Her Unwanted Mate On The Throne novel Chapter 9

#Chapter 9 I want Doris to be my Lady’s Maid.

“Your majesty.” Doris curtsied as he passed her. Prince William never failed when it came to making her nervous. Among so many other things she didn’t want to think about.

Prince William only nodded, barely looking at her as if he didn’t remember her at all. Perhaps he didn’t, why would he? Doris released a small breath of relief as she followed him into the library. She’d never seen him in here before, she didn’t even realize he liked to read. She briefly wondered what kind of books he liked as she adjusted the collar of her dress.

He took the first book his hand touched from the bookshelves and flipped through the pages absently as if he didn’t really care what it was about. “Did Prince Martin just pass through here?” He asked Doris without looking at her, his voice almost casual.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Does he come here often?” He asked, a bit more intensely.

“Oh, no. Not very often.” Doris hesitated. Something inside her felt uneasy, perhaps it was just due to his wretched presence but she couldn’t shake her discomfort. Why was he asking about Prince Martin? Why would he even care if he came by here often? It didn’t seem like a big deal to Doris if he did or didn’t.

Prince William frowned and shot a sharp glance towards Doris when she hesitated. Slowly, he turned to walk towards her, she held her breath as he neared her. Close, he was too close to her—she wanted to step back but didn’t dare try it with him. His warm breath caressed her skin but she refused to look up into his blue eyes. Her unease quickly turned to panic, did he remember her after all? Is that why he was here? What did he—

Prince William pressed a book in her shaky hands. “Go on.”

“I—I’m sorry?” Doris allowed herself to breathe again. Her eyes flickered to his mouth when he frowned.

“Don’t you have to mark which books are borrowed?”

“Oh! Yes. Yes, of course your majesty.” Doris bowed her head and turned away to write down the name of the book. Not many people borrowed books, Doris almost forgot it was required to note which ones left the library and with whom. She often forgot to note which ones Prince Martin took with him, only because he always brought them back the same week.

She felt his eyes on her as she wrote as quickly as she could manage. The faster she finished, the faster he would leave and she could go back to blending into the walls.

“Who taught you to read and write? I thought most maids couldn’t.” He asked suddenly, the question startled her.

“I had a home tutor when I was younger, before I came here.” Doris set down her pen and handed the book back to the prince. He took it with a thoughtful expression, she didn’t want to admit how handsome he looked when he wasn’t angry. But he was—extremely handsome. His raven black hair was messy in a charming way, as if he’d just ran his fingers through it before he came into the library.

“Where is it? Your home, I mean.” He asked, pulling her from her traitorous thoughts.

Doris glanced up at him in surprise. To a maid like her, home was a very sensitive subject. Not many people had ever asked her where she came from, and she hadn’t asked them. Home was a daydream to Doris now, too far away to ever reach but one day hoped to see again. As each year passed, it only became a fading memory to the ones she had here. She didn’t expect Prince William to be the first person to ask her about it. Or about anything, for that matter.

“I—don’t really remember.” Doris lowered her gaze.

When she looked back up at him, his face had gone a little red. He shifted uncomfortably and she could tell he knew she was lying. He knew she just didn’t want to talk to him about it. It angered him, and she wasn’t sure why something like that would, but she could see it on his face.

“Your majesty?” A shocked voice came from the entrance, they both turned to see Melody. Her eyes flicked between Doris and Prince William as if she couldn’t believe they were here together. Doris took the opportunity to step away from Prince William.