Waking up the next morning, ten minutes before her alarm clock rang, Madeline gasped for air, pulling every breath with such difficulty, and feeling as if her body was on fire. She couldn't remember her dream but a lingering sense on her lips and the small of her back was still vivid that she had to take a moment to recover from it.
Madeline closed her eyes but the scenes, played in her dream, evaporated as fast as cheap perfume. She was sure that she dreamt of a man but his features were unknown and she blamed the motive of such a dream on her encounter with eight handsome men last night. Her mind probably mixed all that happened last night into one confusing dream.
A hard and loud knock broke Madeline out of her recollection and she jumped off the bed, tapping the ringing alarm clock and grabbing a robe to pull it around her body. The knocking was persistent and she rushed down the old wooden stairs, opening the door to a stern-looking man in a suit and top hat whose bitter facial expression became rock-hard and frowning when he saw the distressed young woman with ruffled hair still in her sleep-wear.
"C-Can I help you?" she stuttered, calming down her rapid breathing.
"Good morning," the man cleared his throat. "As an official messenger of the Thompson family from the south city of Semerria, I am here to deliver this official notice from the head of the family, Sir Luke," the older man handed Madeline a closed envelope, sealed with a red wax stamp of a family crest. The confused girl looked up at the man, seeking for an explanation, "You have five days to move out," he spoke evenly and she tensed up, a cold sweat covering her back immediately. "More details are in the letter. Good day, miss," he tipped his hat and turned, hurrying to the awaiting carriage.
Madeline slowly closed the old door and pulled her dry lips inside her mouth, licking them while she tried to wrap her head around what that man had just said. She went to the kitchen, sat at the table, and ripped the envelope, reading the decision of the family - since the house and land on which it was on were their property, they demanded tenants to move out so that they could build a motel and that way earn more than a cheap rent for the old house.
Madeline's heart sank and she gripped her head in defeat.
After feeling so flustered and distraught last night, she tried to regain strength so that she could push through this misery. But, being early in the morning and time for her to get ready to head to the castle for tutoring, she couldn't think about the solution to this problem as her head and heart thumped in pain and fear about her future.
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"And this concludes today's geography lesson about the south of our kingdom," Madeline let down the wand she used to point places on the old geographical map, turning to smile at the two students and trying to suppress her troubling thoughts. "Make sure to review everything we have learned so far because we'll have a small pop quiz next week."
She kept her smile but two children watched her confused, then looked at each other before young Prince Lucas spoke first.
"Maddie, is everything okay?" he asked casually and Madeline pushed a wider smile, not wanting to burden the children with her worries.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," Madeline nodded, and just then the clock struck noon, the door of the study opened and the servants came in to carry yet another fragrant tea and plates of pastry to go with it.
The children were quiet in the presence of others but when the maid closed the door behind her, Princess Hannah huffed, crossing her arms in front of her.
"You don't look fine at all," the princess raised her brow and Madeline chuckled.
"You don't need to worry about me, Your Highness. I promise you - I'm fine."
Madeline kept her smile up and changed the topic of her feelings to something more cheerful, asking the children about their hobbies. Prince Lucas liked sports while Princess Hannah enjoyed music, both playing and singing. Their casual small talk in a way cheered her up too, making her forget about the problem at hand - moving out and finding a new place to stay.
And in that small talk, Madeline also learned that Prince Christopher went on a mini vacation with his friends as their birthday gift to him. She didn't know if she should be relieved by that fact or saddened as the image of the prince's eyes on her and his dimpled smile gave her mixed feelings.
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"Thank you for your report, Miss Simmons," the king looked up from the notes he took while Madeline talked. He removed his reading glasses and looked at the young tutor before him. "Tell us..." the king sighed and Madeline tensed, feeling the attentive gazes of the royal pair, "Are you facing some problem, Miss Simmons? The children said they noticed you looking sad and absent at times in the class today..."
