Pregnant For The Royal Prince

TO say she was flabbergasted was an understatement, she was more than flabbergasted, surprised and shocked.

Huh? Work with her? Like the Prince gonna pick up the secateur, and begin trimming flowers, or pick up the water hose and begin watering the flowers?

Does he really know what he is saying? She looked at him with her eyes widened. He gave a nod, winking.

Her mouth was agape as well, no words came out of it as she stood mute, staring at the young man in front of her.

“My Prince, are you for real? Like do you really know what you are saying?” She finally found her voice.

“Rina,” he called, “have you heard, read or seen anywhere where it’s written that princes don’t work? Have you?” His brows furrowed as he asked.

“Oops”, she mouthed.

“I… have not Maharana”, she shook her head.

“Good, so let’s get going”, he made to leave.

Rina dallied behind, hesitating to follow. Like this guy was really serious? He wants to work with her like… for real.

He suddenly stopped, having noticed she wasn’t going with him, turning to her.

“What are you doing there standing? Come along”, he motioned.

She exhaled deeply, dropping her shoulders.

“My Prince, I really do appreciate your help, but please I beg to refuse, I…”, she paused, looking away from him.

“Go on, speak”, he demanded.

She looked up at him.

“I am scared.”

He scoffed.

“Scared? Of what?”

“Maharana, I am scared of what people are gonna say, I am just scared, please let me work alone, please”, she rubbed her palms together, pleading.

Awwn, Raghav smiled. She looks more beautiful and sweet when pleading.

“Rina, come with me”, he said walking away.

Rina had no other option, this was the Prince giving an order, she just had to follow. She followed him.

They began walking down the hallway towards the door which Tanu said led downstairs.

Rina swallowed hard, she couldn’t believe she was walking down the hallway with the Prince, it felt like she was walking down the aisle, hmm.

She pinched herself, chuckling.

‘You must be crazy Rina’, she said.

“Were you the only one Prag asked to attend to the flowers?” Raghav suddenly asked.

She flinched, jeez, even his voice sends cold shivers down her spine.

“Um… no my Prince, I mean yes… oh gosh!” She hit her forehead with her right hand.

“I actually don’t know my Prince, I am ignorant of that,” she said.

“Huh?” He stopped, and she stopped too, surprised.

“What do you mean? You weren’t teamed up with anyone?” He asked, and she shook her head.

“You are not a lizard Rina, speak”, he ordered.

“Oh sorry, no. I mean… I don’t know if I was teamed up with anybody”, she stuttered.

He turned and continued walking, Rina followed. Why would Prag not team her up with anyone? For Christ’s sake, does she want to kill her for him?

Uhh, he’s gonna talk to her, he is really going to, what nonsense.

They finally got to the door and Raghav turned on the knob, and waited for her to walk past first, then he followed.

Rina swallowed hard, what was that for? Infact, what’s all this show of concern of the Prince towards her for? Gosh, this was getting her dazed.

They took the stairs and soon, they got to the balcony down, guards freely patrolled about, all bowing as soon as Raghav walk past them.

Rina didn’t have to do any questioning anymore, Raghav was now on the lead and she just followed suit.

From the balcony, they got outside and headed towards the tool store.

*

*

*

Vidya walked up to the almond tree lackadaisically, Roshni followed behind, her eyes fixed on her phone.

Vidya got to the bench under the tree and flopped down on the seat, Roshni turned to her, removing her gaze from her phone.

She studied her eyes, face and countenance, all wasn’t well with her, she had seen it.

“What is wrong Vidya? Why are you looking so dull today?” Roshni asked, sitting beside her.

Vidya sighed, scratching the back of her head. She said nothing, she was mute.

“Talk girl, I’m listening”, she pressed on.

Alright, how was she gonna tell her the problem was because the Queen hasn’t still invited her over to the palace as she has said she would?

After all the boasting she had done? She sighed, wincing.

“You still aren’t saying anything Vidya”, Roshni kept nudging her. She had to speak up this time.

“Roshni, it’s been weeks now, if not going to a month since the Prince returned, and the Queen is still yet to send me an invite to the palace as she said she would”, she cried out.

Roshni sighed.

“Is that the reason you’re looking downcast?”

“Why shouldn’t I? I need this invitation like now… now.”

Roshni sighed, looking away.

“You know I heard something recently”, she said.

Vidya turned to her.

“You heard what?” She asked.

“Rina now works as a maid in the palace”, she said.

“Rina? Which Rina?” She asked, pulling up a disgusted face.

“Rina, the same Rina we know”.

“What!” She stood up.

“You mean Rina Doween, working as a palace maid? Oh jeez”, her right hand went to her head.

“So I heard.”

