“Elisi, wake up,”

The king was looking at her.

Every time she opened her eyes, he looked like an angel that mistakenly fell onto her side.

“You need to go back, Elisi,” he said as she kept staring, enchanted by his might “Jeremy will see you to your room”

Then she noticed Jeremy was standing just behind him.

Is it possible to hide again? She thought.

Elisi took one last look at him before they left, but he did not look back. He kept writing on his desk and the butler closed the door behind them.

When they entered the kitchen, the maids greeted her as usual. Maybe it was because she was with him?

It was already evening, the smell of all the different dishes was making her hungry. Looking at all the warm pots was a delightful sight at the moment.

All the maids were busy preparing plates. Some of them paid no attention to her arrival, but a few stared at her with judgment.

Mary might have been setting the tables. She could not go to her for instructions.

Elisi stepped in and served the potatoes when another maid slightly pushed her, but she balanced back with the plate. Then looked around but could not tell who it was.

She tried to work faster, but her hands still not complied. Her moves were slower than usual that her coworker Elida came to help her.

“Thank you,” Elisi happily smiled and lowered her head when met the eyes of the maid.

Elida noticed Elisi was not well.

Lowering her head once more made her feel sorry for herself. She got a second life, a second chance to have more confidence, but she was still quiet. Her voice only came out at random times when getting nervous. Some thought she was rude for not speaking and avoiding people’s eyes, they thought she did not care, those sentiments made it harder for her to speak.

She always tried to greet everyone in the mornings and the evenings.

Then she reminded herself that she made friends with Mary and Norma, when she was in high school she did not manage to be acquainted with anybody.

Maybe I should focus on the good progress and not the bad.

She could not help but to wish she did it faster, wished she could be more friendly and outgoing. Her presence was too tense to be inviting.

****

Dinner was done, and the dishes were done as well.

It was time to go to bed, but Mirna stopped her before she headed to her room.

"Since tomorrow the king will not be here, please help the gardeners in the morning and after that come back here and I will give another task to do"

Elisi nodded.

Mirna was calmer today. Her words were not harsh.

Tomorrow the king will leave. That made her bitter.

She slept like a small ball, trying to comfort herself. She didn’t want to think about how her fingers yarned to mess with his hair and how cold her heart was becoming by only seeing his back.

Hugging the pillow, all the memories of being beside the king made her giddy. He was on her side, comforting and taking care of her. Finally, she had pleasant memories that she could go back to in times of hardship.

Just those few moments would make her feel bliss for all her life. She will treasure every moment. Once more she returned to be a little ball, trying to protect her sweet memories of his presence, his voice, and his fresh scent. Nobody could take it to her away from her, it was engraved deeply inside of her.

She wished she could put them in a jar.

****

Elisi this morning worked in the field when a chilly wind almost flew her hat away and she tightened her long top to keep herself warm. The leaves fell from the trees, creating a beautiful reddish and crunchy coat on the grass. The pretty sight of fall has arrived at the castle.

The yard was full of reddish brownish tones, like a painting. Elisi was brushing the leaves aside whilst sneaking some steps to hear the crunching sounds that were helping her to forget the king was about to leave for the week.

That's when she heard a voice from behind.

“You seem quite happy while expecting my departure.”

It was him,

She turned around fast to greet him, but Jeremy cut any word that she was about to say.

Elisi did not want him to misunderstand; she was indeed scared and sad at the idea of not seeing him.

Her eyes desperately looked at him, trying to convey her worries. Her words became heavy, frustrating her even more. Every phrase got stuck in her throat like little stones.

The king patted her head and reminded her to stay with Sebastian. That he already told Mirna. The weight of his hand gave her some comfort, but with the feel of melancholy his touch sadly drifted, and she watched him leaving through the gate. His back again was the last thing she saw.

Elisi will miss him and could not tell him so. She stepped back into the leaves, but her joy wouldn’t come back.