𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 - 𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧

(six)

I wake up with a harsh blow to my stomach. I flinch and double over in my seat. Wait, when did I fall asleep? I look up and see the Princess, fist clenched like she's ready to punch me again.

"What the hell happened?" She snarls, "Why were we sleeping together?"

I rub my eyes and explain, "You fell asleep, and I couldn't get up without waking you. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

She snatches her book from the seat next to me. "You just made us miss half of our daily schedule. When my mother needs someone to berate, I'll be telling her it's your fault." She marches away to the dining hall where dinner should be served soon, which means not only did I miss staff dinnertime, I'm late for Princess Siyeon's nighttime preparations. I quickly make my way to her room and prepare her bed as well as her pyjamas. I also draw her a bath as a precautionary measure, in case she's still upset when she returns it should help her unwind.

Just as I expected, Princess Siyeon storms into her room with a glass of wine in her hand and a deep scowl on her face. "Kim Bora, run me a bath," she demands. I gesture toward the open bathroom door and she stomps inside, throwing her expensive dress on the floor carelessly as she climbs into the bathtub, sloshing bubbles over the side and onto the floor, still sulking.

"Kim Bora, my mother wants to speak with you. She says to meet her in the dining hall."

Well, I'm royally fucked.

I navigate the dark hallways toward the dining hall, where I find the Queen. I kneel before her and keep my face to the ground. "Please look at me," she says. I obey. "Huh, so you're Siyeon's girl... she was right, you are pretty. This is our first meeting, right? What's your name?"

I shift uncomfortably under her gaze. "Thank you, your majesty. My name is Kim Bora, I'm from the provinces–"

"Of course you are. I mean, I said you're pretty, but you're also very plain." The Queen says, looking me up and down. I suddenly feel very insecure in my simple blouse and knee-length skirt. "Ms. Kim, I have a task for you. You need to help represent the royal family next month."

"But I'm a commoner!"

The Queen nods. "Yes, but Siyeon hates everyone here except for you, and I don't permit her to leave the palace alone." I'm pretty sure Princess Siyeon hates me, too, but I let the Queen keep talking anyway. "Which means you'll be accompanying her to her cousin's wedding. I'll take care of finding you proper clothing to wear, and Minji will be teaching you etiquette all day tomorrow," she explains, "I don't know what things are like out in the provinces, but there are a certain set of standards for royalty. And when you go to this wedding, you must meet those standards. Because as far as any of those people know, you're my daughter's girlfriend."