My Light in the Night

Chapter 6

I heard a knock at the bedroom door. “Princess? You requested a wakeup call.” The young girl’s voice sounded through the door.

“Go away…” mumbled Valor loudly.

“Princess Jerica?” The girl knocked again. “Is there a man in your room?”

I sat bolt upright. “No! I’m alone! I’m up!” I yelled as I looked back at Valor. I shook Valor’s shoulder to wake him. He needed to be gone before Mary came in to dress me. “Valor!” I whispered. “Valor! Get up!”

“No… I don-”

I cut him off by placing my hand over his mouth. “Valor! Get your butt up, now!”

He sat up suddenly nearly knocking me in the head. “Where…?” He looked at me. “Oh crap!” he whispered. “I’m still in your room aren’t I?”

I nodded. “And Mary will be here in less than five minutes to dress me for the day! We’ve got to get you out. Now.” I nearly pulled him off my bed and pushed him towards the door. I stood at the door at peaked out. I looked both ways and found the hall empty. “Okay, Valor. You have to leave now.”

He nodded and moved to step out of the room. He paused and kissed me quickly. “Can’t wait to go out today.”

“Prince Mateo is going out with us too.”

“You should kno-”

“Go!” I cut him off. “You’ve got to leave now.” I pushed him out the door.

Moments later Mary came into my room. “Good morning, Princess.” The tone in her voice was a little too weirdly pleasant for my comfort. “Did you have a good night?”

“I had a very good night, Mary.” I tried not to give off too much with my voice. “How was yours?” My eyes flickered to my knife on the table, the still semi-made bed, and the still open balcony window.

“I bet you did with such a handsome boy in here last night. I saw him leave all disheveled and disoriented. Was it last night or did you cuddle first?”

“Mary!” My jaw dropped. “We are royalty! We do not behave in such a manor!”

“So…” Mary’s voice was sing-song-y. “Which prince was he?”

“Prince Valor of Linwood.” I slipped my knife under my pillow, avoiding letting Mary see it because no one actually knew I had it.

Mary dropped the clothes for the day on the bed. “Linwood. How disappointing. They all make this vow of chastity when they enter courtships. I suppose that means that you’re sheets won’t need changed.”

“Oh my God, Mary! This is not appropriate!” I pulled the door shut.

“Oh, Princess.” Mary rolled her eyes. “I’m your chambermaid, not your mother.” She picked up my clothes and put them on the stool behind my changing screen. “You can talk to me about such things. I mean, you and Prince Valor are both virgins so it makes sense that you might need some guidance.” She leaned around the screen with a look of realization on her face. “You know how s*x works, right?”

“Oh my God, Mary! Yes! I took s*x ed!” I stepped behind the screen. “Can we stop talking about this?”

“Oh fine.” Mary sighed. She began unbuttoning my silk buttons. “You didn’t undo his buttons, did you?”

“Oh my God! I said stop!” I slipped the shirt off my shoulders. “I don’t want to talk about this!”

She completely ignored me. “You didn’t let him undo your buttons, did you?” she held up the white button up shirt for me.

“Mary! If you don’t stop this then I’m going to make you leave.” I snatched it from her hands and put it on myself. “I’m not a little kid anymore. I don’t actually need your help to get ready.”

“Okay, Princess. Okay. I’ll stop now.” She did the buttons on my shirt and passed me my pants. I could see that she wanted to make another dirty comment but she held her tongue. At least, until I got my pants changed. “So how long did you work out last night?”

“Work out?” I grabbed my tie off the stool and pulled it around my neck.

“Yeah. Kissing burns 6.4 calories a minute.”

“Mary! I told you to drop that!”

“Hey, I asked about kissing this time, not s*x!” Mary tied my tie for me.

“That doesn’t make it any better!” I stared at her.

A loud knock came at the door again. “Princess?” Sebastian’s voice sounded through the door. “I have woken the princes. Are you ready for your breakfast?”

“Just a moment, Sebastian.” I called back. “Mary is tying my tie.”

Mary finished and I walked towards the door. Just before I got there, Mary stopped me. “You forget this little piece.” She pressed the little trinket Valor had given me last night into my hand. “You shouldn’t take this off.”

I didn’t remember taking it off at all. I pulled the chain over my head to see if it would fit without unclasping and it did so just fine. “Thanks Mary.”

