The Crown's Obsession

Morning arrived quicker than Madeline had expected except for the ache she felt in her legs that kept her shifting positions in the bed. She felt the soft bed against her back, stretching her legs and her ankle, she sat up on the bed to push the blanket and step on the cold ground.

Unlike yesterday, Madeline took a bath and dressed without waiting for the maids to arrive at the door to wake her up. She wasn't comfortable with the maids touching her body and her womanly parts. Maybe it was common in the castle for the King and his guests to be waited by the maids to have them bathed and clothed but Madeline came from a poor background who was not used to it.

When the maid knocked on the door, Madeline stepped forward and opened the door. The maid had a look of surprise on her face. She bowed her head, "Good morning, milady."

"Good morning," Madeline didn't know what she was supposed to do here in the castle. At least back home she had something to work on.

"The King asked me to inform you that he won't be able to attend breakfast with you and to take you to the dining room to eat. He said he would be visiting you at noon. Would the lady want to have breakfast now?" asked the maid, her eyes taking in the guest who stood in front of her.

Yesterday morning the girl had thrown tantrums that she wasn't going to open the door. It seemed like the King had gotten her on her toes without needing to be told twice.

"Okay. I will have my breakfast now," Madeline replied to the maid's question who gave her another bow before leading the way. As they walked, Madeline couldn't help but ask the maid, "Do you know where the King is?" She was curious.

"The King had to leave the castle early this morning for work I am unaware of," answered the maid.

"I see," thought Madeline to herself.

She had picked up the wrong day to run away from the castle. Only if she could rewind the day and have a run today in the broad-daylight where there would have been fewer chances of her bumping with the wrong people, maybe it would have been much more successful. But she didn't want to take any hasty decision right now. Madeline believed that there would be better opportunities presented to her where she would be able to leave this mansion without having the King breathing on her neck like last night.

"What's your name?" she asked the maid.

"Agnes, milady," the girl was young and she wasn't the head maid who she had met yesterday. Madeline offered the girl a smile to have a smile returned back, turning the maid to appear less stoic.

Madeline decided that it was wise to befriend the maid as she appeared to be nice, unlike the head maid who had looked down upon her. Who knew when she would need the help of the maid. When she was on her way to the dining room, she could feel the eyes of the servants on her. It was odd how every time she looked at them, their eyes would be looking somewhere else.

As if sensing the lady's mood, the maid pressed her lips before taking the liberty to talk to the lady, "They are very curious."

Madeline turned her brown eyes to meet the maid, Agnes' black eyes, "Curious?"

Did everyone hear about her yesterday's escape? She wondered if the servants thought if she was crazy to escape from the castle. She saw the maid make sure that there was no one to hear near them, before saying,

"The King has never allowed anyone to stay in the same quarters as him. The servants have been curious to see who it is," answered the maid before she bowed her head as if she made a mistake, "Pardon me for speaking out of line. Please don't tell the King I said this!" There was fear in the maid's black eyes.

"I won't," Madeline assured the maid who looked worried for the slip of her words, "You don't have to worry about it."

"Thank you," the maid bowed her head a couple more times and Madeline wished she didn't do it. The maid like the rest of them had been curious when the King had ordered the head maid, Nicola to lead the girl to a room near to his.

When they reached the dining room, Madeline was somewhat relieved that she was the only person in here except for Agnes. With Calhoun being busy, she didn't have to worry about him feeding or touching her. Having him near her was not good for her health because every time he looked at her, she could feel the jitter in her nerves. But that wasn't all.

It was as if he didn't have to touch but his words and the way he looked at her was enough for her to break under pressure.

After she was done eating breakfast in peace, Madeline decided to walk in the castle instead of cooping herself in the room. When she started to walk, the maid started to follow her and Madeline said, "You don't have to follow me, Agnes. I will find my way in the castle."

The maid replied to this, "The King asked me to keep you company and not let you out of sight so that you don't run away again."

Hearing this, Madeline's face turned red. So the maid was following to keep an eye on her. Had Calhoun told this to everyone? "When did the King ask you to do it?" she asked him.

"He had all the servants present in the court this morning. Telling us no one is supposed to try befriending you or helping you in things that have not been mentioned by him. Anyone who will help you will be punished."

Madeline didn't like being tailed by the maid. She needed some space to breathe instead of having a maid follow her wherever she went but it was impossible to get rid of the maid who was following her when the order was given directly by the King. After an hour of following, Madeline finally said,

"I am feeling very thirsty. Could you fetch me a glass of water?" asked Madeline in a polite tone.

Agnes was quick to nod her head as it was something the lady had requested for, "I will be back in two minutes, milady," said the girl to leave her alone in the corridor.

Madeline took this opportunity to move to the next corridor, her footsteps this time quicker so that she could move to the other side of the castle. It would have been a different matter if Calhoun had asked the maids to be nice to her but instead, he had ordered them to not befriend her. Was he planning to isolate her from the rest of the world?

While she was still walking and admiring the castle even though she didn't want to live here, suddenly she felt someone close her mouth and was dragged her into the next room.