Maid or Princess [English]

Chapter 3

Leila was awakened early the next morning by a knock. She quickly put on her necklace and opened the door; the servant silently handed her a beige envelope with the royal crest of Asgard before leaving. Confused, she closed the door and opened the envelope before beginning to read the letter:

Dear Princess Faye,

I would like to invite you to join me for a walk in the royal gardens at noon today.

-Prince Loki

Go for a walk? Why would Loki ask her to do that after last night? The most likely thing was that it had been a request from Queen Frigga. She sighed and took off her necklace as she ran a hand through her blonde curls. Leila looked outside, the sun had just risen so she had plenty of time before her meeting. She put on a simple dress before leaving the room with the book and gave the guards the same instructions as yesterday: No one was allowed to enter the room. She still remembered the way to the library and found it empty again when she entered it, before putting the book back on the shelf, wanting.

"Didn't your princess like the book?" asked Loki from behind her, making her drop the book from her hand. He came closer to her and knelt down in front of her to pick up the book and give it to her.

"Yes, she does, but she reads fast," she explained, taking the book from him. He got up from the floor again and she had to look up to meet his gaze.

"And you? Do you like to read too, Leila?" he asked smiling, it was a genuine smile and she believed that the man he was playing at doing with the princess had been merely a facade.

"Maybe. Why do you care?" she replied challengingly. She didn't have to pretend, since he was pretending to be the prince's servant.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care," he replied.

"Good." She lifted her chin.

"Good," he retorted her answer childishly, making Leila laugh. The prince raised his brow questioningly. "Why are you laughing? Are you laughing at me?"

"No, not at all," she said, trying to look serious. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a job to do." She turned away from him, but could feel his eyes on her back. Leila bit her lip before looking at him over her shoulder. "Would you have another suggestion for what the princess might like?" Loki nodded and wordlessly stepped behind her to pull out a book and hand it to her.

She looked at the book, it was not a book from the worlds she knew. "It is a book from Midgard," he explained to her and she looked at him over her shoulder. Why was this Loki so friendly? Was it because he thought she wouldn't know who he was? But why could he be so friendly with a maid and not with his own fiancée?

"Thank you," she replied before scurrying past him. Loki caught her arm and she turned back to him as she looked at him questioningly. He opened his mouth before quickly closing it again. "Is there anything else, servant of the prince?" she demanded, raising her eyebrow questioningly and clutching the book tightly, pressing it against her chest. Leila knew it was dangerous to keep playing this game, he was a prince after all and could have her punished for talking to him like that, but something told her he liked it when she talked to him the way she wanted. There probably weren't many who didn't tremble in fear of him.

"Njal," Loki replied, making her look confused. "My name is Njal."

"Well Njal, is there anything else?" Leila smiled at his fake name. He let go of her arm and shook his head; she took a deep breath and walked away from him.

"Would you like to meet me here after dinner?" he asked nervously. She would never have believed he could be nervous if she hadn't seen it for herself. "Just to help you choose books for the princess, of course."

"I'll meet you here after sunset, Njal," she promised him before leaving the library and returning to the chambers. A knock startled her and she quickly put on her necklace before letting a maid in; she carried a tray of breakfast and set it on the table that stood by the windows. "Thank you." The young girl silently curtsied before leaving. Leila went to the table and took a grape. She spent the rest of the morning eating breakfast and getting ready for her meeting with Loki in the gardens. He was right in his choice of book; she liked it. Finally Loki came to pick her up and she was not surprised that he was still distant. The royal gardens were beautiful and many plants and flowers she had never seen in her life.

"I hope your morning went well?" he asked politely.

"Yes, thank you," she said softly, watching him out of the corner of her eye. She wondered how Faye would handle him? But she wasn't here, so it was her decision. Loki nodded before falling silent again and Leila gasped; he looked at her in confusion when she stopped. "Why are you like this?"

His jaw tightened as he looked at her. "What am I like?"

She lifted her chin and looked into his deep blue eyes. "Cold, distant, and dismissive. We're supposed to be getting married, and while it's not our decision, I think we could make the best of it. I'm your fiancée." He narrowed his eyes and she reckoned she had gone too far, but in a flash Loki grabbed her and his lips pressed against hers; the kiss was rough and his lips moved quickly against hers. She held onto his shoulders for support, but only a few seconds later Loki broke the kiss.

"Is this what you wanted, fiancée?" he asked before walking away, leaving her standing alone in the garden. Leila breathed heavily as she tried to comprehend what had just happened....