I had been waiting for twenty minutes. Exactly. I checked on my phone.
There was nothing to do. So in those twenty minutes I just sat shivering at the grand rose wall in front of me, re-analyzed my decision and felt gloomy for agreeing to help too fast without taking more time to carefully think. If this was to be a business deal, I was already making a loss. I thought downheartedly and submitted to my own action returning the stare on the rosy wall. I dared not look around or touch a thing. It was not my room. It was Princess Carla's room.
I tried calling from my phone, but obviously there was no signal, no internet here. I was forced shut all the phones I had off. They had become quite useless in this land where, I guess, Magic mattered more than Wi-Fi.
I searched through my belongings, not sure what else I hoped to find. The blue purse which contained my ID card and a silver name card box could bring disasters upon me since my real name was all over there and a spare sanitary napkin surely could not attribute anything in the party. I shuffled everything in, zipped the bag, found a piece of pillowcase and wrapped around it tight before hurriedly stowing it in one of the drawers in the wardrobe. I locked the drawer and threaded the key with my holy thread that I always had around my neck.
Feeling safe, I sat in the same spot and waited for more. I started to wonder how long must I wait and became a bit restless. The air seemed to get colder with every second passed. Having lived in a tropical country all my life and with thin clothes on, it was not a wonder if I caught a cold within the next hour. I got up to warm myself, went to the door, opened and peeked outside.
The corridor was silent like a desert. The air was giving off loneliness and abandonment sort of ambience as if no one had been in this place for ages. But with the sun heating the mauve hallway through tall windows, it was warmer out here that I did not hesitate to step out. I stood before the nearest window in the sunlight pool enjoying the warmth and the view of a small square garden which appeared to be in the middle of the building when I heard a voice.
"Princess Carla?"
I turned and saw a guy, who—like Shaph, had animal ears, but his was not rabbit's, they were cat's—no, those weren't cat's. They had more fur and bigger and thicker, probably dog's. He was probably Shaph's colleague, maybe a guard or a soldier or even a general because his black military-like coat was gleaming with big round shiny gold buttons that set off his silver fur—I mean, hair.
I reminded myself that I was the Princess now. "Yes?"
The dog-eared man sweetly smiled. His face seemed to shine then. He was actually very good-looking.
"How—how may I help you?" I asked feeling a little uneasy at my first encounter as a fake Princess.
"Oh, no!" said the man. "It is my prestigious pleasure to have met you my Princess, my name's Fayn."
"Nice to meet you Fayn." I arched my lips a little imagining a princess smile and hoped it did not turn out too bad. "Please call me Kara."
Fayn raised his brows which quickly came down, his grin spread out at the same time. "What are you looking at?" he asked and looked out the window with me.
"Nothing really." I said and looked up trying to make a small talk. "The sky here is very beautiful." After saying it, I saw that it was indeed very beautiful and blue. And I felt like my free spirit started to awake by the mighty endless heaven. Now that I was in a magical land, all the responsibilities I used to have seemed to dissolve away by the magic here.
I glanced at him and saw his dark blue eyes lightened in the light fixing at me, as if they wanted to bore a hole into my head and see what my brain was like. I felt a little uneasy and staggered.
Fayn caught my shoulder.
"Tha—thank you." I stuttered a little bit and tried to calm down. There's something off about this person, I thought.
"Princess Kara. What are you doing out—"
Shaph's call surprised me. He came with a line of uniformed maids. "King Fayn!" He looked at the guy beside me astonishingly.
KING!
Damn it! He's the Princess's father? But he's very young! Maybe younger than me! He probably knows I'm the imposter, I'm DEAD!
I gaped at the King wide-eyed with shock. I managed to stutter again a few seconds later. "I—I am very very sorry—" I don't know how to speak polite! Okay, let's just add, "Sir." And I curtsied the way my tenth grade sociology teacher used to teach me. I did not how to do it correctly and was sure the King was going to have me killed!
