I Don’t Want A Prince In My Life - Chapter 11. Seamstress
When I woke up, a luxurious canopy, fully embroidered, filled my vision.
For a moment, I thought that I was still the daughter of a Duke and had just been having a long, bad dream.
“Good morning, My Lady. Are you awake?”
The maid of honor, who Serge had ordered to follow me yesterday, peeped out from under the canopy.
The sight of my unfamiliar dress reminded me of what had happened yesterday.
Yes, I was now in the royal castle of Theophilus by invitation.
The maid gave me a wash basin to wash my face in bed, and I had my breakfast after.
Normally, I would have left the house to work after I prepared lunch for my mother.
I thought I had to go to work, and then I quickly reminded myself that Serge would have told me not to anyway.
The owner of the shop would be surprised if I went since he was only protecting me on Serge’s orders.
Serge insisted on keeping me, and yesterday I asked him to take care of my mother too.
If yesterday’s story was true, they would be happy to take care of her.
For me, it would be like being taken hostage, but it would be better for her to be protected in the castle.
After all, she has lost an incredible amount of weight over the past year or so due to the unpleasantness of the city’s food.
In the castle, she could have all the soft white bread and all the luxurious teas she wanted.
Milk tea with plenty of fresh Jersey milk was her favorite.
Tea leaves and fresh milk were ingredients that required money as well as the help of the upper classes. They were not easy to come by on the streets.
My mother was a very sick woman, but she shall get better once she regains her old standard of living.
The main reason I remained here was because of the irresistible temptation to let my mother live comfortably.
I was still young enough to manage and adapt myself to the life of a commoner, but I could imagine that it was terribly difficult for my mother, who was once a duchess in charge of her own affairs, to accept reality.
During the journey, I had often wondered whether I should leave my mother in a shelter house and move on with my life, but in the end I was unable to do so.
The shelter house is a home for the poor and the homeless, but I heard that it is a difficult place for the poor who cannot afford to give offerings to the church.
There was no way I could leave my mother, who was so devastated and fragile, in such a place.
Besides, I think her presence saved me as a result.
It was hard to take care of my mother, who had completely changed, but she was also the reason why I had to do my best.
Even when I wanted to die, I couldn’t because I knew that if I did, she would be alone.
“This afternoon, His Highness would like to see you again. Would you like to change your clothes?”
While I was lost in thought, the maid of honor asked for my opinion.
It seemed that I would not be forced to do this or that.
According to the maidservant, the meeting with Albert is not compulsory.
But he is the Prince, and I wonder if his official duties are up to the task of meeting a commoner without nobility for two days in a row.
It was an unnecessary thought that he should do his official duties well and show people that he was not a problem as the next king. After all, there were strange rumors about him because of the herald.
I quickly realized that this was none of my business and shook my head from side to side in a panic, which must have seemed strange to the maid.
“I didn’t bring an extra dress to change into.”
I said, glossing over.
I didn’t even have a spare dress, let alone a suitable dress to meet the Prince.
I wore one yesterday, but I took it off when I took a bath, and it was taken away somewhere.
“Don’t worry about the dress, My Lady. I have a dress that was made for you.”
Why?
Why would the Prince of Theophilus do such a thing?
In the past, only betrothed or married couples, unless they were related, were supposed to give each other things to wear.
Of course, Albert and I did not have such a relationship.
In the first place, in order to make a dress, you need to have very detailed size information…
The maidservant must have sensed that I was wondering about the dress, and she said in an attempt to clear my curiosity.
“I must not. I shouldn’t have told the Princess what I just said. I beg you to forget it.”
As she said this, she had the expression of a mischievous cat.
I stopped to think and instructed the maid.
“I am grateful to you, but the size of my dress has changed a lot in the past year, so you need to get a good seamstress.”
I never thought I’d be calling a seamstress again, but life never knows what it’s like to be a seamstress.
***