Unmasked

Chapter 35

"I'm sorry," I quickly say before he could answer. Now I truly did wish that I would go into a peaceful sleep.

"No," he answers quietly, "I don't really miss being anywhere else."

This time, he's the one looking away.

Maybe I've offended him.

"Sorry," my voice comes out soft before I let out a small yawn after it.

"Come," he gently pulls me forward, "let's go to sleep."

I didn't argue against him nor did I mention that my room was in the opposite direction. My self that lacked all sense of better judgement knew that I wanted to just be with him again.

The moment I layed my head against his pillow I fell right back to sleep with him right next to me.

~*~

I woke up before he did. This time, I was facing him, using his arm as a pillow, and for some reason I held on tightly to the end of his shirt but what made me jump was just how close we were to each other at that moment, probably the rest of the night.

He must have felt my head leave him because as soon as I stood his eyes were open.

He didn't try to stop me from going back to my post, not to say he didn't at least mention his dislike for me going, but as the time came I was headed on my way.

"Come back when you're all done," he told me just as I was on my way out.

I freeze in my tracks and turn back to look at him.

"C-come back?" As in return? Here? To his room?

"We can at least spend the nights together," he comes up to me and kisses my forehead, "can't we?"

He leans to look at me in the eyes, as if asking me for permission, with a hint of an encouraging smile on his lips.

This time, his effect on me makes my face get warm.

"O-okay." I take a step away from him and make my way out, hoping that no one noticed the maid blushing madly as she left the Prince's room.

~*~

"Have you finished with that load?" Mariah asks as she wrings out a cloth.

"Yes." She stands and I move to be by her side.

As soon as I returned I found Mariah and she led me outside to do laundry with her. No one even bothered to ask me where I as before which I was greatful for that in a way. In fact, oddly enough, everybody was quiet.

"Come on, let's move inside," she touches my arm and my attention is back to her. I notice her avoiding my eyes.

Is something going on? I'm too afraid to ask.

She moves ahead of me inside and I silently trail behind her, noticing how unusually stiff she is. I remembered her seeming fine in the morning but now things seem weird.

"I probably shouldn't ask where you were before," she starts, "but I need you to be especially careful today."

"What's going on? Why are things so tense?" she leads me into the kitchen where the everyone seems to cleaning, looking carefully at everything that's here.

"I need to go check on something," she walks past me, still avoiding my eyes, and she leaves.

The other servants were silent with their heads down and they passed each other without even a second glance. The usual sea of chatter gone.

The unusual scene gave me chills up my spine. I looked closer at what they were doing and I realized it wasn't cleaning at all but checking. Checking that everything was in place that everything was still the same.