Disguised for Love

Part 5

-Each one of us requires the spur of insecurity to force us to do our best.- Harold W. Dodds

After a week of being in the stockroom, Faye planned on what to do to see the Crown Prince. She walked to and fro while muttering, "I must find a way, or else her coming here will result in nothing."

When she first came here, it was at the beginning of spring in her Kingdom. Now, only a few weeks and it will be the beginning of summer.

To learn about her betrothed traditions just from gossips, facts, and tales made her unsure of the future that awaits her in his Kingdom. She wanted a marriage like the couples in her Kingdom, a union of the couple in love.

She disguised as a maidservant as she has no other way to enter the Palace as an ordinary deity unless to serve the Supreme family. She turned her golden hair into ebony black.

She stripped her golden glow that adds to her beauty. Also, she lessened the intoxicating aroma of lemon and gardenia that was smelled in the air when she passed. If before she was called "Golden Magnolia," now it is "Plain Magnolia." What's left of her true self was her inner beauty that shined in her eyes and softened her face.

"Faye, it's a good thing that you are assigned here in the stockroom."

Faye was startled with Audra, who came back from delivering the cloth that the ladies in waiting of Lady Cassie had ordered. She knows Audra didn't notice her reaction as she walked directly to the shelves of precious stones and busies herself in segregating it.

Audra is the girl who came from the South Sea, whose friendly brown eyes made you feel comfortable. Audra is also new in the Palace, the first deity that she met and talked with when they were waiting at the entrance of the City. The other two assigned in the stockroom, Lara and Audrey, were already there for more than three years. She is lucky that they are all friendly except that Audrey loves to gossip and cannot keep secrets.

"Why did you say that?" she finally asked, looking at Audra, who answered. "It is because Lady Cassie, one of Prince Celsius consort, is a jealous one. If she sees you, she might bring trouble to you."

Faye walked to her side and helped her in separating the opals from pearls as well as to converse. "Sometimes I wonder why there are a lot of women vying for the love of one noble, even if he belongs to the Supreme Pantheocelesian family. Surely they are all beautiful, and they can find a deity who can love them alone and not be threatened by the presence of another female deity." She said while looking far away, and holding precious stones in her palm when she realized what she had said, she immediately added. "Anyway, I am not interested in falling in line for his affection."

"What about with the other brother? At least he doesn't have a consort until now. No one will bully you if you become one," Audra teased.

Faye laughed and gave her a nudge.

Lara entered and saw them poking each other while working, "What happens to the two of you that you seem happy?"

Audra saw Lara carrying a box she got from the central stockroom and told her, "I told Faye as she is not interested in Prince Celcius, so it must be the other one."

"Girls," Audrey their source of gossip of what is happening in the Palaces came and called their attention. They all turned to her as she continued, "I have heard from a friend of mine who works with Lady Gertrude that Princess Isabel is preparing beautiful gowns. I am sure they are expecting something from the Crown Prince,"

"Why what is happening?" Audra asked.

Audrey looked at her and said, "You don't know yet? Three months from now is the Crown Prince Millennium birthday. There will be a big celebration that will last for a week, so expect that we will all be busy with those ladies requesting to clean this jewelry and all those clothes that they want to send to the dressmaker."

"Girls, just continue your work while talking, or else Mistress Bethesda will pass by and see us talking and doing nothing," Lara reminded them and made herself busy cleaning a piece of headdress after she looked at Audrey as if telling her to continue her chatting.

"There were gossips that something is going on in the Crystal Hall. Most of the ladies in waiting are talking that The Crown Prince is thinking of having a side consort. The most likely candidate is Princess Isabel."

"Is Princess Isabel beautiful? Audra asked.

"Yes, she is beautiful," Lara answered, and then she asked Faye, "What do you think your Princess will react if she found out that her fiance has another woman?" Lara asked her.

"She will be disappointed with him as she is not into sharing her man; in our Kingdom, marriage is monogamous."

"She should marry the man from your kingdom," Audrey said.

"I'm sure if she can, she would, but they had a sealed agreement of marriage, and to go against it will cause a problem unless the Crown Prince breaks it first."

"Maybe he will be if he finally has a side consort and falls in love with her," Audra commented.

"I don't think he will break it," Audrey declared, "he would rather have both, the Princess and his side consort, besides the blame falls on your Princess, she is busy hiding." Audrey persisted.