Madeline gulped and straightened, pushing her shoulders further back. "No, Your Majesty. I might be feeling tired since I hardly slept last night but, other than that, everything is fine," he pushed a fake smile, hoping that neither the king nor the queen noticed. "I sincerely apologize if I made Their Highnesses uncomfortable with my facial expressions."
The king nodded after a short pause he used to examine Madeline's face and stance.
"Then you should go and rest, Miss Simmons," the king stood up from his chair and went around his desk to stand beside his wife who was sitting in the armchair by the wall. "You don't need to read the story to them tonight; my wife will do that."
Madeline looked down at the sitting blonde queen smiling gently at her before she looked back at the king.
"Well, then... I wish you good night, Your Majesties," Madeline bowed and exited the king's office.
Shortly after she was gone, the king opened the door, seeing a guard standing on the side.
"Miles," the king addressed the guard and the young man stepped forward, "I need you to do something..."
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Assigned by the king, the 27-year-old guard from the royal castle, Miles Parker didn't find anything unusual while following Madeline after she left the castle. But on a Wednesday afternoon, he witnessed something devastating yet couldn't reveal himself to help the young woman.
A couple of men, much larger than her, circulated around the small house she lived in and it was mostly Madeline who was talking, clutching some papers in her hands.
"Please! I still haven't found a new place to stay!" she yelled but the man didn't bat an eye at her, "You gave me a week and it's only Wednesday!"
"I don't give a fuck, missy!" the fat man yelled back at her and Madeline stepped back, afraid of his rage, "The owners demand we trash this place tonight! The workers are coming tomorrow to clean up and start building the motel! So take your stuff and scram! Now!"
"But..." Madeline's eyes filled with tears and she gripped the documents in her hands closer to her chest, "I don't have anywhere to go..." she talked in a soft voice but that monstrosity of a man only clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes.
"I don't care! I'm just here to do my job!" he spat. "Don't you have a man to go to or something!?"
Madeline shook her head and the man laughed, his enormous stomach bouncing as he did so. When he stopped laughing, the man stepped to Madeline and took her wrist, causing the woman to yelp and widen her eyes at him.
"Then I'll gladly take you with me..." he grinned, his rotten yellow teeth making her stomach twist in disgust.
Miles couldn't take it anymore so he had to step in, even if that meant breaking the king's rule and revealing his intentional spying.
"Miss Simmons!" the young guard stepped from behind the tree, stomping to the two people in front of the house.
Both Madeline and the disgusting man turned their heads, both surprised to see a third party.
Miles glared at the man, "My name is Miles Parker. I'm a royal guard at the castle and I demand you release the girl this instant as she is the official royal tutor!"
The boor saw sharp determination and seriousness in Miles's eyes and released Madeline's wrist, clicking his tongue.
"Whatever. Just get out of here," he now literally spat at their feet, joining his "colleague" in inspecting the rundown house.
"Thank you... Mr. Parker," Madeline massaged her wrist and Miles smiled, giving her a small curt nod.
"Come on, Miss Simmons," he rolled up his sleeves, "Let's gather your belongings and take you somewhere safe."
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Madeline stood next to Miles in the king's office, looking defeated and with her head lowered in shame as the guard explained to the king everything he had seen happening in front of that small house.
"Why didn't you tell us earlier, Miss Simmons?" the king asked and she bit her lip to repress the tears but no matter how hard she tried, they still fell from her eyes.
Madeline shook her head, her messy hair following the motion. She looked up at the king, still biting her lower lip.
"I... I didn't want to trouble you or the children, Your Majesty. This is my personal problem but... there were just no rooms for rent..." a breath hitched in her throat, trailing into a sob and making her shoulder tremble.
The king sighed and motioned with his hand for Miles to leave. When the guard closed the door, the king stood up from his chair and came in front of Madeline who was now crying openly.
"Miss Simmons..." he started and she looked up at him, noticing compassion written on his face. "The twins truly love and admire you. That's why they noticed your worry and sadness over the past few days and we cannot let the person they hold dear be worried or sad."
