Tea

Professor Mark showed up one hour later. He was a friendly and polite individual. I rushed up the stairs to Prince Jake's room after taking him to the parlor. I gently knocked and was let in.

Professor Mark is here, sir. I said, "He's in the parlor waiting for you."

"All right, you can leave. "Oh, and when you come down, bring us a tray," Prince Jake said.

"Yes, sir." I gave a brief curtsy before making my way to the kitchens.

"What are you doing, Cam?" I was assembling a tray to serve the guests in the parlor when Daria came out of her tiny room, attracted by the commotion.

"Daria, I work for the Prince. I clarified, "He has company in the parlor."

"Business? However, he never talks to anyone or leaves his apartments. How could he have invited anyone? Daria inquired in an inquisitive tone.

He most likely used a messenger or another similar method to send out the invitation. I have to leave now. As I served the tea, I kept my head down and marched from the kitchen down the hall to the parlor. When I was done, I walked to the corner and curtsied. The old professor stopped me with a kind question.

"Girl, what is your name?"

I answered, "Cambria Blake, sir."

"Thank you for the tea, Cambria."

"Sir, you are very welcome." As I backed off to the corner, I grinned, feeling warm inside from his generosity, which was something I wouldn't soon forget.

It was well past ten when I finally accompanied the professor to the door, and I ended up pouring tea for the two men twice more.

Curtsying, I said, "Goodnight, sir."

"Thank you for the tea, Cambria. As I curtsied once again, he responded with a broad, sincere smile, "Please tell your mistress that I am most impressed." I shut the door after him as he left. I went back to the parlor to empty the tray while humming a gentle melody. The Prince was still sitting there, so I opened the door and leaped as I sung, albeit very loudly, my cheeks flaming crimson. I thought he had gone to his room. He had undoubtedly heard me sing, and I winced at how uncharacteristically off-key I had sounded. I quickly gathered the tray and cups while bending my head to escape his stare and try not to betray my discomfort. I took them back to the kitchen, checked to make sure I was calm again, and then headed back to the parlor.

"May I be of any assistance to you, sir?" With timidity, I asked.

Indeed. "Upstairs, send some of that cake you made today," he said in a hurried voice.

"I apologize, sir, but I didn't make a cake today." He looked up from his notes, and I looked up for a moment.

"No cake?" he asked again, his forehead furrowing.

"Sorry, sir, but no."

"So, what did I have for lunch?"

"That was almost three days ago, sir," I murmured quietly, my voice just above the room's rustle of parchment.

In a detached tone, he whispered, "Oh... all right, then."

"Mister?" I took a chance, keeping a tight eye on him.

"What?" Sharp and preoccupied, his gaze never straying from the notes spread out on the table in front of him, he asked.

"How are you feeling, sir? Should I get you a cup of tea? In an attempt to calm the stress in his pinched brow, I suggested.

"No." He curtly refused. "I'll go back to my room."

"All right, sir. If you need anything, kindly send it my way. He nodded briefly, his focus already returning to his task, and I dropped into a courteous curtsy. I took a silent stride and headed for the kitchen, but I couldn't help but look over my shoulder. As was to be expected, he was bent over his papers again, absorbed in their written secrets, his intent visage shadowed by the candle's dim light.

There was a flurry of anticipation as Queen Bea arrived at the castle shortly after the midnight bell tolled. My heart pounding, I rushed down the reverberating hallways and up the big staircase to her quarters. Her eyes were piercing with impatience as I flitted open the door to find her waiting. "You took too long!" she yelled.

I bowed my head and murmured, "My Lady, I'm so very sorry." "I couldn't leave my responsibilities unattended because I was helping in the kitchen."

With a voice that sliced through the atmosphere, she shot out, "Well, hurry up and stop making excuses!" I went swiftly, skillfully unpinning her hair, which had managed to maintain its exquisite style so admirably, and helped her out of her robe. I answered the question she had asked before as I stretched the fragile cloth over a chair to be cleaned later. "Yes, My Lady, I served Prince Jake his dinner and then took care of him and his visitor."

"What?" Her head snapped toward me as her tone become piercing. "His visitor? Who was that?

"A Professor Mark, My Lady," was my cautious response. An old man. Until at least ten o'clock, they were going over their notes together.

Her face grew serious. "I'll have to speak with that boy." Give me my robe, girl! As she walked out of the room, I picked up the silken fabric off the bed and threw it over her shoulders. I pondered a bit before deciding to follow her at a modest distance because I wasn't given any explicit instructions to stay or follow. Her resolute actions brought her directly to Prince Jake's quarters, where she banged on the door with a loud bang that reverberated across the hallway. "Come out here now, boy!"

The Prince's cautious visage was visible as the door slowly cracked open. With a low, menacing voice, Queen Bea said, "I hear you had tea with a Professor Mark." "Who is he? I made it clear to you that I didn't want you to see any more academics! You have to learn to be a king and quit this endless studying! I'll burn every note you have, every letter you've written, and every book you've read if you don't give it up. Can you comprehend me? You shall obey my commands until you become king, even though you are no longer a lad!

With a serious nod, the Prince backed away inside his room, his shoulders hunched. Queen Bea said, "And you will join us for breakfast tomorrow," just as the door clicked shut.

"Yes, Ma'am," he said in a murmur that was hardly heard over the thick wood. With my heart racing, I rushed back to Queen Bea's quarters as soon as the door closed. Maybe they hadn't seen me lurking in the dark. Soon after, My Lady went to bed, and I retreated to my little chamber off the kitchen. Hours passed as I couldn't sleep, my thoughts plagued by the knowledge that I had unintentionally betrayed the Prince. The guilt tore at me, even though it had been an accident, and I tossed and turned before falling into a restless sleep.