The Next Morning....
The alarm went and Lea groaned her way awake. She felt like breaking the alarm clock on the edge of the wall.
With no understanding on how it works, she slammed her hand on it in an angry manner but to her surprise...
It stopped.
Interesting, she thought. Learning new things won't hurt a bit, right?
She stood up on her feet on the bare floor and stretched wildly. Inside the room is a bathroom, a closet and even another dressing room.
Lea walked upto one of the doors and opened it. Like she was given a trial, it was the bathroom she headed to.
She saw a white bowl that she was not familiar with. A bathtub.
Entering into the shower room, she had a short bath. She remembered how she bathed when she newly came here and was with Lin and Sarah. She did the same and brushed her teeth after searching recklessly for the toothpaste that was just lying on the sink in the bathroom.
Lea got dressed after having her bath and opened the door very carefully.
It was dark like when she came into it yesterday with Sir Butler. So she just peeped by poking her head out through the opening of the door and withdrew her head when she saw someone coming through the shadow that reflected where was bright down the hallway.
Closing the door, she let out sighs of relief and leaned her back onto the door.
But she stopped breathing when she heard footsteps. Someone was coming!
Quickly, she tiptoed to her bed and sat down and like she knew, a knock was heard on the door.
Sir Butler, Lin or Sarah was her only options.
She stood up from the bed in shaky legs and then made her way to the door, almost staggering.
What's wrong with you Lea? You can do this, you can do this! she tried to comfort herself in the positive way.
With a deep breath being taken, she opened the door, just to meet the eyes of Valdemar.
She gulped in heavily and forcefully stopped the choky cough that she felt wanting to come up.
"Oh... Um, Hello... " she greeted casually and with a smile.
Valdemar didn't move nor greet back. But just replied in a cold and odd manner that use to be unlike him.
"How are you now?" he asked.
Lea couldn't help but admire his face, eyes and his black long hair that flowed down to his shoulder and tied to the back of his head.
"I'm alright. Thank you" Lea said and Valdemar nodded.
"Breakfast will be on the table in ten. Sir Butler will be an escort, I will reach out to him while going. In the meantime, get some flip flops, we don't walk barefooted here"
Lea looked down at her feet and twitched her toes.
Rude and Mean! How could he have seen her feet. And what was wrong with being barefooted? she thought.
Geez, what's wrong with you this morning, Prince? she thought.
"I will find something to wear, thank you" she said coldly to Valdemar and Valdemar said nothing nor did he nod or say anything to say she was welcomed.
Valdemar left the hallway to go and find Sir Butler.
While Lea breathed in and out as she placed her hand on her chest and felt the need to just relax and forget her worries but how could she?
Before she could leave the door, another knock was heard.
"Oh. Good morning, Sir Butler" Lea said when she sighted Sir Butler.
He smiled tenderly and nodded with his response.
"Good morning my lady. How was your first night in the palace?"
"Absolutely amazing thanks to your kindness and generosity" Lea said with a smile and Sir Butler felt happy to see her like this. Other than how she was yesterday.
"Breakfast is down. Come with me" he said and Lea accepted his hand of help.
"But, before we go, can I get a pair of sandals or something?" She asked.
She didn't know the name Valdemar called it, so she just used the English she knew.
"Of course" with that, Sir butler went pass her and into the room.
He opened the closet and Lea immediately felt embarrassed. She have never had a boy or a male person search her things, especially clothes including her father. That was the only thing her dad didn't do back at Maneth.
He brought out a light pair of fluffy hair slippers and at the feet of Lea, he dropped it and she stared at him in surprise.
"You are elderly. Hand it over to me" she made an attempt to collect it but he refused by stretching his hand out, farther than where she stood.
"No need my lady. Here you go" he said and placed it on the ground.
Lea gulped. She wore shoes, yes but this one felt like she was using something that wasn't hers. She felt like she was a fake, immediately she slipped her feet into the flip flops.
"Thank you, Sir. I shall not forget this" she whispered and he smiled.
"Shall we?"
His hand was out and that was when Lea couldn't refuse his proposal.
"We shall" she said and together, they walked outside the room to the open dining table.
Two rooms directly opposite the other, was where Lea was led to. She peeped inside the room by the right hand side just to see the Royal Family having breakfast. Her eyes got caught up in the eyes of Valdemar, when he was about to stuff a whole lot of greens in his mouth.
It was funny to her, because he felt embarrassed at that moment.
But soon, her sight diverted when Sir Butler opened the door by the left.
Lea was shocked to the depth of her soul.
Ladies were sitting on chairs and having breakfast. A long table that they all sat down opposite each other made Lea tremble.
The only chair vacant was the one that is at the far end of the table.
Sir Butler, feeling the arms of Lea shake vigourously, whispered into her ears;
"Don't be afraid, you won't be harmed"
Lea breathed in and out. Sir Butler let go of her hand and departed from the dining room.
All eyes on her. The girl that was sitting at the other end stared at Lea suspiciously.
The girls started smiling one by one. Helping her to calm down.
"Come sit down"
Even if she didn't know the owner of the voice, she knew that she was highly welcomed.