Page 60 of The Princess's Pet

“Doing what?” She asked far too innocently, one eyebrow lifting.

“Leaving me wanting you so badly,” I told her, my face flushing with embarrassment and looking away.

“It’s not intentional. I’m simply irresistible,” she answered fixing her suit jacket. And I could have facepalmed at her cockiness. I would have accused her of arrogance if she wasn’t technically and infuriatingly right.

“You can’t not, know what you do to me,” I accused.

“I am always aware of you,” she replied simply, reaching out to cup my face. “I’ll see you this evening. I apologise for not being able to entertain you right now.” She grinned and bent down to kiss me softly.

“Stay out of trouble and ask the other servants for direction if you find yourself lost,” she instructed as she left the room, the door thudding loudly behind her.

I sat back heavily against the sofa. The Princess was going to make me lose my mind, with horniness. Even thinking such things made me blush furiously, but I’d never known desire so strong and consuming.

After cooling down and deciding that there was absolutely nothing to do in the drawing room to occupy my Princess free time, I went to explore the castle.

I did my best to keep track of my wandering, but very quickly I found myself not able to remember if I had taken two lefts and a right or two rights and a left. Ordinarily, I would have felt anxious at being so disoriented but something about knowing I was in the Princess’s home made me feel safe. It was okay to belost, I could ask for directions back to her wing. And it was okay to wander because the Princess said I could.

The opulence of the castle was overwhelming. There were parts of the castle that weren’t so fancy, I had seen them that morning. But the areas that were meant for the Royal family, nobles, and their guests were beyond compare. It must take an army of servants to keep everything so shiny and dust-free.

“Percy?” I turned at a familiar voice. “What are you doing here?” Thomas asked, walking towards me palms open at his side, smiling in greeting.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I said smiling, happy to see a familiar face.

He held up hands that showed signs of working, soil still under his nails, in way of answer.

“Working of course,” he told me happily before looking around and leaning conspiratorially towards my ear. “Want to see the secret greenhouse?” he asked, pulling back and smiling more.

“Secret?” I whispered. He nodded enthusiastically. “Why is it secret?”

“I’ll show you. It’s too good to keep to myself. This needs to be shared with a fellow enthusiast. You’re probably the only person within a hundred miles that can truly appreciate what I’m going to show you,” he said as we walked together and he led the way through the castle.

“Why are you working here Thomas?” I asked curiously. “Shouldn’t you be at Lady Amelia’s manor?”

“Usually. But last year I was asked to help Lady Sana, with some projects. The Queen seemingly asked Lady Amelia if she could spare me. Now I travel to the castle for a couple of days every month. I’ll show you what I’ve been working on,” he explained.

He quickly led me to the servant corridors and we passed others going about their work. We left the castle walls and walked along paths shielded by tall hedges. At the end of the path was a large greenhouse, larger than I had ever seen.

“I wouldn’t call this a secret greenhouse Thomas,” I said as he pushed open the doors and held them as I entered.

“This isn’t the secret greenhouse,” he told me amused. “Most people don’t come here. Lady Sana, myself, and a few other servants do the maintenance. It’s not much upkeep,” he explained as we walked past rows of planted root vegetables and fruits. We walked further and further into the greenhouse. The end wall was deep with shelves, filled with equipment and bags of compost.

“This is the secret greenhouse,” he said, before heaving the last shelf out of the way, grunting with the effort. It revealed a door, barely visible with a flat handle embedded into the wood. He hooked his hand into the odd handle and pulled the door open.

I walked towards the open door and saw that the greenhouse continued further back behind the false wall.

“Come on in,” Thomas said as he walked into the secret section of the greenhouse. “This is where the medical plants are kept and grown for Lady Sana. I’m not sure what all these plants do. I think it’s just the fact that it’s a secret hidden away back here that makes it so cool,” he told me scratching at the back of his neck.

“Not very good at secret keeping, are you?” I asked him amused. He blushed deep his skin darkening.

“You’re the only person I’ve told. It’s more like a trade secret. I wouldn’t tell anyone that wasn’t one of us,” he defended sheepishly.

I laughed cheerfully at his expression. “Us gardeners have got to stick together,” I told him bumping my shoulder into him. He laughed with me and agreed.

“Is it okay if I look around?” I asked.

“Of course. Just don’t touch anything if you’re not sure what it is. I’m not really up to speed myself, more interested in decorative plants than medical ones. I always wear gloves in here. Do you want a pair?” he asked me already opening a box and pulling out a pair.

“No, I’m good. I know my medicine plants,” I told him, and he nodded putting the gloves back.

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