The King and Queen shared a laugh and then Kai spoke. “It’s nice to meet you. What is your name?” Kai asked faking our introduction.

I curtsied once more and replied with, “My name is Melody, your Highness.”

Kai nodded and gave me a sweet smile when someone new approached me.”This is Hilde. Hilde has been a servant for us for quite some time. She will show you to your room and answer any more questions you may have. You start tomorrow morning when Prince Jongin awakes.” The King explained.

I nodded and followed Hilde out of the throne room. Hilde was a short woman in her 60s with gray wiry hair pulled up into a tight bun. I followed Hilde down what felt like a thousand different corridors until we arrived at the servant’s wing. We passed three different doors and stopped at the fourth. Hilde opened the door to a room that was half the size of my cottage at home. There was a bed with purple sheets and a purple comforter. There was a dresser in one corner and a vanity in the other. The closet was spacious and there was even a full bath connected to it. I stood in awe of the room and thought of how much more luxurious my living quarters are.

“This is your room,” said Hilde. “Please place down any of your things that you have with you so that I may take you on a tour of the rest of the castle.” I shook my head at Hilde and held open my arms showing that I had nothing. I followed Hilde out the door and went through the rest of the castle. We went down more corridors lined with paintings, passed multiple ballrooms, and climbed up many stairwells until we reached Kai’s -- I mean Prince Jongin’s --- room. “This is where you will come every morning at sunrise. It is your job to awaken the Prince and you will attend to him until the Prince returns to his bed.” Hilde explained. “I would open the door but I am not allowed entrance into the room. You are not allowed to enter unless it is to awaken the Prince or run an errand for him. We do not tolerate snooping or thievery here.”

“Miss Hilde, I would never think of doing either of those things and I will do as you have asked without question.” I said with a smile.

“Then we are done with the tour and you have seen the parts of the castle that you are expected to know. If you are hungry, please return to the kitchen so that you may have some lunch.” Hilde said before she left.

I heard my stomach rumble and became aware of my increasing hunger. I found the kitchen easily and was told by one of the cooks to help myself to whatever I wanted. A cook stopped to remind me that dinner was going to be in a few hours and showed me the counter where I would pick up my meals from now on. I smiled at the cook as he left and went towards the refrigerator. I marveled at how stocked it was and didn’t know where to start. I quickly decided on a small sandwich and began making my lunch. I smelled the fresh ingredients and began salivating as I realized that this sandwich would be the most delicious thing I had tasted in awhile. I placed the top slice of bread on the sandwich when I heard a cough behind me. I took a bite of my sandwich as I heard someone speak.

“So tell me, beautiful, how did you end up in my castle?”

His words stopped me mid-sandwich. I turn around with a full mouth unable to say a word. I take a moment to chew and then finally let out a sigh. “I…” I tried to form words but no sound could come out.

He gave me a gentle smile and said, “If I had known you were in need of a job, I would have offered it to you yesterday. But when you said you couldn’t pay me, I just thought that was something peasants say.” He reached around and grabbed a paper towel from behind me. His scent filled my nose and he smelled like a cross between sandalwood and vanilla. I took in a deep breath hoping that that glorious smell would never leave my mind. Suddenly, I felt something brush across my lips.

He had a paper towel in hand and was wiping off my mouth. He chuckled softly and said, “You had something there.” I blushed and looked away quickly to where my sandwich lay. When I looked up, he was standing much closer to me. He leaned his lips down to my ear and whispered, “You really don’t have to be so nervous around me.”  

He smiled at me one last time and then he was gone. I stood there unable to move. Of course I had to be nervous! He was gorgeous and a prince! A charming prince! A prince who called me beautiful and bought me a cookie and... And who I could never be with. Who I was probably like a fly to. A prince who probably only saw me as his new servant to torture. I swallowed these thoughts along with my sandwich and decided to go outside for a walk. 

I left the castle and followed a path down to the fountain at the rose garden. I arrived at the water and took a look at my reflection. I was average looking I suppose. A girl with brown curly hair and green eyes stared back at me. Is this what I looked like? I never truly cared to look at my features because I had no reason, but today I was curious. What did he mean when he called me "beautiful"? Did he mean it as a general compliment? Was he just being a playboy? Was it a pet name for girls he didn't know? Or maybe was it that he truly found me to be beautiful? Why did he have to be so confusing?!

I quickly looked away from my reflection and up towards the sky. It was starting to get dark and storm clouds were rolling in. My thoughts fled back to my home. How was my sister? When will Mother and Father receive my wages? Would it be enough to help my family? I sighed and heard thunder off in the distance. I began to walk back inside and was staring at the walls when I walked into someone. "Oomph!" I cried as I lost my footing and fell into the person's arms. 

I looked up and of course, it was Kai. "Are you ok?" He asked looking into my eyes with such concern that I only got even more confused. 

"Um yes, your highness." I stammered out standing back up to my feet.

"Well please be careful Melody. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." He smiled at me warmly and I realized his arms were still tightly wrapped around me. I smiled and broke from his embrace. 

"I'll be careful your Highness. Is there anything you need?" I asked practicing my curtsey. 

"No. We will start fresh in the morning. You enjoy your night off in the castle." He said and then walked off into a room I had never been in. Part of me wanted to turn the other way and leave but the other part wanted to know what was in there. I quickly snuck over to the door and opened it quietly. It was a library! There were books stacked from floor to ceiling lining every wall! There was even a grand fireplace with comfy looking arm chairs to sit in. I scanned the room looking for Kai and saw him on a ladder taking a book from a shelf. I quietly closed the door behind me and made a mental note to come back to the library at some point.

I had never gone to school so I'm sure that some of the books would be hard for me, but I loved stories. My favorite were fairy tales of knights and princesses. When I was young, I would often wish that I were a princess and that my prince awaited me at our castle in the clouds. Then I grew up. I realized I was not a princess, princes don't date peasants, and castles certainly didn't exist on top of clouds. 

I sighed loudly and returned to my room to see that my uniform had arrived. It was a simple dress and there were many others like it now hanging in my closet. In addition, there were new nightclothes, toiletries, undergarments, relaxation clothes, 3 pairs of shoes, an alarm clock, a thick blanket, and even a clipboard with Kai's schedule for tomorrow attached to it. I looked through the list and saw that he had a horseback riding lesson scheduled, swordfighting lessons, and dancing lessons all scheduled for tomorrow. What would he need dancing lessons for? I suppose that would be answered tomorrow. I put away my new belongings and looked outside as the rain came down harder. My life certainly had changed from this morning when I was in my cottage. I now had important duties. I was responsible for taking care of the Prince.