Chapter two

TIANA'S APARTMENT

"Oh my gosh, he was so handsome." Tiana blushed as she told her friends about her dance with charming Prince Chadwick, she could never forget yesterday night. "His eyes were so breathtaking and his voice was dreamy."

"Enough with your stories, Tiana, we will be late for class if you continue with this." Victoria one of her friends told her and the rest of the girls started looking at her as if she had said something so bad that she deserved to die.

"Victoria is jealous." Rita teased Victoria and poked Victoria's shoulder with her finger.

"No, I am not Jealous." Victoria hissed and rolled her eyes.

"Do you know who Prince Chad is? He is the heir to the throne, he is one of the most famous musicians and actors in KU and most important, he is very handsome." Kirsten flushed and the two girls--Rita and Tiana-- wiggled their fingers together making weird noises.

"I want to dance with him again," Tiana said and sighed.

"Did you take his number?" Rita asked and Tiana slapped her forehead with her palm when she realized that she did not ask for Prince's Chad number, she was so caught up with the moment that she forgot to ask for his contact details.

"How could you forget such an important thing?!" Kirsten shook her head slowly in disappointment. "I know that girls shouldn't be collecting numbers but for Prince Chad the case is different, you should have even proposed to him."

"Tell me you left your shoe behind?" Rita asked peering at Tiana.

"Why would I do that?"

"Haven't you heard of Cinderella, girl?" Rita said Tiana and Kirsten began laughing.

"Don't be ridiculous, Rita this is not Disney."  Tiana told Rita and there was this anything--could--happen--in--this---world look on Rita's face.

"You all are not serious, I am off to class," Victoria announced and left.

"I guess it's time for us to leave for class too, your highness," Kirsten said and Tiana let out a smile, she was going to spend the rest of her day thinking about Chad.

Tiana came to KU to further her education in higher institutions, she had been here for almost a year, Kirsten was her best friend, personal assistant and bodyguard, they have known each other for years now, while Rita and Victoria were her friends she met in school.

Tiana was 21, Kirsten was 22, Victora was 23, she was the oldest among them, and Rita was almost 20, she was the youngest among them, they all attended the same university, and they enjoyed hanging out together with each other.

THE ROYAL CASTLE

Prince Chad was in the royal library reading some history books when his sister Amanda the youngest amongst them walked in with her attendant.

"Why did you cancel your concert, Prince Charming?" This was the nickname Amanda gave her senior brother, he hated the nickname but she still kept calling him that. She was just 20 years old and she was smallish. She had round pretty eyes and small lips, she seemed friendly but she was not she was something else.

"How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?" Prince Chad replied to his sister with his eyes glued to the book he was reading.

"This is the 5,789th time you've told me to stop calling you that." She said and smiled.

Chad looked at his sister surprised that she was keeping count of all the times he told her to stop calling him 'prince charming'.

"Gosh, you are so weird." He teased and he came to her and hugged her, for some unknown reasons he was very careful when it came to his little sister, she was someone not to be messed with.

"So tell me why did you cancel your concert? I was looking forward to it." She pouted as she hugged him.

"I had to attend the ball., Chad said and sighed.

"I didn't expect you to come, but you showing up with Nike shoes and a black leather jacket to a ball was worth it. You should have seen the look on Father's face." She giggled and Chad chuckled. Prince Chad and Amanda were very close, Chad always treated Amanda as if she was his pet, he loved Amanda more than the rest of his siblings.

"I'm sure he is so proud of me."

"Indeed, he is." Amanda replied to him sarcastically and rolled her eyes. Her face immediately lightens up and she started nudging her brother with her finger.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Chad frowned slightly when she continued poking him.

"Tell me who that girl was." There was now a mischievous look on her face.

"Which girl?" Chad pretend like he did not know what his sister was talking about.

"The girl you passionately danced with yesternight?"

"I don't know what you are talking about and stop poking me with your finger."

"I won't stop unless you tell me who she is."

