The mattress was so comfortable, the sheets were warm and soft. Waking up on my narrow cot had never felt this good since I had arrived at the empire, and for several minutes I kept my eyes leisurely closed, reluctant to face reality just yet.
When I did open my eyes at last, it slowly registered on me that I was staring at a cathedral ceiling hand painted with ornate patterns of the sky at twilight. I sat up and saw that there was a small desk with two chairs directly by a large window. And there was a plush looking carpet on the floor. It wasn't my room.
I slowly turned back to the bed and saw to my shock that 1 was sleeping peacefully beside me, dressed in a silk evening shirt that had the top few buttons undone. I gasped, the situation finally hitting me in full force, and I silently screamed like my life depended on it.
"What?" Alessandro jolted upright at the sound of 20's scream. "What is it?"
'Why are you in my bed?' I accused, pulling the blanket all the way up my neck even though I was still in my uniform.
"You're in my bed," Alessandro dryly pointed out as he grabbed a pillow, propped it against the head frame, and fell back on it.
'Why did I end up here, then?' I rephrased my question. The last thing I remembered was having ginger tea, and then everything blacked out after that. The next thing I knew it was morning already – and I woke up with 1 beside me.
"You fell asleep without even finishing your dinner," Alessandro explained. "So I just carried you to bed."
'Why didn't you wake me up?' I asked, confused. 'I could have just gone back to my room.'
"You were so sick last night, remember?" Alessandro said. "I didn't have the heart to make you walk all the way back to the servants' quarters." He flashed me a teasing grin. "Why?" he continued. "Are you embarrassed at waking up next to the emperor?"
'Yes,' I admitted readily, my cheeks lightly tainted pink. There was no point in denying it. 'And besides that, I have no idea what kind of things you've brought to your bed.'
"What do you mean what kind of things?" Alessandro demanded indignantly, his ears flushing red. She made it sound like he was a frisky cat that brought dead rats into the house.
'You have 10 official bed partners,' I stated matter-of-factly. 'Goodness knows how you… occupied yourselves.' I cleared my throat and got out of bed, refusing to meet his eyes. There was just so much embarrassment I could take first thing in the morning. Spotting my apron draped on the back of a chair, I tied it around my waist and started looking for my shoes.
"Are you calling me out for having several bed partners?" Alessandro asked, amused.
'No,' I rolled my eyes. 'Who you bring to your bed is none of my business.' Locating my shoes, I put them on and stood up. 'But I have no right to be in yours,' I said, unwittingly hashing out a modified version of Princess Lucrezia's words.
That, and because I was uncomfortable realizing I slept in a bed that may not have been properly sanitized commensurate to the, uhm, activities it regularly bore witness to. I had worked part-time in housekeeping of a luxury hotel in Seoul while scouting for a full-time job, and the sanitation protocols were insane, especially when it came to the beds and bathrooms. I inwardly grimaced, because I didn't know if Luxentfort implemented even a fraction of those measures. But I wasn't about to give 1 an unsolicited lecture about it.
"Who told you that?" Alessandro looked at her intently, all humor gone in his eyes.
'It's the truth,' I told him, gesturing at my uniform. 'Which reminds me, I have to get back to work.' I turned to give him one last smile before seeing myself to the door. 'Thanks for last night.'
Alessandro pondered on 20's words a good while after she had left his room. He couldn't blame her for her jaded view of his promiscuous relationships, but it didn't mean he had to continue the same path moving forward. "Get me a new bed," he ordered his butler before heading to his office later that morning.
"Is something wrong with your bed, Your Majesty?" Rocco asked. He had just inspected the furnishings in the emperor's quarters a few days ago, and everything was in excellent working order.
"No, but I want a completely new one," Alessandro replied. "Including bed sheets and mattress. Everything must be new."
*****
I was walking back to my room to change into a new uniform before reporting for work, trying to ignore the scrutinizing gaze of practically everyone I had passed by, when I saw Caio going to the opposite direction. We inevitably met in the middle of the hallway, and he looked over my shoulders at where I had just come from. "20," he said, taking in my wrinkled uniform and messy hair. "Don't tell me…"
'It's not what you think.' I grabbed his arm and led him to the side so we didn't attract even more attention. 'I was sick last night and the emperor just helped me,' I hurriedly explained.
"Do you need a doctor?" Caio asked, placing his hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. She was a little warm, but it didn't seem like she had a fever.
'No, I feel better now,' I said, smiling up at him. 'Don't worry.'
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked again, a little hurt that Alessandro had known she wasn't feeling well but he didn't. He thought she trusted him more than that.
'We didn't get the chance to see each other yesterday,' I reminded him.
"You could have sent word to Vincenzo about it," Caio countered smoothly. He was in the palace most of the time anyway, and he could have easily checked in on her.
'I didn't want to bother you for something trivial,' I replied, hoping against hope that he would drop the subject, but no such luck.
"What was wrong?" Caio insisted.
'Women's trouble,' I sighed in embarrassment. I prayed that he wasn't as dense as 1 and he won't need me to spell it out for him. Thank heavens he was smart as much as he was good looking, and he nodded in understanding. "It's not trivial if you're not feeling well," he said, his voice gently scolding. "Next time, tell me."