I feared him

I saw him still gazing on me , curiosity painted in his eyes .

"Are you alright ? " he asked surprisingly.

"I'm fine , your highness ". I spoke in a low voice . He lingered his eyes on me before he said.

"Then prepare the bath for me "

Strangely enough asking me to prepare the bath for him while he seems not likely tolerates when the maids help him with the bathing.

Turning around, he took off his jacket and threw it on the bed and then he untied his shoes , tilting his head on one side while unbuttoning his shirt he turned to me.

"What are you waiting for, didn't you mean when you said that you are fine !?"

I was busy staring at him taking off his clothes likely forgetting what he said.

"I .....I will get it ready , your highness " quickly moving to the bathroom , I poured a hot water into the bathtub and add some essential oils and perfume in it . The steam coming from the water embraced my skin , I touched the water testing it's hotness , it was not much hot then it was perfect for bathing.

" It's ready " I told him , he nodded before walking to the bathroom. He turned to me with his eyes gesturing me to look away , I turned behind covering a curtain separating me from seeing him . He stepped into the water , I heard the water splashes for a second knowing that it was the time I should turn around .

My heart skipped a beat when I moved behind him , his back leaning on the bathtub he held me a towel.

Scared!

I started rubbing his back gently with the soap , thoughts running through my head I remembered how he rubbed my forehead with a wet towel yesterday . I was getting uncomfortable after realizing that I was touching a body of a man , that was a new thing to me.

I have never touched a man before and that was thrilling. Through my entire life I grew up working under the queen , I'm used on preparing her bath and cleaning her bedroom but this was the first time serving a man . I trembled in sensation since his skin was softly felt around my fingers. I sensed he never tensed up from my touch or even seems to care .

Cool ! . That's also what I wanted . It's getting uncomfortable around and he was likely not paying attention to.

I wonder what kind of a person he might be judging by how he helped me yesterday even though he knows I'm a maid and still he helped. He might be a very kind prince , I thought. I moved to the another direction facing him now.

I guessed he came to a sleep after noticing he closed his eyes and his breath was becoming steady.

The water in the bathtub only covered a half of his body and I can only see his upper body .

It's not like I wanted to see the rest , only his handsome face and his chest which was steadily moving up and down was enough to pop out my eyes. I stared at his face , he was indeed beautiful .There were some strands of his hair blocking the view of his entire face. I fidgetted before I felt the urge to keep them away . I reached my hand to his face suddenly I felt his hand on my wrist gripping it , stopping it from reaching out his face. I gasped after I met his eyes , hardly glaring at me as if he wasn't sleeping at all.

I was left dumbfounded with his eyes I felt like I was a thief caught stealing something from him. Feeling shameful I lowered my gaze . I was afraid , what is he going to do. Will he scold me , beat me or what . I was expecting to be scolded at least because beating was too severe.

I was surprised when he didn't say anything , Is he waiting for my explanation.

"There is ...a soap on your face " I lied.

"That's a least I care about " he said savagely before his grip on my wrist hardened and the expression on his face changed. He became darker and mysterious than before.

"Who are you ?!" he asked .

I was taken aback by his question. This was the second time I guess asking me this question , I remembered the first time was that day at the market. Do I appear strange on him or does he think I'm someone that he should know ?. There might be something different like he sometimes looses his memory and he can't remember anything , right !?.

"I'm...a maid , your highness". I said nervously staring at his black eyes which I compared them with the dark forest .

He chuckled " Of course I know but I think you are different ".

His hand left mine, I sighed before I stepped away from him.

"Leave" he said.

I gazed at him one last time before I strolled out of the room. My hand on my chest panting in fear. What was that , he really freaked me out. I couldn't understand why he was acting that way and what he meant when he said that I'm different. I guessed he is right in one way or another because sometimes I don't even understand myself . I'm having more of my nightmares when I'm scared or triggered by something. Sometimes I think or do something differently from what majority of people can think or do.

But maybe that was the common thing to other people too. Having nightmares or think differently doesn't make you different I guessed .

But that wasn't the important thing , I think he might be strange. Shoving those thoughts aside l kept moving forward completely disappeared from the room.

I went directly back to my chamber, I found other maids sleeping peacefully. I took off my maiden's dress and remained with my underlings , I let my brown hair down before I climbed up on the bed. My memories drifted to the prince who took in part of making me uncomfortable tonight and then to the soldier guy who still lingered on my thoughts since then. These were two men who have ever speak to me so directly since I became a grown up girl.

They are mysterious . Are all men mysterious like them ? I thought . There is one thing they have in common in their eyes when they talk to me . Curiosity ?!

And what is that they are curious about me , I failed to understand them and I'm afraid of meeting them again.

But I'm more afraid of the prince despite acting all confident around but since I met him for a few times now , I felt weak and timid in front of him. I don't know why maybe because he was the prince and everyone feared for him but to me I think it's different. I think I'm afraid of him because he is a man and a danger that I should avoid in the future but how ? . Since I'm living in the same building as him and I obliged to serve under him , I don't think I can do that.

And what about that soldier who seemed to be a palace guard but I have never seen him before or even now after we have met at the altar the other night ?. I didn't see him around after then . The palace is so big maybe it's not easy to see each other more often.

Asa was perfectly laying on his bed after he came out of the bathroom . His eyes were on the ceiling , thinking about the girl that he came to be curious about after he met her for the few days .Despite all the bad encounters and the pain he felt in his heart after meeting her , he can't believe he was drowning towards her . There is something that pushes him to her , the feeling of wanting to know her , get close to her even though he doesn't know her entirely but he believes one day he will understand her . Asking her like who was she , it doesn't mean he was literally asking her to expect the answer but there is something that triggered his mind and failed to understand about her and that's why he found himself asking the same question to her whenever he sees her .

If he told his bodyguards about this they will probably laughed at him and thought he maybe had been bewitched by the palacemaid and they have to find the cure for him.

He remembered yesterday when he witnessed her falling down and faint before his eyes. His heart raced and he felt pain all over his body . "Who are you ?! he asked moving to her side . "Who are you to make me feel like this" he muttered to himself , he felt crazy.

He scooped her up from the floor towards the bed and called on his guards to find the doctor.

He thought that she panicked after noticing him inside but after what doctor described , he felt bad for her since she was young and yet so beautiful to be a maid like her . He thought she might be suffering and that's why he caught her crying the other day , he decided to give her a rest but she surprised him after he found her still working . It upsets him and wanted to annoy her as well. He thought what was the best punishment he should give her for ignoring his words , it's not like she didn't hear what he said , she seems of a type of a girl who is so stubborn.

Preparing a bath for him was the best punishment , he thought. Torturing her with his body while enjoying himself would satisfy his anger. But it was different , he was tortured instead. Her touch on his body making his mind go wild. He closed his eyes trying to escape those thoughts that were running around his head. What was he thinking at the first place embarrassing himself in front of the girl , is it really what he wanted!?.

But he was surprised by the boldness of this girl who was caressing his body like nothing he expected . One corner of his lips turned into a smirk after remembering all the moments with her , he rolled over the bed failed to sleep. Still thinking about her.