside me. I raised a hand to cover my face.

"You must get up now." she says, and I noticed that she had a British accent, nothing like Romeo and Edwin's accents. Her voice was soft and somewhat comforting.

"His highness wants to see you in his office after breakfast." She walks over to me, pulling back the duvet covers.

"His highness?" I croaked. My voice cracked from the morning grogginess. "Who's that?" I asked.

The lady stopped and gave me a funny look. Then suddenly as if remembering something, she mutters something incoherent under her breath before returning her gaze back to me.

I shake my head confused as to who she was referring to. "His highness," I repeat. "Who is that?"

She gives me another funny look. "What are you talking about?" she says.

"You just said his highness wants to see me after breakfast, I-"

She cuts me off. "No darling, I said Romeo wants to see you after breakfast." She walks towards me and places a hand on my head. "Maybe you should stay in bed, I understand you've seen and experienced quite a lot these past few days, you're practically hallucinating. Perhaps resting will give you a sense of clarity." 

I move her hand away, and kindly decline her offer. "No thank you, but I really am fine."

She lets out a huff and smiles. "Okay then," she says, ushering me out of bed. She guides me over to the bathroom which unsurprisingly was sophisticated just like the rest of the house.

"I'm Madam Alice by the way, but you can just call me Alice." I smile slightly. "Juliet I say."

I quickly showered and brushed my teeth. Alice insisted on straightening my hair which made me feel a little uncomfortable. It was like she was my personal assigned maid or assistant which didn't settle well with me. I allowed her to do as she pleased though, since she seemed so kind and pure hearted. Alice brought me some change pair of clothes. Nothing fancy, just a pair of jeans and a plain white T-shirt. Once we were done, she escorted me down the stairs to the kitchen. Edwin stood near the kitchen entrance, staring a his golden watch. His gaze shifted as he heard us approaching. "Good morning Juliet." he greeted, but his eyes lingered on Alice much longer than it did on me. I gave a nod, but remained silent. The kitchen was massive and not a speck of dirt could be found anywhere.

"Your plate has already been fixed for you." Alice says as she ushered me to sit down behind a granite counter while she placed a plate in front of me. The food looked fancy like something you'd be served at a high end restaurant.

"Thank you," I say. "But I'm not hungry."

Alice and Edwin gave each other puzzled looks. "I'd like to talk to Romeo now please." I say pushing my chair out and standing up. Something felt off about this place, and I didn't trust Alice or Edwin, despite how kind they've been to me. I felt there was a secret not being told here and I wanted to know what it was.