After what felt like no time at all, you were in front of a grand palace. It was unlike traditional ones you had seen or read about. Rather, it was made of a beige brick with small crystals and rocks with each block in order to make it more durable. The roof was white tile that looked unaffected by the weather, still spotless like fresh snow. In the center of the roof was a rather large glass dome that reflected the sunlight beautifully and indicated that there was most likely an indoor garden at the center.
In other words, your palace was nothing compared to this. Everything was ornate and grand, from the luscious and colourful garden to the grand status in the center of the road way leading towards the entrance, which was much bigger than your own room. In the center was the god of love and the god of war, depicted quite accurately judging from the books you had read about them.
The carriages comes to a gentle halt in front of the main entrance, and the door is opened by a humble butler who keeps his head down low, not daring to raise it in the presence of such a powerful individual. The staircase leading up was pure, white marble with barely a single fault to be seen. A red carpet had been rolled down upon it in preparation for the prince's arrival, and yet there was nobody else waiting besides this butler who opened the carriage door and the four guards on either side of the entrance, most likely just there for security reasons.
You found this strange, but were not left without answers for long as Leonide points this out: "Where is everybody? I expected a warmer welcome than this, especially since I just took over an entire nation." He proceeds to step out of the vehicle either ways, hands on his waist in a skeptical manner.
Horatio follows soon after, leaving only yourself in the carriage. His tangerine orbs scanned the scene, "I am not completely sure, Your Royal Highness. I ensured to send news that we were to arrive today and around this exact time as well," He says, bronze pocket watch now in hand, it's chain leading to within his left pocket. "Maybe they didn't bother coming because you're so terrifying," He jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"How am I terrifying?" Leonide interrogates, trying to suppress his disappointment by squinting his eyes. Instead, he ended up looking quite threatening and as though he were glaring with immense hate at everything in his path.
"You're the Crown Prince, Your Royal Highness. Not to mention, you tend to look quite dark and intimidating. Especially with an expression like that on your face," Horatio responds.
"Excuse you," Leonide quickly replies, his eyes immediately relaxing and his hands dropping from his waist. "Stop speaking such nonsense. Whatever, this does not matter to me. They are most likely preparing tonight's feast celebrating my arrival," He claims, advancing up the steps.
Horatio lets out a small snicker at the prince's behaviour before turning to you and holding the door firmly open. "Your highness? What are you waiting for?" He asks warmly, his voice soothing as the rising sun on groggy morning eyes.
"Me?" You ask, pointing towards yourself, surprised that he was addressing you correctly, especially since you were meant to be a maid now.
"Who else? There is no other royalty in this carriage I believe," He responds, flashing you a gentle smile.
"Oh, yes, of course. I was just a bit surprised. I thought I was to be regarded as a maid," You explain truthfully before climbing out of the carriage. Horatio extends his arm as you place your feet upon the steps, allowing you to hold onto his forearm as you climb down for stability. Your hand firmly pressed his arm as you climbed out yet it barely moved an inch as you did so. Once both of your feet were stable on the ground, Horatio closes the door behind you.
"Perhaps but you are still of royal blood. It feels quite impolite of me to regard you as a maid, even if that is what you are now. I will try my best to remain respectful to you, Princess [Name]. But you must remember that you are a maid in this Empire, so please just do as you are told if you wish not to get into any trouble. The prince can be quite impulsive and dramatic with his sentences after all," Horatio advises you. It was only natural of him, and you began to realise that perhaps Horatio wasn't as bad as the Crown Prince.
"Thank you," You say with uncertainty, before he now walks alongside you up the steps. At either side were emerald shrubs with crimson flowers in full bloom.
Noticing where you were looking towards, Horatio decides to point it out: "Do you like the 'Flowering Quince' shrubs? These flowers bloom briefly but quite beautifully, don't you agree? They are quite well known for their gorgeous flowers on the leafless stems. They symbolise rebirth I believe. Quite lovely, quite lovely indeed."
"Ah, I see. My country did not have a wide variety of flowers or plants in general, so I'm afraid my knowledge in that area is quite limited, despite my love for how beautiful flowers are," You reply, legs beginning to tire due to the immense amount of steps leading to the top. If you had to estimate, it seemed like about one or two hundred.
