King of Hearts

18.

The tea party takes place on the royal patio. Val remembers it from yesterday. Although she only saw it from the window, she was mesmerized by the idyllic beauty. However, being inside is a whole other story. It's definitely bigger than it seemed at first glance. Giant trees and bushes frame the spot where a white table stands. Cream cushioned chairs encircle it, and a large striped pastel pink parasol covers the whole table. In the back, the water from the fountain can be heard splashing. The scent of flowers tickles Val's nose. It looks like a fairytale. She wouldn't be surprised if a fairy or an elf would jump out of a bush.

A long white buffet table is positioned on the right where she and two other maids stand awaiting the guests. The buffet offers loads of funny-looking pastries, a giant cake, fresh beverages, and obviously tea.

Val didn't have the chance to speak to the other maids, since Carmen, who is present just to make sure that the girls behave, strictly forbid them to talk. 

At four o'clock prompt, the prince and his guests arrive. Two royal guards hold the doors open and the first person to enter is a familiar one. A tall man wearing an all-turquoise suit with a hot pink tie immediately makes eye contact with Val. Apparently, he has also recognized her. His shoes are lacquer white and the sole is silver. He's wearing numerous rings and bracelets of all colors and more than five earrings on each ear. And again, his hair is weaved into a long braid that elegantly rests on one shoulder. Val tries to avoid his luminous lime-green eyes, his gaze makes her uncomfortable, so she turns to the lady that follows.

A red-haired lady who looks like she's in her 30ies. Her hair reaches her chin, and she has a thick fringe covering her forehead. Matching her hair, her lips are also bright red, creating a strong contrast to her fair skin. She wears a black choker around her neck and a slim red dress, accentuating her hips. If the word "sensuality" were a person, it would be her. Velvet black gloves hide her hands and forearms, and her silver eyes are set in the far distance, giving a cold and unbothered look.

The second woman has shiny platinum blonde locks that reach her thin waist. Her hair is so pale, it shimmers a little white and silver. Her dark green eyes travel up and down each maid, giving each one a repellent look. She's wearing a mint-green strapless dress and a black leather corset. She also wears gloves but hers are shorter and are made from lace.

At last, Prince Ulio makes his entrance. He's wearing a black suit with thin white stripes. An elegant jacket with sleeves rolled up, giving a casual yet chic look. A low-cut vest with nothing underneath, showing glowing bare skin, matching pants, and ruby red leather shoes. What Val also notices is his ring. He does indeed wear it all the time. 

As he casually walks in, his eyes immediately wander to Val. The way he looks at her up and down and stops for a moment at her legs gives her goosebumps. She tries to avoid his gaze and look straightforward. He keeps walking, not taking his eyes off her. Why is he only looking at her and not the other maids as well? After all, she's just another girl he wants to play with. Why is nobody else noticing his staring? 

His warm dark eyes lay solely on her until they reach the table. The white-haired girl sits particularly close to Prince Ulio, next to her the red-haired woman and at last the braided man. It looks like a double date, especially judging by the intense looks the girl with the pale hair keeps sending Prince Ulio. But that's none of Val's business, she's simply here to serve the tea. 

"I'm glad you all accepted my invitation. As I said, this is going to be an informal and cozy afternoon, just the four of us", Prince Ulio announces. "Thank you for inviting us, Your Highness. We shall have a lot of fun today", the braided man responds with a foxy look.

"Yes, Ulio. Thank you for having us. It's always a pleasure to meet that handsome face of yours", a melodic voice coming from the girl next to him chirms. Val wants to laugh, but she manages to contain herself. 

The first maid carries a silver plate with pastries to the table, not making eye contact with any of the guests. Or anyone at all. The braided man already takes one. The white-haired girl wraps an arm around Prince Ulio's and completely ignores the maid. Val figures they must be close. She even addresses him by his first name, unlike the long-haired man. 

As the four converse, Val discovers the names of the guests. The man with the long braid is called Hamza, the woman in red is called Felicia and the clingy girl's name is Satyn. Prince Ulio continuously tries to converse with Hamza, whereas Satyn always interferes. Felicia just seductively pouts her lips, probably daydreaming. Until now, everything is going pretty well. Val hasn't made a fool of herself yet, which is a good sign.

The second maid offers fresh juice but Prince Ulio declines. "We would like some tea first", he demands instead, gazing over to Val. God, it's her turn already. She grabs the hot teapot and goes forward to pour some into Hamza's cup. She has no idea, why her legs are trembling when she walks. It's just tea, what could possibly go wrong? She tries to avoid any form of contact with anybody and control her breathing. 

Carmen abruptly clears her throat in an exaggerated way. Val uneasily turns to her. Has she already spoiled the party? Carmen aggressively signals with her eyes to the prince, who gives her a confident smirk.
It takes her a few seconds to comprehend Carmen's problem. Apparently, Val is supposed to serve the prince first. Makes sense. Still, someone should have reminded her before.

Val hastily steps over to the prince, whose attention is solely on her, which Satyn also notices and therefore clings on to him tighter. Val tries to think of calming thoughts. Dánica's painting instantly pops up. Thinking about the peaceful beach, she pours some tea into the prince's cup, as her breathing seems to normalize.

As Val is dreaming and doing a great job, a bomb startles her, leading her to spill tea all over the white tablecloth. Soon, she realizes, it wasn't a bomb, but Satyn sneezed in a way Val has never heard anyone do. It simply must have been on purpose or she has some serious health issues. 

"Oh my, seems like you hired a sloppy one. A maid shouldn't be easily distracted", Satyn comments, raising her chin as if she's teaching a little girl. Val glares at her, "I bet you know a lot about it." Carmen sprints to the table and pushes Val with her elbow, giving her a fatal look. "I wholeheartedly apologize, Your Highness. You see, the girl is inexperienced, she still has a lot to learn", she fake-smiles at Prince Ulio. "Yes, we can tell," Satyn responds instead with an evil smile. Val is about to knock her over with the teapot. 

Did they even notice what happened? Carmen looks like she's about to have a mental breakdown. She's gradually glowing red. Val grabs a napkin from her pocket and thoroughly wipes the giant spot but it's not helping. The tablecloth needs to be washed.

Satyn devilishly smiles at her friends and Prince Ulio's smirk intensifies. Victory is written in his eyes. This is total chaos. Why did Satyn, that beast, even do that? It was clearly on purpose. Val is furious, she just wants to leave. She won't let these idiots make fun of her. She instantly changes her posture, finishes cleaning the table, flawlessly pours tea in each cup, and turns away leaving the table. Val needs to pull herself together just a little longer. When the party's over, she'll quit the job, that's for sure.