"I don't know, I just met her yesterday." Chad said and sighed.

"What's her name?" An evil grin crept onto his sister's face, "would she be able to survive you?"

Chad stared at his sister and then removed his eyes quickly and continued reading the book in front of him.

"I don't know," was his reply.

"You are joking, right? She's going to make sacrifices if she wants to be with you, she has to be strong but physically and mentally to be with you."

"No, I am not, I don't know her name and I don't know where she came from and I don't know what you are saying," Prince Chadpretendedd as if he had no clue about what his sister was saying, for some of the girls he had something with in the past were not their usual self again and the reasons why they that way were unknown.

"You danced with her and you don't even know who she is? You didn't even care to ask?" Chad nodded and he knew he was about to receive a lecture from his sister telling him how to treat a girl in the right way. "Then why did you dance with her?"

"I wanted to, maybe later I might get to know who she is and what her name is."

"You are so terrible, Prince Charming."

"Stop calling me that for the 5790th time."

He said and his sister laughed that he too had started keeping a record of her calling him prince charming.

"I need to teach you how to treat a woman better and how to be sweeter and not this dense." She said with a grin on her face.

"Okay, ma'am." He said rolling his eyes and she peered at him.

"Let's go see a movie together, Chad."

"Not now, I am busy." Amanda came closer to him and flipped the pages of the book he was reading.

"Don't tell me you are reading history books?" She said almost laughing.

"Yes, I am. So?" Chad rolled his eyes and Amanda giggled.

"That's not nice, it's so boring, books about Gore and weird rituals are more interesting," she said but he did not give her a reply, "I want us to see a movie together." She pestered Chad.

"Next time we will," he replied tersely.

"And that next time shall never come." She exclaimed and Chad chuckled, the last thing he could ever do was to see a movie with Amanda.

"I'm having a tour in France next week, I'm leaving this weekend." He paused. "Don't worry, when I come back from my tour we shall see a movie together, I promise you."

"Pinky promise?" She stuck out her pinky finger which was smallish and Chad intertwined his pinky with hers.

"Yes, pinky promise." She hugged him and left.

Meanwhile, one of Calvin's bodyguards had just completed a task that Calvin sent him to do. The bodyguard came to Calvin with a broad smiled on his face and bowed.

"I have found out what the name of the servant is." One of Calvin's bodyguards told him.

"Good." Calvin said smiling wickedly, he knew this was not going to take time. "What is her name?"

"Her name is Kate." His bodyguard told him and his grin became wider.

"Now tell the court mistress exactly what I tell you; have you brought a servant to this castle to insult me? One of the servants you brought here has insulted me to my very face, she had made me, the royal prince of this kingdom look like a fool, do you intend to bring me to shame? Do you intend to bring the throne of this kingdom to shame?"

The court mistress was the leader of all the maids, the attendants, the gardeners, the servants, and the chefs in the palace, it was only the bodyguards she did not have authority over in the palace. She made sure the palace was always clean and in order. She always made sure that the palace had enough maids, servants and chefs, if there was a shortage of servants she had the authority to employ more servants, and she also had the authority to save any servant who disobeyed the rules of the palace or her.

It was through the court mistress Calvin wanted to use and frustrate Kate's life, if he did this directly it would make him suspicious, so using the court mistress was the perfect way. He was craving to sleep with Kate and he could do anything just to sleep with her and most of all he wanted to show his brother that he did not care about whatever he said, for he hated him.

*******

While Chad was still reading in the royal library, a servant entered and started dusting the shelves, he immediately recognized who it was, it was the servant his brother was trying to deceive the other day.

"Weren't you supposed to dust here some hours ago?" Chad asked her and she bent her head low.

"I am sorry your highness, I am new here so I got lost on my way here, I'm sorry it will never happen again, your highness."

Chad suddenly became interested in her, she was shy and beautiful, but Chad was not concerned about those, he loved the way she dusted the books and shelves with respect--the royal library was like a treasure to the kingdom it held important books, scrolls and images of the history of the kingdom. The one who disrespects the royal library was disrespecting the whole kingdom and he loved books too.

