At The Tourist Site, Remember?
THE evening came so fast and all maids had to retire to their rooms. Only those cooking and helping out with the cooking, were still busy in the kitchen.
Rina was in the latter, she was, according to Prag, a general duty maid, so she was helping out with the cooking.
The job in the laundry had been so romantic and stress free, awwn, it was so lovely.
Even though it looks scared that Prince Raghav was working with her and helping her out, it was romantic as well, and she really needed to enjoy it while it lasts.
She smiled.
“What makes you smile prince’s favourite?” Someone asked on getting closer her and she turned. It was Tanu.
“Gosh! I knew it gonna be you”, Rina said smiling.
“Why not?” She folded her arms leaning closer her on the counter.
“Hey, don’t tell me you have no job tonight?” Rina asked licking her lips.
Tanu waved her head sideways.
“Ughhh, maybe I do, let me think”, she feigned cracking her brain to think.
“Oh, come on. Cut the crap off”, Rina laughed and slapped her shoulders.
“So, you know I don’t”, she laughed too.
“Well, me too, I’m only just waiting up here for dinner”, she shrugged.
“So, how was your day?” She looked round, the maids were as expected, busy with work.
“Wow Tanu, it was exceedingly sweet. I had a swell time with His Grace at the utility room”, she was smiling sheepishly.
Tanu’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Don’t tell me he worked with you again?” She asked.
“He did”, she stressed.
“Oh my gee, Rina…”, she looked straight into her eyes, “Prince Raghav has a feeling for you”, she pouted.
Rina was taken aback, huh? Has a feeling for her?
“Huh? Did you just said he has…, oh please, why should he? I mean, who am I? Just a maid Tanu, I’m just a maid”, she said.
She smiled.
“Rina, I stand to say this without doubt, Raghav has feelings for you. Can’t you see it? The handwriting on the wall is damn clear incase you are blind Rina”, she said.
“Hmmm”, she sighed, saying nothing.
“He has never worked with a maid since I began working in The Bhagya Palace, he has never. Talk more of working with her twice… twice Rina”, she put up two of her fingers to demonstrate.
Rina sighed again, folding her arms. What was Tanu really implying? That the Prince has feelings for her? But if it’s true, why would he? She was a maid and besides… the Queen, she is a hindrance to that already.
“Just know that baby girl”, she came again, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“Oh”, she mouthed.
“And for Alina, Prag came up to my teammate and I in the afternoon as we were working on the lawns, asked us to leave what we were doing and allow Alina finish it up”.
“What?” Her eyes widened.
“Yeah”, she nodded, “I also saw her fetching water from the tap with a bucket, this got me curious because we don’t fetch water, so I proceeded to ask, guess what?” She grinned.
“What?”
“I was told it was a punishment from the Prince, they were all punishments”.
“My gee”, she exclaimed as her right hand cupped over her mouth, remembering when the Prince had said he was gonna punish her or something.
“Favourite maid was whimpering and doing this job”, she bursted into laughter.
“Aww”, Rina’s countenance changed.
Even though she knew Alina hated her, she still felt the punishment was much, infact it wasn’t supposed to be given her in the first place.
“What? Aren’t you supposed to be laughing?” Tanu asked her, still laughing.
Rina shook her head.
“It isn’t funny Tanu”.
“Oh please, she deserves it, gosh! Every minute, I’m his favourite maid, favourite maid here, favourite maid there, jeez, she deserves it”, she hissed, rolling her eyes.
“Alright, I get. But it’s still not fair”.
“Come to think of it, you were the maid she left the whole work for, so the Prince is punishing her because of you”.
Rina sighed, she opened her mouth to talk but halted, Alina just walked in.
“Hmmm”, Tanu said, making a face.
Alina halted at the door and looked around, watching all maids. She wasn’t happy, her face depicted it, it was so visible.
Rina tried ignoring her and looked round, the dinner was already set. Gosh, they had really talked for long.
The dishes for each royal member had been put into the trays as usual, and kept on the counter.
