Her Unwanted Mate On The Throne

#Chapter 9 I want Doris to be my Lady’s Maid.

“Your majesty.” Doris curtsied as he passed her. Prince William never failed when it came to making her nervous. Among so many other things she didn’t want to think about.

Prince William only nodded, barely looking at her as if he didn’t remember her at all. Perhaps he didn’t, why would he? Doris released a small breath of relief as she followed him into the library. She’d never seen him in here before, she didn’t even realize he liked to read. She briefly wondered what kind of books he liked as she adjusted the collar of her dress.

He took the first book his hand touched from the bookshelves and flipped through the pages absently as if he didn’t really care what it was about. “Did Prince Martin just pass through here?” He asked Doris without looking at her, his voice almost casual.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Does he come here often?” He asked, a bit more intensely.

“Oh, no. Not very often.” Doris hesitated. Something inside her felt uneasy, perhaps it was just due to his wretched presence but she couldn’t shake her discomfort. Why was he asking about Prince Martin? Why would he even care if he came by here often? It didn’t seem like a big deal to Doris if he did or didn’t.

Prince William frowned and shot a sharp glance towards Doris when she hesitated. Slowly, he turned to walk towards her, she held her breath as he neared her. Close, he was too close to her—she wanted to step back but didn’t dare try it with him. His warm breath caressed her skin but she refused to look up into his blue eyes. Her unease quickly turned to panic, did he remember her after all? Is that why he was here? What did he—

Prince William pressed a book in her shaky hands. “Go on.”

“I—I’m sorry?” Doris allowed herself to breathe again. Her eyes flickered to his mouth when he frowned.

“Don’t you have to mark which books are borrowed?”

to write down the name of the book. Not many people borrowed books, Doris almost forgot it was required to note which ones left the library and with whom. She often forgot to note which ones Prince Martin took with him, only because he always brought them

as quickly as she could manage. The faster she finished, the faster he would leave and she could go back to blending into

read and write? I thought most maids couldn’t.” He asked suddenly, the

to the prince. He took it with a thoughtful expression, she didn’t want to admit how handsome he

Your home, I mean.” He asked,

up at him in surprise. To a maid like her, home was a very sensitive subject. Not many people had ever asked her where she came from, and she hadn’t asked them. Home was a daydream to Doris now, too far away to ever reach

really remember.” Doris lowered her

red. He shifted uncomfortably and she could tell he knew she was lying. He knew she just didn’t want to

flicked between Doris and Prince William as if she couldn’t believe they were here together.

brows furrowed. “What

search for

William frowned again. “What would you

Melody plastered on an innocent smile as she walked further into the room. “I came here to ask if Doris would be my lady’s maid. I prefer to have someone I know and

her? Everyone knew how horribly Melody treated Doris, it wasn’t a secret that the girl enjoyed making a fool out of her whenever she got the chance. They’d never gotten along, not once in the years since they met. Doris always tried being kind to Melody, even when she didn’t deserve it but it never seemed to work in her

Prince William asked, a

been such good friends for so long, you’re like a sister to me. We always said we would look

They never promised to look after each other. “I—“ Her eyes flicked to Prince William. Was she allowed to say no? She didn’t want to be Melody’s personal maid, what a nightmare that would be! Doris loved being in the library, never mind that it would be considered a high promotion if she accepted. On the other hand, if she rejected… she knew how mad that would make Melody. And Melody did

that role, my lady.” Doris said