Sein Lorelai's POV
Four days had passed since the assassination, and I had apparently been in a deep slumber for three days straight. I'm not sure if it's a good thing to wake up and discover that the villain—the last boss of the novel I transmigrated—had instantly saved and adopted you.
I let out a deep sigh. I couldn't even get enough sleep from overthinking things. Since I was supposed to be dead, I didn't know where I would end up once the assassination happened and the twins' got adopted. I have been changing the story too much, and I'm afraid there would be a butterfly effect. I never really thought of going back to my original world, since I know for sure that I'm either a skeleton by now or ashes.
A sudden knock behind the door brought me back to reality. I quickly rose up from my bed and bolted out the door, and I was surprised to see Duke Carlisle with servants behind him. It seems he was about to open the door. He cleared his throat and composed himself quickly.
"Good morning, m' lady," Duke Carlisle greeted, placing his right hand on his chest. He then bowed down before me.
It startled me to see such a noble person bowing down to me. I shook my head in disagreement and hurried my way to stop him.
"Please. No need to bow to me, your highness. I am just a lowly princess," I said.
Instead of following me, Duke Carlisle lowered his head even more. I was getting uncomfortable, and as a person who was raised to be respectful to elders no matter what, I couldn't help but bow back at him multiple times. Unfortunately, the Duke stepped backwards and held in that position. One of the servants stopped me from bowing and held me straight. I turned to look at her. She only shook her head and gestured for me to look at the Duke.
"My Lady, her royal highness, princess of Deborah Kingdom, and the second child of the Queen, from now on, heads will bow down on you, and you will only bow down to three people: the King, the Queen, and the Crown Princess."
"But--"
"Her royal highness, Princess Lorelai, do not under any circumstances open the door for anyone. Unless it's your siblings, the queen, or the king, never open the door. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I replied in my raspy tone.
He didn't seem to be mad at me. In fact, he sounded so concerned. I know that, as a princess, gestures of respect such as bowing the head down are a must. And I know even the real Sein Lorelai would feel uncomfortable by it, since no one really acted so respectable to her except Archer.
"May I?" Duke Carlisle asked.
"Ah yes. Yes. You may raise your head, your highness." I immediately commanded him.
He lifted his head, and our eyes met. Am I wrong, or does it seem like he's kind of disappointed in me?
"It seems there is still so much for you to learn about being a royal child. First things first, my lady. Do not call me your highness. Just call me your grace or Sir Carlisle," he explained, gesturing for the servants with him to enter the room. I took a few steps backward to let them get inside. Duke Carlisle also went inside.
"Before we start, I would like to introduce myself and the servants with me formally to you," Duke Carlisle explained, making all the servants prepare themselves. I only nodded in response. A smile crept into his face in satisfaction.
"Very well then. Let's start," the Duke said. He clapped his hands in command, and almost immediately, the servants formed a line behind the Duke. Duke Carlisle placed his right hand on his chest and the other hand on his back, while the servants held the ends of their dresses using only their thumbs and index fingers, and they finally bobbed a curtsy to me.
Just like how I imagine the royal maids' outfit from the Victorian era, they were wearing a rather glamorous long-sleeve black dress with a corset, a corset protector, a bodice, and a pristine white apron on top. Despite the hot weather, the maids show no sign of discomfort. It's quite impressive, but it's still concerning how they endured that uniform just to be presentable.
"Allow me to introduce myself to you, her royal highness. I am Duke Carlisle Wilchard of Achilles, the personal servant of your father. However, I will be your temporary servant, and the ladies behind me are your official maid," he announced, letting the servants step forward so I could see them close.
"It is an honor to finally meet you, m' lady. I am Diana Groot, your lady-in-waiting," she said and bobbed another curtsy to me. Diana gestured for the other three maids to introduce themselves next.
"Good morning, her royal highness. My name is Jenna Jacobs."
"Hello, m' lady. I am Nara Walton."
"And I am Tessa Berry. It is an honor to meet you, princess. May the Gods and Goddesses bless you."
"Thank you, and I'm Sein Lorelai Arch Angelus. Please take care of me," I said, and I bowed my head a bit, almost nodding.
"So much for the introduction, Jenna, Nara, and Tessa. Please prepare the bath for our lady, while Miss Diana and I will prepare for your dress," Duke Carlisle commanded.
"My bath?"
"Yes, your bath. We're going to help you take a bath, m' lady!" Nara blurted out in excitement. Although, back when I was a sick patient, I had nurses help me clean my body. However, not to the point that these ladies are thinking. This is bad. I just can't let anyone scrub my naked body so casually. It's extremely embarrassing.
"No, thank you. I can clean myself," I protested.
