Chapter 2

An older woman runs in behind the king, she's clad in a bright blue and pink dress that has too many ribbons in front off, hair packed into a bun that looks way too tight.

Her eyes locks on Belle and she looks.…disappointed?

“I'm sorry my Prince!” The woman bows so low, Belle can almost imagine how bad her back hurts at night.

“This is Isabella, the new maid.” She glances at her. “She was supposed to set your bath this morning..”

Her ears ring. Maid?

No, no, that couldn't be right.

She was Belle Layton, heir to the Layton cosmetic line… How did she end up here?

As a maid?!

Her stomach dropped.

No, that's not possible...

The young man still looks pissed. “And you thought it fit to send a new maid to serve me?” His eyes narrow as he turns to glance at the older women.

He glances back at Belle, eyes sweeping over her frame again. She looks wet, disheveled, golden hair falling into her eyes.

Her clothes… well the 'maids uniform' was now soaked to the core, clinging to her pale smooth skin that looked like she had never done a chore in her life. Her big brown eyes wide and confused, glancing between he and the lady like a confused puppy.

She didn't even bow.

“My mistake, my lord.” The woman says quickly, rushing to grab Belle's wrist. “I'll have the water drained out and have a new bath prepared for you. Please forgive us."

She tries to pull Belle away, but she's reluctant to leave the bath. She needs to go back to her world… she can't just stay here as a maid!?!

Since came in through this bath, maybe she could find a way out too, she just needed a few minutes to understand what is going on.

The royal or whoever he was, could surely wait a few minutes, couldn't he?

The Prince, noticing her resistance to leave, begins to release his pheromones in waves. It smelled angry and strong, too harsh and she begins to cough.

Her heart slams hard against her chest at the realization..

The Prince is an Alpha?

Her eyes widens. Just where the fuck is she?

“Please don't be angered, my lord.” The woman tries again, leading Belle out of the tub, and this time Belle doesn't object, letting herself be pulled out quickly as the Prince's pheromones made her restless.

“W-we're leaving now.” The older maid adds with another bow, seemingly a little used to the smell of the Prince's wrath.

They've barely even walked past him, when his hand shoots out and grabs Belle's wrist.

She freezes, startled from the contact, her breathing coming out in uneven gasps.

The man's grip is like iron, skin hot to touch. And when their eyes met again, it felt like she could melt in his icy green eyes.

He doesn't look away either, like he's trying to figure something out about her, eyes slowly dropping down her wet frame, from her neck down to her thighs, long enough that she starts to feel self conscious.

She's not an ugly woman by any means. She has sandy blonde long hair, and brown eyes, her smooth face a result of years and years of testing her father's products.

But right now she really can't decipher if the prince is staring because he likes what he sees, or because he hates it..

Get it together, Belle! She quickly scolds herself.

The older maid's cough seemingly slices through... whatever that was, and suddenly they're both brought back to reality.

The Alpha pulls his hand away, fingers lingering on her wrist warmly. Thankfully, the other maid doesn't notice it. 

“You better learn quickly,” he says, voice a low growl, eyes still pinned on her. “Or I will make sure you regret ever stepping foot into this palace.”

“S-she understands, my Lord.” the woman answers quickly for her.

She pinches Belle's arm, so she does the same, bowing clumsily. “Y-es... I mean, I understand, my lord.”

My Lord? It sounded ridiculous even to her own ears.

The Prince still doesn't look appeased, but the sound of footsteps shatters the awkward tension in an instant. A young man clad in a dark blue hanbok walks in holding a scroll.

His eyes narrow when he sees Belle soaked to the core standing so closely to the Prince, while the other maid panics.

The man not so subtly glances at the duo women condescendingly, and Belle can instantly tell he's an arrogant prick.

“Umm” the chamberlain starts and clears his throat, “I have a message from the queen. Should I read it out loud, My Lord?”

The prince's pheromones has quieted now, but his presence is still imposing.

He nods, glancing at the chamberlain with sharp eyes.

“The queen requests to see you in the court in an hour,” the man announces quickly, “She says guests for the mate choosing ceremony would soon begin to arrive and your presence is absolutely mandatory."

The prince's expression instantly turns sour. Belle sees it and is confused; isn't he supposed to be happy about finding a mate?

The middle-aged woman however, uses that temporary distraction to drag Belle away from the imposing presence of the Prince, leading her toward a very long hallway.

It's marble walls are beautiful, the walls lined with torchlights that flickers softly, and tapestries that reveal hunts and battles along the walls. The air smells faintly of sweet burning oil and herbs.

It is all beautiful, she can't help but stare in awe.

But immediately they're away from the prince, the older woman's hands shoot up to her ears, pinching and pulling it harshly.

“O-ouch.” she moans, trying to claw off the woman's surprisingly harsh grip.

The woman mutters several curses, calling Belle a stubborn child.

Her head is swirling, trying to process all these new information, but what she manages to grasp is that her name is Isabella, and it's definitely not the first time she's gotten in trouble like this.

“I'm s-sorry,” she mumbles breathlessly. “Please let go of my ear?”

The apology makes the woman let go, surprised as she takes in Belle/ Isabella, again.

“Are you okay? Did you hit your head on the marble?” She looks genuinely concerned, and Belle almost bursts out laughing.

Isabella must've been a very…. interesting young woman.

“I'm fine ma’am.” that earns an even puzzling look from the older woman. “thank you for helping me out.”

She still looks worried, and is about to say something, but before she can get another word out, a group of four maids pass by. They're all clad in the same outfit... a pink and purple dress that has ribbons in front.

Their eyes fleet between both women, Belle is still dripping wet.

"Miss Stella," one of them begins, Belle finally finds out the name of the woman who saved her. "The queens asks for your presence immediately. She needs to make sure all the room for the guests are properly ready."

Miss Stella is skeptical about leaving Belle alone. She sighs and glances around the group of women, picking the youngest one.

"Please guide Isabella back to my quarters, give her a a change of clothes and a few chores but nothing too serious."

Then she glances at Belle; "And for the love of God Isabella, please don't pull anymore stunts this time!"

The group leaves before she can get a breath out, leaving her alone with this young maid that looks like she's planning to make her life hell already.

She exhales shakily as the second maiden continues to lead her down the beautiful hallway, muttering something under her breath.

She can't tell why yet, but she knows something terrible is about to go down soon.