Mona’s Observation Log
MY name is Mona, and I work as a servant at Vaxwald Castle. Not only that, but I get to serve the Princess! What an honor!
“Is it fair for one girl to be so blessed?”
As I walked down the corridor, carrying a set of new sheets and pillow covers for Her Highness’s bed, I peered through the windows at the bright blue sky. I loved my job, and what’s more, fate had seen fit to give me a Bondmate in the form of a man named Padell. I was blessed in every sense of the word.
To an outside observer, Padell probably seemed like an average guy—no big ambitions and nothing much going for him outside of his job as a knight. But to me, he was everything I could ever want. I loved his droopy eyebrows and big, round eyes...but more than anything, I loved his personality.
From the moment we first laid eyes on each other, we knew we were Bondmates, so there was never any need to hesitate and wonder if he liked me back. Naturally, we started dating right away—I mean, why wouldn’t we? It’s destiny! That’s how it is for all Bondmate couples, right?
“Oh... Except for her, I guess...”
Ahead of me, I spotted the one exception to this rule: Mayna, the Princess’s personal hairstylist. She had just recently cut her hair short, and it looked great.
“Mayna!” I called, and her beautiful blue eyes shifted in my direction. “Did you finish styling Her Highness’s hair?”
“I did. Right now Rebecca’s helping her get dressed.”
“Okay then, I’ll go change her sheets.”
But before I could take more than a few steps, I heard someone else’s footsteps behind me, so I stopped and turned back.
“Oh! Good day, Your Highness!”
I hastily stepped back against the wall and bowed my head in deference. Prince Dario had arrived, accompanied by Sir Ray and his other bodyguards. Before they reached me, however, they stopped beside Mayna, who was bowing along with me.
“I’m looking forward to Patricia’s hairstyle today,” said the Prince.
“You won't be disappointed, Your Highness. It’ll pair perfectly with that dress you gave her,” Mayna replied confidently, and Prince Dario grinned.
“See you at lunch,” Sir Ray told her as the group marched on down the hall. Aww, just look at that lovey-dovey smile!
The Ray I knew was easy on the eyes, but at the same time, he had the stalwart determination of a battle-weathered soldier. That’s a Dragonkin for you, I guess. But whenever Mayna was around? Suddenly he was all smiles and laughter...almost like an entirely different person! I mean, look at that—one “See you then” from Mayna and he’s practically on cloud nine!
Still, I’m ever so glad it’s worked out between them. It was so obnoxious—er, uncomfortable—hearing him deny that Mayna was his Bondmate. Watching him really made me angry—I mean, worried!
Early on, I noticed that whenever Mayna wasn’t looking, Sir Ray would bite his lip and shoot her these wistful, longing gazes. But now they’re finally together, so I don’t have to spend every day wishing I could stab—I mean, help them!
Witnessing their little exchange made me long to see Padell. And lunchtime felt like an eternity away.
✦ ✦ ✦
❀❀❀
AT last, lunchtime was upon us. Carrying a gingham basket full of sandwiches I had personally prepared myself, I headed off to find Padell.
Spring had rolled around, bringing with it pleasant warm weather that melted the snow away. As I was contemplating whether to eat outside for a change, I spotted Mayna and Sir Ray sitting on a bench in the courtyard, smiling and chatting.
“You seem kind of down,” Sir Ray commented. “Is something wrong?”
Meanwhile, I came to a stop a short distance away so I could eavesdrop. I mean, after all the emotional investment I’ve put into their relationship, who wouldn’t be curious? Fortunately I was positioned directly behind them, so they didn’t see me.
Mayna turned to Sir Ray, her eyes wide. “How did you know? I was doing my best to act normal!”
“I always pay close attention to you, so it’s easy to tell when something’s off. You were perfectly normal when I saw you this morning—what happened?”
Mayna sighed. Apparently she realized there was no use in trying to hide anything from her Bondmate. “Well... You know Lady Iris, the daughter of the Marquess?”
“Yeah, I know her.”
“A while back she approached me directly, claiming she wanted to join the short hair trend, and she wanted me to do it since everyone’s been talking about me. And her appointment was scheduled for this morning.”
“How’d it go?”
“Well, I cut her hair...but she didn’t like it. ‘Was this the best you could do? I had higher hopes than that. I guess the rumors about you were wrong.’”
“She said that to you?”
“Yeah. I’m not that upset about the last part... I just wish she would’ve liked her haircut.” Mayna slumped her shoulders. “But I can’t undo what I’ve done, and now she’ll have to live with a haircut she hates, day in and day out, until it grows out again. It’s my job to make these women sparkle, so I feel as though I’ve failed her... I thought I gave her the perfect cut, but...now I’m not so sure...”
“Oh, Mayna...” Sir Ray frowned, sharing in her pain. Silence fell. Then, after a long moment, he put his hand on her shoulder. “Okay, well, what if you tried styling her new hair a different way? If she doesn’t like it as-is, maybe the two of you can find a style she does like! That’s more your area of expertise, is it not?” He smiled. “Don’t worry. Just be confident! To me, you’re the best stylist this world has to offer. No one’s got talent like yours! I’m sure you’ll find a way to make her happy again!”
Mayna smiled in spite of herself. “Thank you, but I really don’t think I’m the best stylist in the whole world. You compliment me so much, sometimes it can be hard to believe you actually mean it...but at the very least, it always inspires me to have confidence and courage. You’re always there to encourage me whenever I need it the most.”
She shifted slightly, and I couldn’t quite see what she was doing, but I figured she must’ve taken his hand in hers, because he smiled softly. “Mayna...”
But just when the mood in the air had taken a turn for the romantic, Mayna suddenly relinquished her grip on Ray’s hand. “You know, if we’re being honest, I was thinking something along those lines myself! I can’t just shrug my shoulders and give up! I need to ask her to let me try again!” She leapt to her feet. “I know I can make her look cute with short hair! I want her to smile at herself every time she looks in the mirror! Thank you so much, Ray. I gotta go brainstorm some hairstyles for her!”
And with that, Mayna was gone. Not even her handsome Bondmate could distract her from her deep passion for her work. Personally, I was glad to see her back to her usual self, but at the same time, Sir Ray looked so lonely, left behind on the bench like an abandoned puppy...
It was actually kind of funny. He could’ve had his pick of the women, and yet fate chose Mayna the workaholic to be his Bondmate. Poor guy... Hang in there, Sir Ray!
With that silent prayer, I hurried off to find Padell.