Maid For You

Chapter 54

"Ah, Coleman. You're just in time to hear the good news!" His mother beamed, turning her gaze from me to her son.

Prince Coleman stepped forward into my viewpoint. "Good news?" He folded his arms and looked at the Queen with what I could guess was a skeptical eye.

"I've selected the queen maiden for the year."

"That's wonderful," he deadpanned. He swiveled around to look at me, his features soft, and I offered him a small smile. His green eyes gazed into mine before his mother spoke again.

"Don't you want to know who it is?" the Queen pushed him.

"Of course, Mama," he sighed, turning his attention back to her.

"Well, you were just looking at her." She said calmly, as Coleman whipped around to look at me once more. His eyes were wide, and his mouth had dropped open.

He turned back to his mother. "Cassie?" He certainly sounded surprised. "You made Cassie the queen maiden?"

"Indeed." She said.

I couldn't see the Prince's face, but his voice darkened. "Warum Mutti? Was hast du vor?"

"Vertraust du mir nicht, Mäuschen?" she answered. Once again, I regretted taking Spanish when I could have learnt German.

"Nein." He answered. 

Halleluiah! Finally a word I knew.

"Du schließt dein Liebes aus, Coleman." She retorted. My brief moment of victory had ended, and I was back to a state of cluelessness. The Queen continued. "Deine kostbare Dienerin spricht kein Deutsch."

"Weder ist sie mein Liebes noch meine kostbare Dienerin." The Prince scowled.

"Ach, wirklich?" Queen Klara's eyes sparkled.   

"Warum ist sie die königliche Magd?" He demanded.

The queen didn't answer, and the Prince looked frustrated.

"Die ist eine bürgerliche, eine Dienerin! Die ist nicht mal Areganisch!" He continued.

Boy, he sure seemed upset about me becoming the queen maiden.

"Well," Queen Klara said, turning her attention towards me and ignoring her son. "He seems rather surprised, no?"

"Well, I couldn't say for sure. I can't speak German," I answered, to which she chuckled.

"I told him that myself!" She said.

Prince Coleman rolled his eyes. "I am surprised," he said. "Cassie is a peasant."

I grimaced. I hated being called that.

His mother cast him a sharp eye. "That a rather rude connotation, Coleman. Besides, previous queen maidens, like Miss Carmichael, have held no title."

"Never has she been my maid."

"You didn't have a personal maid until last year, Coleman, when you took on Marstella."

"You know what I mean. She's a servant for the castle, for heaven's sake!"

"So what?!" I interjected. I would have stood to make my point, but it would have been anti-climactic with my crutches.  "The Queen said that part of the point of the queen maiden was to emphasize that anybody could be the queen maiden! Who better to emphasize that than me?"

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Whatever."

"Miss Carmichael," the Queen began. "Thank you for your time. I will confer with you again soon as we draw closer to the Autumn Festival. You are excused now."