"Why don't I surprise you with a new species of flower everyday then? I'll also tell you about them. I'm very fond of flowers, even though that might make you think I'm not very masculine. I spend quite a lot of my spare time in the greenhouse you see. We grow many medicinal herbs and flowers there," He offers you, his warm smile not fading as he looks at you for reassurance.
"I don't think it makes you any less masculine at all. It's alright to like whatever you like. If anything, it is quite endearing to know that you are fond of flowers. So I don't mind if you wish to share your knowledge with me, as long as it's not an entire lecture everyday," You reply.
His orange eyes spark joyously and the corners of his lips turn upwards more drastically into a childlike and toothy grin. "Sounds great! And also, don't think that we keep these shrubs all year round. We tend to change them depending on the season. After they are used, we either put them in the royal garden or donate them to a nearby park in the capital. So keep an eye out for new shrubs along these steps in the future, I'm in charge of choosing them after all."
"What's taking you two so long? Do I need to put you two through some physical training?" Leonide yells from the top of the steps, his hands instinctively on his hips once again as he glares down at the both of you still full of energy, seemingly unbothered by the amount of steps. You figured this was only natural since he most likely had to use these steps most of his life.
"Not at all, Your Royal Highness. We're just discussing these shrubs. Do you recognise them?" Horatio calls back chirpily.
"'Flowering Quince', are they not? You blabber on about flowers all day, how could I possibly not know?" Leonide replies, crossing his arms in annoyance at your impertinence by walking so slowly when he was awaiting the both of you.
Visibly quite flustered, Horatio scratches his cheek nervously, "Come on, Your Highness. They're not all that I talk about."
"Whatever makes you feel better, Advisor Horatio," He says, now turning towards the grand pair of doors and inclining the guards to open the colossal doors for him. They were pure white, matching neatly with the tiling on the roof. The only decoration was the ornate, golden illustrations, depicting a scene you could not quite comprehend. However, the overall gist of it seemed to be nature and rebirth.
"Don't trust what he says, they really are not what I talk about all the time," Horatio insists in a hushed tone towards you, embarrassed now that his love for flowers was even more exposed.
"Don't worry, I don't plan on trusting the word of a man who killed my father," You state boldly, tailing behind the two as they lead you through the threshold.
Once inside the building, you came face to face with a grand, open main room. The ceiling seemed to replace the sky in height, and a golden chandelier hung down immodestly, it's sparkling glory raining upon the room with a great luminance. There was a pair of staircases, one at the left and the other at the right, that met on a smaller, circular landing before becoming a single, large staircase leading to the next floor. The floor was made of pure white marble, much alike to the outside, and the floor was carefully carpeted with red fabric, indicating that every single piece of carpet was carefully designed and fitted to the palace. The walls were a cream colour, decorated intensely with gold around columns and places where the wall met the ceiling and floor. To bring more life, there were rather large paintings, depicting past royals who inhabited the palace.
"Now, I shall go ahead and inform my father privately about the further details. After all is settled, I shall meet you both for dinner in the dining hall. In the meantime, I would like you, Advisor Horatio, to guide our new maid to her chambers. Don't give her anything too shabby but also not too grand. She is a maid after all, even despite that royal blood," Leonide announces to the both of you whilst fixing the buttons on his sleeve, sprucing himself up to look all the more neat and tidy.
"As you wish, Your Royal Highness," Horatio responds, bowing his head low for several moments as Leonide turns away and makes his way up the luxurious staircase. As he soon disappears out of sight, Horatio turns to you. "I suppose I should take it upon myself to formally introduce myself, as it appears that we will be working with each other for quite sometime."
"Ah, yes, please," You stumble over your words, only just realising he had not yet done so.
"I am Horatio Reuben Abadi the Fifth, second son to my father Reuben Stravos Abadi the Third and the Royal Advisor to the Crown Prince of the Great Sica Empire. I will be guiding you through life in this foreign land until you are up to speed and become used to things. I hope we will work together for a long time," Horatio introduces himself, followed by a bow, which was not quite as deep as the one that he gave to Leonide.
