You Got Me (JenLisa)

Chapter 51

"What’s that smell, Lek?" Pranpriya couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.

“Smell, Your Highness?” Lek paused and sniffed in the air. But all he could smell were the scents of the fresh flowers the servants had placed around the foyer and along the corridor. There was also the faint hints of detergents the servants used when gleaming the marble staircase this morning, but he was pretty sure it was feeble because he made sure that the servants would spray it with purifier after all the scrubbing. There was also the delicious smell of assorted sweets and spices coming from the kitchen – a promised of an extravagant feast later.

"Never mind,” Pranpriya replied, shaking her head at the absurdity of her imagination. 

They were now striding on the long decorated corridor to the drawing room, their footsteps echoed across the hallway because it was that kind of looked eerie and it somehow made her feel like she was walking towards her final hour. Lek was now looking anxious, although he was doing an excellent job hiding it but it didn’t go unnoticed and Pranpriya understood completely. The situation from earlier and the fact that she was late must be costing Lek his peace and confidence in her.

Pranpriya wanted to say something to alleviate the butler's predicament about and around her but she, herself, was as anxious as him, if not more. Her heart was beating faster and louder than ever as they were approaching the closed door of the drawing room and it honestly wouldn’t surprise her if Lek would hear it. And when Lek paused and wrapped his hand around the brass handle, Pranpriya drew her breath so loudly so that Lek hesitated and turned to her direction.

"Shall I, Your Highness?" the butler asked thoughtfully.

Pranpriya shook her head slightly. She raised her one hand as if telling Lek to wait as she tried to pacify the hasty beating of her pulse. And while she readied herself, she finally caught something on Lek's expression that she hadn't noticed upon her arrival. She knew something was up because a different glint could be seen visibly on the butler's eyes, even under the orange light courtesy of all the lamps on the corridor. She wanted to ask the butler to confide to her the identity of the people waiting for her inside but thought otherwise. Her staff and the rest of the palace staff were not allowed to gossip, especially around the presence of a senior member of the royal family. She had already put Lek's job in peril twice since her arrival on the palace and she couldn't add up another reason for his butler to completely lose his confidence in her. And so Pranpriya heaved out another breath while memorizing inside her head the words that she would issue to everyone inside the drawing room once she was admitted in, which consisted mostly of profuse apologies that she planned to address particularly to His Majesty, before she nodded her head once to the butler. It was now or never, she told herself.

Lek rapped on the panel twice before he turned the handle and finally pushed the drawing door open, allowing the mixtures of sweet scents of coffee and late afternoon delights to escape like a preliminary welcome for the Princess, including the now-stronger scent of strawberries and flowers, adding more to the curiosity and confusion to Pranpriya's quandaries. Her thoughts wandered back to Jennie and the sweet taste of strawberry and flowers on Jennie’s whole being. She shook her head to clear it. She was about to face her bitter fate behind the closed door and here she was vividly recalling the images that took place on her bed two nights ago. She was hopeless.

"Her Royal Highness Pranpriya has arrived," the butler announced with pride in his voice to the people inside the drawing room.

Pranpriya could hear the shuffling of feet against the carpeted floor and the voices that died down immediately upon Lek's proclamation and suddenly remembered that she was only wearing a white V-necked top tucked inside a black denim jeans. She smelled of chemical from the senescent dark room and the strong tangerine odour of the car freshener that seemed to cling on her desperately. Her hair was tied in a clumsy bun and she hadn’t applied make up, except the faint amount of lipstick she hastily put on before she left her chamber earlier. She should’ve asked Lek to bid her some enough time so that she could have at least freshen up. Her father and his guest would surely be unimpressed at the sight of her and her chance of getting to his good side has now become really slim, she might just abandon her plan completely. She nervously heaved out a breath yet again, moved her shoulders in awkward circular motion and shook her hands on her sides because she realized they were getting clammy before finally striding and admitted herself inside the drawing room. She crossed the doorway, passing by Lek who gave her an encouraging nod. She chose a spot comfortable enough to give herself time to quickly scan the faces of the people in the room.