Pick a boy

"What?" she asked, to verify she heard it well.

"I told you, a maid spread the rumor right before they fired her which made things be more suspicious about the truthfulness of the rumor." The maid said, scratching her head.

"That's not only a rumor. That is a pure and harsh accusation." Roselyn whispered, widening her eyes as she couldn't believe to her ears.

She wanted to run toward the King and to tell him what she found out, to get her petty revenge over the old maid, but she stopped her irrepressible deplorable temptation.

A well-mannered lady shall not act like that. What she could do was used that information to her benefit by trying to solve the dispute she had with the old lady.

The maid's revelation echoed in her mind. "she is rumored to have been in love with the King William. That would explain her immense worshipless toward him."

She wondered why she wasn't fired by the Queen. Royal people used to fire their servants for much less. A forgetfulness, a failure to place the cutlery in the correct disposition on the table, a stare for too much time. All plausible and common reasons to turn their loyal years old servants into unemployed.

"Why wasn't she fired back them?" She asked, giving voice to her questions and extreme curiosity. Deeply down she wished she was, so she would have spared herself the misunderstanding with the King and she would have one less enemy to deal with.

"Because nobody ever knew. Just the domestic workers and servants know about it. None of them took the risk to say such a thing. They didn't have any proof." She said, shrugging. She headed toward her closet and folded clothes so that if someone walked in they didn't find them converse.

"And what did she do?" The lady asked, her eyes flashed.

"Your curiosity will harm you one day." The maid commented as she smirked off her face. Then she glanced at the curious lady and she replied, "from what I have been told, she denied every accusation. She was one loyalist maid in the house, as she is the one who had been working for the Royal Family the longest." The young girl's voice lowered, hearing the steps of the servants passing by.

Roselyn waited for few seconds and when the footsteps went away she nodded, cupping her chin as she was trying to put pieces together.

"What would happen if the King all in a sudden found out about this?" She asked. The maid knitted her eyebrows and rushed walking toward her. She shook her hand and warned her in an extremely low voice, "don't do hasty actions, miss Roselyn."

"I was just curious." She replied, trying to compose herself from the way the maid tightened her arm.

"You don't know the King like I do." The maid replied. Her eyes flashed with all her preoccupation and tension.

She scoffed. Why everyone was describing him like a cruel person? He seemed nice to her. Mood swings apart.

The worst thing he could do, in case he found out she was catching feelings, was to cancel the agreement and have her out of the house. Wasn't it? She wondered, or was he really as dangerous as people described him?

She got headaches for all the thinking she involved her mind into. "I want to rest now," she said, forcing a smile, as she couldn't talk about that matter anymore, otherwise she would lose her sanity.

Opening the door of her room, she walked in and gave out a breath of relief when she slipped out her dress to wear her nightgown.

The maid walked there with her and helped her to fold the clothes.

The King was in his room and had the maid brough his some wine. His thoughts were referring to the maid as he was still surprised and wondering the real reason behind her sudden visit. He didn't even think they were talking so much, they must have gotten closer to make Roselyn felt safe by relieving such a private information.

Thinking about her request, he went now to find a boy for her. Putting a jacket on, he headed toward the door.

"May I ask where you are going, your highness?" The blond's voice echoed from afar, and he turned around to give her an annoyed glace. Now she was exaggerating by getting herself in the middle of his personal affair.

"It's none of your business." His voice was severe, letting the maid remain silence and not reply, fearing the consequences.

He nodded, seeing she got the message strictly, and headed out. He reached the inferno, which was a very reserved pub in the city suburbs. Just the richest people were allowed to enter and to keep the secret about who they met there.

"Mister John." The owner of the local bowed down, smiling at John. He was used to seeing him there or receive his calls to receive a lady at his place. Indeed, the owner always made sure to x with the best girls he had, as he was one of his most important clients.

"Do you need a girl now?" He asked, but the King shook his head. He lifted his chin trying to get a glimpse of the male corridor. "I'm looking for a man."

The owner raised his eyebrow as his request surprised him but he didn't dare to ask explanations, "follow me." He said, heading toward the corridor reserved for men. He made a call to gather there all the workers, busy or not.

They positioned in a row in front of John, and he scanned each one from upside down. Every boy was different and had unique traits that distinguished him from the rest of the group. There were different bodies in shapes, from very muscled and sculptured to chubby ones. They also differed in facial features and height. There were brunettes, blond or ginger-haired men, and from tall to ridiculously short. Maybe he shall have asked her to come, but he wanted to see the men himself and make sure they were trustworthy.

His eye fell on one tall boy on the right side of the row...