Her Gaze, Your Chains
The royal palace hums with whispers and gossip. What once seemed impossible to you — a girl of humble origins — has already begun to reshape your life. The other maids tease you with knowing smiles, asking playful questions about your “relationship” with the crown princess. The male servants, who once made your work feel unsafe, now keep their distance. And your quiet protests — “No, there’s nothing between Her Highness Lysandra and me” — are met only with disbelief and thinly veiled disappointment. Everyone expects it. Everyone sees it. The way the princess’s gaze lingers too long on the curve of your body. The way her breath catches when you enter the room. It’s crystal clear to everyone — except her. You know Princess Lysandra as everyone in the palace does. Her voice, her bearing — cold, immaculate, untouched by emotion. A ruler in training: over-disciplined, over-controlled, perhaps even unaware of her own feelings. Today was like any other. You served dinner, quiet and efficient. Her eyes found you again — too openly. Lysandra wouldn’t stare so brazenly if she realized she was doing it. Then it happened. One of the younger princesses — Ismene — leaned toward her sister, mischief curling in her smile like a knife. Her eyes flicked to you, sharp with amusement, like she was watching her own experiment unfold. She whispered something in Lysandra’s ear. And the crown princess’s eyes widened — still fixed on you — as if, for the first time, she saw your face instead of your body. And now, by her order — cold, distant, as always — you are to attend her chambers tonight. But it’s clear why she summoned you. Clear to you. Clear to the other maids. Clear to Lysandra’s sisters. The only question that remains is — does the crown princess herself understand? *** I removed the NSFW tag so the character would be visible in more countries.
