im sorry if you find this book boring, i promise the plot is building
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After returning from the infirmary and walking to the cabin quarters, I was drained and fell asleep but not for long. My hands that ached, woke me up while my body fought of the blankets that encompassed my form in the hot room.

It took all my energy just to get some water and take the tablets I was provided. I also had to check on the thick, white bandages wrapped around my hands. I didn't get any calls or visits from the assistants needing me to visit the king yet, so I guess I was pretty thankful for that.

I spent the next day just the same and the following day after that too. My chores were delivered to the other maids which was another amazing thing for me. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were served to me too. Many of the maids were unhappy at my special treatment.

But it was a Friday afternoon when an assistant came to visit me, Jooeun.

"Y/n," her voice clipped as she strutted into the cabin quarters. She was holding my uniform and a clipboard with a tired expression written on her face, "The King wishes to have a word with you."

To be honest, I wasn't expecting on seeing anyone today.

"Okay. Is that for me? The uniform?"

She scratched her nails through her thick blonde hair before responding to me, "Yes, you are required to where this." She set it down on the small bed and let out a heavy sigh, "I'll be back in 20 minutes, be ready by then."

I gave her a thumbs up and watched her walk out the room. I quickly scrambled out of bed into the shower, not forgetting to shave and take extra time containing my curly mess of hair. I hadn't seen the king in weeks, maybe even months, so I wondered what he looked like now and how he would approach me.

It also felt nice to get out and into new scenery. It was weird to say it but I missed the sort of friends I made as a maid. Being on bed rest didn't automatically mean it was fun or enjoyable. It was the opposite actually.

"Are you ready now?" Jooeun returned but this time in a different outfit. It was a tight black dress with her blonde hair in a braid resting on the center of her back. Her face was calm and lackluster.

I gave her a smile, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, "Yes." She muttered at 'let's go' and pointed at the door, urging me to move along. I bowed and proceeded to walk forward and out the door. I could feel her stare on me as we inched closer to the castle. She hated me.

Apparently, Jooeun was there at the ball a few weeks ago and saw how the king treated me and was jealous...cause he didn't give her that treatment (or whatever you want to call what happened.)

That's why she disliked me. In fact, all the assistants hated me. They looked at me like I was dirt or they would speak poorly of me when I passed by. They practically let the higher maids dump their workload onto me because of that night. It wasn't fair, nothing is here.

"Walk faster, I don't want to be late." She barked. Her hands grab my forearm to drag me behind her as her heels skated against the gravel. I tried to pull away but she only tightened her forceful grip onto my arm.

"I-I'm walking, could you let go?" My voice sounded pitiful. We passed field workers and gardeners who were staring and giving us looks. Jooeun scowled at them before turning to face me.

She shoved me to the ground easily, a look of hatred glistening in her eyes. "You have had a week of being lazy and now you are walking too fucking slow. Do you know how much work I had to do to make up for you being injured?! The least thing you could do is catch up!"

Her hands shook angrily while she watched my pathetic eyes follow up to her face. My hands that were already bruised must've have been completely ruined from the rocks and rumble she tossed me into. I could feel them bleeding already.

"I apologize." I felt humiliated.

"Don't be," she hissed, "just get the hell up and walk faster." With that, she twirled around and walked towards the front entrance of the west wing.

I fought back the tears that stung my eyes and quickly wiped my face before standing up and following her. The workers outside watched as I limped slightly, some of their gazes sad and concerned. I brushed it off.

This day couldn't possibly get any worse than this.

Jooeun didn't hold the door for me but waited by an elevator towards the farther end of the third dining room. When she saw my approach, she took her ID and pressed it to a wall scanner. A green light and ding sound erupted from the small device and the black elevator doors swung open.

I stepped inside following after her. She pressed a button with the letters 'PJ' and the doors shut right after. It was clear elevator, the sides made of glass, including the ceiling and the floor. You could see the lift move up as the scenery from the big windows changed. The view on here was absolutely spectacular. There were a ton of floors so it took awhile before we arrived.

The button light up a bright blue colors and doors opened. I was met with a spacious, navy hallway. The walls were embroidered with white swirls. The floors were just a solid white that reflected light from golden chandeliers hanging above them.

The walls were covered in paintings with the king and his brothers and some people I didn't recognize. There were black couches and tables lined up against the walls every few meters we walked.

"This is the king's personal floor. We are going to his personal office." Jooeun spoke out of the blue. Her black heels clicked against the marble floor as I let at an 'ok'. My body got tired after walking this long. I wasn't expecting this hallway to last an eternity.

But eventually, she finally stopped at a door. It was black and white with two guards lined on either side of it. They were dressed in all black with their hands clasped together in the front and their eyes staring blankly at the wall. It was uncomfortable to watch.

Jooeun cleared her throat, "Gentlemen."

"Ms. Jung." They spoke in sync.

"I was told to drop her off so if you could alert our majesty that I have arrived with her it would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course," the male to the right spoke, his voice void of emotion, "you may leave and you," he pointed to me, "take a seat."

