The Crown Prince Thinks I'm a Guy

Extracurricular Activities

I barely had time to hide behind my bed before the door completely opened. No matter what, though, I knew I had already been caught.

'Should I just say that I'm a cross-dresser?' I thought, my mind going blank from the panic. 'Maybe I can say it was a silly prank by my friends...'

I heard a small chuckle come from the doorway, and soon the head nurse came inside the room and promptly closed the door behind her. "Eleftherion, child. If you don't want your little secret to come out, I advise you not to wear gowns behind unlocked doors."

I groaned, but it came out more as a sigh of relief. "Nurse Melinda. I almost died from surprise. What are you doing here at this hour?"

When I stood up completely from where I was crouching behind the bed frame, the nurse's eyes went round along with her gaping mouth. "My, that is a gorgeous gown..."

I blushed, realizing that I was showcasing my whole outfit for her to see. "This... is nothing. May I ask for the answer to my previous question?"

She still kept glancing down at my gown, even while she said, "Well, I came here to bring you to my love's office room, but it looks like you're quite busy."

"I'm not!" I shouted and covered my lips afterwards, knowing how brash I was acting. I pulled my hands down and said, "I meant that I'm not busy, and if you would allow me a few minutes to change, I'll be off to your lo- to Professor Whitaker's office."

She looked like she was holding back her laughter but she pitied me enough to say nothing about my demeanor. However, she didn't leave immediately.

"Yes?" I asked her.

For a while, she only sighed. Then, she said, "Allow me to help you change out of your gown, at least?"

I blushed. Although I was more than used to maids picking at me since I was born, it was a whole other thing to have a lady assist me in my changing. Besides, I've mostly been dealing with this all by myself for more than a year now...

"Please?" the head nurse asked. "This is embarrassing of me to say, but I've always wanted to have a daughter of my own. Would you indulge me just this once?"

This surprised me. From what I've heard, she and the professor were married for a long time now. Based on the professor alone, with his gray hair, I had rather thought that he was an older man than he really was, but he shouldn't be so old that he couldn't grant his wife a child...

Soon, I nodded. "Alright, but just this once, because the ribbons at the back are quite hard to remove alone..."

Her lips came up shyly, and she walked and stopped right behind me, murmuring a song as she twiddled with the straps.

'Off the heads,

And off the hands,

Twist the knots,

And grind the minds

Hold them down

And keep them fine

Oh, how it feels to smother

How sweet tis to be a mother...'

My face crumpled up at the lyrics, wondering what it even meant, but soon enough, I noticed how every line was accompanied by a pull of a ribbon; how every verse was followed by a portion of my corset coming off. Letting out a laugh, I hummed along the catchy and easy tune. And soon enough, by the time we had sung and hummed at least eight verses, I was down to my chemise and the gown was carefully folded.

"That's a very efficient song to sing," I remarked.

She hummed in agreement. "I often heard it from the maids down in the town. Once in a week, they would gather in the big well, bringing the clothes from their masters' houses to wash them. They sing that song to keep their rhythms in synch."