The Sultan's son

15. Jealousy

"Where have you been?" Charmant asked.

"To give the ointment to Regina," came the reply.

"Can you please tell me why you're pampering her now? Didn't you want to get rid of her?"

“Trust me, I still want to do it. What are you worried about? "

"I don't know, you seem to have softened towards her."

“What was I supposed to do? Wasn't I supposed to help her? I would also do it for my worst enemy. "

Charmant smiled mischievously. "Look at you, all captivated by that little rascal ... I hope you remain objective towards her."

“Don't talk nonsense, you're just jealous. Come here!"

In the following days, things seemed to be improving for Regina. She was learning to cook basic dishes.

Chef Senshaw proposed: "Come on, all of you prepare a recipe that you already know, if it is up to par, we will put it on the menu. Regina, do you have something in mind?"

"Chef, what if I make a mess?"

"Don't be afraid to make mistakes!" he exclaimed vigorously. "Only those who do nothing make no mistakes, you have to do your best, always, and then you can walk with your head held high! Don't fear the judgment of others, fear your own judgment! When we're in the afterlife, someone will be waiting to judge us. Do you know who? "

"God?" Barska said.

"Worse! It will be the best version of ourselves, the person we would have become if we had always acted for the best! And he or she won't be kind to us! Will blame us for all the lost time, things done poorly, people we've hurt. Think about it, this person always keeps his eyes on us! So do things right and then be proud of yourself."

'Wow, what a lesson ... does he think so because he's Japanese?' Regina reflected. Thinking about it, one thing she knew to prepare was the broth. "Well, then ... if it's not too humble I could prepare the broth I make at home."

“That's fine, a dish is never too humble if it's good, besides the broth is the basis for a thousand other recipes. We'll see."

She tried her best. After putting the ingredients in the pressure cooker, she boiled them for an hour and a half. When the chef tasted her broth he said: "Uhm ... did you use fennel instead of celery?"

"Yes, chef, fennel stalks, I usually save them specifically for broth."

“Mmmm, good, it's a sweeter version. And I'm glad you used something that is usually discarded. Well done, Regina!" and he gave her a hearty pat on the shoulder. "You're improving! Yesterday a good seafood risotto, today an excellent broth ... do you want to take my place?" laughed.

“If only it could be! Maybe with twenty years of practice, I might come close!" She was overjoyed, a compliment from the chef!

"Let's make it thirty... 29 if you commit yourself..." he winked.

Plus, Numa wasn't attacking her anymore. At most, when she was with Quarin, she would growl a little, but then she would stop and wag her tail. To be safe, she carried some cooked meat with her, replacing the wiener, which was unhealthy for the dog.

She had become more precise and faster in cleaning too. One afternoon she finished her duties well in advance and asked Iris to be allowed to retire. Since the assault, it seemed that she too treated her better, so she hoped she would indulge her.

“Are you really done? Let me see if you've overlooked something."

But even Iris had to admit she had done a good job.

"However, Regina, there is still work to be done. You'll clean the Prince's and the Sultan's studies."

"But I can't go there, Bernard clearly told me I shouldn't go into the royal chambers!"

"I know. Probably because they don't want a newbie to clean them badly… but since you've improved, I'll make this concession. See it as a promotion!"

“Iris, please. What if Bernard sees me? Or worse, the Prince? You realize you'd get scolded too!"

"Uhmpf. The royals are ashore, they have a formal visit, they won't be back until after dinner. And Bernard has the evening off, he won't check on us. You can't use this excuse! Enough laziness, at work! Come on, shoo!"

There was no convincing her, so she reluctantly entered the forbidden area. Well, if the royals weren't there, or rather if Quarin wasn't there, she had nothing to fear. But she would take her time, that was Iris's job, not hers. The head waitress was probably enjoying some relaxation in front of the TV, as Regina longed to do earlier... indeed, more likely she was hanging out with Barska. She put on her headphones with the music and started cleaning.

She was almost done, only the window was missing. As she cleaned it, she saw a large black Mercedes come aboard. The Prince? Damn! s**t, s**t, s**t! She collected everything at the speed of light leaving the window half-done. If anyone complained it would be Iris's loss, she might be a coward but she didn't want to get caught.

Would he take the elevator or the stairs?

'Damn, Regina, think!'

She called the elevator. If she heard footsteps on the stairs she would take the elevator immediately. If someone called the lift from below, she would collect the cart with the supplies and the bucket and run down the stairs.

The elevator was coming.

She perked her ears, and heard someone talking on the phone ... the sound, however, wasn't coming from the stairs: it was getting closer and closer .... 'Oh no! The elevator! He is already inside the elevator!' She panicked, she looked around...

DING!

The elevator opened, and the Prince stepped out, speaking on the phone: "Sure, Kahan, I'll tell my Father. Of course, the Canaries can be postponed for a week. We'll go back to Sardinia and we'll wait for you there, ok? For my cousin, it can be done." He entered his study, closing the door.

Not far away, in the dark, in the closet of stationery supplies, Regina exhaled the breath she was holding, trying to calm the mad beating of her heart. She took a deep breath and went out immediately, at the risk of being caught red-handed, and took the elevator to go down to her floor. Her legs were weak, but she was safe.