𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 - 𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧

(nineteen)

I let her hold me. I let her wrap her arms around me and cage me in and I was okay with it. I asked her to do it. I groan and cover my face with my hands. How am I supposed to face the Princess now after last night?

Maybe I can just avoid her. I walk down the hallway as quietly as possible until I reach Minji and Yoohyeon's shared room. I knock, and within half a second Yoohyeon opens the door. I stumble back in shock, but steady myself quickly. "I'm not feeling very well today," I tell her, "Please tell Princess Siyeon I'll be back tomorrow." I scurry away before she has a chance to ask any questions.

Throwing myself back into bed, I bury myself under the covers and try to pretend I'm asleep just in case anybody comes in. Just as I expected, I hear the door slowly creak open. It shuts again, but then the mattress dips next to me. I try to maintain steady breaths.

A familiar gentle hand combs through my hair. "Oh, Kim Bora, I'm sorry you're sick," she whispers. "I'll take care of you like you always take care of me. I promise." She smooths my hair and stands up. Once I hear the door open and shut again I finally allow myself to open my eyes. Why is the Princess being so nice to me? So much for hiding from her all day.

Well, there's no use in avoiding her now. I sit up in bed and wait. What I'm waiting for, I'm not exactly sure, but I wait patiently nonetheless.

Someone knocks lightly on my door. "Come in," I call out, making my voice sound weaker. The door opens and Princess Siyeon walks inside with a steaming bowl placed on a towel in one hand. She smiles when she sees me and sits on my bed again, lifting her free hand to hold my face. She's very close, and my mind betrays me by wandering back to last night once again.

"You do feel a little warm," she mumbles. "Here, eat some soup." I expect her to hand me the bowl, but instead she holds a spoon to my lips. "Are you too sick to eat?" Her face contorts with worry, and I start to feel guilty for lying. So I let her feed me even though it's embarrassing. "Do you want to take a bath?" She offers, "It always helps me feel better when I'm sick. I'll run you a bath now." She picks me up, and I squeak in surprise, my hands flying up to cover my mouth to prevent any other humiliating sounds from escaping. I never knew the Princess was this strong. She carries me easily to her room and sets me down on the bed while she runs a bath for me.

I see her through the doorway testing the water's temperature and scattering lavender buds in the bath, just like I do for her most days. Princess Siyeon treating me this well makes me anxious. I feel weak, and my face is warm. If she keeps being this nice to me, I'll fall ill for real. Maybe it's already happening; my face feels hot, and I'm struggling to breathe a bit.

The Princess walks out into her room and picks me up again, this time bringing me into the bathroom and setting me on the counter. "Is it okay if I help you?" She asks. I'm afraid if I speak, I'll make another embarrassing noise, so I simply nod. She takes a step closer and reaches up to undo the buttons on my pyjama shirt. She undoes them slowly, making me feel more and more on edge every time her fingers brush against my skin. She removes my shirt completely and folds it, leaving it on the other side of the countertop. She then helps me shuffle out of my pants and folds them, leaving them beside my shirt.

Now comes the part I've been dreading. Taking a hot bath sounds really nice; I need to relax anyway. I've been super tense today. The issue is that Princess Siyeon is here. I sit on the counter in my undergarments, trying to cover myself up and curl into a ball. The Princess grabs me by the waist and lifts me off the counter, bringing my feet back to the floor. I can't meet her eyes.

"You probably don't need help with that, right?" She asks, looking just as uncomfortable as I feel. I shake my head but ask her not to look at me. She faces the corner and swears she won't turn back around until I tell her it's okay. I quickly remove my last articles of clothing and get into the tub, hiding myself beneath soap bubbles and informing the Princess she can turn around. On the wall in front of me, I notice the painting is gone. It's been replaced by my portrait of Princess Siyeon.

"I appreciate it a lot, Princess, but you really don't have to do this," I stammer. "You don't need to waste your time helping me." She smiles and begins shampooing my hair.

She shrugs. "You do this for me every day. I don't mind helping you at all, especially with everything you do for me." I smile and flick water at her, giggling when she leans over the bath to splash water right back at me. We spend the next few minutes squealing with laughter and making a huge mess splashing each other. Her clothes are soaked, and she takes off her shirt to hang it up to dry. Her skirt doesn't seem to bother her so much, and she takes a seat next to the tub.

The Princess rinses my hair, gently combing her fingers through it. She hums softly as she does so, and I can't help but stare. Her makeup is a bit runny, water droplets trickle down her torso, and her hair is dripping, but I've never seen her look this happy or relaxed. She brushes the side of my face with a gentle hand. "Are you feeling any better?" She whispers. I nod and thank her again. "I'll step outside so you can get dressed," she says, waving as she walks out and shuts the door behind her. I climb out of the bathtub and wrap myself in a towel Princess Siyeon left for me. I should've grabbed my work clothes from my room; I have to go back for them now. I pull the towel tighter around myself and leave the bathroom.

"Have you seen Bora? She's not in her room." A voice asks.

Princess Siyeon responds harshly, a strange contrast from how she's treated me all day. "Do you have nothing better to do than invade the Princess' personal space to bother her?" She snaps. "Find Kim Bora yourself." I step further into the room to see who she's talking to and immediately regret it when I make eye contact with Joohyun. I look down at myself and back at the Princess and wince at how suspicious this looks.

I'm basically nude, and the Princess is topless and hiding me in her room. Both of us are soaked from head to toe, and I can't seem to force myself to speak. I know I need to explain, but I'm frozen. All I can see is Joohyun's eyes burning holes into my head, and I keep picturing the inevitable moment in which the Queen has me executed for sleeping with her daughter, even though that's not the case.

Joohyun smirks. "Found her."