It was another lengthy walk through the palace, where servants were rushing about to make sure everything was perfect for the royal family. He thought most of them looked to be well fed and happy. He hoped that meant the royal family treated them well. It couldn’t be easy working in the palace.
The guard delivered Hugo to a sunny room where the queen sat at a small table with a handsome man. He had salt-and-pepper hair and a neat beard that lined his jaw.The king!This had to be the king. It wasn’t enough that he was speaking to Queen Lilianna, but he was seeing King Hubert as well. And like this? His appearance was a disgrace. It wasn’t fair. A once-in-a-lifetime event, and he had to see both of them when he was an utter disaster. Couldn’t the guard have been kind enough to allow him to splash some water on his face and run a comb through his hair?
Ugh. It was probably best he looked a fright. It might convince the queen to have pity on him and spare his life.
The king glanced at him. The left corner of his mouth quirked in a half smile, and he leaned close to his wife as he rose from his seat.
“Is this your newest project?” he murmured low in her ear.
“Mm-hmm.”
King Hubert pressed a kiss to his wife’s cheek and whispered something. Hugo thought the king had said, “Be nice,” and Hugo hoped he was right.
Hugo and the guards bowed to the king and queen. The king said nothing to them but exited through another door at the rear of the room.
After the door shut behind them, Hugo dropped to his knees and hung his head. It was on the tip of his tongue to confess that he hadn’t spun the straw at all. He had no wish to live with this lie over his head, but he couldn’t. The queen would have him executed and possibly the rest of his family. She might even go after the strange man who had helped him. No, Hugo had to protect his family and the magical stranger.
“Mr. Baker, I’m very impressed,” the queen stated.
“I only wish to please Your Majesty,” Hugo said. He lifted his eyes just enough to see her inspecting the contents of the basket the guard had brought close.
“I am very pleased. I will also keep up my end of the bargain. You will stay and have a lovely lunch with Prince Everand.”
Hugo’s head immediately popped up, and his heart tried to launch itself into his throat. Hadn’t he seen enough of the royal family? While the idea was tempting, he didn’t wish for yet another opportunity to make a fool of himself.
“Really, Your Majesty, there’s no need. I wouldn’t wish to trouble His Highness. He undoubtedly has far more important things to do and people to spend his valuable time with. Being able to see the inside of the palace is an experience I will treasure all my life. I’m more than content simply to return home to my family. My mother and brothers are likely worried that I’ve bored you to tears.”
A long silence followed his rambling, and Hugo peeked up at the queen to find her staring at him with the most confusing expression on her face. It was clear she was considering something very hard, but Hugo couldn’t guess what it was. Probably nothing good. He prayed she wouldn’t lock him in another room filled with even more straw.
After a couple of seconds, she seemed to come to a decision. She nodded and picked up a tiny bell resting on her left and rang it once. That silvery note was still hanging in the air when a young lady in a neat uniform and gold-blond hair tied up in an intricate knot appeared at the queen’s elbow.
“Mr. Baker will be having lunch with my son. Please take him to one of the guest rooms so he can clean up and have him fitted for a proper suit. A bit of breakfast as well. Send Carter to rouse Everand from bed. Don’t let him be late.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the maid murmured, dipping into a quick curtsy.
The maid moved to stand in front of Hugo with a soft smile. The guards who had surrounded him retreated, shifting from viewing him as a prisoner to their usual role of protecting the queen. Hugo swallowed hard and rose to his feet. There was no point in trying to argue any further. The queen had declared he would have lunch with the prince, so that was what was going to happen. Might as well make the best of it.
The maid didn’t say a word as she led him through the palace and up to an exquisite room on the third floor that was painted a soft plum with white accents. A large, canopied bed dominated the room. Beautiful paintings hung on the walls, and golden sunlight poured through the sheer white drapes.
“Would you like me to send up a valet to assist you?” the maid inquired.
“Oh, no! That’s unnecessary. I wouldn’t want to cause you or anyone else extra work. I’m sure the royal family keeps you quite busy all day.”
The young woman’s expression warmed to something that felt more genuine, and she walked into another room. Hugo followed and peeked inside to find it was a bathroom tiled in a mix of plum and white. The maid started the bath, testing itto get the water temperature just right before pouring in some scented oils.
She moved into the bedroom, and Hugo backpedaled, darting out of her way. “Mr. Booth is the head tailor. He’ll be up with an assistant shortly to take your measurements for a new suit. Lunch will be served in about four hours, but I’ll have a light repast sent up to hold you over. Your new suit will be delivered about an hour prior to lunch, and someone will escort you to where the prince prefers to dine.”
“Can a suit really be made in three hours? I hate to make Mr. Booth and his team go to such trouble for me.” Hugo wrung his hands and lowered his voice. “Couldn’t we tidy up my suit so that I’m presentable?”
The maid’s eyes traveled down to his scuffed shoes and back up again. Her lips trembled, and her eyes danced with ill-concealed mirth. Yeah, he wasn’t close to being presentable enough.
“Mr. Baker, the queen has commanded that you are to have a new suit, and that is what you will have,” the maid replied. Hugo tried to smile and be grateful, but it wasn’t easy. All this was based on deception and lies. He was glad he wasn’t being decapitated, but he didn’t feel like he should be rewarded.
The maid leaned closer and whispered. “Don’t worry. Mr. Booth will probably use one of the many suits the prince has rejected. You’re very close in height and stature. It would be nothing to fix it for you. Besides, Mr. Booth has tailoring magic. He can whip up a new suit in an hour with barely more than a wave of his hand. Don’t let it fuss you.”
Relief rippled through Hugo. A second-hand suit was more tolerable. Especially if it almost belonged to the prince. “Oh, well. That’s not so bad.”
“And if you want to take a nap after your bath, there’s plenty of time. I don’t mind cleaning up after you.”