Assigned maids began walking forward to take up their task. Alina walked up, about to take up that of the Prince, Prag halted her.
“Hey Alina, hold it”, she called.
Alina turned to her.
“Yes?” She asked.
“You aren’t to take that”, she said, shaking her head.
“Huh? What do you mean?” She sounded so harsh and loud that all the maids present, had to leave whatever they were doing and turned to her.
Rina recoiled her face in disgust, what lack of respect, and manner of approach, gosh!
“Maharana gave an order, someone else is to take that dinner to him, and not you”.
“What?” Her hands dropped in disappointment.
Tanu pinched Rina on her left hand, turning to face her.
“It’s you baby girl”, she whispered, smiling.
“Huh?” She whispered her response, looking at her as well.
“Yes, so please, fly”, Prag said.
She sighed and looked round, then turned to Prag.
“How can Maharana do this, without first letting me know, how?” She rhetorically asked.
She left the counter and walked to a corner, waiting to see who was gonna come up to carry the tray.
All the trays on the counter had actually been carried away, it was the Prince’s left.
Some maids dallied behind, still curious on who gonna take up the Prince’s dinner to him on his order, maybe.
Prag looked up from the cooker and threw a glance at the counter, huh? The Prince’s dinner was still there, untouched.
Gosh! She hadn’t given out the order yet. She looked round to see if the maid was available first, and yes, she was, she could spot her.
“Rina, take the Prince’s dinner to him, he is waiting”, she said.
They all gasped.
“What!” Her eyelids flickered. Was this a dream or… a daydream? She managed to open her eyes steady and looked around.
All maids were visibly shocked to the bone marrows.
“Come on girl, I told you. You can do this”, that was Tanu, hyping her as usual.
“Um… miss Prag, me, you mean me?” She asked.
“Yes you, what’s there? The Prince doesn’t bite”, she turned back to her work.
Rina breathed in and exhaled deeply. Then she walked forward and carried the tray, feeling nervous like on her first day, when she was asked to take up the Princess’s dinner.
As she moved out, she looked round. Tanu winked at her, all other maids watched in awe, Alina was at the corner, fuming as she glared at her walking out.
As soon as Rina walked out of the door, a maid spoke up.
?”Jeez, that was close”.
?”What do you mean? It’s already close”.
?”Yeah, I see the Prince is now wanting a new favourite”, she giggled.
?”Favourite you say? This is more than favourite, he is developing feelings for her, I think”, she winked.
“Enough… enough”, that was Prag, she clapped her hands as she spoke.
“Back to work”, she said and the maids obeyed instantly.
Alina quietly walked out of the kitchen, Tanu was fast in seeing her retreating figure, and quickly, she followed.
*
*
*
Vidya sat on the couch busy with her phone, Roshni sat close by, looking into a book.
Suddenly she hissed out loud, dropping her phone, then she picked it up again and continued.
Every now and then, she had been doing that, always getting carried away by some unknown beings.
“What actually is wrong with you Vidya?” Roshni spoke out the instant she hissed again.
“Ugh…”, she mouthed with tired eyes.
“You have actually been hissing and hissing like a snake since I joined you here, what is the problem?” She asked.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know Roshni”.
“I actually don’t”, she insisted.
Vidya looked at her and chewed on her lower lips. Was she kidding or she was for real? Like she doesn’t know why? Oh goodness!
“It’s the Prince…. and you know that”, she looked away.
Roshni sighed.
“You have been on this for the past weeks now you know?”
“What more can I say?” She dropped her phone.
“It’s been months since he returned, and the Queen still hasn’t called or something, as she had said she would”, she complained.
“She gonna call, chill it. What exactly is your fear?”
“Look Roshni, I have bragged about this to people, virtually everybody, don’t you know the shame if this doesn’t works? Don’t you?”
She sighed, nodding her head. She is actually right though.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“Mom went somewhere important right? She would be returning with good news, trust me”, she winked.
Vidya forced a dry smile.
“I hope so”.
