Some Faes have their soulmate written from birth, while some have to choose for themselves. Peter knew he was a Fae since he was a child. He and his parents lived in a small house beside a forest in the northern part of the kingdom. His parents had gone out in the morning as they usually do, but this time, they never returned. The little boy realized what happened when the villagers appeared in front of their house, pounding on the door and window with torches. He slipped out through the back door and was on the run for days he couldn't remember until he was picked up to be a servant in the castle.
His father, a white Fae, had left his soulmate to be with the one he loved, a dark Fae, which had him expelled from his kind. In some cases, some people don't fall in love with their soulmates and end up rejecting them, but with him, he had already fallen in love with his soulmate, and he wouldn't let her go. Peter smiled at himself, but this brought up a question that had been lingering in his mind since yesterday: Is Jasmine just a human or a Fae?
"Um...um...sir Peter, I'm done with the cleaning on the north wing," a timid maid appeared before him, interrupting him from his thoughts.
"You can take your rest then," he said and walked away. The gossip around the maids hadn't missed his ears, but he wasn't enjoying the attention from them. The one whom he sought for her attention wasn't even looking at him more than once. Peter knew it was probably because of what she saw yesterday, could be her first time experiencing all that. He was going to give her some time.
Jasmine walked up the stairs to Nikolai's room, but he was missing from his room. She walked further into the room, a book was left open on his desk, and then she saw his opened closet. The Prince was inside, rummaging through his clothes. Knowing he wasn't aware of her presence, Jasmine walked closer to the closet and stood at the door.
"You called for me, Prince Nikolai?" Jasmine had paused while calling his name because she had seen the black inking on his naked back. It was a large drawing of a crown in the middle of his back with unusual designs of small skulls and flame. On the broad part of his back had an incomplete drawing that looked like wings that were flapped close-
Jasmine couldn't see the drawings again as Nikolai had turned to face her, and her wide eyes shot up to his face. He had a black shirt in his hands, and he kept his eyes on the dumbstruck maid who continued to stupidly gaze back at him. As he wore his shirt and started to button up, the maid dropped her head down, and he walked out of his closet.
"Can you read?" Nikolai asked her, leaving the door of his closet open, and Jasmine closed it.
"No," Jasmine lied. She couldn't see the man's face as he walked to his desk, but his eyes had shifted to the sides to look at her.
As he sat behind his desk and started writing on a parchment with his quill, Jasmine wondered what the man had called her for exactly and she asked.
"Is there something you would like me to do for you, Prince Nikolai?"
"No," he replied without looking up from the parchment. He dipped his quill into the ink bottle on the desk and continued to write.
Then why did he call her here? She frowned lightly.
"Can I leave?" She asked again.
"No," came the reply, and she almost sighed out aloud. She stood quietly beside the desk and watched him smoothly continue his writing. When he was done, he dropped the parchment to his side, leaving it to dry when a knock came on the door. Jasmine looked up at Nikolai's face, who didn't seem bothered by the knock.
"Brother, are you inside?" It was the Princess.
"Yes," Jasmine heard his reply, and her eyes widened slightly. He wasn't making an attempt to wear his eye patch to keep his secret, or was his secret not actually a secret? Then why was he keeping her?
When the doorknob turned and was pushed open, Jasmine didn't know why she stepped in front of the desk, but she did, concealing Nikolai from the princess who stepped inside.
Nikolai looked up at his maid, who was looking back at him with surprise and nervousness in her wide eyes, and he grinned. Jasmine pursed her lips as she saw him smile and wondered if she should just step away and expose his secret. But that would cost her her head.
"You- what are you doing in front of Brother?" She heard the Princess question, and she bowed slightly without looking at her.
"Good morning, Princess," she greeted, but the young girl found it disrespectful.
"How dare you greet me without facing me?" Jasmine slightly pleaded with Nikolai to hasten up with his eye patch he had retrieved from his desk and was now putting on.
"I'm talking to you," Guinevere angrily pushed Jasmine to face her and quickly pulled her hands back to herself disgustingly.
"I'm sorry, Princess Guinevere," Jasmine apologized and bowed.
"What do you want?" Nikolai questioned, and the Princess turned to look at him.
"Brother, your maid is disrespectful, you don't punish her?" Guinevere asked.
"Are you here to talk about my maid or something else?" Nikolai questioned back, staring at her, and the princess pursed her lips before smiling brightly.
"Brother, father has allowed me to marry whomever I want, and I have sent many letters to Quill to tell him about this, but he hasn't replied to any," Guinevere frowned slightly at the end.
"He is coming over today," Nikolai simply said, and her face brightened up again.
"Really?" She inquired, but he didn't reply, only staring at her. What she didn't know was that his visit was definitely not going to be in her favor.
"I'd like to take your maid with me to help me prepare," Guinevere said and turned to look at Jasmine when Nikolai spoke up.
"There are many maids at your beck and call, Guinevere. I already said this one answers to only me," he said slowly, and Guinevere smiled at him sheepishly, glared at Jasmine, and then left. This stepbrother of hers with his airheadedness, she clutched her gown, but when she remembered what he had said before, a bright smile appeared on her face again, and she stepped out of the room.
Jasmine sighed softly. Now, she could breathe in peace, or maybe not, she thought as she saw Nikolai staring at her. And then, she remembered what she had done. In a way, she had proved her loyalty to him. Oh hell no!