“You look so pretty.”

“Thanks...” I took a deep breath. “I’ll see you later, Mary.” I pulled the door open and found Sebastian waiting to lead me to the dining room.

He only did this on my father’s orders. I knew my way around my home just fine. Sebastian had training as a body guard though. He led me to the family dining hall and placed me across from Alexander, to the right of my father, who was already waiting, and to the left of the place marker for Prince Valor. “Pancakes and eggs for breakfast?”

“Yes, please, Sebastian.” I smiled, playing with my courting trinket.

Father noticed it. “So which one approached you already?”

“Valor did.” I stared at the little golden cat with Eyes of Honor. “It’s Linwoodian gold with Esistanian emeralds.”

“He really does have some amazingly strong feelings for you. You two used to have something really special.”

“Dad! Can we not talk about this right now?” I asked, my face turning slightly red.

“You know, Dad,” Alexander smiled at me and played with his fork. “I saw a certain red head boy leaving a certain room still in his silks this morning.”

I glared at him.

“Jerica?” Dad smiled playfully. “Did something happen in your room last night?”

“Oh my god, Dad! You’re as bad as Mary!”

“I don’t know…” Alexander smiled at me like he knew something. “I hear those Asithistians are pretty forward and quick to bed.”

“Well then,” I sneered, “it’s a good thing that it’s Valor, a Linwoodian, who left my room this morning. I threatened him with a knife when he first came in my room and then he properly began his courtship.”

“Then you’ve finally sworn a proper vow of chastity?” Dad asked in a very pleased voice.

“Yes. I have. Although Prince Mateo has not approached me to begin his end of the courtship so it would appear that Valor has already pulled ahead.”

“Yes.” Father smiled at something behind me. “Well, perhaps he is just waiting to do it somewhere public in a proper Asithistian way.”

“Or maybe he’s going to try it in the Eshistanian way.” Alexander teased. “You know, making a giant scene with big bouquets of Eshitanian roses and chocolate from Linwood as he sings the first song you heard together after you met.”

“I doubt that, Alexander. It’s a little hard to sing a waltz.” I smiled thinking about it. “As nice as flowers and chocolate are I think I’d rather be asked in the Asithistian way. A ride on horseback by the river and the receival of a courting trinket at sun set. It’s so romantic.”

“He can’t do it that way.” Alexander smiled. “He’d have to break you newly made chastity vow to do it that way.”

“We could skip that part. Whichever wins my hand, he’s gotta wait for the wedding night to get any of this.” I flipped my hair in a mockery of the popular girls I’d see on TV.

“I’m fine with that.” Valor sat beside me, surprising me.

I jumped a little. “Valor.”

“Good morning, my Princess.” Valor leaned over and kissed my cheek. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Ew! Don’t kiss my sister,” Alexander said, awestruck at Valor’s audacity to kiss me in front of him and my father.

Dad laughed loudly. “You may want to take a look at that Linwoodian courting again.”

“I know it by heart. ‘Will you allow me to court you? To kiss you when I wish? To call on you when I need you? To protect your innocence until marriage? To one day, if I win your favor, have and hold you in marriage?’ Still not okay to kiss my sister.”

“Overprotective much?” I asked.

“No.” Alexander crossed his arms. “The more you kiss, the closer you’ll get. If you get close enough you’ll get married too soon.”

“Good job trying to hide your want for the throne, Alexander.” I looked at him, dumbfounded at his stupidity.

“Breakfast is served.” Sebastian placed our plates in front of us.

“Where is Mateo?” I asked.

“Prince Mateo is having a lot more trouble getting up than Prince Valor did.” Sebastian smiled. “It almost seemed as though Prince Valor was up already.” He eyed us with a knowing look.

“Oh my God! Must you all be as bad as Mary is?” I yelled.

“What do you mean, Jerica?” Valor grabbed my hand under the table.

“Mary spotted you leaving and spent ten minutes while helping me dress making dirty jokes and asking about if we needed s****l guidance because we’re virgins! It was terribly embarrassing.”

“Oh boy.” Dad laughed. “Well, I’ll have to talk to her about that… and I think that if you two ever need guidance a porn dvd should suffice.”

“Dad!” I screamed, red faced, as Valor - just as red - yelled, “Sir!”