Royal Heartstrings

Chapter 26- A little bit of jealousy.

Valerie's POV:

I walked gently to Miss Millicent's room my mind reeling. I paused and glanced out the window watching as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over the castle, I couldn't shake off the thoughts that had been plaguing me all day. The kiss with Prince Nova still lingered on my lips, and my mind was a mess of conflicting emotions. I hated myself for enjoying it, for feeling like I was melting into his arms. It was wrong, so wrong. I was just a servant, and he was the prince.

I felt like I was betraying Mira too, and the guilt was eating away at me. But I couldn't deny the way my heart raced at the memory of his lips on mine. I didn't know how to stop it. So in that moment, I promised myself that I was going to tell Mira everything after the annual unity festival. My stomach churned because I knew she was going to be very upset and might probably not forgive me, but I knew I needed to tell her.

I knocked on Miss Millicent's door, and a slurred "Come in" responded. I pushed open the door, my curiosity piqued. As I entered the inner room, my eyes widened in shock, and I almost had a heart attack.

Miss Millicent lay spread-eagled on the bed, her dark brown hair disheveled and scattered across the pillow. Her faint makeup was smeared, her lipstick askew, and her clothes stained with dirt. It looked like she had fallen on the floor and struggled to get back up. One of her shoes lay on the bed, the other on the opposite side of the room.

The older girl's eyes were glossy and unfocused, her gaze fixed on some invisible point on the ceiling. She was giggling to herself; she was definitely very drunk.

"Miss Millicent!" I exclaimed, finally finding my voice after staring at her in shock.

She looked up at me, her eyes cloudy with confusion, then a slow grin spread across her face. "It's you......the maid," she slurred, her words barely intelligible.

I approached her cautiously, wondering what had happened. "What happened to you?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.

Miss Millicent frowned, her brow furrowing in concentration. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of belligerence.

But before I could respond, she burst out laughing, a loud, raucous sound. I sighed, wondering if this was the same girl I had met and admired yesterday, who had looked so calm and collected. Now, she looked so...broken, so vulnerable, like a fragile porcelain doll that had been shattered into a thousand pieces.

I shook those thoughts away and focused on the task at hand. "My lady, let's get you to the bath," I said.

I took both of her wrists and practically dragged her to the bathroom, wrinkling my nose at the strong alcohol stench emanating from her.

But she just smiled all the way, her eyes glassy and unfocused, muttering something that sounded like "engine" and "pollution" I had no idea what she was talking about, but I knew I had to get her cleaned up.

After preparing the bath, I helped Miss Millicent pull off her clothes, it was hard since she kept on touching my hair and face. It was a delicate process, but I finally managed to get her into the bathtub.

"Too hot," she squeaked, her voice slurred.

"I'm sorry," I replied, adding some cold water to the bath.

But then she cried out, "Too cold!"

I sighed for the second time that night. "My lady, the temperature is fine, I promise—"

But Miss Millicent cut me off, her voice cracking as she began to cry. "No, no, I don't want to hear it! I want to be heard for once!" She sobbed, her body shaking with uncontrollable tears.