The Key ♕

5

Sophie's Point of View

"Sophie! Are you ready?" Alice bangs on the door.

"Yes, princess. I'll be right out." I reply loudly, combing my hair one last time.

I open the door of my bedroom to reveal a smiling Alice, looking as charming as ever. "Good morning, Sophie. Did you sleep well?"

"I slept great, princess." I say, giving her a curtsy.

"Wow, you look so pretty in that dress," she gushes, spinning me around to get a better view.

I chose another blue dress that darkens into a ombré at the bottom. I blush madly as Nathaniel's words from last night replay in my head. "Thank you, your Majesty. So do you." Alice does looking amazing. Her brown hair is tied up loosely into an up-do, a few wavy strands framing her face. She is wearing a beige dress decorated with pearls that brings out her slightly tan skin.

"Let's get going. I have a lot to show you today."

I follow Alice into a study where the prince and princess manage their state affairs. Two huge desks are placed on either ends of the room, each accompanied by smaller desks on the side. I assume that is where I will sit. The desks across from ours is empty. The prince is not here yet. I sigh a breath of relief as I take a seat in my cushioned chair.

"Luke's late again," she sighs. "We were supposed to meet here at 9 to discuss the ball that is coming up in a few weeks."

"A ball? That sounds wonderful," I say intriguingly. I've never been to a ball before. I wonder if I'm allowed to go?

"Oh, yes," Alice enthuses, "and it will be wonderful. This is the first time that mother and father put us in charge of the preparations of a ball. It's going to be perfect."

"I am certain it will be, my princess."

"And you," she laughs, "are going to be helping me a lot."

"My pleasure," I return the smile.

"Prince Lucas, please wake up on time tomorrow. The princess waits for you every time." I hear Nathaniel's husky voice from outside the room.

"I know, I know," Lucas says casually, "I just had a little too much to drink last night."

They enter the room and Lucas freezes his footsteps when he sees me. "What is she doing here?"

"Sophie is my lady in waiting, remember?" Alice snorts, pulling out a huge stack of paper from a drawer.

"Right," he sneers, "just don't let her bother me." I clench my fist, safely hidden under the ruffles of my dress.

"And you better not bother her, either," Alice spits back.

Lucas just laughs mockingly and waves her off. Nathaniel smiles at me apologetically and takes a seat beside him. I smile back, tossing all my angry emotions aside.

Alice teaches me how to sort papers, relay messages, appoint servants, and proper etiquette when facing other royalty. I furrow my brows and scribble down notes as she goes through everything. "Did you get all that?" She asks, stretching out her arms.

"Yes, Princess Alice." I reply, mimicking her movements to relieve the soreness in my body. We've probably spent about one hour discussing my duties.

Alice returns to her preparations for the ball while I organize her documents into piles. I occasionally sneak glances at the prince. His focused and dedicated expression completely clashes with his indifferent attitude. Before finishing up my final pile, I sneak one final glance at him. His eyes meet mine and the corners of his mouth twitches into a lopsided smirk. I immediately disengage the contact and go back to sorting out my papers. Unluckily, I knock over a few of them onto the ground. The prince's light chuckles cause my face to turn bright red.

"I think that's enough work for today," Alice says to Lucas after a while.

"Yes, definitely. I can't wait to get out of here," Lucas jests. Alice just rolls her eyes. However, I know from his intense engagement earlier that he is passionate about state affairs. He will be a great king, albeit a conceited one.

"Nathaniel, do you mind taking Sophie around the palace again? I just want to make sure she remembers everything."

"Not at all, your Majesty." Nathaniel replies, standing up and straightening his suit. He walks over to my desk and offers his arm for me to take. I loop my arms around his and grin shyly.

"Goodbye, Sophie. I'll see you later," Alice waves.

"Goodbye, my princess," I say. I turn to Lucas's direction, "goodbye, my prince." I try my very best to hide the unwillingness in my tone.

"Now, if you'll excuse us," Nathaniel says with a slight bow.

We start walking towards the door and about halfway there, I notice a loose button on Nathaniel's sleeve. "Lord Nathaniel, you have a loose button on your suit."

He quickens his pace, "I must have hooked it a twig when I was hunting this morning."

"Come to my room later, my lord. I'll help you sew it back on."

He tightens his grip on my arm, pulling me closer to him, "that's too much trouble, Sophie. I'll ask a maid to do it for me."

"No, my lord. I insist." This is all I can do right now to repay his kindness.

"Thank you, Sophie." His voice is gentle and soothing.

Just when we are about to leave the room, I glance back at the prince and find him staring at me with an unreadable expression. My heartbeat quickens exponentially under the gaze of his captivating blue eyes.

"Sophie, you remember all the rooms now, right?" Nathaniel asks after we finish the tour.

"Yes, thanks to you, lord Nathaniel. Please, come in. I'll help you fix that button."

He opens the door for me and I rummage around my vanity to find the sewing kit. He shrugs his suit off to reveal him in a tight white shirt. I can't help but gawk at how strong his chest is. I blush and take the jacket from him. He sits on a chair nearby while I sit on my bed and start sewing the button back on.

"Thank you for doing this, Sophie."

"This is the least I can do," I smile. I look at him through the corners of my eyes and find him looking at me, too.

When I am done, I hold out the jacket for him to wear. He slips his arms into the sleeves and his bare arms brush past mine in the process. His coarse skin against mine sends a jolt of shock, numbing my body.

"Thank you, Sophie." He says as I walk him to the door.

"You're very welcome, Lord Nathaniel."

"Sophie?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, my lord?"

"It's just Nathaniel. There's no need to call me lord."

I widen my eyes and open my mouth slightly in surprise, "no, I can't do that. That's too disrespectful."

He just smiles at me without saying anything. I relax my rigid body as I work up the courage.

"See you tomorrow... Nathaniel." The words come out of my mouth in a bare whisper.

"See you tomorrow, Sophie," he replies, looking satisfied.

I hold the sewing kit tight in my hands as Nathaniel's name lingers on my lips.