"I'm afraid we can't, m' lady. Please allow us to assist you in your bath." Jenna pleaded.
"Go on now. We have no time to spare, her royal highness. Your father's meeting with the King will come to an end. You need to be at the table in an hour." Duke Carlisle insisted and hurried their way to the closet of this room.
"Let's go, m'lady."
"Wait. Wait!"
"I can do it myself!"
"We apologize, princess. But we're dead if we don't take care of your bath," Tessa said with an unbothered face.
"What?!"
Before I could even protest, the three of them gently pushed me to the bathroom. Jenna and Nara stripped me naked. I was left frozen and exposed. Tessa handed me a clean, white bathrobe and told me to sit still while they prepared the bathtub. I watched the three prepare the bath with water from the faucet.
My eyes widened in surprise when Jenna's hand started to glow a golden light. She murmured something, as if casting a spell on the water. I looked at Nara's and Tessa's expressions. They don't look surprised at all. It seems to be all normal to them. I guess I have to get used to magic here as soon as possible, especially now that I am the child of the queen. I'm sure I will be seeing more magic, and perhaps I will do magic as well.
"Excuse me, m'lady. Would you like to have a lavender scent or the lemon honey scent?" Nara asked and excitedly showed me two different bottles of scented bath wash from her pockets. Confused, I pointed to the lavender bottle. Nara giggled in excitement and hurried back to Jenna.
"See, I told you, M'lady will choose lavender," Nara exclaimed, pouring the lavender liquid into the water. My nose tickles from the sweet and soothing scent of lavender. This was way too different from when I was taking a bath back in our old and worn-out castle. Archer tried his best to prepare me a soothing bath with wild herbs and wild flowers, but there was almost no scent at all.
Tessa went out of the bathroom for a second and came back holding a basket of petals in her arms. She gave the flowers to Jenna and Nara and let the two sprinkle the flowers with water. Several flowers floated in the water, and others sank. It was so mesmerizing that I didn't notice Tessa's presence.
"Pardon me, princess. Your bath is ready."
"Huh? Ah, ok."
Accompanied by my own lady-in-waiting, Diana, and Duke Carlisle, I staggered my way a bit to the dining room. I find it unbelievable that my ladies will look after me in such a manner going forward. It turns out that they will clean and scrub every inch of my skin, unlike what I had assumed—that they would just throw water on my hair or something. I really thought that my skin would bleed out, but looking at it now, my skin looks so clean and radiant. It also feels like a soft baby cheek.
"We have arrived, her royal highness," Duke Carlisle announced. I nodded and let another servant, who was guarding the door, open it for us.
As soon as the door opened, the smell of food lingered in my nose. I could feel my stomach growling in hunger. So this is what it feels like to be a royal child. From the moment you open your eyes and all your senses start to function, all you see, feel, hear, and smell are pleasant. I've never felt so pleasantly alive. After spending almost half of my life in the hospital bedroom, the smell of medicine made me nauseous all the time.
"Good morning, Sister!"
My eyes automatically looked at Felipe, who greeted me first.
"You're late. I won't wait for you for breakfast anymore." Felix complained and proceeded to his food. The maids with him quickly assisted him. Luckily, Felix doesn't seem to mind them helping him eat properly. I let my eyes wander before entering the dining room and saw that the queen was not there in her seat.
"Where is the Queen?" I asked and looked at the Duke. The three of us entered the room and escorted me to my seat. I let the Duke pull my chair for me to sit in while waiting for his response.
"He is on the way. I heard that he finished his meeting with the king 10 minutes ago." Duke Carlisle replied and stood behind me a few feet away from my seat. Miss Diana also stood behind me with her hands clamped together, like a choir singer in position.
Focusing on the foods in front of me made me realize that the food would never be a problem to me, especially to my siblings. I wonder if Archer is eating well. I've heard that the head maid is now training him to become one of my official royal maids. I haven't seen him since that night, and I don't think he wants to see me.
"Aren't you hungry, sister?" Felipe asked, his face full of concern.
I shook my head and smiled. I don't want them to be worried about anything anymore. My problem with Archer should only concern me and not these two innocent and adorable twins. Now that I am looking at the two, I can't help but notice how they look so handsome in their casual royal clothes. Wearing a white long-sleeve, tied with a red bow on Felix's collar shirt and a blue bow on Felipe's, they look exactly like how a prince should be. The two also wore a dazzling gem brooch with a hanging gold chain diamond pin on their chests, which compliments the overall look of their outfit. Even I couldn't believe it when I saw myself in the mirror, all dressed up like respectable princesses of this kingdom. Surprisingly, the accessories complement not only my dress but also my eyes. It's all clear now how beautiful I look as a princess. There's no doubt that we are truly royal children now.