Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 55: Chamber Encounter

Chapter 55: Chamber Encounter

Treading past the colonnade and feeling the warmth of the early afternoon sun on her tender skin, Samantha eventually found herself making it to the East Wing of the Palace where she later found Lucy. The beautiful brown-skinned lady had used a blue ribbon to tie her raven-colored curly hair into a neat ponytail, and she was about to step into the building, whilst holding a number of freshly laundered pillow slits and bedspreads in a tray.

She had been worried about Lucy since she got sent to serve the guests at the East Wing of the Palace yesterday, but after seeing her dear friend was in good shape, her worries automatically deteriorated.

Noticing the doe-eyed Samantha who waved at her from where she stood, Lucy decided to wait for the young lady to join her, and after a quick exchange of the usual greetings, Samantha kindly assisted Lucy with some of the bedspread, and they stepped inside together.

"Do tell, it’s quite rare to see you around these parts of the Palace, did they send for more servants?" Inquired Lucy as she looked at Samantha, but the young woman simply shook her head with a faint smile.

"The main Palace has been solemn without you, I heard the burial rites of the Queen Mother had been performed, and the royal guests will be taking their leave tomorrow, so I guessed you’d be needing a helping hand."

"Indeed I do." Lucy sighed wearily to herself as her heavy shoulders slumped, "this bedspreads are for a few guests, the Kings and Queens from other close kingdoms will be leaving early, but some of the princesses and Princes will stay until tomorrow - the stress."

"I’m free as of now, why don’t you let me fill in some of the bedspreads for you, just tell me which rooms requested for these."

"You are a darling Sam, but Lord Ivan might not approve if he finds out you’re here." Lucy didn’t want to put her friend in any sort of trouble. The fact she had snuck here to see her already warmed her heart, no one has ever done that for her, so it would be inconsiderate of her to take advantage, but then, she noticed the way Samantha rolled her eyes at that statement before whispering.

"He won’t know I’m here. He’s too busy dealing with the Palace crises to notice my absence, for the meantime at least, and besides, I’m only helping you lay some of the bedspreads, I won’t take that long."

As they made their way further into the wing of the Palace and past the small drawing room, Samantha’s prying gaze took notice of the closed doors adorned with golden handles, which presumably led to the private Chambers of distinguished guests, or members of the royal court. She made a rough guess that this was where the visiting dignitaries and high-ranking officials stayed whilst they visited the Palace, and not only Lucy, but a few servants were stepping out of the rooms they finished cleaning.

The same servant Ivan had questioned and was shaking like a fish earlier quietly stepped out from one of the Ministers Chambers, and for some reason, her breath hitched in fear at the sight of Lucy and Samantha, whilst she placed a hand to her small chest to calm her fragile heart.

"Lucy, you scared me there." Said the girl who finally regained her resolve, but Lucy’s pretty eyes narrowed puzzledly at the servant who presently found that look intruding.

"What?"

"Were you sneaking out, or were you sent to attend to one of the guests?" Questioned Lucy, and the brunette-haired girl named Felicia frowned at the indirect accusation - as that is what it sounded like to her ears. "You know what, that is not even my business, Sam." Ignoring Felicia who was about to respond, she smiled at the idled Samantha instead, "you can lay the bed for prince Nichole, it’s the third door by the left, and he will be absent for a while."

"Uhm. ...okay." Samantha returned Lucy’s smile before glancing at the timid Felicia. To avoid being rude, she offered a polite smile as well to the nonplussed Felicia before heading towards the door Lucy had described for her. Samantha couldn’t understand why Lucy had deliberately ignored the servant all of a sudden, but it was not in her place to pry either.

Reaching the door, Samantha gently twisted the door knob, and when it clicked open, she pushed it forward and stepped inside the spacious room. Approaching the bed, her steps were slow and paced, as if entering a hallowed ground.

Carefully setting the tray on a nearby table, the clinking sound of porcelain against wood echoed softly in the room. Reminding herself of the name Lucy had mentioned as the owner of the room, Samantha wasn’t sure why it sounded familiar, but not willing to spend her time pondering over it, she quickly got to work.

With utmost care, Samantha unfurls the crisp white sheet and hovers above the bed, positioning them properly. She lowers the sheets onto the mattress meticulously, ensuring not a single wrinkle disrupts the smooth surface, and she was cautious since it was difficult to guess what sort of temper the room owner had.

When she was done straightening the edges, she dusted her palms together and glanced up, using a moment to appreciate the ambience of the room. The afternoon sunlight casted its luminous glow through the large windows, illuminating the room in a soft surreal brilliance.

"Lord Ivan must have been born from the alternate universe if there was one." The young woman mused to herself, wondering why anyone in their right minds would paint their rooms black - but not that she had a problem with it... she just found it rather odd.

Quickly attending to the pillow so she could take her leave, she fluffed the pillows delicately, placing them at the head of the bed. After completing her task, Samantha was about to exit the room when her eyes caught a glimpse of the book resting on a nightstand.

Pausing on her steps, curiosity lit up her face as she inched closer to the nightstand, picking up the book.

"Do you read romance?"

"Oh!" Dropping the book out of impulse like an amateur thief that had been caught stealing in broad daylight, Samantha quickly bent from the waist to pick it up. She placed it back on the nightstand with frantic hands, just as she had found it.

"Oh no!!" She squeaked internally. Was he going to accuse her of stealing??

Clearing the sudden lump from her throat, she turned around to see the prince Nichole leaning against the entrance, arms crossed, and a slow-witted smile curved his lips, whilst Samantha had to lower her gaze the very second she recognized him.

It’s the same prince at the soiree! Was he going to recognize her in this servant outfit? Thought Samantha.

"The... The bed has been laid, I was just about to leave...." Picking up the tray, Samantha wanted to skirt her way out of the room when he suddenly placed a hand against the other side of the door, blocking her path, and Samantha froze in her position when he leaned close enough to whisper.

"Trying to run away like how you did at the soiree," His warm breath teased the shell of her earlobe, "I have to admit that you’re doing a really bad job at it.... Samantha."

A quick gasp tore from her lips as she lifted her head up to meet his coffee-brown eyes. "Pardon?"

"We never finished our conversation that night." He tilted his head at her, staring into her expressive green orbs before walking past her and snapping his fingers. "Close the door and join me in my Chambers, I won’t take much of your time."