the siren's call | felix lee

v.

You managed to get back to the castle just as the last remnants of midnight blue faded from the sky and were replaced with pastel pink and orange hues. This time, you had remembered to brush off the loose sand stuck to your legs, and hoped that your parents wouldn't interrogate you on your whereabouts, but your torn dress was sure to raise more than a few questions.

But as you slipped through the gates, the guards eyeing your ragged appearance, you realized just how busy the castle was. There was usually a fair amount of servants bustling about, tending to the horses and fixing the grounds if necessary, but there seemed to be three times as many people today, and they all seemed to be in an awful rush. There were servants scrubbing the bricks of the castle walls and dusting the path with heavy brooms, sending clouds of dirt flying in the air. People rushed in and out of the gates, arms full of more cleaning supplies. One maid even ran into another, and both their armfuls of buckets and feather dusters went flying into the air. You maneuvered around the mess awkwardly, wanting to get back to your tower before anyone else noticed your torn outfit. But one of the young maids who fell stood up quickly and took you gently by the arm, sucking in a deep breath as she looked you over. "Where have you been, your highness?" she asked, frowning as she examined your wrist, which was now beginning to show early signs of bruising from Felix's rough grasp.

"I went out for an early morning walk," you said quickly, retracting your arm from her hands. "My skirts got caught on some low branches." The maid pressed her pale lips together, obviously doubting your story but did not press further. "Your majesty," the maid said suddenly, bowing. You turned around and spotted your mother striding towards you, and you cursed at her in your mind. She would have no problem interrogating you on your whereabouts.
"Maid," your mother said, pushing her out of the way to stand in front of you. "Please take care of (Y/N) and make sure they are all cleaned up in preparation of tonight." She turned to look at you, but her eyes stayed glued to yours, and she did not bother to look you up and down condescendingly, as she normally would. "Tonight is a very special night, (Y/N)," she cooed, patting your cheek gently. "It'll be simply... wonderful." With that, she smiled at you and walked away.

"Come with me, your highness," the maid said, taking you by the hand once more. "We must get you ready, as the queen said."

"Ready for what?"

"For the special dinner, of course! The royal family from a neighboring kingdom is coming to dinner, and the king has some very important things to discuss with them." She squealed a little, obviously thrilled at the thought of guests.

"Is that all?" you asked, slightly disappointed.

"They're here to discuss business with my father? This happens at least once a month, it's nothing new."

"Oh, but this family is very powerful," the maid said excitedly, "and I hear whispers from the village that there is a very handsome prince!"

You were still unimpressed. "How fun," you said, trying to make it sound like you were even remotely interested.

She sensed your displeasure and said nothing more, but kept her excited expression on her face as she guided you to the bathroom to help you take a bath. You sat in the hot water in silence, watching steam rise from the water as she scrubbed your scalp with a sweet scented soap, which was a light purple color from the wisteria essence. You pushed out your lower lip in boredom, staring hard at the water, wishing you could go back to see Felix again. It was still far from the set time to meet him again, but you missed him, even if you had run away from him just a little while before. That fear of your parents finding out, and the fear of unfamiliarity had all since melted away in your steamy bath, leaving you with the insatiable feeling of curiosity. "Alright there, your highness?" the maid asked, rinsing your hair. "You look deep in thought."