Royal Arrangement

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(PLEASE NOTE: NOT EDITED )

Annie

I know I should've knocked. Knocking was always protocol, but this specific wing of the castle had been vacant since I started working here as a maid two months ago. Verilia was a beautifully lush and rich country at the border of Hungary, nestled between Austria and Slovenia, a part of it directly bordering northern Italy. It benefited from both the Mediterranean climate and the cool European harvesting weather and is famous for its grain outports. I never expected to end up here.

And I'm not talking about Verilia.

I never expected that there would be someone behind the door I so foolishly barged in to. Let alone a man. A handsome man, a few years older than my 25 years of age and wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. His muscled chest was wet, a single drop of water dripped from his abs and traveled lower...and lower...and lower...and oh my.

I forced myself to look anywhere but there. His dark eyes bore into my soul framed by angled cheekbones, a sculpted nose and a sharp jawline. He was undeniably hot. And I was undeniably embarrassed.

He said something in Verilian but he spoke so fast that I didn't catch any of it. My confusion must have shown on my face because he switched to English. "You're an American." It was a statement, not a question.

I was distracted by his... everything. I felt my face heat up as I took a step back and rambled out an apology. "Oh my god! I am s-so sorry sir! I didn't mean— I mean I meant to—"

He ran a hand through his wet black hair and smirked. I was frozen in place and my mouth snapped shut, not wanting to embarrass myself any further. I was screwed. "Mind if I ask you a question?" His voice was deep and smooth and I was shaking and stuttering. Polar opposites.

"Yes. I-of course sir."

He raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you going to stand there, or can I get changed?"

My blue eyes widened like saucers and my face must be the color of a fire truck because he chuckled. "Yes! Ah! I'm sorry! Oh my god..."

I wheeled my cart around quickly tried to dart out of the room. I turned from him and sighed in relief as I began to walk, more like run, to the door. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I felt his wet palm wrap around my upper arm. He spun me around. "I'm going to change in the bathroom. Stay here." His command was punctual, he sounded a little angry.

Oh my god I am so fired.

2 hours earlier...

The Verilian palace was nothing short of a fairytale. The high towers and walls were made of shining white stone and the windows that peppered the building were made of the finest glass that shone when the sun hit it. The castle intimidated me. It made me feel small every time I approached it. I flashed my staff badge  at the security guard in the back entrance and smoothed out my uniform. I checked that my blonde hair was perfectly in place in a nearby mirror as he waved me down the hall. I was an American in every sense of the word and my blonde hair and blues eyes looked out of place from the brown haired brown eyed fellow maids and staff and everyone knew it.

I anxiously smoothed the black apron over my thighs once agin and walked down the spectacular hallway, pushing my cleaning cart. My black mary janes touched the clean white carpet as I tried my best to avoid damaging the expensive paintings and artifacts as I began to dust and clean them. The wheel snagged on the carpet a little and I muttered a curse and continued to push it along.

I didn't hate this job, but it wasn't my preference. I missed America and I missed the life I had back home. I never expected to be a maid in the Verilian palace but things don't always go as expected do they? My friend Mari called me up on the phone and offered a job. Her mother was no longer able to keep up with the cleaning duties and needed help. I hadn't seen Mari in ten years, not since she was my parents' exchange student, but I jumped at the idea. I wanted to see the world and my secretary job in America wasn't giving me what I wanted in life.