As I stepped out of the room, Dehlia was already waiting by the door, a basin with fresh water in her hands. “Dehlia,” I left the door a bit open, “Her Majesty has called for you.”

She smiled and bowed, entering the room after. As I closed the door for her, I proceeded to my bedroom.

♔♔♔

On my way to my bedroom, I saw my sister heading in my direction, in her night robe. “Elizabeth, is there something wrong?” I asked, stopping on my tracks.

She looked at me as she rubbed her eyes. “Oh, hello, little brother,” she smiled, walking towards me. “I got thirsty and I was looking for my maids but no one was answering me.”

“Shouldn’t you have one or two handmaidens with you in your bedroom?” I asked, confused.

“Well, for some reason, they decided not to follow that rule,” she yawned, giving her body a bit of a stretch. “Now, I have to walk along these dark hallways in search of someone.”

I giggled, holding her hands. “Why don’t you return to your room and continue your rest? I’ll have Gonzalo bring you some water.”

“Can you have him talk to the maids as well? I don’t demand a lot during the night but that doesn’t mean they don’t have to follow the rules,” she asked, a bit irritated.

“Don’t stress yourself too much, Elizabeth. I’ll have it taken care of,” I reassured.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “What were you doing in our parents’ bedroom?”

“I paid a visit to Mother. She contracted some kind of sickness and she’s not even sure how she got it,” I explained. “Do you know anything about it?”

“I was in the library when the guards informed me that Mother has returned from our aunt’s castle,” she replied. “I didn’t get the chance to greet her because she proceeded to the study and I went to my room immediately after.”

“Ah, I see,” I nodded.

“Who’s looking after her?” she inquired. “Linda or Grace? Or is it our dearly beloved Ms. Turpentine?”

We shared a laugh as she brought up Ms. Turpentine’s name. Ms. Turpentine is the second-in-command when it comes to the handmaidens. She’s known for being quite strict with everything, including us. She always carried a scowl on her face but she never acted that way in front of Nana Olsa. For some reason, she’s afraid of Nana which is good because someone can still put her in her place when she’s getting out of line. “Dehlia’s taking care of her.”

Her face suddenly painted an expression of confusion. “Dehlia?” she repeated.

“Yes, Dehlia.”

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“Robert, we don’t have a maid named Dehlia,” she replied, still confused.

“Well, maybe she’s a new member of the household,” I answered, keeping myself open-minded. Although, now that she has mentioned it, I’m bothered with Dehlia’s presence.

“Robert, we almost have a hundred household members here in the castle and for the entirety of our lives, our parents would introduce newcomers,” she moved closed to me as she spoke in low volume, “Don’t you think that’s a little suspicious that Mother has a new handmaiden and we weren’t informed?”

I started thinking about what she said but unless we have an exact explanation from Mother, we can’t assume anything about the new handmaiden. “Well, maybe she was going to tell us but because she was already feeling ill when she arrived, she didn’t get the chance to do so,” I explained. “After all, she had to take her rest as soon as she arrived.”

She sighed. “Perhaps, you’re right. I shouldn’t be worrying too much unless she’s done something unacceptable.”

“Let’s wait for Mother to introduce us to her,” I smiled.

“Well, I’ll go back to my room. I have a massive headache,” she groaned, holding onto her head.

“I’ll have Gonzalo bring you your drink of water,” I repeated.

“Thank you, little brother,” she smiled as she hugged me. “I’ll be going back to sleep. Tell Gonzalo to leave the water on my bedside table.” She left a kiss on my forehead and returned to her room.

I, on the other hand, proceeded to mine.

♔♔♔

As I was approaching my room, Gonzalo was already waiting for me by the door. “Your dinner is inside, Your Highness,” he bowed as I reached him.

“Thank you, Gonzalo,” I nodded as I opened the door.

“Is there anything else I could help you with, young prince?” he asked as I stepped inside.

“There’s nothing else, Gonzalo,” I replied, turning around after I stood behind the door. “But I would like for you to bring some water for my sister. Her handmaidens were nowhere to be seen and she needs it right away.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” he bowed.

“Also, please have a word with the maids. It’s a rule in this castle that at least two maids would accompany a royal,” I continued. “Just because I let you do other duties than guarding me at night, that doesn’t mean they should try and do the same.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I will talk to them first thing in the morning,” he replied, bowing once more.

I then slowly closed the door and headed towards my writing desk where my food was placed. But then, something caught my eye. In the middle of the room was a bouquet, beautifully arranged inside an unfamiliar violet vase, which was put on my tall table. I didn’t request for flowers to be put inside my room so this is unexpected. I walked towards it to inspect it. This must be some kind of misunderstanding. It might even be for Mother.

But the flowers weren’t just any kind of flowers. They were roses, red roses. But where did all of these flowers come from? I walked around it and saw a note on the other side of the table. I quickly opened it and it reads:

Hello, Robert!

How are you? My apologies if I haven’t sent you any letters yet. But I received news that you have a certain interest in red roses so I’ve decided to send you a bouquet as a sign of my apology.

Also, I wasn’t sure of how many you would want so I chose the most beautiful roses in my mother’s garden.

I hope these flowers could add a bit of color to your life.

Your dearest friend, Lorain.

A smile slowly formed on my face as I closed the letter. Turning back to the bouquet, it was very thoughtful of her to send flowers. And she really made an effort to send me flowers that I love. I never told her what my favorite flowers are but maybe my mother has. Holding onto the letter, I proceeded to my writing desk, sat down, and began eating my dinner.

♔♔♔

As I put down my used utensils on my soiled plate, I let out a loud burp. That was certainly a scrumptious meal. Three enormous slices of meat, accompanied by some soup, wine, and my favorite dessert, sugared fruits.