A Beast's Tale

Chapter 6

I heard the soft click of the door latching the next morning and reached for my sword, still half-asleep. Faint footsteps across wood until they reached the rug, and then the humming began.

I released the hilt of my sword.

I hadn't told the maid to come, but she was quick to pick up on my preferences. Something must have upset her before she entered my room, though, something that stopped her unconscious humming for a moment. An encounter with one of my brothers? Clavis, maybe, or a meeting he'd arranged for his own entertainment. Leon, Yves, and Licht wouldn't bother her, and she'd already met Jin, which left Nokto or Luke. Luke was still an unknown factor. Nokto? A guaranteed laugh for Clavis.

Nokto, then.

"Good morning, Prince Chevalier."

But she was back to normal now, so he hadn't pushed her too far. Yet. He'd be after her again later.

It wasn't my problem.

She tidied up in the bedroom while I dressed in the bathroom, and then she cleaned up there while I ate breakfast. We worked well together. She stayed out of my way, and I stayed out of hers. I hadn't needed Jin to tell me she improved my efficiency.

"Do you have anything you need me to do after this, Your Highness?"

I stopped with my hand on the doorknob. She glanced at me when she spoke, but then she returned her attention to stacking the dirty dishes on my writing desk, and I found my eyes wandering across her for a moment. Long black lashes hooding bright green eyes, the sun reflecting off of glossy black hair, slender, shapely limbs and gentle curves—I hadn't needed Jin to tell me she was a pleasant sight first thing in the morning, either.

But if she was asking me for direct instructions, she was probably trying to get out of something else. Something Nokto had asked of her. Clean his room? It would be an obvious request of a maid, and his bedroom would be a conducive environment for seduction.

I suspected she could handle him on her own. I knew she could if she went in angry.

"Do you really enjoy being tormented so much?" I taunted her.

She frowned at me. "I'm just trying to be helpful, Your Highness."

"And that helpfulness extends to my brothers, does it?"

Her brow furrowed. "How did you—"

I walked toward her. She tensed.

"Drinks with Number One and Clavis last night, a tryst with the Clown this morning. My, you are a busy little dove."

"That isn't—"

I caught her chin in a firm grasp."You didn't manage Clavis too well, did you?"

She blushed and pushed my hand away. I grabbed her around the waist instead, pulling her against me before she could do more than throw her hands up between us. "Prince Chevalier—"

"And you are foolish enough to think you can handle the Clown?"

She shoved me away, green eyes narrowed, cheeks flushed a deep red. "Don't do that!"

I smirked and turned my back on her. "Turn right, third door on the left. Come to my office when you're done."

I let myself out and strode down the hall, triumphant and annoyed. Nokto would be lucky to escape without a slap—but why did I care? What went on between her and any of my brothers was none of my business. Even if she let him hold her in his arms, feel her soft curves against him, it shouldn't matter to me. She was my maid. Nothing more.