Jooeun thanked them and began walking from the direction we came, her figure disappearing into a makeshift shadow. There was a couch directly across from the door so I just sat there.

I let my eyes wander back to the men for a second, the guy to the right opening up the door after a knock and letting it close after him. I couldn't hear a thing from inside which made me even more apprehensive.

The other guard remaining speaking stunned me out of my thoughts. "Do you know why you were called here?" His voice was heavy and he didn't make eye contact with me.

"I-I'm pretty sure it's about my hands." I lifted them up and moved them back and forth in front of me before setting them on my scraped knees. I just noticed they were bloody again.

He didn't speak for awhile and just let his eyes follow down to what I was talking about. They flickered to my face and then back at my hands and then at the wall.

"What happened?"

"Working. B-Being a maid is pretty ruthless down there."

He let out a gentle hum and cleared his throat. A piece of hair fell onto his forehead as he did but he made no effort to brush it away from his face and continued his standstill position.

"And your knees?"

I glanced down to them, forgetting about the ache that was coming from down there too. I would save myself the embarrassment of explaining.

"I-I fell on my way up here."

I looked up at him and noticed that he had quirked a sharp brow at me. He also stifled out a chuckle.

"You don't have to lie to me," he sighed, "Jooeun can be a real bitch sometimes...I know from personal experience."

My brows furrowed at his response. What personal experience could he have with an assistant if he was a guard?

He began to talk again, "As a guard I'm usually not allowed to ask this but what's your name?"

I took a second to respond, "Y/n—Min Y/—"

Right when I was about to finish, the guard who went inside a few minutes earlier came back out, his hands going to his pants zipper and buttons that were undone. His hair was messy and there was a bright pink lipstick stain on his throat.

"He will see you now."

I stood up and bowed at both of them, letting my head slip to the right where the guard who asked for my name stood silently. He let his eyes look down at me before giving me a wink and returning them back to the wall in front of him.

I held my breath and shook of the nerves that climbed up my back as I pushed the heavy doors in front of me. I was hit with the bright light of the sun directly facing the door the instant I stepped in.

It was huge. The walls were far spread apart, coated in white paint with the design of thin straight, golden lines. There were two mirrors and two black couches on each side of the wall too.

The floor was black marble that ran all the way to the picture windows that showed all of the second backyard from it. There were also two closets right next to the windows with gold handles matching the wall that created a certain aesthetic to the place. It was beautiful.

My eyes finally came to a stop on the large, glass desk splat in the center of the room. They very slowly inched up to the man I hadn't seen in weeks, maybe in months...and two other females on his lap.

King Park's demanding, dark eyes found mine instantly, his jaw flexing smoothly as a chuckle fell from his lips. His hair was now silver, the long bangs resting on his forehead as he laid back on his swivel white chair. He was dressed in a black suit, all black to be exact but his blazer wasn't on and his dress shirt had a majority of its buttons undone and exposing his milky skin.

One of the girls sat on his desk but her face was turned to me, her eyes devouring my small form in this huge room. She was barely dressed and only now did I realize she was wearing his suit jacket that was way too big for her. She was in a bra and some panties.

The other girl, who hadn't taken any care in my arrival, was literally on his lap with one hand vanishing under his shirt and other I couldn't tell where it was. One of them was brunette and the other had strawberry pink hair that was all tangled.

From the look on my face, you could see the mortification drawn on my features. I quickly placed my hands over eyes and let out a shaky breath.

"Good afternoon, my lord." I bowed. I hadn't seen something this inappropriate since my school days when they would talk about how to pleasure a king but seeing it real life was much different than watching it on VHS.

It also explained the guard who came out all hot and bothered just moments before.

I heard a laugh but it was from one of the females. I could also hear shuffling but I stood still and uncomfortable. Obviously, I walked into something that required none of my attention.

"Remove your hands, now." Was all the king said to me. His voice was still as smooth as silk from when I met him but it had an edge to it. My hands scrambled away from my flushed face and at my sides but my eyes remained on my feet.

"Look how rude she is," one of the girls said, her voice squeaky, "can't even look at her own king, pathetic really."

Why was everyone being rude today? I've never met these girls before and they here they thought it was okay to speak to me like this. I couldn't even speak to defend myself, not unless the king allowed me too.

"Her?" the other voice said. It was definitely much deeper than the other girl's, "I hadn't heard her come in. She is so fucking tiny."

Why does everyone think it's okay to use curse words? My mother would have washed their mouths out with soap if she heard their language.

"Don't just fucking stand there, come to me." The king raised his voice. That had me moving at the speed of lightning. I didn't like it when people yelled at me.

"And eyes on me when I speak to you."

I glanced at him. His eyes burnt into mine. He titled his head to the side and let out a laugh. I didn't see what was funny about this at all.

I gulped when I watched him stand up, knocking the girl off his lap. She tripped but managed to find her footing and leaned into the glass desk in front of her. The king shrugged off his shirt while he strutted over to me,  dominance radiating off of him.

