"Help me into bed", prince Arian stoically commanded his maid, who only shot him a glance.
"I will. But before you have to eat this, my prince."
She pushed him towards a small table in the room and placed the food in front of him.
It was a big portion of mash, probably stemming from the academy's kitchen.
It looked even less advertising than the school itself. Arian shook his head slightly.
"I'm not hungry. Just help me into bed."
"You have told me that the whole day. And I accept that you don't want to eat much. But one meal a day is the bare minimum. You need some energy, my prince," his maid mentioned, unfaced by Arian's commands.
"I said..."
The prince started again, but his maid interrupted him.
"And I say you eat." Her voice was stern, allowing for no objection.
Arian stared furiously at her.
"I am your prince! You will do as I command!", he screamed.
In a sudden fury, he threw the food against the wall.
The blade broke into shards with a loud clink, while the mash stuck to the wall.
Then there was silence in the room, as Arian was mustered by his maid in shock.
Even he was surprised by his sudden action.
He blinked, trying to comprehend what he had just done.
You have behaved like a little child, Arian groaned inwardly. Where is the perfect prince you are supposed to be, Arian?
"I'm sorry, Marie", he finally mumbled.
The eyebrows of his maid raised in astonishment.
It was rare that royalty addressed their servants by name. Normally, it was above their dignity, to remember their servants. After all, this was all that they were to royalty, easy exchangeable beings, to which one shouldn't form a relationship in order to get rid of them easily when their work was no longer good enough.
Arian was especially strict about it. He didn't know the names of most of his guards except for their commander. He only bothered to learn the names of the ones with whom he frequently interacted.
Of course, Marie was the one who served him since he was a baby. Naturally, he knew her name.
Arian hid his face behind his palms. Even though it was covered by a veil he suddenly felt the urge to hide as his face started to heat up.
How embarrassing, he thought and lowered his head even further.
But at that moment, his veil fell from the back of his head as it was not held in place by the golden tiara.
Marie immediately turned away, not daring to look directly at the prince's hair.
To pry onto royalty was an unforgivable sin. A servant like her would be punished with immediate death.
Royalty was too beautiful, too pure, too noble for mere servants or commoners. Even nobles had to abide by this rule.
Suddenly Marie's body shook. After Arian adjusted his veil, he looked at his maid curiously.
"I'm so- so sorry my prince, I shouldn't... I shouldn't have entered or forced you to eat," she stammered as she fell to her knees and kowtowed in front of him.
Is she worried I punish her for seeing something she shouldn't have seen, even though she turned away immediately?
Arian sighed. He knew Marie well enough to be aware of her character. Usually, she was very straightforward. And while she wasn't rude, she normally didn't bother with unnecessary courtesy.
It was probably while the prince liked her so much.
She was one of the few who didn't shy away from telling him the truth. Even if it wasn't something he wanted to hear.
Over the years, Marie has earned the prince's respect with such behavior.
I always think I'm close to her, even if I don't like to admit it. But for her it seems, she still doesn't trust me, even after all these years.
It made him feel somewhat sad. And maybe even more alone.
Would she care, if she found me dead?, a small voice in his head asked, but he immediately tried to ignore it.
Maybe it was time for him to take the initiative and improve their relationship.
"Don't worry, I won't punish you for my own mistake. None of this was your fault," Arian said softly. He had decided he should open up to her.
Telling her a bit about his worries wouldn't hurt much. Maybe it would even help him to feel better.
"Please get up and sit on the bed. I wish to talk to you." Arian gestured to the bed.
"And please, speak freely. I won't punish you for anything you say. No matter how outrageous," he added and then he smiled at Marie. "Instead, I even want to hear it, since I seek your honest advice."
It took a moment for Marie to get up and compose herself, but when she finally sat down on the bed, her normal attitude had returned.
"Is it about your failed suicide?", she asked without beating around the bush.
Arian was momentarily taken aback by the directness of her words before he smiled again.
That's the Marie I know.
"No, that was not what I wanted to talk about", he answered truthfully.
Even though he trusted Marie, he wasn't ready to discuss that matter.
He hesitated for a moment, unsure of how he should structure his sentences, but then the prince decided to be direct as well.
"When we watched the students get out of the carriage you also saw the beautiful girl with long hair who looked like a noble, right?"
Marie's eyes widened in surprise.
"Don't tell me you want to ask me for advice on how to get her attention or how to get her into bed! I'm sorry my prince, but this is not something I can help you with."
Arian couldn't decide if her voice sounded furious or uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, he was surprised by her reaction. She completely misunderstood him.
Arian face palmed himself inwardly. Maybe I should work on my skill of addressing my problems straightforwardly, he thought bitterly.
At the same time, his maid bowed her head slightly and was about to get up when Arian gestured for her to sit down again.
"I haven't permitted you to leave. Besides, that's not what I meant."
Marie gave him a doubtful look.
Arian wanted to sigh in resignation at her distrust towards him, but instead, he gritted his teeth and begged her to stay.
He watched as Marie sat down again.
When the prince was about to continue, he realized Marie was fidgeting with her fingers.
Now, he really didn't understand her.
The prince frowned. "Why are you still uncomfortable?"
"Because you normally are not so nice to your servants, well... don't get me wrong, my prince, you treat us very well, befitting for our standing, but begging me to stay?", Marie snorted and shook her head. "You want to discuss a very serious topic, if you talk to me in the way you just did."
Indeed, she knows me very well.
Marie let out a laugh but it was one without humor. "From your stern expression, I fear it's even graver than your suicide attempts."
Arian's gaze grew intense. Even though Marie couldn't see the face of her superior, she realized the importance of this matter. Unconsciously Marie sat up a little straighter and awaited her prince's next words.
"It is about my possible child. If I understood it correctly, you suspect my wife carries my child?"
Marie nodded. "Yes, I'm very certain about it, actually. You might not have noticed it, as you didn't spend much time with your wife, but I overheard the talks from the maids serving her. They whispered about her period being late and that she suddenly felt often ill."
That sounded very much like a pregnancy, damn it, Arian cursed inwardly.
Still, it was only speculation, no real confirmation.
There is still a chance she is NOT pregnant, the prince thought hopefully.
"Well then, I would like you to confirm this theory of yours."
Marie nodded in agreement. "That's not hard to do. I suspect I should use my beast for this."
Arian opened his mouth but then closed it again. The next thing was harder to say out loud than to just think about it.
It felt so wrong, yet Arian knew it was for the best, knew it had to be done.
There was silence for nearly a minute before Prince Arian took a deep breath and forced out his command.
"Yes. And if she is indeed pregnant, ensure the child will never be born."