Chapter 1 - The encounter

Prince Laurence looked out of the windows of his royal quarters over the palace gardens. But today, the view gave him no joy. His first encounter with princess Felicia confirmed his worst fears after a rather uninspired exchange of letters. Sure, the princess was a beauty beyond measure with her black hair and the creamy white skin. She was thin at the brink of meagre and wore fancy dresses, but she was cocky and could hardly bear to hear someone talk except herself.
Of course, she tried to behave herself around his parents, the King and the Queen, but she would carry on talking as soon as they were out of sight. Worse, she was arrogant bordering to mean with the servants and maidens. All in all, Laurence dreaded the prospect of being married to a woman so cold-hearted and haughty for a lifetime. At the same time, he had no other choice. The kingdom needed the alliance with their formerly hostile neighbouring country, or else there might be a war. The marriage would strengthen this bond on which his people depended.
If only his brother Roger could marry Felicia. The both of them seemed like a match made in heaven. At least to him. Roger was his younger brother and he exhibited interest and an exceptional taste in all the finer things from an early age onwards. Particular in expensive clothing, the newest fashion and gossip. Common ground with the evil princess, as Laurence has started to call her in his thoughts. Every time he had seen the two of them together, they seemed to have a joyful time together, one being meaner to the personal than the other. Quite the fit.
However, Felicias father had made it very clear, that he expected his daughter to be the wife of the eldest son of Eloran and therefore the future king. That would be him. Laurence sighed and pushed away the untouched plate on his desk. In an attempt to flee Felicias presence, he had claimed he was drowning in paperwork, being the future king and everything. Roger had only too willingly agreed to go for a ride with the princess instead of him, when he had asked him.
A soft knock from the door derailed his trail of thought.
»I am so sorry, my lord. I just wanted to clear the table.«
The girl who worked in the kitchen since a few days leaned in the doorway and stared at him with her big blue eyes, which were quite pretty as he now realized, staring into them for an inappropriate length of time.
In reaction, she curtsied. »I will come again later. Excuse me again, my lord.«
He hurried to call her back. »Please. Go on. I don't have much of an appetite anyway. It is me who should apologize. My thoughts are elsewhere completely.«
Still a little unsure, she came closer. Laurence watched her approach. Her full hips swaying with every step as she pushed a trolley, presumably to put the dishes on. All of her looked ripe and supple. He realized he was staring and hastily started to shuffle letters on his desk to a small pile.
The round blue eyes looked at him questioningly. »You didn't eat anything. Was it not to your taste? Should I bring you something else?«
It took some effort to concentrate beside taking in her cherub face and voluptuous lips. »No, but thank you. I am really just not hungry.«
»It is a shame to let a Lunch like that go to waste.« She put her hands over her mouth. »Excuse me, my lord. Again. I did not mean to criticize.«
He smiled over her attempt to take her words back. »Please. Its a justified objection. I will try to do better.«
Now she allowed herself a tiny smile as well. »I hope so. Especially since I brought the deserts.«
She drew a tablecloth from the trolley revealing a very big piece of cake, several different cookies and some chocolate mousse. A minute later, she had cleared the lunch plate in the lower department of the trolley and arranged the desert variation on a small table near the window with two chairs to sit at it. She curtsied again offering him a look at her cleavage hidden by the servant uniforms blouse, the material of it quite tested by her full curves.
»Please stay. Sit with me for a moment.«
He drew back the chair for her and gestured at her invitingly.
»I cannot possibly sit with you when there is dinner to be prepared.«
A line appeared between her arched brows.
»I will send note, that I needed to discuss something with you about the menu for the approaching wedding.«
»You would much more likely discuss something like that with the chef.«
»So what is your profession then?«
Tentatively she made one step after another towards the chair.
»I am the pastry chef.«
»You made the deserts?«
Her eyes wandered nervously towards the arrangement on the table. »Yes.«
»So I will discuss this with you.«
She didn't seem fully convinced. Slightly desperate he added. »We can have a conversation while I am eating?«
His suggestion seemed to have hit a nerve. She sat down and waited until settled in the chair opposite of her. To make her feel more comfortable, he took a big morsel of the cake and started to chew. What initially had been a rouse to get to spend a little time with her, instantly turned into a delicious surprise.
»Mmmh. That's very good. You made this?«
She nodded.
He took some more forks, until half the cake was gone. He had been hungry after all. Then he slowed down. »How is your name?«
»You can call me maid.«
»That is not what I asked, right?«
There was a tiny smile on her full lips again. Laurence took the last bit of cake. He laid down the fork and she put the plate to the others from lunch. She was about to raise and leave, but he quickly protested. »I am not done yet.«
He was beginning to feel full. The last few weeks, especially since the arrangement for his wedding with Felicia has been made, he hadn't had much of an appetite and might even had lost some weight. Nevertheless, he grabbed a cookie and started to chew slowly.
She smiled a little more. »It is Beatrice, my name, I mean.« She said it like a gratification for his good behaviour.
»Laurence.«
»I will stick to call you my lord, my lord.«
»We will see.«
He was half through the cookies as well now and felt stuffed. He didn't know how many more cookies he could take, but at the same time, he didn't want her to leave. After the whole plate of cookies, his belly was unpleasantly full and his mouth dry. Obligingly, Beatrice handed him a big glass of milk. He emptied it almost in one gulp. His stomach pressed against his too restrictive belt and he shifted his position to ease the aching a little. Beatrice’s eyes darted at the chocolate mousse, but she did seem to understand, that there was no room left inside him to fit it in.
»I will take this with me then.«
She started to clean away the lavish desert, thereby rubbing her upper arms at her bust every now and then. Soon enough she finished and was ready to leave. he hadn't moved an inch, uncomfortably aware of being full to the brim.
»Good bye, my lord. Dinner is served in two hours.«
The thought of any more food was appalling. However, he needed to see her again. »Wait, Beatrice.«
She had turned to push the cart to the door, presenting him with a view of her wide behind. At his command, she turned halfway towards him.
»Can you bring me Lunch tomorrow?«
She shook her head regretfully. »I am responsible for the pastries. Lunch is all in the responsibility of the Chef.«
He didn't know how to help it, so with a little sigh, he put forward »then could you bring me desert? Like today?«
That earned him a broad smile. »I will see to it, my lord.«
With that, she swayed out of his room, leaving him alone. As soon as the door closed behind Beatrice, he loosened his belt and tried to breathe more deeply.