The Prince's Mate

Chapter 11

It took me a while to convince myself to get out of bed, but I eventually did. Then I was faced with a clothing conundrum. My clothes had been shredded and discarded after I shifted yesterday so I decided that my only option was to steal some of Bennett's clothes. I sifted through expensive blazers, dress shirts and pants until I finally found one of two cotton shirts and three pairs of basketball shorts. Neither of these fit me particularly well, but I tightened the shorts enough so they could stay on my hips and soft bagginess of the shirt was more of a comfort than anything.

Since it would seem that I had very little to do while Bennett was gone and no indication of when he would be back I chose to explore the house that had now become my prison. Considering the size of the palace and the fact that I had only seen one bedroom, a bathroom, and the entrance I figured I had a lot to snoop through.

I spent about an hour looking through the house. I went down the stairs and found my way into what looked like a living room. It was gorgeous and grand, like everything else, but it also didn't look homey so I moved on to the spotless kitchen that was far beyond anything a small village could need. But I wasn't going to complain, I was starving and when I opened the stainless steel fridge I was almost astonished by how much food there was jammed inside. I narrowed my options down to a fancy Greek yogurt and some fruit for breakfast, even though the time was closer to lunch. What did it matter if I wasn't allowed to leave the house anyway?

After my breakfast I moved on to find another bathroom on the main floor, two large offices, and a single guest bedroom. It seemed a little odd to me that there would only be one guest bedroom, then I remembered seeing a few smaller homes around the palace. I guess guests were just given their own little cottage for visits so they wouldn't infringe on the royals' space.

As much as I hated to admit it I was beginning to realize that Bennett was right. I didn't come from a life of this caliber. Yes, my dad made good money, but we certainly couldn't afford to build multiple houses for guests, nor could we have a dining room the size of Texas. I wasn't accustomed to pricey paintings hanging on the walls or couches that looked too perfect to sit on. I was used to home cooked meals and gentle hugs, not hard, cold luxury.

I lowered myself down onto one of the couches in the living room, staring at the empty fire place as my brain began spinning out of control. When I had been in the vehicle with the queen I used Bennett as a comfort. I thought that he would be some sort of hero and swoop in to protect me, that he would care about my thoughts and feelings and treat me like a goddess. But that was not the case.

Bennett was nothing like my father and he was nothing like a normal human man either. Feminism was not something that seemed to cross his mind ever. He was a replica of the king, just more handsome, and maybe a little stupider. I never knew anyone who bent over so completely for tradition.

"Good afternoon, Princess." A woman announced, bowing deeply when she stood in front of me.

I nearly lept out of my skin, yelping loudly when I noticed that I wasn't alone. The woman tried to hide it, keeping her head down, but I could see the corners of her lips turn up as she supressed a laugh.

"I'm sorry, when you didn't answer the door I assumed that I should simply come in."

"Oh God, I didn't even hear the doorbell." I said, getting off the couch. "And please, just call me Brooklyn. I've been here for a day, I'm hardly royal." I walked over to her, sticking out my hand, "It's nice to finally talk to someone today, though."

The woman seemed startled by my forwardness, but shook my extended hand anyway. "I will be your seamstress. The queen requested that she keep her old seamstress so this will be my first time working for the royal family."

"Well, as long as you can make me look better than this," I said, gesturing to the prince's frumpy clothes that hung off my body, "I'll keep you for life."

The seamstress just smiled tensely and I withheld a sigh, it seemed that no one in this place knew how to crack a genuine smile and the constant unease was starting to get to me. regardless, I took the young woman up to my room and didn't protest when she began measuring every inch of my body. I assumed she would strike up a conversation to cover up the awkwardness, but not a single word came out of her mouth as she worked with the measuring tape. Thankfully, she was done her task in only a few minutes.

"Hey, before you go, could I ask for a favor?" I questioned, watching the woman pack up her tape measure and pins.

"Absolutely, anything your Highness." She said, almost too eagerly.

"I don't mean to offend you or anything of that nature, I know you will make lovely clothing for me, but would you mind having some clothes dropped off for me tonight?"

"Oh, your Highness, I'm afraid I can't make clothes that quickly. I can assure you that I will have some articles of clothing prepared for you tomorrow morning if I work through the night, but it simply can't be done in a few hours, I am so sorry." The woman rambled.

"No, no, I don't mean that you would make me anything by tonight and I don't expect you to work through the night by any means. I was just wondering if you could send some one out to buy me some clothes to wear. As of right now I'm wearing the prince's clothes and I don't think he'd like that too much. I just want some plain clothes from a cheap store."

My seamstress looked nothing less than stricken, her mouth fell open and she mouthed a few silent words before she could find her voice again. "You want clothing from a store?"

"Yes, please, I really need some clothes to wear; it doesn't have to cost much. I think I saw a Walmart on my drive in, that would be more than sufficient. I really hate to ask, it's just that I can't leave this house." I explained.

My seamstress closed her mouth and nodded tensely.

"Oh thank you." I said with a relieved sigh, "Honestly, I'm not picky, any clothes work."

My seamstress gave me a queasy smile, "Is that everything?"

"Yes, that will be all."

My seamstress bowed deeply then scurried out of the palace as if it were on fire and I was left wondering what I had said wrong.