Maid For You 2

Chapter 25

A smile rose on Prince Duarte's face. "You would? I'd very much appreciate that."

"Yeah, of course. It's no problem," I shrugged. I breezed past the kid. "This way."

Prince Duarte walked next to me as we entered the elevator down the hall.

"So..." the boy started as the elevator doors shut. "If you know the way to Prince Coleman's room, you must be dating him, then?"

My eyes bugged out. "No, no, no, no. Not at all, I assure you," I said. "Trust me, he'd say the same thing. We barely even get along, me and good old P. Coleman."

"P. Coleman?" He asked quizzically.

"Uh, yeah. P is for Prince. Prince Coleman," I answered.

Duarte laughed. "I see. I apologize. I assumed you were one of his...romantic connections."

"Me? Yeah, no way in he—" I stopped, and looked down at the child with most likely innocent ears. "No way in heck," I corrected myself. "Would I be one of those girls."

Our almost-kiss from the night before entered my mind at that moment with tragic timing but I tried to brush the pesky thought away.

Prince Duarte eyed me with perhaps an amused interest. "I see."

The elevator doors opened, and we stepped out onto the floor.

"I must confess," the little Prince continued as I led the way to Prince Coleman's room. "I am surprised that you are not involved with Coleman."

"Why?" I asked, amused. "Do I look like that kind of girl?"

"Madam, I mean no offense, I assure you," Duarte said. He looked up thoughtfully, and said, "Are you one of his tutors? Perhaps you're the mandarin tutor."

"Mandarin? Prince Coleman is learning Chinese?" I felt like I should have known that.

"I suppose you aren't his Mandarin tutor, then," Duarte surmised. "Might I ask, Madam, how do you know where Prince Coleman's room is?"

We were approaching Coleman's door, and I smiled awkwardly. "Well Prince Duarte, I'm not an ambassador or a tutor or anything like that." We stopped outside of the door. "I'm just a maid." The words struck me firmly in the chest. Just a maid. "Anyways," I continued. "Here is his door, your highness." I curtsied and turned away.

"Miss Carmichael!" Duarte's boyish voice called out after me. I swiveled around.

"Yes?"

"I thank you for your assistance, ma'am." He took my hand in his smaller one, and bent over to give it quick peck. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Thank you, um, I mean, you're welcome." What a funny little boy. I wondered if Prince Coleman was half so nice when he was a 12-year-old, or if he was just as haughty as he is now.

Suddenly Prince Coleman's door began to open, and Duarte turned to face the door eagerly.  Prince Coleman stood in the doorframe, and broke into a smile upon seeing his little cousin. "Duarte!" He sounded excited, but then his eyes rested on me. "Cassie?" His body stiffened and surprise painted his features. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, Prince Duarte didn't know where your room was so I showed him the way," I answered, standing just as stiffly as he had been. I wasn't sure how to act around him after the incident in my room the night before. I decided to break the ice—we needed to move on from what happened, or at least, from what didn't happen. "You know, your cousin is quite the little gentleman, Prince Coleman. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two from him about noble behavior."

The corner of Prince Coleman's lips quirked upwards, and he casually leaned against his doorframe.

"I won't deny that Duarte is a gentleman, but to insinuate that I am not one?" He rose an eyebrow. "Little Maid, you have not seen how perfectly gentlemanly I can be."

"Wouldn't a true gentleman always be on his best behavior?" I answered. 

"You forget, Cassie. You're my maid, and it'd be rather inconvenient to have you fawning all over me when you are supposed to be cleaning. If I acted like the perfect gentleman I am towards you, you'd have no choice but to fall in love with me."

"Oh please," I drawled. "Inconvenient? You'd love it if I fawned all over you."

"I must admit, it would be highly amusing to watch you stumbling over yourself to gain my affection."

"Oh, I don't know Prince Coleman. Ever think the situation might be reversed?" I lilted.

"Oh?" He pushed himself off the wall and stepped towards me.

"If I truly pursued you, my dear Prince, perhaps it is you who could not resist me."

"Well, you certainly wouldn't be the first to try, and I've done pretty well so far when it comes to resisting."

I guffawed. "Is that so? Then where exactly do the tabloids get all their material from? They're just extrapolating on your life of chastity?"

"Oh Little Maid, innocent Little Maid, there is a difference between falling and just..." his eyes darted to Duarte for a second. "Well, kissing, per se."

I rolled my eyes, "I guess you would know all about 'kissing.'"

"I'm quite good at it, you know."

"I can only imagine."

"So, you do imagine it?" A Cheshire grin rose on his face.

I was about to open my mouth the respond, but Prince Duarte interrupted, saying, "For two people claiming to not like each other, you two have been flirting quite a bit."

Two faces turned scarlet, and hasty denials quickly shot out of both of our mouths.

"I was not flirting with him!"

"I wasn't flirting with her!"

"I have to go now!" I announced, refusing to look at Prince Coleman after Duarte's ridiculous accusation. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" Duarte called back. Suddenly he didn't seem so innocent to me anymore. What a silly boy. It wasn't flirting. It was healthy banter. A mere discussion between two acquaintances. And even Prince Coleman agreed. I mean, we were arguing the whole time, so it wasn't even as amicable as a discussion. It was more like an argument between enemies!

Flirting? Ha! Ridiculous.