Holy moly! Vidya could not believe it, how come Rina, now working in the palace? When she thought she had finally put this girl in her place? When she thought she had done her worst to her. Gosh!

“So she would get to see the Prince before me? Holy crap!” She cussed, fisting her right hand.

“I didn’t say that, besides I really don’t know how true this information is, we just need to find out”.

She turned to her.

“Oh, you are not even too sure”.

“I am, it’s just to confirm it, and then if it’s really true, you have to do something to remind the Queen of the invite”, she explained.

Vidya nodded.

“I see”.

Roshni looked away, she sighed in relief.

“That’s Zaina coming towards us, I think we should ask her, or what do you think?” She asked.

Vidya followed her gaze and saw Zaina coming towards them, she was looking into a book in her hands and walking slowly, like she was counting her steps.

“Can we really ask her? Don’t forget what we did”, Vidya said in disbelief.

“Oh please, she is the only person in a position to give us the info we need, besides, Rina must have gotten to that palace through her, who knows?” She nudged her.

Vidya breathed in and exhaled deeply, as she waited for Zaina to come up to them, bracing up.

“Hi Zaina”, she was the first to greet as Zaina got to them.

Zaina stopped and looked up from her book, she turned to her intruder.

Vidya smiled. Hmm, she scoffed. Masked beautiful smile, covered in wickedness and treachery.

She didn’t reply, she just looked her from head to toe, glaring, turned to her friend who stood close by, then began walking away.

“Um Zaina, please I have something to ask you”, she called her back.

Zaina stopped again and turned to her.

“What is it Vidya?” She finally let out her anger.

Vidya sighed.

“Um please, is it true Rina our… our f… friend now works in the palace? Is it true?”

Oh jeez, what nonsense! So this girl really has the guts she’s got to stop her and question her about the friend she betrayed.

She still didn’t respond, she only looked her over, then walked out on them.

Jeez, they both flinched. How dare she walk out on them?

“I will figure out something to do about this”, Vidya blurted and walked away, Roshni got up and followed.

*

*

*

Raghav, showing the way, walked to the tool store and Rina followed. They got there and stopped.

“This is the tool store Rina”, Raghav said looking at her.

Rina mouthed an ‘oh’, and looked at the small edifice before her. It didn’t even look like a tool store, it looked like another smaller palace.

It was a small building, built just like a residential house.

“You can go in and get what you want”, he said.

“The door?” She asked, pointing at the door.

“It’s open, it’s always open during the day”, he said.

Jeez, just look at the way he is now doing someone else’s job, explaining to Rina.

Rina nodded and went in. In there was a lot of working tools, she gasped. She took out a secateur then searched for a water hose, she saw none.

Looking agitated, she came out of the building, but huh! The Prince was nowhere to be found.

‘Where the hell has he gone to now?’, Rina said, looking round. They were just maids going about their various duties.

She shrugged and decided to go trim the flowers first, then after that, she would go meet Prag to ask for the hose.

Thank goodness, she knows her way round here now. She nodded.

She found her way to the sit-out and jeez, there was Raghav sitting under the tent and waiting for her.

Oops, she thought he had already left.

“Oh, there you are Maharana”, she said on getting to the tent. Thank goodness, the tent was empty that morning, it was just the Prince.

He looked at her, staring for a while and making her feel uncomfortable. She withdrew her eyes from him, looking away.

Oh jeez, was she really feeling butterflies in her stomach? Holy crap!ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“You got the tools?” He asked, getting up.

“Yeah, but it was just the secateur, I couldn’t find any hose”.

“The hose is always lying beside the tap, you just can’t find it there”, he said.

“You brought just a secateur?”

“Huh? I am the only one to use it”, she said, flickering her eyelids.

He sighed.

“You thought I was joking when I said I will work with you?”

Huh? She didn’t even know what to reply, she just kept mute.

“Come with me”, he said and they both walked to the flowers, it was just beside the tent.

Rina studied the flowers properly, it was an hibiscus plant, planted close to the high fence.

“Do you know how to use this?” He asked, taking the secateur from her.

She laughed.

“Sure, I have used this countless times”.

“At where?”

“Huh?… um, I’m sorry… I”, she stuttered.

“Enough, now to business”.

Before she could say ‘Jack Robinson’, he had already begun trimming the overgrown flowers.

What, yes, the prince was working. Jeez, she flinched and looked round, the maids around were sure watching, what was going on?

“You don’t just stand there”, he said, “begin gathering up the leaves on the floor”, he said still trimming.

Jeez, she slowly put on her garden gloves, then began gathering up the leaves and putting them in a waste basket she saw close by.

They had worked for like thirty minutes when suddenly, they heard a sharp voice behind them.

“What the hell is going on here?” The voice asked and they both turned.

And holy moly! It was the Queen!