She calmed down her cry and took the offered handkerchief from the king to wipe her tears away.
"Until you find a new apartment, you are welcome to stay in one of our guest rooms. Children will be delighted knowing you're here," the king smiled wider and Madeline's eyes grew bigger.
He didn't give her a chance to complain, not acknowledging her protest, but called Miles inside again to take Madeline's luggage and lead her to the room closest to the one the twins were staying at.
"Your Majesty..." she turned on her way out, bowing deeply, "Thank you. I will work harder to redeem myself."
The king smiled and waved his hand, "No need. You're already working hard - the children are happy and that's all that matters - so no need for any more proof that you are a perfect choice to be their tutor. Now, go and freshen up, it's almost time for dinner."
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Lucas and Hanna stormed into Madeline's new room after hearing their father's decision, hugging the woman who was sitting at the dresser, combing her hair.
"Maddie, is it true?!" Prince Lucas looked up at her, his eyes filling with tears.
"You'll stay with us in the castle?!" Princess Hannah added and Madeline smiled, lowering her brush and putting it on the vanity to caress their small heads.
"For now, yes," she nodded and the children whined.
"Nooo! We want you to stay here forever!"
They cried in unison and Madeline chuckled, gently pulling them away and looking into their eyes again.
"I must find a new place to live in--"
"Live with us!" the children's unified shout made her giggle.
"I'll try to make our time together memorable but--"
"Many of our servants live here!" the young prince stomped his foot, knitting his brows.
"So you can too!" the princess continued and Madeline laughed a bit more.
"I'll see what I can do," the young tutor nodded and the children rejoiced.
One would say that the royal children were spoiled and would do anything to have it their way but Madeline didn't look at it that way - they created a special and close bond over time and she had a soft spot for these twins, not knowing how to reject them when they look at her with those puppy-dog glimmering eyes.
The children waited for Madeline to get ready, checking her dress one more time in the tall mirror of a rather big room. All three of them joined the king and queen in the elegant dining room where the delicious smell of meat and vegetables filled the space. Madeline hoped that her stomach wouldn't give away how hungry she actually was since all she had eaten was a light breakfast and cookies at noon.
She greeted the king and the queen and gave in to children again, sitting between them on the king's right side.
"Thank you, again, for this opportunity, Your Majesty. I'm sorr--"
He stopped her by raising his hand, "Miss Simmons, I told you that there's no need for you to apologize." He folded his hands and looked at the younger woman, "We're grateful to you for putting the smiles on these children. Keep doing that and that way you'll repay us for this opportunity."
"Thank you once again," Madeline bowed her head, "I will do my best to make them happy and tutor them well."
The king nodded to her statement and the dinner commenced.
For the first time, Madeline experienced how it was that the royal family behaved around each other during a meal - she felt out of place in the silent dining room where the only noise was cutlery touching the plates. The family ate in silence, not engaging in small talk or summarizing the day and what each of them did during the day.
She was used to clamoring, laughing, a talking at the table - it was always lively at the orphanage where children ate and talked about their day, hobbies, what new they learned, etc.
Only when the king finished his meal, tapping the corner of his mouth with a cotton cloth, did the silence break when he spoke.
"Hannah," his voice came and the young princess looked up from her plate, "I heard that you missed your dance lesson today."
The princess nodded and swallowed her bite before speaking. "Yes, father. Miss Larson was absent today."
"She is away to visit her family overseas because her father is ill. We need to seek a new dance teacher," the king spoke, taking a sip of his wine.
"Maddie can teach us!" Lucas interrupted and his parents looked at him before looking at Madeline, "She danced for us on her first day and it was so good. Right, Maddie?"
Madeline looked to her right at the smiling prince and smiled back, feeling a tight knot in her stomach - if the uncomfortable silent atmosphere created the knot, getting exposed tightened it.
"Miss Simmons?" the king called for her and Madeline swiftly looked at the older man at the head of the table. "Do you know how to dance waltz?"