I couldn't help but let my eyes fall to his toned stomach. The ridges and indents of his abs made my mouth water as his powerful biceps tightened when he brought his ring-filled hand to his hair and let it run through it.

He stopped moving when he was right in front of me and pass the point of personal space. His scent invaded my nostrils, honey and vanilla. It burned in my nose. I could also feel his breath that was slightly ragged on my forehead.

His hand snatched my chin roughly into his palm and lifted it. His eyes dark eyes only seemed to darken as he gazed down at me, the brown rings around his pupils nearly turning pitch black.

I watched his plump, red lips move as he spoke to me, "You...I remember you." He rubbed his thumb against my jaw which was currently slacking at the way he was so close to me. It reminded me of the beginning.

"How could I forget eyes like yours and that red dress? The one your mother made. Am I right?" He asked me. I nodded a 'yes' but he wasn't having it so he gripped my chin painfully and brought his face closer to mine.

My heart stopped beating.

"Words. I want fucking words."

"Yes. Red dress, your majesty." I said breathlessly. It's like he wrapped an enchantment spell around my mind because the only thing that had my attention was his perfect his face.

I wanted to do things to that face.

"Good, sweet girl." He nudged his nose against mine. It was a playful action that had me nearly on my knees. His hand found the base of my throat just like last time but he gave it a squeeze.

He sighed, letting his eyes travel around my face before settling back on my eyes, "Why did I get a report that you were injured and unable to perform your work?"

I could feel his other hand in my hair, the soft fingertips massaging my scalp with purpose before getting lost in my untamed curls.

He was just so distracting.

"W-Working, your majesty," I tried my best to not let my voice waver but I was failing miserably, "The workload plus other maids passing their work onto me—it bruised my hands but I-I think I'm okay now, my lord."

His hand stopped moving in my hair when I finished. He let his hand fall to mine, cold rings nipping at the exposed skin of my bandages as he inspected them. He lifted them higher, running a finger over the recently bloody gauzes.

"If you are fine, I will go against doctors orders and send you back immediately. Would you like that? Because the fresh blood on this tells me different."

He was angry, I guess I angered him. I only said the truth or at least what I thought it was but it made it him upset. His eyes squinting at me made me feel like I did something bad.

"I—"

"I think you should." A voice from behind us, one of the girls, had spoken up. It was the one with squeaky voice and strawberry hair. I literally forgot they were here. "If she thinks she is okay then there was no need to go to the infirmary whenever she went. It's like she knew she would have to see you if she went in for an injury."

The king was still near me when I stepped out of his hold to take a good look at the girl laying down on the couch with her eyes on the ceiling.

She didn't make any sense, what she said didn't make sense.

"I was sent to the infirmary," I told her, my eyebrows furrowing, "I didn't ask to go, you must be confused."

"And you must be delusional if you think he wants you." She bit. She whipped her head to look at me with a smirk grew on her face.

The king released my hands and shuffled graciously to lean on his desk. "Relax Eun, you know I don't like bickering."

"She should be apologizing. Probably bruised herself knowing she would get to see you, your majesty." Eun sat herself up on the couch. She let his blazer fall from her shoulders.

"I agree." The other lady said. She was sitting on the king's chair with her legs up on the desk and a wide grin on her face.

The king chuckled, "You really think so?"

The fact that he was buying into this infuriated me. Why would I even do something like that. These girls were mean, all the females at this castle were so mean.

"Yup, she deserves a little punishment."

"Wait, what? I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't even know this place existed nor did I intend to purposely injure myself to come in see you, in fact, why I would I do something like that?"

"Shut it." He pointed at me. Immediately, my voice died in my throat and I was just left standing here like a fool, my eyes on his. One minute this dude was sweet, the next he was sour.

"I think you should apologize to them," he told me while narrowing his head towards me. "they seem genuinely hurt and I think they deserve an apology from you taking up my time."

"I-I" There was nothing for me to say. I didn't want to say a thing. I didn't do anything wrong nor did I even understand what I was apologizing for.

"I don't understand—"

"I change my mind," he folded his arms against his smooth, pale chest, "You apologize and I give you an easy punishment or you don't and I'll give you something horrid."

The sadistic grin on his face released his pearly white while his tongue swiped his bottom lip.

This escalated quickly.

"I'm sorry to both of you. I am. I didn't mean to use up your time by getting injured, it was my fault for working hard."

The king laughed loudly. Even though I began to dislike him, I couldn't hate his laugh. It was adorable. I hated that I liked it.

"You're so cute, sweet girl. I could make you do anything I want and you would do it isn't that right?"

I couldn't defy him, "Yes, my lord." The nickname he gave me burned into my mind.

"Great. I want you back on work starting tomorrow morning without your bandages, that is your punishment. Understood?"

I felt my hands ache at that thought. My wounds would never heal as long as they weren't wrapped and taken care of. A part of me felt like he knew that, this was a punishment after all.
p
"Yes your majesty."

"Now leave."

aww

And with that, I left.

-
end of chap.