"I am Princess [Name] [Last Name] the First, youngest daughter to my father [Father's Name] [Last Name] the Sixth, King of the Fallen Kingdom of Nabet," You speak graciously, not allowing your nerves to shake you from pulling an elegant introduction, much alike to Horatio's one.
"It is my honour to be in your presence, Princess [Name]. You have such a beautiful name, I must admit. I shall now lead you to your private chambers, just as the Crown Prince commanded. Please follow me, and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask," He voices, hand on his chest in a tender manner before he turns around to face an archway leading to a hallway at the left of the room.
"Thank you. Actually, out of curiosity, how did you end up becoming the Crown Prince's private Royal Advisor?" You question, walking behind him at a fairly slow pace. The two of you walked into this hallway, which looked identical to the main room in terms of appearance rather than size besides the golden details now in the carpet.
"Ah, yes. My family is actually very wealthy and high-ranked, and we have always served royalty all across the world. We do not assist a certain family in particular, instead we serve those individuals who deserve us to be by their side. My family has great pride in our services, and have served countless rulers across the world during our time. You can only imagine that this has built us quite the reputation. The King eventually began looking for an advisor for his son, as a sort of gift. When the prince became of age, he was finally allowed to venture across the world and handle official affairs independently. In order to do so all the more professionally, the King therefore hired me. I took a long journey from my own land to come here, and in fact, a lot of times I feel as though I do not fit in. So in a strange type of way, we are in the same boat if you think about it," Horatio explains to you, loading you with this information with no hesitation whatsoever.
"Your family must be quite notable indeed. I'm surprised I haven't heard about your family."
"I am quite surprised that you don't know either. But then again, I guess the whispers on the street aren't always the same in different regions. I'm sure you had better things to worry about, rather than about some random rich family from the South," Horatio responds truthfully, leading you through the seemingly endless corridor.
"Well, how has your time with the prince been?"
"Entertaining, to say the least. Typically, he is quite uptight and only really becomes flirtatious around women whom he finds appeasing to the eye. I'm guessing that is why he acted a bit out of character when meeting you but I'm sure it will wear off soon. He's also been quite the adventurous type, when I first took on the job of being his Advisor he would make me chase him around and prevent his countless escapes from the palace. I guess that is why I am in such good shape now, having to look after him. Since he's so uptight, I've always teased him then and again to help ease his nerves. He gets anxious quite easily. Ah- I suppose that doesn't particularly answer your question. In conclusion, it's been an experience of a lifetime, that I thoroughly enjoy. I hope you enjoy being here as well."
"Is there anything I should be wary of around the Prince? Anything that I need to know?"
"Hmm, nothing in particular. Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but please refrain from getting too close to him. It will only burden you in the long run. And don't get any ideas, he despises falling in love. Maybe you can change his mind! Well, actually, I take that back. You probably don't want to, after what he's done to you."
"I don't have any plans at all. If I may ask, why does he despise falling in love?"
"Well, he used to be quite the playboy actually. He would flirt and charm multiple women at once, and was a total ladies man. That all ended when he met a certain Duchess. She managed to tame that young man and he fell deeply in love. She felt the same way, in fact. So much so, that they became engaged and planned to marry next Spring. However, he found out that she had betrayed him, and she began to wrong him in so many ways. It hurt him terribly, so I'm afraid he doesn't take kindly to genuine romance. In despite of this, he's still quite flirty when first meeting a woman, since not all of his old habits have changed. In fact, they are starting to return. I'm thinking he will become the same as before soon enough. What do you think?"
"I don't know him well enough to accurately predict what will happen, so I have nothing to say. If you think it though, that might be what happens. How many years have you been with the prince now?"
"Six years and counting," Horatio responds proudly, his nose sticking up smugly before he halts in front of a door at the end of the hallway, to your left. It was white and fairly small, and was also not very ornate.
"Is this where I am staying?"
"Indeed it is," Horatio confirms, opening the door. You were met with a fairly medium room, that would be considered small for somebody of royal blood. One wall was packed with windows and on the opposite by the door was a wooden bed with splendid ivory sheets. There were other pieces of wooden furniture around the room, such as a desk, a sitting area and a wardrobe. On the far right, there was a smaller door which you could only assume led to a private bathroom.
