Chapter 27

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"You are late." It was the first thing Prince Nikolas said when I entered the room.

"I knoooww," I whined. What was that? I immediately thought. That was unprofessional. "Um," I cleared my throat. "I—I apologize, your highness. It won't happen again."

Especially since this was my last day of serving this sucker. Come tomorrow around lunchtime and it would be Queen Maiden show time. I would be having lunch with the queen and dinner with the family. I was getting excited—especially since I wouldn't have to work, and that was always a joy.

I placed down Prince Nikolas's tray, and he dismissed me and Ivan for lunch.

Maybe I will miss Prince Nikolas. I thought. Everything was very simple with him. The schedule for everyday was virtually the same. He was very cut and dry—there was no drama. It was refreshing.

And yet, even with all the stress the drama of Prince Coleman caused, it was interesting. I was never going to be bored to death with Prince Coleman around. He virtually eliminated the mundanity of being a maid, and for that I was weirdly grateful.

As Ivan and I walked down to the kitchen, I wondered if what Prince Coleman said last night was true. That if he really tried to be a gentleman towards me that I would fall for him. No, I doubted I would grovel at his feet, but if Prince Coleman really genuinely tried, would I fall in...could I...?

It doesn't matter, I told myself. Even if he tried to make me fall for him, it would only be a game to him. An attempt to earn another notch on his belt.

Prince Coleman was just someone who made things interesting and who cut my paycheck. That was all, I decided. Despite the excitement surrounding the Prince and Luke, in the moment I was feeling quite sick of all that chaos.

Maybe that's why I was also looking forward to being Queen Maiden. It was a chance to escape some of that. And for one day, I wouldn't merely be Coleman's 'Little Maid."

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed after a long night of sleep. Queen Klara informed me that someone would be replacing me as Prince Nikolas's servant for the next two and a half days.

A glorious two and a half days.

Today I had lunch with Queen Klara, and dinner with the royal family. I searched through my clothing trying to find something nice to wear for the day. I finally settled on a pale blue sundress with little capped sleeves and paired with gold dangling earrings. I washed my hair and drew it back into a pretty braid. I combed through my bangs, put on my makeup, and smiled in the mirror. I looked nice. No, my outfit wasn't some gorgeous fancy silk ball gown, but Queen Klara would understand.

I slipped on a pair of navy blue flats and headed up to the top floor of the castle. As I passed by other maids and servants, I noticed I was receiving more than my fair share of dirty glances. As I approached the elevator, Sherry spotted me and ran up to me.

"Cassie, I can't believe you didn't tell me," she said, her hazel eyes wide and her lips pursed into a pout.

"Tell you what?"

"That you are this year's Queen Maiden!" Sherry answered.

I rose my eyebrows in surprise. "How did you...?"

"Mister Lucas announced it today. The servants always find out the day before the public does, since the Queen Maiden stays in the castle and is looked after here," she explained.

"I wasn't allowed to tell anyone," I said. "Is that why everyone looks so mad at me?"

Sherry sighed. "Well, it is awfully hard to not be jealous." She cast me a serious look. "You do know how it looks, don't you?"

"How it looks?"

"As far as I know, Queen Klara has never made any palace servant the Queen Maiden. Usually she chooses a nobleman's daughter. But now you are the Queen Maiden? It seems very suspicious. There is a lot of speculation going on," Sherry said.

"What kind of speculation?" I asked nervously. But I could already guess the answer.

"I don't know. Maybe you and the Prince did something...or something, you know?"

"It's not true," I immediately said. "I've done nothing with him. I'm at just as much of a loss as everyone else as to why Queen Klara chose me. Maybe she just wanted to mix things up."

"That seems doubtful," Sherry admitted.

"You have to believe me, Sherry." I placed my hand on her shoulder. "I didn't do anything with Prince Coleman."

"Even if you did, I wouldn't be mad," she answered. "I mean, I couldn't blame you at all. I might even pat you on the back."

"But I didn't do anything," I implored. Because despite almost kissing Prince Coleman a couple of nights ago, I didn't. I pulled away before anything happened. And besides, that was after I was appointed Queen Maiden.

Sherry regarded me carefully. "I really wouldn't be mad at you," she repeated. "He's a dreamboat, you know."

I furrowed my brow. "I didn't do anything," I insisted one last time before I entered the elevator.

I found Queen Klara in a sunny parlor room sitting at a circular table opposite an empty red-velvet chair. There were two maids in the room—more seasoned workers who showed me no ill-will like the rest of the palace staff.

"Hello, Cassie." The Queen beamed upon my arrival.

I curtsied. "Your majesty."

One of the maids pulled out the empty chair for me; I took the seat and quietly thanked her for the gesture.

"How have you been?" Queen Klara asked me as I placed the napkin on my lap.

"I've been good," I said. "Just, uh, just serving Prince Nikolas, you know? He's an...interesting person."

Queen Klara smiled. "That's one way to put it."

"Well, he's not my favorite person, though I don't think he is as bad as everyone makes him out to be," I elaborated.

"That's a very fair assessment. He's very straightforward, perhaps too much so, but he isn't a villain." She tilted her head and looked at me quizzically. "And how are things with Mister Lucas?"

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