King Fayn chuckled and bowed down as well. "Pardon me Princess, for not introducing myself clearly."
"No no it's my—"
"This is King Fayn from Azmera," Shaph explained in haste to hint me. "One of our neighbor Kingdoms."
Oh—oh—so he's not the Princess's father? I thought and sighed inwardly. I was still undercover then.
"Please pardon my rudeness King Fayn," Shaph continued, "But this is Princess's private quarter—"
"Sorry Shaph," said King Fayn to Shaph. "I was just attracted by this beautiful view." He made a gesture out of the window but casted his eyes at me.
"Please excuse us," Shaph gave a polite grin and bowed. "These ladies need to get Princess in a proper dress."
"Of course." said King Fayn as the maids behind Shaph advanced toward me. They gestured at the rose suite door and led me in. We moved on further to the bedroom where one of the ladies closed the curtains and the oldest lady did a curtsy.
"I am Sharon, your Highness," she said. "Head of the palace maid."
I did not know how to respond to that kind of greeting, especially with Sharon's number of creases on her face showing she was much older than me, so I raised two hands and placed both palms together bobbing my head, making a formal salute 'Wai' that is usually done in Thailand. Sharon was a little surprise but she smiled when I said. "Nice to meet you Sharon. Thank you for taking care of me."
"The bath is ready, ma'am." A maid popped out of another door hidden behind the bed.
"Yes." Sharon said to the maid and turned to me. "Pardon me your Highness." Then she reached out her hand and unbuttoned my shirt. I hastily receded from her grasp and said. "It's ok. I can do this."
"No trouble," said Sharon advancing on me again. "It's our job to clean you Princess."
I was reluctant, never been naked in front of any other people in my whole life. Ok, I know, I'm old, but is it wrong that I got so wrap up in work that I'm still single? "Erm...no need to trouble you and everyone Miss Sharon. I can take a bath by myself."
"Nonsense." said Sharon and reached her hands further. Other maids also started hemming in to undress me.
I got panicked and ran out of the bedroom. "It really is ok!" I kept saying as they kept pursuing me along the living room until I got nowhere to run and had to thrust the big front door open. Shaph and King Fayn were still where I had left them.
I went up to Shaph holding the loosened shirt together. "Shaph, please tell these ladies I can take a bath myself." I said with a rush and a flush.
"What is the matter?" Shaph asked. His face seemed to turn a bit pink.
"They are going to take a bath for me!" I gasped.
"Of course, they are." said Shaph cutting his red eyes between me and the maids headed by Sharon.
"But, but—" I casted the steward a pleading look hoping that he would understand without any more embarrassing explanation. But heavens, no! he doesn't understand! "I...I've..." I said avoiding Shaph's red eyes. "I've never been naked in front of anybody else..."
"Oh, don't be shy Princess." said a maid. "We are all girls. Here, let's take this old rope off your neck."
I was in a total shock now and leant away so far back. "No." I said in horror. "Please, this is the most important thing in my life." I clutched at the group of pendants and the drawer key on my chest tightly.
"But," The lady was about to protest when King Fayn stepped in between me and her.
"I think if the Princess isn't comfortable with it, we should let her pass this time." King Fayn stood guarding me protectively. I found myself nodding at his word and took his back as a hiding place. Fayn's long bushy tail brushed against my leg and I stared at it, shocked and amazed.
"Princess." Shaph took me out of my safe ground. "You need help from Sharon and these ladies, believe me."
I did not believe him and clung onto King Fayn's sleeve without knowing.
"It's alright Princess." said Sharon at last. "How about I do it alone? If there's only me, you wouldn't have to be so shy. And you don't have to take that rope off for now."
I looked at Sharon, not sure what to response while all the eyes were staring at me. Shaph said, "Princess," again and I had to surrender.
"Okay." I said meekly.
