𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 - 𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧

(nine)

"Kim Bora, pull yourself together. We're almost there. Please try to look presentable. And change into this," the Princess says, tossing an unfamiliar garment into my face.

I didn't realise I'd cried myself to sleep until I woke up just as exhausted as before. I look down at the fabric that fell into my lap. It's very similar to my work uniform, only far nicer and without the kingdom's crest on it. It's a mid-length brown skirt and a loose white button-down blouse. The Princess raises an eyebrow expectantly.

Right. I need to change. I begin undoing the buttons on my own shirt, but when I look up the Princess is staring. I pull the shirt close to cover myself, feeling small under her gaze. "Do you have to watch me change?" I ask.

The Princess nods. "I can't risk you ruining any of the clothes. So change out of yours and I'll help you get dressed in something respectable."

I nervously finish unbuttoning my shirt, setting it beside me. Next, I undo my belt and try to hide behind the large trousers, covering myself with them once they're off.

"Put that down, you need to get dressed." Princess Siyeon pulls the pants from my hands and sets them with my shirt. "Put your arms out," she says. I do, and she leans forward to put the white blouse on me. She does each button carefully, mumbling something about how lucky I am for her to be helping because I wouldn't be able to do this myself. Next is the skirt. There's not much room to stand in the carriage, so I try my best to stand and step into the skirt, almost tripping and falling onto the Princess in the process. Finally I manage to get the skirt on. "Come sit," the Princess demands. She scoots over on her side and pats the seat next to her. She zips the skirt at the top and tells me to stand up so she can see the full outfit.

I do as I'm told, and Princess Siyeon stares at me, searching for flaws. She grabs my waist and pulls me so I'm standing right in front of her. "Your blouse should be tucked in," she tells me, beginning to do it herself. Her hands are warm and gentle, and she's been surprisingly nice to me on this trip aside from the incident in my province. Her soft hands smooth out the skirt and fix the collar of my shirt before she tells me I can sit back down.

"Take your hair down." I keep my hair in a bun while working, and I kept it since this is part of my job. Regardless, I remove my bun and let my hair fall on its own. The Princess leans over and begins styling my hair with her fingers, one hand on my shoulder for support. "Pretty," she whispers.

Since when has Princess Siyeon been this... nice? Touchy? Helpful?

This is going to be a long and confusing trip.