Maid For You 2

Chapter 3

"Well what's your theory?" I asked.

Chloé continued sketching. "Blackmail," she said simply.

"Blackmail?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "You are blackmailing the royal family—that's what I mean."

My eyes widened. "It's not that, I assure you!" I cried. "I don't even know anything that I could blackmail someone with—nor would I even if I did have some sort of information!"

"Well, if it is not that, then what else could it be?" questioned Chloé.

"I don't know," I said, before asking, "Have you been working for the royal family long?"

"I am not a mere employee like you are, but the Queen has been hiring me for projects for ten years," she answered.

"Wow! Ten years! Then you must have more of a clue as to why Queen Klara would ask me to be her queen maiden."

"I truly do not know. Queen Klara is a very smart woman. She does not do things without a purpose. Likewise, her husband King Collin is smart, but he is different. He is not so friendly as Queen Klara, and he is also not as, um, I do not know the word. Rusé. Um, tricky! That is the word. He is not so tricky as the Queen. King Collin is stern and very traditional. The Prince gets along quite well with his mother. He would probably do just about anything for her. Well, except for ending his romantic ways, one could say. I do not know much about his relationship with his father. The Princess I don't know much about, which could say something, I suppose. Prince Coleman is probably the favorite."

What most stood out to me was Chloé's description of the queen. Tricky.

Before I could respond to Chloé, the door to the room opened, and I assumed that the Queen had returned.

Only, it wasn't the Queen.

Prince Coleman strolled on in.

"Ah, little maid!" he said upon entering. Immediately, all the tabloid articles about the "Player Prince" came to mind. "I heard you might be here," he continued. "First day back on your feet and you're already shirking your work."

"Your mother told me to be here," I answered coolly. "Mademoiselle Dubois here is working on my dresses and stuff for the Autumn Festival."

"Mademoiselle? Look at you, speaking French," Prince Coleman said, faking an impressed air.

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry I didn't grow up in a castle with foreign language tutors."

"Mademoiselle Dubios." Prince Coleman regarded the fashion designer. "C'est un plaisir de vous voir. J'admire votre ténacité à gérer Mademoiselle Carmichael."

"Oh can't you speak English for once in your life!" I groaned. "You always do this—you talk in a different language around me just so I can't understand you."

"Wow." He said. "Miss Dubois is French, little maid, so I spoke in her native tongue, as that is most comfortable to her. Here I am trying to be gracious and accommodating to our designer, and all you can do is whine about how you can't understand me. Tsk, tsk. You're being very selfish, you know."

"Well--" I froze. "Well it's not just that! You always start speaking to your mom in German when I'm around," I argued, refusing to admit that he did have a point with the Miss Dubois thing.

"My mother is from Durmanhein. German is her first language."

I narrowed my eyes. "I know you guys only talk in German when you are talking about me."

"Oh don't be so full of yourself, Cassie. It's not a good look, you know."

I glanced at Chloé, who was regarding our interaction very carefully.

"I think you're being a distraction to Chloé who is trying to work, here."

"Perhaps you should not assume what people are thinking, little maid. It's very presumptuous."

"Well, it's not as though she'd feel comfortable telling a Prince to get out," I said. I then turned my gaze from him and looked out the window. With a nonchalant tone, I added, "Even if he is the Player Prince."

I stole a glance at Prince Coleman in time to see him visibly tense up.

"Have you been reading the tabloids?" He finally asked.

I didn't answer.

"Is that really what you've been doing all this time you've been on bedrest?"

"Not all the time," I finally answered. "But there was an awful lot to go through."

"Most of that stuff is garbage anyway."

"Is that what you told Janeese Smith?" I asked.

"That's actually completely irrelevant. You're just throwing out a name to get a rise out of me," Prince Coleman snapped—clearly I was getting a rise out of him. "Besides, Janeese was ages ago."

"It was six months ago."

"Exactly!"

"That's not a long time," I said.

"I think it is."

"Well there's been lots of scandals since, except I can't even remember all their names because there were so many."

"That's sounds like an awfully convenient answer," he shot back.

"Well it's true. Sorry I didn't make flashcards of the names of all your women!"

"Oh please. You're just jealous," he scoffed.

"Jealous? Of what?!" I cried incredulously. "Of making the front page news and being branded as the latest notch on your stupidly long belt?"

"I don't put notches on my belts. That would be ridiculous."

"It's a metaphor!"

"Well anyways, I knew you wouldn't be jealous of the women," Prince Coleman said.

"You literally told me that you thought I was jealous." I turned to look at Chloé. "Right, Chloé?"

"Oh, leave her out of this. Yes, I did say you were jealous, but you misconstrued my statement." He took a step towards me. "You aren't jealous of them, little maid." Another step. "You're jealous of me."

I was taken aback. "Of you?"

"Yes, of course."

"Why would I be jealous of you?"

"Members of the opposite sex flocking to me while you live your sad lonely little love life."

And a flash of the several servant boys showing interest in me raced through my mind, but Luke quickly took place at the forefront. I stepped from my pedestal and sauntered over to Prince Coleman with a haughty smile until I stood right before front of him. I learned up and told him quietly, "Oh honey. You know nothing about my love life."

PS any help with the French would be greatly appreciated ^.^ #INeedMoreBilingualFriends