Ch-1

PRISIONERA ROYAL PALACE

"Keep your posture straight!"

"Your eyes must look ahead, always look forward!"

"Take a deep breath, you must not appear too clumsy!"

"Raise your shoulders!"

"Put your hands in your front!"

"Walk slowly and gracefully!" 

"Eat less to maintain your body shape and sleep more to maintain your beautiful face!" 

"Hold your head high; you must not look down, except for those of higher rank than you."

"Uhh... It does not matter if I make fun of these rules. She will be going to force me to follow them. These standard operating procedures give me a headache. I have the strong desire to leap off this house."

"Princess Sabrina, take a deep breath and calm down! She might be able to hear you at any moment." Rosie, her maid, was apprehensive.

"Allow her to hear what I'm saying. I don't want to be shackled to her illogical orders about how to become a perfect princess." Sabrina yanked on her hairband, causing her hair bun to fall out of place.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Rosie went over to the door to open it, only to be greeted by the Duchess. She welcomed the Duchess into the room by opening the door wide and saying, "Princess, her highness has come to see you."

Sabrina jumped out of bed and walked over to her vanity, where she seated herself in a straight pose, and took a comb running through her hair as if to demonstrate that she was preserving her appearance.

"Sabrina, my sweetheart. I can tell you have made significant progress. Practice makes perfect! However, you must be aware of the importance of maintaining your daily routine. You are supposed to be taking a bath now, but you are spending your time brushing your hair instead?" Duchess Serena spoke in a soft and gentle tone which sounded even more awkward.

"I sincerely hope for apologies. I will definitely be more cautious the next time." Princess Sabrina said with her head held high.

"Servants?" Four maids appeared as soon as she summoned them "Please make sure her hair is tied back. And prepare the bath and lead her into it."

Rosie walked forward and combed the princess's hair, which she then put up into a hair bun.

The other maids appeared suddenly and informed, "Your highness, the bath is ready for the princess."

"That's great. Sabrina, don't forget that after bathing, you will need to come down for lunch and then go to the library to finish your work. I'm going to leave it at this time." The Duchess turned away from her and walked out the front door.

"Rosie, why am I compelled to live in this manner?" Sabrina clenched the hem of her gown.

"Princess, despite the fact that I have been working in this palace for five years on your behalf, I am baffled as to why the Duchess is being so cruel to you." Rosie felt sorry for her. 

"I am very interested in seeing what it is like to be limitless and self-sufficient." Princess Sabrina pushed herself to her feet and walked over to the window "When I think of freedom, I think of how can I smell the fragrance of freedom, I think of the feeling of breaking every law and rule that binds me and I think of having adventures that take me away from my comfort zone…."

After a short pause, she sighed heavily and continued, "If only someone could just give me the opportunity to live my life without restriction, I would be extremely grateful to them if they exist."

"I hope your wish comes true at some point in the future." Rosie, her maid, consoled her while she was in a state of despair.

"Thank you so much, Rosie. It is just because you are the only one here with whom I can talk about everything." After a long sigh, Princess Sabrina said, "Anyway, let's go take a bath before the Duchess comes back to beat around the bush." 

"Of course, princess." Rosie and the other maids, as well as Princess Sabrina, made their way to the bathing chamber.

The scent of sandalwood and roses filled her nose as the princess stepped into the chamber and the lukewarm water filled the tub almost to the top of the filling line.

Princess Sabrina was undressed with the assistance of the maids. When she stepped into the bathing tub, her body was soaked in water that had been scented with sandalwood and infused with several rose petals.

With her arms kept to either side of her, over the edge of the tub, princess Sabrina relaxed her shoulders and body.

Two of the maids rinsed her arms while Rosie washed her shoulders slowly giving a relaxing massage to the princess.

"Can someone please pull the curtains over there?" Princess Sabrina said, gesturing towards the front glass window. "I would like to sleep for a while."

One of the maids, who was standing at the entrance to the chamber walked over and closed the curtains, after saying to the princess, "sure my lady."

Since there was no other light source in the bathing room, it was pitch black; "I will light some candles," The maid rushed over and lit the candles that were arranged around the tub.

"Thank you very much to everyone. It is possible that I will fall asleep. Please wake me up later when it's time for lunch." The Princess drew her eyes closed.

"Yes, my lady!" Rosie was the one who responded. 

She fell asleep. 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

"It is past time for you to get up, my lady. If you sit in the tub for an extended period of time, I'm afraid you will catch a cold." Rosie attempted to rouse the sleeping princess.

"How long did I sleep?" she wondered as her eyes fluttered open and she struggled to stand up because her back was numb.

"It was half an hour, my lady." Rosie replied in kind.

"At the very least, I was able to take a short break to have a good sleep. Can you assist me in getting back on my feet?" The princess flashed a grin.

Rosie supported the princess Sabrina's arm and assisted her in getting to her feet again. The other maid arrived with a body towel, which she wrapped around the princess's waist and shoulders covering her body.

They escorted the princess out of the bathing chamber and assisted her in putting on a new attire for lunch.

She remained still in front of the mirror as Rosie combed her hair and the other maids added essential oils to her face and other parts of her body.

"It seems odd to me that even though I have my hands and legs, I still need maids, servants, and guards to be around me in order to perform the tasks that I might perform on my own." Princess talked while looking in the mirror at herself in the mirror.

"It is a law that applies to royal families. There is nothing wrong with you, princess. However, in order to live peacefully in this place, you must abide by the laws. I wish I could do more to support you, but I'm not in a position to do so." Rosie sighed. 

"Let it go," the princess sighed as well.

The other maids brought her clothes. Princess had to wear a corset and a pale turquoise gown for lunch. Rosie braided her hair in an elegant manner for her.