Sharon led me back into the suite once more past the living room, the bedroom, and at last, the bathroom where a masterwork of mosaic tiles showing the pattern of, of course, roses dominated the area. The water that was filled in the ivory tub had this very flourishing scent. I was sort of glad it was not rose. Sharon helped me take off the clothes and as I stood shivering backing against her shyly lowering myself into the warm water, she rubbed my body with something soft. When we finished the first bath, Sharon gave me towels, applying some strange cream all over me, and called the maids in. They drained the tub, refilled the water, and put in some colored powder that gave the water new floral fragrance. This tedious process went on almost two hours and I went into six or seven—I lost count—different baths ranging from floral to soda-like to sweet vanilla smell. By the time it was over, I could really feel my skin radiated. It was softer and silkier and seemed to glitter.
My hair that was washed a number of times was as sleek as finest silk. Sharon dried my hair, trimmed it a little bit, and cut me a side-swept bang saying I looked cute with it, while I dried my body. She prepared antiqued laced lingerie and a vintage cream color dress for me to put on. It felt weirdly loose inside. And lastly Sharon brought me a pair of comfortable shoes made from cloth as she said.
"I heard from Shaph about you Princess Kara."
I looked at her perplexed as she smiled. "That he got the wrong person."
"O...oh." I drawled. "So...you know?"
Sharon nodded. "I thank you for helping Shaph."
"Oh, no, no," I said feeling rather guilty for being the wrong one. "I am very sorry for not able to do anything."
Sharon shook her head lightly and smiled. "Being a princess is already a big help for us. Here."
She brought out a crystal box a size of a ring box. It was clear and beautifully cut and something bright seemed to be in there. "Look in here." She said briefly and opened it. The bright strong shimmers poured out and whitewashed my vision. When all the light disappeared, I found it hard to look through the lens. Everything was blurred.
I pulled off the contact lens and gasped in surprise. My vision was as clear as crystal. I could see every detail around me without any aid perfectly!
"Sharon!" I called her name almost in delight.
"The light of Bila, healer from the biggest star." She said proudly. "I hope you find it okay Princess."
"Oh, it's perfect!" I said. "I have to thank you a thousand times! And please, since you know, you don't have to call me princess."
Sharon giggled. "No, you are a princess." She said. "Look at you now."
I looked at myself again in the mirror and saw an entirely different person. A girl at the other side shined lustrously, despite the simple dress and no make-up. I had never seen myself this beautiful in my life having always been average. "What a magic!" I exclaimed.
"Only good bathing ingredients," Sharon said. "You are already beautiful."
"Thank you so much Sharon." I said again, face red with her compliment.
Sharon smiled. "Thank you my Princess." she said and looked at the contact lens I threw onto the dressing table. "Why don't you put those on, I would like to show off the new Princess to Shaph."
"I cannot." I told her. "These are one-day use, besides my eyes are already cured, if I put that on, I won't be able to see anything."
Sharon's smiled turned into shock. "But what about your eyes?" she said. "It's supposed to be brown!"
I had no answer to that.
"Oh! I guessed it can't be helped, I'll have to try that." Sharon talked to herself and wiped her hands in the air from side to side murmuring weird incantations. A current of glittering air appeared with her waves, flowed toward my eyes and went straight in. I was startled at the sudden glittering blindness, but when it faded I saw Sharon's smile reasserted its earlier place.
"It works!" She clapped her hands. "Oh, I'm not a magician or anything Princess. I'm just an amateur. It's a miracle that it works even in this Magic disorder environment."
I did not understand what she meant, but when I looked into the mirror again, my eyes were hazel brown. I widened it to get a good look.
"It wouldn't stay very long." Sharon rested hands on my shoulders leveling her head with mine. "My magic ability only goes as far as changing colors of stuff temporarily. I'd never thought it could be of use today."
"It's wonderful!" I was able to bring out my awe at last. "You could open a beauty center and be a millionaire in my world, you know."