There is truth in what Audrey had said. Faye only hopes that if he falls in love with another woman, he has to break the marriage agreement. Though there is a problem also if he does that, "She will be a laughing stock of all the Kingdoms and no matter how good her looks are, once discarded it will be difficult for her to find her mate. It seems like finding her eternal love is already becoming bleak unless she has to go back to her first plan, to seduce him, but how? When had she not even seen him?

It was night time already when Faye went out of the stockroom instead of her usual time out before dusk. "Indeed, Audrey was right that they will be busy preparing for the materials needed for the gowns of the ladies in Opal Hall." She thought while walking with occasional sigh due to tiredness.

"I had been here for a while now waiting for you to pass by." She heard a familiar voice at her back told her. She ignored it and continues to walk the path she is treading.

The relaxing view of the garden in the light of the moon as she moves on relaxes her mind. Despite the lateness and being tired, she used this path. It is because of the fragrance in the air that emanates from the rose that surrounds a gazebo.

"Faye," she heard him call her name, but she still kept on walking.

"If he is in the mood to see her, he wills, if not, he will take no notice of her," she murmured to herself in a not too far distance from Draco who is following her in his long strides.

He caught her hand and twisted her around, resulting in her wrapping her arms in his waist. He's holding her tight, made her feel uncomfortable as she feels tingling sensations. So, she tried to wriggle free from it, but instead of letting her go, he whispered, "Relax, let us be like this for a while."

She feels that he kissed the top of her head, and his other hand is touching her hair, which she let loose when she is nearing the garden of roses. It is to feel the breeze as its blow on her.

She doesn't know what magical spell he had spoken that when she is near him, her action just followed what he says, and even like the way he caresses her hair. How she wishes he is the Crown Prince, and they were in a lover's tryst. Thoughts of him awaken her to the reality that the one hugging her right now is his guard. This time when she tried to get out of his embrace, he let her go.

"Why did you ignore me just right now?" he asked once they faced each other.

"I'm just tired, and I don't want to talk to you. Is it only you who is allowed to do that?"

"Hey, are you angry with me?

"Of course not, why will I?"

He laughed at how she looks even in the moonlight, her eye staring hard at him. He felt that his absence made her miss him. He hugged her close again and whispered in a gentle and earnest voice, "I did not forget you; I was just busy preparing a lot of things."

Feeling uneasy with what he had said and what effect it has on her, she said, "I noticed you always hug me," removing herself from his warm embrace and taking a one step backward.

Draco made a step forward to be near her and said, "I like the smell of lemon, and a touch of gardenia in your hair, besides I feel you miss me, so I give you a hug."

"You're so full of yourself, why will I miss you? You are not the Crown Prince that I will miss," looking up at him.

"You finally admitted, you are one of his admirers. So much for those talks of only interested in your fiance." He teased her.

"I didn't mean that way. Besides, I am not interested in being one of his women."

"Who says he has women? It is all gossip."

She smiled at him and then asked, "What about Princess Isabel?"

He chuckled and then said, "Don't believe in everything you heard. Just concentrate on learning the ways of life here." He told her while he holds her hand and walked her back to her room.

On the next night, Faye is pacing in her room, thinking, while Chubb, whose head is busy following whichever direction she went, sat down in the corner. She stopped and then makes a deep sigh and then walks again. Then she saw Chubb looking at her, she picks him up and sits down on her bed.

Cuddling her pet, she said, "Chubb, what do you think I will do? I must start in my purpose in coming here, if I just wait for an opportunity, two years will just pass by, and I am still waiting."

It has been a tradition in the entire Kingdoms that each of the clan should send a girl to serve the Pantheocelesian nobility, either they are from a noble family or merely an ordinary deity. The more reputable you helped, the higher is the prestige. If the girl is engaged, it will be a top honor for the man's family that the girl entering their household had attended a certain noble. Those with fiance are only allowed to stay for two years, and due to it, it is also how often newcomers gain entrance.

She looks down at Chubb in her lap. As usual, he is staring at her. She rubbed his head gently and continues to think of what to do. Suddenly she removed her pet from her lap and faced him," Don't follow me, as I will go out,"

She walked to the door, open it, and before she went out, she looks back at Chubb who is still on her bed, "just stay here," she reminded him and closed the door.