Princess Abigail crashed into her bed and closed her eyes. She was tired from her dance lessons and would need to meet with her brother in thirty minutes. 

She heard a knock on the door. It was Alice and Teresa. 

“You may come in,” said Princess Abigail. 

“Princess Abigail, I present Cosmo fresh from his bath,” said Teresa. 

She place the freshly bathed kitten on Abigail’s bed. Immediately, the cat went to Abigail and began purring when she petted him. Before the maids left, Princess Abigail requested a short audience with Alice. 

“Alice, about this morning. I wasn’t aware that you were the only maid that could write. I thought the other maids could as well,” said Princess Abigail.

“Please, don’t worry, your highness. The other maids were not offended but rather puzzled since they thought you were aware that they were illiterate,” said Alice.

“Why is that you alone can read?” inquired Princess Abigail.

“I was taught at the orphanage. The orphanage believes that teaching the children under their care to read will open more opportunities for them. It is quite a valuable skill,” said Alice.

“Teresa and the others were born in this estate, and the servants can access the library. My grandfather allowed them to do so,” said Princess Abigail.

“Your mother had forbidden us from entering the library since the books are fragile. Also, many servants would rather finish their work than spend time reading. We wish to serve the royal family to the best of our ability,” said Alice.

“Yes, thank you, Alice. I think I understand things a little better now,” said Princess Abigail. 

Princess Abigail left her room shortly after to meet with her brother, Alfonso. 

The gazebo in the garden was a large white structure with hand-painted designs. The Amara family had constructed and painted the designs on the structure. The family had a long history of serving as mages to the royal family. Princess Abigail loved the designs they had painted; however, she was worried since only Amara’s mages could fix those designs, the gazebo may fall into disrepair in the future. Unfortunately, the current generation of the Amara family had not produced any mages despite Duke Amara’s reputation as a strong sorcerer. For now, Princess Abigail would admire the craftsmanship left behind by the Amara family. 

To Abigail’s surprise, her brother was already seated, enjoying a cup of tea. 

“Hello, dear brother. How’s your tea?” said Princess Abigail.

“Refreshing. So Abigail, what will you scold me about today?” asked Prince Alfonso.

“I never scold you. I just want to make sure that you mind your manners,” said Princess Abigail. 

Prince Alfonso raised an eyebrow at her as Princess Abigail poured herself a cup of tea.

“I’m worried that you may raise Naima’s expectations to a level you may never be able to complete,” said Princess Abigail.

“Naima has no such expectations. We have never even spoken to one another,” said Prince Alfonso. 

“Are you sure?” said Princess Abigail.

“Yes, I’m sure. I know it would be wrong even to make her believe that I -you know what I mean,” said Prince Alfonso. 

“It seems like you care for her, which worries me even more,” said Princess Abigail. 

“Please, Abigail, don’t share this with mother. Naima is beautiful and graceful. She doesn’t deserve any trouble just because I find her beautiful,” said Prince Alfonso. 

“No woman ever does. Don’t worry, Alfonso. I will not share this conversation with anyone. However, Naima will no longer be serving as a kitchen maid. She will become one of my personal maids. I think that will improve this situation for everyone involved,” said Princess Abigail. 

“Thank you, Abby,” said Alfonso. The siblings continued chatting about mundane matters and reminiscing about their childhood experiences. The pair of siblings soon parted to carry out their daily royal duties. 

Prince Alfonso walked to his study. He was thankful that Abigail offered a solution to prevent him from doing something foolish. He was always tempted to seek Naima in the palace. She worked in the kitchen to help prepare the food for their meals and special events. Since nobility, as a general rule, were not expected to be inside a kitchen, he had no reason to run into Naima accidentally. In selecting Naima as a personal maid, he knew his sister would know Naima’s every step. Abigail seemed to collect information on the palace like a spy and knew everything inside its walls. She would keep the situation under control.  He needed to do his part and stop thinking about Naima. In time, he would find someone equally as beautiful but with a more significant social class than Naima. 

He turned to focus on his work. He was responsible for approving the budget for his finances and opening an art museum dedicated to his grandfather.  His work was stressful since the numbers seemed to reverse their order every time he tried calculating a figure.  This problem had plagued him since he was a small child. He was unable to count. As a result, his tutor mocked him relentlessly. The budget did not make sense. He threw the ledgers and papers on the ground and decided the day would be better-spent horseback riding. 

Princess Abigail was enjoying her time working on her newest project. She had decided to host a party for the orphanage. This event was for the young children at the orphanage to celebrate the day of the child. Usually, the event was marked by passing out a small gift basket to all of the children. This year, she wanted to transform the grounds into a small petting zoo and entertainment center for the children. The children would still receive the small basket of gifts, but she thought the children should have more of an experience. 

Her maids, especially Alice, provided significant input on what they should order for the baskets. The items would be here in a few days, and her drawing room would transform into an assembly room. The orphanage and castle staff were working together to transform the grounds.  There were just a few last-minute preparations, and Princess Abigail would be done with her work. 

All of a sudden, Princess Abigail heard a soft meow. She knew right away that it was Cosmo waking up from his nap. She bent down, picked up Cosmo, and placed him on her desk. The cat began playing with her pen since it was a peacock feather. Abigail enjoyed playing with the cat, and she smiled even more, knowing it was due to Micheal that she found Cosmo. 

Princess Abigail reflected on her conversation with her brother. She knew it was unfair to caution Alfonso against Naima because she was an employee and a commoner. Micheal was, after all, a gardener and a commoner—the same as Naima. She also needed to listen to her advice and commit to stop seeking Micheal. No one seemed to have any suspicions, and Micheal did not seem inclined to meet her. Maybe all of this was one-sided, which would be for the best, she thought since no one would ever know what she felt.  She wanted Micheal to know at the very least, but if he saw her the same way she saw him, she knew there was no turning back for them. 

She could lose her title. Every day, a new threat arose, threatening her place as the new queen. She could not prevent the threat of a new possible heir to the throne, but she could prevent her growing infatuation with Micheal. She could control her emotions just like she had always done. Just like she always would. It was an easy feat to accomplish. After all, she had not known Micheal for very long. 

That’s when she saw it—a shadow. The shadow smiled at her and curtsy towards her. Approaching her. Suddenly, Cosmo hissed, and the shadow disappeared. 

 She had been screaming since the shadow appeared, and her maids rushed to her room. A few guards as well.  Cosmo meowed and hissed at a corner of the room after jumping from her desk as if he had been chasing something. 

“Princess Abigail, please calm down,” said Alice. Alice informed the other maids to call the doctor as she tried to get Princess Abigail to her bed. Princess Abigail sat down in the bed and began to sob uncontrollably before she had a chance to explain. 

The doctor arrived quickly and administered a sedative to Princess Abigail. She quieted down and fell into a deep slumber. 

No one knew what had transpired and could not explain what happened to the Queen and King before entering her room. The doctor assumed that it was another of Princess Abigail’s attacks. She had a long history of feeling unwell due to her nerves after her grandfather’s death. King Alberto, Alice, and Cosmo remained in the room to watch over Princess Abigail.