Rosalind’s POV
In case you were wondering, I slept in the bed after blushing for what felt like hours.
Even though I had been reluctant about using the bed I was surprisingly comfortable and I had fallen asleep immediately my head touched the pillow as the stress of the day caught up with me.
I had slept so deeply that Prince Cillian had gotten dressed, had a shower and even served me breakfast in bed. It was the scent of the food that had woken me up.
“Prince Cillian.”
It was surreal. I was the one meant to be serving him but he was the one serving me.
His hazel eyes sparkled with warmth and I was glad to see he didn’t hold a grudge about last night. “Rosalind, good morning. I hope you had a good night’s rest?”
“Good morning, I did.”
On his very comfortable bed, he had given up for me. Battling the warmness in my chest, I turned to leave the bed.
“Thank you Prince Cillian for the breakfast and the bed but It’s already late, I need to get to the kitchens.”
He caught my arm. “You are not going back there.” He said intensely then his tone lightened up. “If you want to freshen up, use my shower, I have set aside some clothes and toiletries for you.”
What had I done to deserve someone like Cillian, I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure if I even deserved him at all.
I could have argued but a private bath sounded ways better than the communal one the servants used.
“Thank you, Prince Cillian.” I went towards the chair he had indicated, grabbed the entire bag and stepped into the bathroom. I tried not to gape at the state of art showerheads and so many controls that I might have taken a while to figure out how to use them.
When I finished brushing and taking a shower I pulled on the clothes he had given me marvelling at the bold colour and the luxurious feel of the fabric and the textured cut revealing the tights he had provided for me.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Prince Cillian’s eyes were on me and I repressed quiver at his gaze.
“Prince Cillian, I appreciate your thoughtfulness and these clothes are nice but not so practical for cleaning.”
He lifted a brow.
“Who said anything about cleaning?”
Right, I had assumed that because where else could I work to earn back that debt and help my brother? I had no idea.
“You look beautiful.” Prince Cillian said out of nowhere and my cheeks burned as the tension in the room ratcheted up a notch.
“Prince Cillian, please stop saying things like that.” I responded, averting my gaze so that he would see the pleasure in my eyes at the compliment.
“Why?”
Because it makes me dream of things I can’t have.
“Nothing.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “I feel weird.”
Especially after last night. I didn’t know where we could go from there but even being in his room now felt like I was slowly pushing us to that line we couldn’t return from.
Prince Cillian smiled and stood up so he was closer to me.
“Unfortunately, I intend to keep saying things like that. I enjoy watching you blush.”
“Blush?” My body tingled at his proximity.
“You don’t know?” He was much closer now and his scent drifted towards me pulling me closer towards him. “The colour spreads from here to …”
His fingers grazed my cheek and I couldn’t take my eyes off him as his fingers drifted down my cheek to my neck and finally to the edge of the neckline of my dress at the top of my breasts leaving spark moving across my skin with the trails.
“Here.”
“Prince Cillian.” I couldn’t breathe.
He removed his hand so slowly that I could have put it back myself but I was too embarrassed about that. “I’m sorry. I try but when it comes to you, I don’t want to try.”
What could I say to that?
He gestured to the food that was somehow still steaming. Perhaps he had ordered another tray brought in.”Come let us have breakfast.”
****”*
After our breakfast, Prince Cillian took me out of the room to a section of the Palace that I had never been to. It was more centrally placed and I wasn’t sure if I could classify it as North or South.
It consisted of even more gleaming walls, structures and wall art alongside larger halls and smaller but no still large halls.
It was into one of these smaller halls that Prince Cilian guided me to. The hall had two large thrones of sorts directly opposite each other. A mountain of scrolls to the far end of each table and shelves upon shelves of books as the backdrop.
“This is where you will work now.” Prince Cillian informed me.
I looked around puzzled. What would I do here?
“What? What could I possibly do here? This place is impeccable. There is nothing to clean.”
Prince Cillian gave his completely distracting smile. “Not to clean. To help with the approval, collection and storage of petitions.”
I wasn’t even sure I understood what he meant by at least half of the words he said. “Petitions? I didn’t finish learning all the alphabet. I know numbers but I’m limited in reading. Plus I don’t have the qualifications to do that.”