"It's quite lovely. It feels cosy," You speak whilst observing your surroundings.
"I'm glad you think so. I was afraid you might complain."
"Complain? It's wonderful!" You exclaim chirpily.
"That makes me very glad to hear," He replies with a smile, "I'll let you get changed into your uniform which should be in the wardrobe. I will waiting outside, to tell me when you are finished," Horatio says before making an exit and gently closing the door behind himself.
With Horatio now gone, you take in the finer details of the room, such as the crimson wallpaper and white flooring, with had cleaned so excessively that it was now spotless with not a single speck of dust left in sight.
Approaching the wardrobe, your fingers met with the smooth surface of the wood, feeling it's gentle texture amongst your fingertips and it's perfectly carved, ornate flowers. It appeared to be expensive and was perfectly preserved, seeming old with its design yet youthful judging from the varnish that reflected the moonlight.
Grabbing onto the golden handle, you proceed to pull it open. You are met with maid uniforms, hung neatly with only slight variation from each other. After a short inspection at these outfits, you finally picked out a specific one. It was a plain, white dress which only had designs due to the lace at the edges of the collar and sleeves. On top was to be worn a plain black apron with pockets at the front for carrying along items. Putting these clothes on, you decided to hide your old clothes under the bed. If you had them washed, you did not know what they would do. It was possible they might just throw your clothes out, and you did not want to lose the memories attached to them.
At last, you finished off your look with a loose-falling and thin, coal black ribbon tied around your collar into a droopy bow. You then put on some simple white socks along with black flats which were supplied at the bottom of the wardrobe, in a variety of sizes.
"May I enter?" Horatio asks through the door with a small knock.
"Yes," You reply, loud enough for him to hear. Several moments later, you hear the door handle turn as Horatio steps into your new bedroom.
"My, it looks as though the uniform was made for you. You look simply divine," He admits, a warm smile spreading on his pink lips.
"Do you truly think so?"
"I truly do think so. You look better than many noble women do in all their expensive clothes, as a matter of fact. I believe that is something to be proud of. Please take my word for it. My, I can't have you walking around looking like this."
"Why not?"
"You look to cute, I'm afraid you might distract all of the palace staff from their daily tasks," Horatio teases, his warm smile growing into a mischievous grin from ear to ear.
Deciding not to be swayed by his words despite the small blush forming on your cheeks, you ignore his comment. "So, what do we do now?"
"The prince should be done talking to his father shortly," Horatio responds, taking a pocket watch out from his coat. Looking at it closely, he took a note of the time. "I'd say we have a few minutes to just talk, or perhaps to begin teaching you the ropes. So, what do you say? Sound like a plan?" He inquires, stuffing the watch back into his pocket.
"I guess so, if we have nothing that important to do. Thanks for being so nice to me but I really don't know why."
"What's the hurt in making life easier for others? You've already been through so much that I simply don't want to push you any further. If the prince begins being rude to you, please endure it. He tends to make critical comments but knows when to hold back."
"Why should I bother enduring it? If he's rude to me, why should I just let him do so?"
"Because he is the Crown Prince, and you must think about the consequences. He could easily sentence you to public humiliation and execution if you do even the slightest thing wrong in his presence. If you want your father's wish to be fulfilled of you living, it is best to put more thought into your actions," Horatio warns you, a small frown now sprouting onto his face. His blonde locks nearly appeared to be white in the shining sunlight hitting the strands of his head, and his orange eyes twinkled like the fine sediments on a beach during a fine summer day.
"I can't deny that you're right. But I will find a way not to be pushed around. I will not let him treat me as a toy."
"Really? Because I think he already believes that you're simply our toy. That's enough now, it's best to leave this conversation here. Let us go to the dining room. It is only at the beginning of the hallway," Horatio decides, stepping out of your room. You follow after him, pausing as you watch him dig his hand into his right pocket once again, only this time to pull out a key, matching in size to the lock of your room. "I believe you will need this. This is the key to your room. The only people with a key to your room is now you, and a key that is shared between me and the prince but which I carry at all times."
Taking the key into your hands, you take note of it's golden gleam, with only several dark faults here and there due to it being quite old by now. Stuffing it into your front pocket, you simply nod in agreement. Taking note of this action, Horatio proceeds to lead you down the hallway.