"She does!" Prince Lucas beamed a smile but his father's stern frown put him back in the chair.
"I..." Madeline gulped, suddenly feeling her throat getting dry. "I know the basics..."
"That's more than enough," the king nodded, "While Miss Larson is away, can you teach the children? Of course, you will be paid for that. They can't miss a single lesson as the autumn festival ball is approaching."
Madeline gulped again, wanting to grab the glass of water so badly and pour it down her painful throat. Her survival instincts kicked in once again - she can't afford to disappoint the royal family and lose her job but...
Her eyes flicked to the vacant seat by the queen where she imagined the eldest prince would be sitting. He was not here and, according to his siblings, won't be back to the castle until the end of the month so he wouldn't be able to see her dance and recognize her as Liliana...
Madeline lowered her head in a nod, "I... I can try..."
She just hoped that Miss Larson would return before the prince...
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Princess Hannah's dance lesson was held after lunch in the castle's large ballroom.
Prince Lucas already finished all the needed preparations for the ball, completing his classes and mastering the waltz before his twin sister. Madeline used that fact to pair them up together and that way see what the princess was lacking.
And, from the moment the music started and the two began dancing, Madeline saw that Hannah missed some steps, stumbling on the ends of her dress, or accidentally stepping onto her brother's feet.
"Alright, that was good," Madeline clapped as the song ended, standing up from her chair.
"No, it wasn't. I was horrible," Hannah pouted.
"You sure were. My toes hurt..." Lucas grumbled, plopping down on the chair to massage his feet. His sister gave him a frown but he ignored it.
"Alright. Let's practice again," Madeline smiled and came in front of the young princess.
She directed Hannah as to how to place her arms and keep her back straight while having her body relaxed. Madeline asked Lucas to put the song to play again and when the needle hit the vinyl disk and the melody of the waltz filled the room, Madeline's heart grew.
She adored dancing but took it easy this time, directing the princess.
But, as days passed and Princess Hannah got better at dancing, Madeline could relax and enjoy it to her heart's content as it had been a long time since she had her legs moving to the melody, gliding around the ballroom.
"Wow, Maddie..." Princess Hannah giggled after the song ended, "You're a master at this. Have you danced before?"
Madeline giggled, taking a sip of water as they rested. She felt safe to tell the children about her past since their brother wasn't present.
"This is a secret," Madeline smiled, putting a finger to her lips, "I actually participated in ballroom dancing competitions back home," the children gasped.
"Why didn't you continue?" Hannah asked curiously.
Madeline shrugged and leaned back in the chair, "My dance partner left me alone on the dancefloor at the finals because his girlfriend at the time jealously interrupted our dance. She pulled us apart and slapped me across the face as if my smile during the dance was directed at him... He stormed out after her and it was so embarrassing to stand alone in a room full of people, feeling their eyes on me."
"Ouch..." Lucas hissed, massaging his cheek.
"You quit after that?" Hannah raised a brow and Madeline nodded.
"Unfortunately, yes. And it took me years to clean my name from that rumor that he was cheating on his girlfriend with me..." Madeline sighed, remembering the grueling whispers, venomous words spat at her wherever she'd go, and judging stares from the townspeople.
"He's such a... imbecile!" the princess huffed and her brother covered his mouth, surprised that his sister used such word, "I can't believe that he didn't explain everything to those people and let you take all the blame!"
Madeline chuckled and shrugged, "It's all in the past, but thank you for getting angry on my behalf, Your Highness. Don't worry, I'm all better now." She placed her hand on top of Hannah's, making the girl look up at her, "Let's not dwell on it. Are you ready for another practice?"
The princess smiled wide and nodded, hopping off her seat. Prince Lucas put the record and the gramophone played the song.
Madeline felt lighter after sharing her past worries so the smile on her face didn't ease up in the next dance with the princess.
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To be continued...
A/N: This feels kinda rushed even though the chapter is 3k long.
Our Prince is absent but, don't worry, he'll return in the next chapter.