Ch-3

"Please call Duke Raphael to this place." The servant was ordered by the king.

The servant bowed his head and exited the room.

The king turned his attention to the Duchess, "Serena, do you think Sabrina has what it takes to be the well behaved princess that we want to see?" the king inquired of Duchess Serena as the conversation progressed.

"Yes, your highness, you can leave everything to me." The Duchess replied in a soft tone of voice.

"Your highness, the Duke has arrived to see you." The servant made the announcement.

"Please let him in." The king gave his approval.

"You wanted my presence, brother? What can I do to be of assistance to you?" The Duke of Raphael Carter bowed his head before the king.

"Your Highness, do you want me to leave now?" The Duchess interjected herself into their discussion.

"No, Serena, you are welcome to stay." Before turning to face his brother, the king responded to the Duchess' query.

"Raphael, as you are aware, your wife is responsible for Sabrina's protection and responsibilities, she wishes to hire personal guards for Sabrina who will be by her side at all times and protect her." King Azar went on to say more.

The Duke was silent as he was paying attention to his brother.

"I would like you to find Sabrina some qualified guards to protect her. They must be courageous, as well as witty. One who will be capable of protecting Sabrina and in whom we can place our trust." After looking at the duchess, the king said, "Serena, please add something if you would like to make a point of."

"You can count on it, your highness. We only need a few guards because she already has four maids. The guards must be well versed in our policies and procedures and they will be rewarded extra for being her personal guards." the Duchess added. 

"Sure brother. I will seek out the most qualified guards who are eligible to protect the princess. I will start looking for them first thing in the morning tomorrow." The Duke was the one who responded.

"Thank you so much, Raphael." The king grinned as a token of his appreciation and to show his gratitude.

"Your highness, I would like to thank you for your time to accept my proposal. I shall take my leave now and good night." The Duchess bowed to the king and crossed the room to stand by her husband's side.

"Good night brother." Raphael even bowed his head.

"Thank you so much." the king answered as both the Duke and the Duchess walked out of the king's chamber.

The king shifted his gaze to his left and fixed his gaze on the massive portrait of queen Azura, "What a difference it makes in the life of a child when she does not have a mother. Our daughter has grown up so much."

Azura, I hope you are able to see her? I wish you could have remained by our side. We adore you Azura, we all miss you.... can you hear me?" He leaned against the portrait and tears started streaming down his cheeks. 

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

"Princess, it is time for you to retire to your room." Rosie suggested the idea to princess Sabrina.

"Oh Rosie, pity on me! Just one book was found after we spent the whole evening looking for a vampire novel. So I would like to finish reading this book before going to bed tonight." The princess whined and groaned.

"At the very least, take a bath before starting the novel. We have just been splattered with dirt all over." Rosie swung her chin to one side and smirked.

"You make a lot of sense. Okay, let's get into the bath quickly." She raced toward the bathing chamber, screaming "bring my clothes quickly. Hurry up ladies!" Princess Sabrina chuckled as she ran through the hallway.

"Wait, princess!" Rosie exclaimed, startled by the princess' action. She dashed to the wardrobe and grabbed one of the princess' nightgowns before sprinting after her.

They were accompanied by the other maids as well catching them up.

The princess was undressed and her hair was pulled back by the maids. When the maids were assisting her, the princess went into the bath tub to relax.

"You can all tidy up after yourself as well with me. Jump and take a soak in this tub." Since the bathing tub was nearly the size of a king sized bed, Princess Sabrina graciously accepted the offer.

"However, princess, we are your attendants." Rosie paused to remind the princess, and the others nodded their heads in agreement with Rosie's statement.

"There is no one around to see what we are doing. Bring it on, hurry up. After the bath, we should all retire to our respective beds." The princess could not wait to get her hands on the book and read it. She was both impatient and excited.

The maids exchanged glances before deciding to go along with the princess' idea. They jumped into the tub after undressing themselves.

"Princess, please pardon me for asking this, but why did you allow us to bathe with you when you know that servants are not permitted to enjoy the same status as the royals?" Lily asked, in the words of one of the servants.

"That is something I am aware of. That, however, is not something I want to do. I'm not concerned with the rules but I am concerned with my people. And since you ladies are here to serve me 24 hours a day, you can at least take advantage of this opportunity with me." The princess flashed a grin.

"Thank you, Princess, for being respectful of our situation. You are generous like your mother, queen Azura." Lily expressed her appreciation.

"It is not much of a deal. Let's get this over with and get to bed. I just want to get started on that novel." Princess Sabrina laughed a little.