"If there is anything you need, anything at all, please let me know. But please keep in mind that the Crown Prince is my priority. Alright?" Horatio confirms with you, looking over his shoulder at you as though you were his own tail by now. Your [E/C] orbs interlocked with his own sunset like ones, inclining him to look forwards once again nervously. It seemed that unlike the prince, Horatio was quite inexperienced around women judging from the uptight and incredibly formal way he was behaving around you despite the fact you would now be working alongside each other for a long time.
As you both approach the dining hall, you see him visibly pause in his tracks as the sound of yelling can be heard, echoing throughout the walls. The muffled words could not be formed into sentences, but the tone made it quite obvious that the voices began to the prince, and an unknown female.
Alarmed and concerned for his master, Horatio springs into life and bolts down the hallway at indescribable speeds, leaving you in the dust as you regain your train of thought. Once realising the situation, you sprint after him, yet was nowhere near as fast, especially in the attire you were currently dressed in.
Horatio swings the double doors open, not awaiting assistance from the guards. You peer out from behind him as you skid to a great halt, determined to witness the scene. And there, you saw the prince arguing with a young woman in the dining room.
The young woman had platinum shiny hair, that seemed to be a wig due to its large volume. Her hair was styled upwards, with perfect curls along the bottom and framing her slim face. Her eyes shone an emerald green that could be compared with the Crown Jewels, and her skin appearing absolutely flawless in it's light brown shade. Despite the tone of her skin, her face was caked with much lighter shades of makeup, and a false beauty mark near her lip area.
"How ridiculous! You take over a kingdom and your father doesn't even blink an eye in your direction! He's never impressed by anything you do, so why do you even bother? You already know this!" She yells at him from the top of her lungs in order to overpower his threatening aura. Her eyes green eyes were wild with a raging fire within them and her countenance was contorted in pure anger.
"At least I know myself that my achievements are truly notable! You on the other hand sit around the palace all day doing nothing! You are nothing but a waste of space, and a bloody down right waste of my time!" Leonide shouts back in her direction, fists clenched tightly. His eyes were slim and his eyebrows knitted tightly together in an effort to suppress himself.
"Who cares! At least I don't try so hard for a father who doesn't care about anything I do!"
"At least I do some good to this empire! You do nothing! You stay locked up in your room, despite the fact you are meant to be a higher rank than me and have some sort of responsibility! I have to do all of your tasks and all of your meetings, so at least be somewhat grateful!"
"Why even bother doing them for me then? I hate you!"
"I hate you more! I won't do them any longer, so if my father gets upset with you don't blame me!"
"You can bet on that! I would never wish to spit your name from my precious lips-"
"Enough!" Horatio yells stubbornly, his voice overpowering their aggressive bickering. "What are you doing here, Duchess? Why are you two arguing?"
"Because I can not stand this man! He is so annoying and fickle! I was just trying to finish my dessert and he comes blazing in all upset because of his father and becomes like this just because I teased him a little bit!" She exclaims in defence of herself, her voice vibrant and clear as it shook your eardrums.
"I think it is best that you leave now that you are finished eating, and allow the Crown Prince to calm himself down over dinner," Horatio suggests politely, his voice plain and matter-of-factly with her despite her yelling at him.
"Why do I have to go? I have a higher rank!"
"Because your business here is done, and while you may still have a higher rank, you must keep in mind that it is the prince who fulfils your duties as a Duchess rather than yourself. Understood?"
"Fine!" She voices angrily, storming through the door and pushing Horatio out of the way, causing a chain reaction and also pushing you aside in the process. You smell her expensive perfume linger in the air after she rushes past you, desperate to escape the horrible scene. You turn your head back to the dining hall, and watch the prince slouch down onto his seat, visibly stressed.
At this moment you realised that perhaps your time here would be much more interesting than you had initially anticipated, especially what had just occurred. Horatio rushes to Leonide's aid and immediately wipes off any sweat with a handkerchief, and asks questions in a worried tone, like a mother caring for their child after they had returned from a fight.
Perhaps you had found Leonide's first weak spot to attack?