Chapter One582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKXmQcsymZ
I scrubbed at the floors harshly. I had been at this stupid job for hours. Even with all of the soap in the world, I would not get the floor of the ballroom clean all by herself in just one day. I was sure I would be docked some pay and I grinded my teeth at the thought. My family could have wisely used that money, instead of the royals simply blowing it on fancy jewels and foods for guests the night before.
I had been serving the ball last night. It was to celebrate the prince’s fourteenth birthday. The beloved prince, a miracle sent from heaven, who was bound to save our kingdom. What everyone thought he was going to save them from, no one knew. But they treated him like he had ended the plague and all wars with a wave of his hand. Our kingdom was safe, and yet they searched for a savior. So of course all of the nobles of the kingdom of Sovera, and even a few of the neighboring kingdoms had come. A few princesses had also graced these halls last night, but it was most surely not the three older sisters of the prince.
Prince Cassius was a popular topic of the nobles. He was nearing the age of marriage, as well as inheriting the throne. Princesses threw themselves at him, and countless noble girls batted their eyelashes at the handsome boy though he was already betrothed. For his age, his features were sharp and shaped well. He was the perfect blend of his mother and father.
His sisters were nothing to scoff at either. All three had brown hair, but different shades. The oldest sister had the lightest brown, and the youngest had the darkest of the three. The three were beautiful, but in their own way. One was already married and living with a noble, claiming to be deeply in love. She was only nineteen, but I knew it was normal for such an age to be too late to wed.
The oldest had come to the ball, sharing the news of her pregnancy, which spread like fire. She had even chatted with me a bit. Princess Ryia was always nice to me, and was the only royal child who knew my name. The princess said I was, for some reason, trustable. She often confided me as we were growing up what the private problems her family had and treated me as a friend rather than a servant.
“Oh Cenna, you must help me find a name! I have a feeling I’ll need more than one however. Already I am so big!” Princess Ryia had said to me. I almost felt bad about lying to her all these years. She truly considered me a friend, and I her.
But she could not know the truth. It would destroy her kind heart. No. I could not stand for that.
I had finally reached the last corner of the ballroom late in the evening when Asher skidded into the room, a panicked look on his face.
“I just cleaned that floor Asher!” I shouted. The boy was an idiot; why the king would want him as a servant was beyond me.
His head snapped to me, as if just realizing where I was in the room. “Cenna! You must come to see this! Princess Cedany just arrived!” He exclaimed, obviously flabbergasted.
I rolled my eyes. “Why should I care about the girl the prince is betrothed to?” I asked, still scrubbing the floor.
Asher grabbed my arm and pulled me up off the floor easily. He wasn’t a good-looking boy, but he was most certainly strong. I ripped it away from him as quickly as he had pulled me up.
“Because the princess is requesting your presence!” Asher exclaimed.
I looked at him dumbfounded. He seemed to have a victorious look on his face, pleased he could finally catch me off guard about something.
“Wait, when?” I asked, my voice obviously sounding as shocked as I was.
“Now, Cenna! She wants you there now!” Asher said.
Had I been only a tiny bit more reckless as I bolted from the ballroom, I surely would have slipped and fell on the wet floor.
I was not too far from the entrance, a smart designing plan on the king that had originally made this castle so long ago. He hadn’t wanted people to snoop around his home, so he put the ballroom close to the entrance.
I stopped right before the looming wooden doors, catching my breath. I could hear a carriage outside, the sound of the servants taking the heavy luggage out of it. Once I knew I would not make a fool of myself, I opened the door and walked outside.
“Cenna!” The beautiful girl exclaimed, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. I knew that face, and I knew that voice.
“Dani?” I asked my old and dear friend. I had not seen this coming.
“Yes, my precious Innocentia, it is I. I am so glad to see you after so many years!” She exclaimed. Oh no. This was not good. She was one of the few outside of my family that knew the truth. And she was betrothed to the prince.
