Chapter 4 THE KING KNEELS

ANGELA'S POV 

I didn't need to be told twice. I turned around, slipped out of the room, and began walking quickly down the dark stone hallway.

As I hurried back toward the servants' quarters, my mind was spinning. 

How am I going to do this? How do you seduce a guy without saying a word? Do I give him bedroom eyes while wiping down the tables? Do I accidentally drop my apron?

I was so deeply lost in thought that I completely stopped paying attention to where my feet were taking me. The hallways began to look different. The cold stone gave way to beautiful, open arches, and suddenly, the chilly night air hit my face.

I blinked and looked around. I was standing in a massive, breathtaking backyard garden. The air smelled intensely sweet, filled with rows of vibrant, glowing flowers. 

I saw something…like a shadow and turned around but saw no one.Then, my eyes caught a large, polished wooden sign planted near the entrance path. 

I couldn't read the strange handwriting, but there was a giant golden imperial crest stamped on it.

“Oh, crap,” I realized, my stomach dropping. “This isn't the servants' area. This is a royal garden!”

Panic flared in my chest. If the guards caught me here, the King wouldn't even wait for his stepmother's thirty-day deadline, he’d slice my throat right now.

I spun around on my heel and bolted down the path, practically running back toward the castle walls. "Seriously, how big is this damn palace?" I muttered in my head, panting heavily as I turned corner after corner. "They need to install Google Maps in this place!"

By the time I finally found my tiny, cramped servant room, my legs were shaking from exhaustion.

I didn't even bother taking off my scratchy gray shoes. I collapsed face-first onto the hard mattress and fell into a deep sleep the exact second my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, the sun hadn't even fully risen before the head maid kicked my door open and dragged me out to clean the Princess’s chambers.

A few hours later, the heavy wooden doors of the chamber swung open with a loud thud.

Emperor Alexander IX, apparently that is his name. I heard it from the maids, he walked into the room.

He looked as intimidating as ever, his long black cloak sweeping behind him as his heavy leather boots clicked against the floor.

“It's showtime, I thought, my heart skipping a beat.

It was time to launch Persona Number 1: The Tragic Pity Girl.

As the King walked past the large velvet couch where I was dusting, I deliberately let my white cleaning cloth slip from my fingers. It fluttered through the air and landed right at the tips of his polished leather boots.

The maids all curtsied in unison, “Your 

Majesty”.

With a soft, dramatic gasp, I fell directly to my knees in front of him. I gathered the cloth against my chest, squeezed my eyes shut to force a sudden rush of blood to my cheeks, and then slowly looked up at him. 

I made my eyes wide, tearful, and completely helpless, trembling like a frightened, innocent little lamb.

Alexander stopped walking. The entire room went dead silent.

He slowly lowered his gaze, his icy eyes locking onto mine. For a long, agonizing moment, he just stared down at me, his sharp jaw tight.

Because I couldn't speak, he couldn't ask me what I wanted. Instead, he slowly bent down completely, dropping his massive frame until he was kneeling right in front of me, stepping deep into my personal space.

I made the King kneel down? That's progress. I knew I could make anyone kneel and bow for me if I wanted to. I mean I am a whole freaking CEO, a self made CEO.

Before I could even blink, his large, warm hands reached out and grabbed my small wrists tightly, pinning them down to stop my fake trembling. 

He leaned his face in so incredibly close that his breath fanned across my skin, his lips almost brushing against my ear.

He stayed there, completely frozen, his 

dark eyes staring deeply and intensely at my mouth. He was trying to lip-read my silent breaths, but his own breathing was suddenly becoming heavy and uneven.

My heart began hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird, and a hot, electric wave of panic shot through my entire body.

Alexander stayed frozen, his face inches from mine. The silence in the room was so heavy you could hear the crackle of the fireplace across the room.

"What is this?" Alexander asked, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated right through my chest. His grip on my wrists tightened just a fraction, not hurting me, but making sure I couldn't pull away. 

"Are you trembling because you are guilty, Seraphina? Or are you just trying to play the victim?"

I looked up at him, keeping my eyes wide and watery, but internally, I was sneering. 

Seraphina? Please. If you knew who I actually was, you'd be begging for a selfie, you giant medieval bully. Let go of my hands before I sue you for everything you own!

"Father?" Lily's sweet voice suddenly cut through the tension. She peeked over the edge of the large velvet couch, holding her teddy bear. "Why are you holding her hands? Is she in trouble again?"

Alexander didn't break eye contact with me, but his voice softened slightly when he answered his daughter. "No, Lily. I am just making sure your new maid knows how to do her job properly without dropping things at my feet."

He leaned in even closer, his shadow completely blocking out the rest of the room. His sharp nose almost brushed against my cheek, and his eyes dropped back down to my lips, tracking the frantic way I was breathing. He was trying so hard to read my movements, his chest rising and falling in heavy, uneven patterns.

"Speak to me," he commanded in a rough whisper, his face so close his lips almost touched my ear. "Move your mouth or get out of my sight."

My heart was slamming against my ribs like a crazy thing. “Back up, space invader!” my mind screamed in pure shock. 

You are way too close! This is completely breaching my personal bubble! I don't care if you have a six-pack and a crown, give me some room to breathe!

I forced out a tiny, pathetic silent gasp, letting my head drop weakly against his shoulder for a split second, acting like the pressure was just too much for a poor, fragile maid to handle.

Alexander stiffened completely, his breath catching in his throat. He let go of my wrists so fast it was like he had just touched hot stove metal. He stood up straight, his face suddenly flushing a dark red, though his expression remained hard as stone.

"Clean up this mess and go back to your duties," he barked, turning around so quickly his heavy velvet cloak whipped through the air. "Lily, I will see you at dinner."

He practically marched out of the room, his heavy boots slamming against the floorboards.

As soon as the heavy wooden doors clicked shut, I dropped the fake watery eyes, sat back on my heels, and wiped my face with the back of my sleeve.

"Yeah, you better run, your majesty," I muttered in my head, a smug, bratty grin spreading across my face. 

One day down, twenty-nine to go. You're already completely flustered. This seduction game is going to be a piece of cake.