"Are you going out in your nightgown? I mean, it would not be appropriate. There are men outside…" Matilda trailed off as she realized that perhaps by speaking her mind she was already overstepping her boundaries as a maid.
Red remembered as she glanced down at her torso and uttered an "Oh!" in complete comprehension of the situation she was currently in.
Upon Red's urging, she notified the princess how the situation outside was. "While you've been asleep for a consecutive three days, our convoy led by Sir Karyk met with your small group at a clearing between Martslock Town and Torrine Town [1] in the east side of the country. Mr. Barry immediately sought Sir Karyk's help after informing us about your sudden collapse. Oh, we've all been so scared about what will happen to your Ladyship!" Matilda clasped her hands together as she passionately relayed what had happened.
"I remember that I lost consciousness while puking. And then?" Red urged.
"Sir Karyk concluded that your condition was not too critical. I believe, Sir Karyk can explain to you about it in detail later."
Red nodded. "What else happened? Who else is outside?"
"Aside from Sir Karyk, there were three guards, and there were four of us, servant girls. We came only as a small group. We were told that your arrival should be kept a secret at first."
'A secret?' Red's eyes flickered but she stood her ground and maintained a stoic countenance. Suspicion washed over her.
Matilda continued, "The men hurried to set up your tent first while Sir Karyk had been checking up on you. The men got to work fast. Soon after he announced that you were not in danger, Laarni and I tended to your Ladyship and never left your side unattended."
Red smiled apologetically. "You must be quite exhausted."
"Nnn-nn. It's our honor to serve you, Your Ladyship." Matilda's hazel eyes shone with genuine sentiments. She was even getting teary-eyed. "Your grandmother was too worried. She, too, stayed by your side during the first few hours. We worry that her health will suffer too so we persuaded her to rest in her tent. Lily had been staying with her and had been supplying her with the details of your recovery."
"That's so sweet of you to take care of my Nana as well~" Red's voice turned a decibel higher and a tad mellower.
Matilda felt proud of their first accomplishment for the princess. However, there were more matters at hand that needed tending to. For instance, the matter of her appearance. "So, Princess Meredith, you cannot go out dressed in a nightgown." She returned to the topic that started it.
Laarni seconded as a reinforcement, "Allow us to dress you up, Her Ladyship. It would not take long! Let's get to work, Matilda!" Laarni tugged Matilda's wrist and dragged her towards the make-shift dresser and wardrobe closet inside the tent.
Her tent was rather spacious when she looked around the second time. She had not realized it before.
'Changes. The inevitable changes are here. One by one, little by little.' She exhaled a troubled breath.
The girls made her sit down while they prepared her bath. When it was ready, they called her and made her strip.
"Will you be watching me bathe?" She asked, wide-eyed.
"No, Princess Meredith! We couldn't JUST stand here and watch! We will help you all the way!" Laarni retorted confidently.
"We've got you." Matilda seconded.
They thought that their words brought assurance to Red. On the contrary, she was rather distressed.
'Oh no.' Red felt her stomach churn again. She might puke once more. She docked her embarrassed face on her right hand.
"Princess Meredith is getting shy like a true maiden. It's just us, girls. We're not in any way in likeness to your future groom." Matilda chuckled lightly. It seemed that they were warming up in her company as time passed by.
Laarni giggled too. Their combined girly giggles reminded Red of the pixies in the cartoons she used to watch some time ago in her toddler years while she was eating cereals for breakfast on the couch in front of the television.
Even if she was a bit perplexed by the setup, her lips voluntarily turned upward in a helpless grin, and eventually gave in. "Both of you are too cute not to listen to. Okay, okay! Help me! Don't look that much, okay?"
They slid her nightgown against her head. In that splitting second, she felt vulnerable the most. 'Gosh.'
"The princess is shy!" More giggles came.
Although she felt violated yet again, their giggles soothed her. It pacified her disturbed soul and lulled it into a meditative state.
Hurriedly, she submerged her body into the lukewarm water. It sent a comforting wave which made her shiver in delight. Red indulgingly soaked in the warm water for a few minutes more while hugging her curled legs with her arms.
Her girls-in-waiting stayed behind the curtains to give her the privacy she had wanted right from the start.
"Would you like a scrub, Princess Meredith?" Laarni's cheery voice reverberated from the other side of the lacy curtain.
"It's fine. I can manage." Red called out frantically. For a while there, she protectively covered herself in fear that the girls will barge unannounced.
'Phew.' She relaxed a bit when they didn't insist. She proceeded in cleaning her body, all by herself.
"What about the groom you are saying?" She couldn't erase it completely in her mind. For heaven's sake, she's only seventeen. She had not had a first kiss yet, or a boyfriend. What's with the talk of a groom?
All of a sudden, Duru's face flashed inside her head. Her cheeks instantly heated up. She slouched deeper into the water until the water level lingered above her neck, around her mouth. Her chin was completely submerged.
Then, the idea of her thinking about Andrew while taking a bath seemed more absurd that she shook her head violently. Some water splashed sideways out of the tub. 'What am I thinking?!' She slapped her wet palms on both cheeks which turned it redder, like her namesake. Probably, it wasn't the slap that turned it a lot redder. Perhaps it was her inner emotions manifesting on her face, and the girl was just in denial.
'No, no, no, no.'
Matilda's voice rang in the background, "After your Coming-of-Age Ceremony, it will only be a matter of time before talks of your marriage begin. We are so excited for you, Princess!"
[1] Please see Briar Glen Realm's map in the comments section of the Author's Notes Chapter under Auxiliary Volume for clearer visualization. It is also attached in the comments section below for easier access.