"What's your name?" Chad asked her and she became surprised why he was asking her for her name, servants were not allowed to talk with the royals in any casual way.

"Please forgive me but I can't tell you my name, your highness."

"Why can't you?"

"The court mistress..."

"Fuck the court mistress, the court mistress and I who has more authority? Or are you by no means saying that the court mistress has more authority than the Prince, the Duke of Doodle land, the heir to the throne?" Chad boasted and Kate kept her head low.

Doodle Land was a province located in the South of the KU empire, it was one of the wealthiest provinces.

"No your Highness I never said that, I'm sorry." She said and she immediately went on her knees.

"Then tell me what is your name?"

"I'm Kate...Thank you for the last time your Highness." She thanked him and he half-smiled.

"Nice meeting you, Kate."

"Okay, your highness," she stammered and continued cleaning the shelves.

"Do you like books?" Chad asked Kate and she stopped dusting the shelves. She turned around to look at him.

"Yes, I love books, especially storybooks." She told him, still unsure whether it was right to talk with him. Chad too loved reading story books, Chad could spend his whole day in the library reading books.

"Come and join me, we share the same passion for books," he urged her but she was hesitant to join him.

"Are you scared of me? Don't worry I don't bite." He said and chuckled. She walked slowly to where she was sitting with her head bent low. He tapped the chair, beckoning her to sit close to him.

"But, your Highness I haven't finished dusting the shelves." She was quite adamant to sit that close to the Prince and the heir to the throne.

"You are hereby relieved of your daily duties." Prince Chad waved his hands in the air awkwardly.

"But your Highness..."

"It is an order." He said and she immediately sat down beside him, dropping the duster on the floor. Her cheeks became red like tomatoes in the royal garden when he touched her hand and asked her if everything was alright. This was the first time she had been this close to Prince Chad, this was a special moment for her, almost every single girl wanted to be close to him but here she was sitting just a few inches away from him.

Prince Chad blue eyes quickly scanned through Kate and no doubt she was very pretty.

This was one of Kate's happiest moments but if anyone saw her and the prince like this she would be in big trouble. She needed this job to take care of herself.

Kate was an orphan, she was all alone she did not have siblings or relatives. She lived on the outskirts of Duban where most commoners or poor people lived but she worked here in the castle as a maid to survive.

If anyone saw her sitting this close to Prince Chad and the house Mistress hears of it she may lose her job.

Kate was very afraid.

Her head was bent low she was too shy and afraid to look at Chad.

Then another servant came into the library and saw Kate sitting close to the Prince. It was Kate's best friend, Megan, she was relieved that it was her if it was any other person she should have been in big trouble.

Megan had to dust the shelves for Kate because Kate was busy reading with Prince Chad, Megan was quite jealous and annoyed but she had to do it because of her friendship with Kate.

Megan and Kate had been friends since Kate came to work as a servant in this castle. Megan had worked in the castle longer than Kate had, so she normally showed Kate how things were done here.

Will this friendship last?

Later that evening in the servants' quarters Kate and her best friend Megan were discussing what happened earlier today.

"He told me to sit beside me and I couldn't disobey him, he is my prince." Kate told Megan and Megan's eyes widen.

"How did it feel like?"

"I don't really know, but I was scared and happy and guess what?"

"What? He asked you out?" Kate laughed and tapped Megan on her shoulder.

"No, he touched me." She held the place Chad touched her, and it looked like she was not going to forget about this day till eternity.

"Damn, you are just so fortunate, do you know what it means to get that close to Chad? I wish it were me, I'd be the happiest person on this planet."

"Do not tell anyone about today." Kate begged her, if words went out that she had a long conversation with Chad It might cause her, her job. "If this reaches the house mistress I could lose my job."

Megan swore not to tell anyone that the secret was between them, and no one would know about it.

Will Megan keep her promise?

*******