Prince Cillian folded his arms and spoke with an arrogant tone of voice that reminded me of Prince Killian. “I am the Prince of this kingdom. I hereby declare you qualified.”
I fought back a smile at his words. “I don’t think it works like that.”
His lips twitched as well but he stayed in character. “Are you questioning your prince?”
I shook my head.”No.”
He nodded now serious. “I will give you lessons so you can become better at reading and understanding your duties so that you can commence work.”
I couldn’t explain how Prince Cillian made me feel. He made me feel like I was important. Like my comfort mattered a lot to him. And his touches and kisses set me ablaze with want I had never felt before I met him
But I wasn’t sure if I could take this job. It felt shameless that I would let him take care of Bast and me who should have been paying our debt as well.
As though he could hear my thoughts he continued.
“I know how much you don’t want to feel indebted to anyone so I have divided your schedule thus. In the mornings, you will clean the royal wings only, then I will teach you in the afternoons and you have your night to yourself.”
That was…nice. It was very thoughtful of him to consider my emotions.
“I am humbled by your generosity, my prince.”
He smiled and took my hand.
“You can show your generosity by calling me by my name.”
I averted my gaze.
“Forgive my ingratitude because I will not do that Prince Cillian.”
He chuckled as though thoroughly amused.”Oh well, it was worth a try and about last night, when you said you wanted to leave. Don’t even think about it.”
I recalled when I had fallen into his arms after he saved me from those men and I told him I wanted to leave. “Why?”
He had a look in his eye that said he would chain me to his bed rather than see me leave.
He winked at me and the moment was gone.”You still owe me. A lot.”
It was easy to forget I was owing him when he was always so caring.
“How is Bastien doing? Can I visit him now?”
It felt like he had been so long since I had seen him and I was missing the little terrorist.
Prince Cillian was apologetic. “No. The doctor advised him not to see any visitors for now. The treatment is intense.”
He noticed my downcast expression.
“But if you want I can make him change his mind.”
I shook my head. This was what we had prayed for once upon a time. To be able to afford a good doctor for the treatments. I couldn’t let my emotions get the better of me now. Bastien needed to heal and I needed to work.
“No, there is no need. If the doctor says he can’t have guests then I’ll accept it.”
Prince Cillian nodded.
“Come let me show you to your new supervisor.”
*******
Prince Cillian personally handed me over to the matronly woman, Tiara, whom I didn’t even know was staff because of her aura of dominance before leaving for a meeting.
“Good day, you don’t have much work to do here.” She launched right into the details. ‘You need to change the beddings for all the beds routinely, drop them off for the dry cleaners and tidy up the rooms. Your shift ends by noon so ensure you work fast so that you won’t delay the prince.”
I bowed hoping this work experience wouldn’t be as terrible as the last.
“Yes ma’am.”
The royal wings had plenty of rooms on both the North and South palace segments but thankfully I wasn’t there to deep clean. Just to get the beddings in order and straighten out the furniture, clear out the bathroom as a lot of the rooms lay largely unoccupied.
“You, what are you doing here?”
I spun to see Prince Killian walking towards me. Right. I was in the Northern Palace’s royal wing. He looked breathtaking in his black colours. Almost as he had looked out of them.
Focus Rosalind. But how could I when he was moving in towards me like that? I recalled how he had killed the men that touched me. Recalled how hot that had made me.
I bowed as my cheeks burned.
“Cleaning, Prince Killian.”
He was closer than he needed to be and I felt the heat emanating from him. Goddess, he was so hot. And his voice went straight to my core as he spoke. “Since when was that your duty? Aren’t you in the kitchens?”
“Not anymore.” I gathered the courage to look at him.
He cracked a first and muttered a curse under his breath that I couldn’t hear what exactly he said.
I had to thank him for that bizarre show of…affection?
“Prince Killian about yesterday”
He cut me to the quick, his tone gruff and brisk eleven as his voice thickened.
“I didn’t do it for you. I am the only one allowed to touch you. They crossed their boundaries.”
I am the only one allowed to touch you.
His words went straight to my head and I had trouble getting my next words out suddenly conscious of the fact that we were the only ones on the deserted corridor.
“Thanks anyway.”
Prince Killian’s eyes darkened and he leaned in. Did Prince Killian want to kiss me?