“You actually didn’t ask me to come spend the night with you in long faces”, she smiled.
She laughed out.
“How is your lovey-dovey?” She asked, digressing.
“He’s cool, oh that reminds me”.
“What have I reminded you now?”
She laughed.
“You remember the hoodie guy from the tourist site?” She asked.
Vidya shook her head.
“Oh that pauper? I hate remembering about the tourist site encounter, we just got involved with paupers all through, gosh, and I dislike them”, she pulled a disgusted face.
Roshni laughed.
“You forget that, that isn’t what I want to talk about. I met him again on the day I told you Sindura and I were having a date”.
“Huh? Why would you meet him?”
“I don’t know, he was on hoodie again, I think he is trying to hide himself or something, I could hardly get his face”.
“Me, I never can. What about him?”
She sighed.
“He asked me of Rina, was almost going on his knees just to know her name”, she explained.
“Huh? Well he is a pauper, he fits her… they fit each other”, she picked up her phone.
“That is where you get it wrong Vidya, I don’t think he is. I saw him hop into a black Nissan, a sparkling one at that, and you know what?”
“What?” She was getting more interested in the talk now.
“The royal emblem was pasted boldly on the back right side of the car”.
“Huh?”
*
*
*
Rina with all nervousness got to the Prince’s chamber and knocked, then waited for a reply.
“Come in”, the reply came in a rush, startling her. Oh jeez, how was she gonna do this?
She exhaled deeply then turned on the door knob, and went in.
Closing the door behind her, she stood at the door, looking around the room.
Oh jeez, this was heaven. Everywhere was well lit and everything sparkled white, depicting royalty as well.
The air was well ventilated and the room filled with a lemon scent, mixed with that of his cologne.
The cottons of the window flapped and flapped, showing that the window wasn’t yet closed.
She looked further into the room and there was he, standing in front of his dressing mirror and looking breathtaking as always, she swallowed hard.
Her eyes scathed round for the dining and right, she caught it. She walked up to the dining and dropped the tray.
“Good evening Your Grace”, she genuflected, on turning to him.
He was still facing the mirror. Rina turned to leave and her eyes glanced at the keyboard close to him, she smiled inwardly, she was good with that.
Her fingers were damn good with the piano, she could play any tune. Well, this was for the privileged, but she was more mesmerized that the Prince was also good with that.
She got to the door when his deep baritone halted her.
“Is that how you do yours Rina?” He asked.
She turned, he was now standing at the dining and she wondered when he had walked up there without her knowing.
“Uh, I… I don’t get you Maharana”, she said, her arms behind her.
“Oh, so you don’t know you gonna ask me if I need any other thing?” His face was straight, no emotions at all.
Oh jeez, she had actually forgotten. Too much nervousness… too much.
“I’m actually sorry Maharana, I am sorry”, she tried kneeling.
“Don’t”, he ordered and she stood.
“What do we have here?” He asked uncovering the plates on the table.
She stood still and watched him, he was as usual dressed in his casuals, a black hoodie and white trousers.
Huh? But hold on, he looked familiar with this dressing of his, like she had met him somewhere, but where? When? She thought.
“Hmm”, he inhaled, covering back the plates. Then he turned to her.
“Do you remember meeting a guy dressed the way I am?” He asked, his hands were in his pockets.
“Huh?” She looked at him intently now, he really did looked like someone she had met?
“You actually did make me remember, but I don’t know when or where”, she said.
He smiled and walked up to her, coming closer. She drew back a little.
“Alright, I will remind you”, he paused and looked into her eyes, making her feel uncomfortable.
She sighed, exhaling deeply.
“At the tourist site, the guy you helped out with water”, he let it out.
“What!” She exclaimed and looked up at him, her right hand on her open mouth.
He nodded.
“Holy moly! My Prince!” She exclaimed again, her eyes widened in shock.
Oh jeez, she never could believe this was the guy she had given some water to wash his hands at the tourist site, my gee, he was the Prince.
Oh Jesus, the tears came rushing down and instantly she turned to the door, and ran out.