“Yes or your bed-maid.”
Basil furrowed his brow, “What is happening right now?”
“You did say I could stay and be your bed-maid.”
Basil raised his eyebrows. “As you please,” he said. He recalled the last time they discussed her being his bed-maid. Her reaction was explosive, and now she was offering herself up to him as his bed-maid. He wanted to call her bluff and see how far she was willing to take it. Saja stood up and bowed her head.
“I am glad you agree because I have already moved my stuff in here and will be staying in the spare room.” She turned around and left. Basil sat there speechless. He laughed softly. She did not cease to surprise him. He knew she was not going to give up. She was too hotheaded and short-tempered.
It was nearing dinnertime when Mona and Amber walked into Saja's new room. They were apprehensive about the whole thing. They had tried to talk her out of it but she was not listening. She had her mind already set.
“Miss Saja, I feel uncomfortable about this,” Mona said to Saja.
“Well, Basil agreed to it. So you don't have to worry about anything,” Saja replied.
“But the Prince is scary,” Amber said.
Saja laughed. She was not afraid of him. She took Amber and Mona's hands in hers. “Don't worry. I'll cut you guys loose since I am a servant now. So you don't have to worry about watching over me or getting in trouble because of me,” she said to them. Mona and Amber both refused to leave her. The Prince would not approve of it and they had grown attached to her.
Saja joined the Prince for dinner. She made sure she was appropriately dressed. For once, the Prince was dressed in slacks and a vest. She realised how muscular his arms and his chest were. From his vest, she could see the top of his pecks. His hair was a little messy.
“I have never seen you in anything other than a suit,” Saja said to him before she started eating. His servants had already set the table.
“You've seen me in a towel,” Basil replied. Saja laughed. She felt awkward remembering the whole incident.
“Where are your maids?” Basil hadn't seen Mona and Amber the whole day. He rarely saw Saja by herself.
“I had to let them go,” Saja replied.
Basil sipped his drink without taking his eyes off Saja. “Why?” he asked her.
“I am a servant like them. We are of equal status, so I do not need servants any longer,” she said. He could not help but laugh. The whole thing was funny to him. He could not take her seriously. He knew she was up to something.
“I was the one who hired them. Therefore I am the only one who can fire them.”
“There is not much use for them now.”
Basil narrowed his gaze. He was not pleased that they would up and leave without his say so. He did not want Saja to take part in manual labour. If she were to serve anyone or do anything, it would only be him. He did not want her doing any chores. Saja could tell he was not pleased.
“Okay, relax Basil. They refused to stop serving me. They said they will continue to be my personal maids as long as I am here,” Saja said reassuringly. She laughed softly.
“I see,” Basil replied.
“I had lunch with the King today.”
Basil frowned and looked up from his plate. “Why?” he did not understand why she was spending time with his brother.
“He summoned me to join him for lunch. So I did so.”
Basil grunted. He did not like the idea of her spending time with him. She did not really know how to behave. He was definitely going to ask his brother about her later. He could not understand why he was so fascinated by her. There was no reason for him to summon her.
After dinner, the maids cleared the table. Basil stood up and headed to his chambers. “Follow me,” he said to Saja. She got up and followed him to his chambers. “Stop dragging your feet,” he said to her. He could hear her dragging her sandals.
“Why do I need to come to your bedroom?” Saja asked.
“You are my bed-maid aren't you?”
Saja's eyes flew open. He was going to call her bluff. She told herself to stay calm and not back down. She would let him have the victory. They walked into his bedroom and there was a thin-strapped red silk nightdress.