I do not think my breath was the only one that hitched. From the far end of the table, I felt Tyra's breath falter. She stared at the King with wide eyes, then shifted her gaze to his father.
"Your Highness…" she began, but the King's father lifted his hand, silencing her.
"And do you have someone in mind, instead of Tyra?"
I saw Tyra's fingers tighten around her fork. An uncomfortable silence stretched across the table, yet the King kept his eyes on me, steady and intense enough to make my toes curl. I had no idea how my hands remained steady around the tray.
"Well… I…"
Before he could finish, Tyra suddenly noticed me.
"Tea," she said quickly, gesturing toward the tray. "Please, Your Highness, have some tea."
I stepped forward to serve them, but she reached out and snatched the tray from my hands before I could move.
Huh?
Was she trying to draw his attention?
"Please," she said with a sweet smile after serving them, then returned to her seat.
Despite the King clearly having no intention of marrying her, she sat there composed. She was either incredibly bold or terribly foolish. If we were in the future, I would have shaken her and told her the truth.
The King wanted to choose his own wife at the ball.
Wait… a ball? In a month?
My heart leapt.
Would I really attend a royal ball? A real one? For the first time in my life? My eyes sparkled as I imagined elegant gowns, glittering jewels, and gentlemen in fine suits.
Then my excitement faded.
If I found a way back home, I would not even be here that long. And besides, I was only a maid.
Maids did not attend balls.
"The ball will be your engagement with Tyra," the King's father declared firmly.
"Marcus, I choose my own wife," King Harry shot back.
My eyes widened.
Did he just call his father by his name?
"Nonsense," his father snapped. "You have been wasting time for years. Why should I believe a single word you say?"
Lady Tyra stared down at her uneaten chicken, biting her lower lip hard. No — that was not chicken. It was far larger, probably a pheasant. Beside it sat a small dish of rich gravy, and the sight of all that food made my stomach rumble loudly.
Damn. I have not eaten anything since I arrived here.
Lady Tyra spoke quietly to the King's father about promising to take care of the King, but I barely listened. My eyes stayed glued to the table, and I caught myself licking my lips until his voice boomed again.
"You will marry Tyra or no one else. And don't you dare disappoint me," Marcus snapped, shoving his chair back and rising to his feet.
"I shall escort you, Your Highness," Lady Tyra said quickly, standing as well.
Marcus shot King Harry one last hard look before storming out of the hall. Tyra followed behind him, her maidens trailing closely after her.
For a moment, I glanced back at the food and swallowed hard. I was certain the maidens' meal would be nothing but plain porridge. Still, I forced my gaze away. I should leave too. It had already been a long day, and someone like me would never dare touch such fine food.
That was simply the world I was in.
"Sit."
The King's voice cut through the silence.
I looked up at him in surprise. His eyes were narrowed, and he pointed to the empty seat beside me — the very chair his father had just left.
"My King, I cannot possibly....."
His expression darkened, and I swallowed before slowly taking the seat.
Once seated, I clasped my hands together tightly and stubbornly avoided looking at the fresh fruits and steaming dishes in front of me.
"Isabel," he drawled.
"Yes, your majesty."
I turned toward him and managed a small smile — and of course, that was when my traitor of a stomach chose to growl loudly.
Heat rushed to my face. I slapped a hand over my belly and laughed nervously.
"Nothing to worry about, Boss."
His brow lifted. "You are calling me Boss again?"
Oh here we go.
"Forgive me," I said quickly. "I mean… Your Majesty."
He studied me for a heartbeat and then,
"Eat."
I blinked. It did not even sound like he was merely telling me to eat — it sounded like an order.
"Your Majesty… I…"
"Eat, Isabel."
"I dare not. How can I… a lowly..."
Who was I fooling? He did not even have to urge me again.
I reached across the table for the pheasant where Lady Tyra had been seated, pulled it toward me, and tore out a leg. I dipped it into the gravy and bit off a huge portion.
"Hmmm," I murmured, leaning back and closing my eyes.
The flavor exploded on my tongue. I had never tasted anything this good in my entire life - not even McDonald's chicken came close.
"SOOO GOOOOD!"
Completely forgetting the King beside me, I took another bite, savoring the peppered gravy dripping down my fingers. Every part of the meat tasted perfectly seasoned.
Heaven. Absolute heaven.
My eyes drifted to a silver bottle of wine beside the King. I glanced at him and he gave a small nod, his face straight and blank.
"You should eat too," I said around a mouthful of food.
I grabbed the bottle and poured myself a glass, ignoring the tea entirely. Tea was for babies — wine was the real deal.
The moment it touched my lips, my eyes widened in shock.
Oh my... what is this taste?
I stared at the glass. I was certain nothing like this existed in my century. I lifted the bottle again for another sip, forgetting the pheasant in my other hand.
But the King moved faster, taking the bottle from me.
"No more wine," he said, shaking his head.
"Please."
"No."
My mouth instantly pouted. I turned back to my meat in annoyance, though my eyes kept darting toward the wine.
After finishing half of the pheasant, I began popping slices of apple into my mouth one after another.
"Where does all that food even go?"
The King spoke at last, lips curving slightly as he watched me.
For the first time, I could actually read his expression. He looked intrigued-almost relieved, like some invisible weight had lifted from him, even though he still had not fully smiled.
I flashed him a wide grin.
Moments after, I walked away from the dining hall with a full stomach. The King had dismissed me for the day.
I walked back to the quarters. The sun had already set, and soon the stars would kiss the sky. For once I didn't think of home, maybe because I hadn't had a proper meal in a while. Even when I was working as Harry Hulk's secretary, I only had time for coffee and takeout. Today felt good.
Getting to the maidens' quarters, I spotted Matilda talking to a younger maiden. On seeing me, she dismissed the girl and walked over.
"How was your first day?"
"The King isn't so bad," I grinned.
"Well, I'm glad," she smiled. "Oh, come with me, I have your food ready. You must be hungry."
I laughed, waving my hand and rubbing my belly. "I ate already."
She blinked at me. "You ate?"
"Yup." I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "The King gave me food at the big dining hall."
Leaning back, I watched her eyes widen.
"The King did that?"
She looked shocked and I wondered why, then I quickly added, "Must be the benefit of being his personal maid."
"Isabel, you mustn't get close to the King or the royals, we are not of their class," she said.
A frown creased my face. Whatever did that mean? Even so, aren't we humans too? Why should we be different?
She must have read the confusion on my face and sighed. "Listen, Isabel, being close could put you in danger," she said firmly.
All I could do was blink at her.
"Rest early, Isabel," she bid me goodbye and I walked back to my room.
Now seated, I thought of what she said. Truly, a maid had no business with the royals, especially since they still took me for a spy. But then again, I was hungry.
"Whatever," I shrugged, climbing into bed and smiling while rubbing my stomach. "I ate the world's best food… so I don't think there's anything to worry about. I'd give anything to have that again."
And with that, sleep suddenly clouded me, and I only realized it because I woke up with cold water splashing my face, right in the middle of the night and someone dragging me away.