I almost heard the smile in 1's voice even though I couldn't see him. And it was amazing to me how his tone took a 180-degree turn in just a few short moments. 'So what was up with that statement?' I wanted to know, leaning back against the trunk of the tree.
"What statement?" Alessandro asked, standing up and starting to walk around the meeting room.
'Tales of your incompetence do not interest me,' I repeated, trying to copy his deep voice.
"I didn't sound like that!" Alessandra retorted, laughing. He felt his bad mood slowly evaporating. This was oddly interesting to realize because 20 was openly calling him out, but he didn't mind at all. Perhaps because he found it very refreshing that she talked to him like he was actually her friend. And he'd very much like to believe that was true, because he definitely treated her as an equal.
'Yes, you did,' I countered, laughing along with him. 'What got you in such a bad mood?'
"Some people were just testing my patience," Alessandro said. He looked at the stacks of paper strewn on the table and he gave an irritated sigh. He would definitely fire that minister – along with a few others – as soon as he finished talking with 20. "How about you?" he asked, changing the subject. "What are you doing?"
'Oh, I'm on a break,' I replied happily. 'I'm in a garden right now.'
Her good mood was contagious, and Alessandro easily grinned. "Do you like gardens?" He walked over to the windows, where he could see a section of the imperial garden. Overhead, it was a gorgeous combination of blue skies and white, puffy clouds, and he could definitely understand 20's inclination to spend her break outdoors.
'I love them,' I confirmed, 'especially the smell of fresh flowers.' Even as we were talking, I was taking deep breaths in between, basking in the aroma of about a dozen varieties of flowers in full bloom. They really smelled heavenly. 'How about you?' I asked. 'Do you happen to be indoors?' But I was almost willing to bet that he was.
"Yes, I am," Alessandro confirmed.
I gave myself a mental high five. 'Maybe you can go out later,' I suggested. I didn't know about the other tasks of the higher ranking concubines outside the bedroom, but he couldn't possibly be as busy as me.
"That's a good idea," Alessandro agreed. He would wrap up the meeting as soon as possible, and then he would go for a walk before his next meeting. The weather was too good to waste it being cooped inside a stuffy meeting room with a bunch of idiots.
'Oh!' I exclaimed, sitting up straight. From a distance, I saw Caio going to the main entrance of the palace with a few other important looking people. When he caught sight of me, though, he excused himself from his company and changed directions, making his way toward me.
"What is it?" Alessandro asked, curious.
'I just saw the most handsome man I've ever met in my life,' I grinned, which was nothing less than the truth. I knew that I should be relatively used to how good looking Caio was by now, especially because we had always been in close proximity when we talked, but I still couldn't get over that fact. It was like meeting your favorite Korean idol in person – you just didn't get used to it no matter how many times it happened.
At her comment, Alessandro raised his eyebrows. Somehow he didn't peg 20 as someone who would openly gush about a guy's good looks. That made him all the more curious. "You're only saying that because you haven't met me yet," he said, only half joking. His status as an emperor aside, he was confident about his looks. And he knew that he could definitely hold a candle to whoever 20 was referring to.
I laughed. 'You know, you could do with a bit more modesty,' I chided him.
"It's not modesty, it's a fact," Alessandro replied indignantly.
Caio had almost reached my side by then. 'I have to go,' I said, hurriedly shoving the handkerchief in my apron pocket. 'I'll talk to you later.'
"Do you promise that?" Alessandro asked.
'Yes, I promise,' I answered with a smile.
I turned to Caio who had just comfortably settled himself on the ground. "I'm glad I found you," he said. "I was just about to ask Vincenzo to take me where you are."
'Why were you looking for me?' I asked.
"It seemed like you're really fond of sweets," he said. "So I got this for you." He handed me a cloth pouch tied with a string. When I opened it, I saw bite-sized pieces of assorted chocolate. 'Chocolates!' I said in awe. Chocolates were considered a rare and expensive delicacy in the empire, and only the rich people could afford them. Even for those who had money, I heard that it was not easily accessible and, therefore, it wasn't available to anyone though they may have the means to pay for it.
In a nutshell, it was nothing more than a far-fetched fantasy for a scullery maid like me. If I had known it was going to be so out of reach, I would have gorged on it when I was still in Seoul. I was far from a millionaire, but then again, I didn't need to be when good quality chocolates were practically everywhere.
Caio looked at her with an indulgent smile. After he had escorted her back to the servants' quarters, he continued to mull over what happened that day. It wrenched his heart to see her collapsed on the dirt, silently crying her heart out. He knew she may not want to talk about it, at least not right away, but he wanted to make her feel better nevertheless. She wasn't alone in her struggles, and he'd make sure she was aware of that.
He was glad to see her in a much more stable position today. Actually, he was surprised that something as simple as chocolates made her eyes light up that much.
'Thank you,' I hastily wrote. And then giving him an embarrassed smile, I added, 'It seems I've been thanking you since the day we met.'
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Caio said warmly, catching my expression. "You don't owe me anything."
'Still, I want to thank you,' I insisted. 'Want to share?' I reached inside the pouch and retrieved two pieces, handing one to Caio. He accepted it and we settled back, enjoying the fragrant afternoon breeze as we ate chocolates.
*****
Shortly after, Caio and I said our goodbyes. He had meetings to attend to and I had to resume my chores. I imagined that this was probably close to how Cinderella must have felt when she had to leave the ball at midnight after spending time dancing with the prince. But then I grinned, dismissing that idea. Caio was the archduke of Luxentfort, not a prince. And I much preferred chocolates over parties, anyway.
The rest of my day went about as usual, and when I had at long last reached the sanctuary of my room again, I wanted nothing more than to sleep. I was already cozily snuggled under the covers when I remembered my promise to 1 earlier, and I sighed. Rousing myself on an elbow, I leaned over to get the handkerchief from my apron pocket which was draped at the back of the chair. '1, are you there?'
In his private quarters, Alessandro had just finished his dinner. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Sire?" Rocco asked. Alessandro was debating on which concubine he would call to serve him tonight. When he heard 20's question, though, he changed his mind. "That's all for now," he replied, heading to bed.
"Would you like any of the concubines to come over, Your Majesty?" Rocco inquired when he saw that Alessandro was already going to his bedroom.
"Maybe later," Alessandro said. She did keep her promise. He turned away from his butler, hiding his smile. "Yes, I'm here, 20," he answered as soon as he had closed the door – and locked it.
'It seems we can communicate more easily now,' I observed, holding the handkerchief to my chest.
"I'm really glad that seems to be the case," Alessandro said.
'How about we schedule our talks?' I suggested. I had thought about it earlier as I was polishing the windows in the east wing. Having scheduled talks would help prevent both of us from catching the other person during busy times – or in the middle of an awkward situation.
Alessandro readily agreed. "I like that." And he really did. It made him feel that he wasn't the only one eager to talk, that perhaps she was also curious to get to know him. If he was honest with himself, he was past simple curiosity now – he was flat out intrigued about her. "Can we talk in the mornings?" he asked. His day started off great when he could hear her voice first.
'I suppose so,' I said. I could just put on my apron, and I talk to him while I finished getting dressed. 'Do you want to talk briefly in the evenings too?' I added. 'Like around this time?'
"Why only briefly?" Alessandro asked.
'Because I'm too exhausted,' I said, yawning. 'And you may be, um, occupied with something.'
"Hmmm… You have a point," Alessandro mused.
'1, I don't think I can stay up much longer,' I yawned again as I closed my eyes. 'I'm too sleepy.'
"Good night, 20," Alessandro replied, but I hardly heard him by then.