Chapter 4

Sofia twirled the cone of the star in her fingers as she waited for Harriet to come back with the man that she told her who will attach the star to the top of the tree for them. She wondered what is taking Harriet so long. Probably, there aren't a lot of male servants available for everyone has something task to do of their own.

She herself is going to be busy after finishing the decorations. She will need to help in the kitchen to assist with the food preparations, clean up the railings of the castle staircases, and some other chores.

But she is already habituated to it as the castle is always as it is during the Christmas season.

Sofia sighed and decided to wait for Harriet a little while longer when she noticed the royal highness coming towards her direction.

Her insides started to panic and for some unknown reason, her heart started palpitating on its own, which she didn't like. Her heart began to be uncontrollable ever since she met the prince a few minutes ago.

Many questions rang into her mind when the distance of her and the prince continued to decrease. Is he coming for her? Did she really offend him earlier for not properly answering? Will he punish her?

No…

Her mind insisted.

She remembered that the prince is nice enough to do that for something unreasonable. It was already proved to her earlier that the prince is not like the other royalties whom she had encountered before. He did return the ornament to her politely and apologized for their misunderstanding.

But those thoughts didn't answer the question of why is the prince going towards her?

Wait, she has probably got it wrong. Maybe he is just passing by her because that is the direction he decided to take to leave the premises.

But just then, her thoughts were muffled by the loud pounding of her heart when the prince stopped in front of her with his heart-snatching smile. With his friend beside him who translated her signs earlier.

"Hey…uh…" The prince greeted Sofia hesitantly.

Sofia curtsied to the prince once again and asked through her sign. 'Your highness, of what service can I do for you?' This time, Sofia made sure that she will act properly in front of the prince to not embarrass herself more.

His highness awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Sofia became confused? 'What does he want?' Sofia is getting agitated because of the other servants in the ballroom who were stealing some glances upon them. And she is not fond of such unwanted attention.

"Uhm…I—we…" He faked a cough. "We were just wondering if you needed any help." The prince asked in a rather shy tone.

"We?" The prince's companion asked.

"Yes…Trevor…" He turned to his companion with gritted teeth. "We." Then he turned to her with his charming smile. "Do you need to put up the star to the top of the top of the tree? Here, let me help you."

Prince Claude suddenly snatches the star from her hand and went to one of the servants who were up a ladder currently getting shouted at by the royal decorator.

"No! I said to the left! No! Did you not hear me?! Left! To the left! Goodness gracious…I am already blasting out my voice out here! Have some mercy towards my lungs and do your jobs right!" He bellowed in his feminine voice alarming the servants.

When Mr. Hanes saw Prince Claude approach him, his eyes widens in shock upon seeing him for it is rather quite unusual for someone like a royalty to bestow his presence towards the servants.

"Y-Your Highness! Uh—uh…" Mr. Hanes finds himself lost for words. He curtsied clumsily in front of the prince pretending as if he was wearing a skirt when in fact, he was wearing a white designed suit. A patch of redness started forming on both of his cheeks.

"What can I do for you, your highness?"

"Can I borrow the ladder?" He said pertaining to the one with the servant climbed on top, still holding the garlands.

"T-that ladder?" Mr. Hanes asked.

"Yes…that one."

"Uh…Yes of course…" He said. His voice panicked quite a bit. "Hey you! Come down there! The royal highness needs the ladder!"

The servant nodded and slowly descended the long ladder. Claude instructed the same servant to place the ladder to prop on the tree. Then he thanked and instructed the two to proceed with their duties.

"Your Highness, what on earth do you think you're doing?!" Trevor asked upon seeing his highness slowly taking the first step of the ladder. "Sir, I don't think that that is a great idea."

Sofia, who was also watching the prince slowly climb up, also wanted to stop the prince but she could not utter a word no matter how much she tries.

"Don't worry Trevor, I've already climbed up something higher than this!" He was already at the middle of the ladder. He was quite far away from the ground of the fifty feet Christmas tree.

"Your Highness!" Trevor tried to stop him once more. But the prince kept being stubborn.

The ladder kept wobbling as the prince take each step further away from the ground, making Sofia's heart tremble in fear that any moment, the prince might take a wrong step. She immediately cleared her mind of that thought. She believes that the prince will be alright. She hoped.

"Your highness Claude Sonare! I am telling you! That is not the best way to impress anyone! Come down back here this instant before you terribly hurt yourself!"

"I am fine Trevor!" Prince Claude shouted back. He was already at the top of the tree and Sofia is getting dizzy and even more nervous seeing the crown prince so up high.

The prince waved at them and he slowly placed the star atop the tree as the ladder he's stepping on continued to wobble.

Sofia closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves, but then, she heard a weird sound coming from the tree, like something is cracking. Then her attention went back to the tree and saw it leaning a little.

Sofia panicked. She wanted to warn the prince about the tree but she knows that no sound will come out of her mouth. He was in a midst of a struggle in placing the star properly as it did not easily fit. Prince Claude reached out a little more towards the tippy top of the tree. But the tree only leaned further because of that.

Sofia's eyes widen in horror. Has anybody else hasn't notice that the tree was leaning. Possibly not because Trevor is still shouting and everybody's attention is on the stubborn prince.

Sofia calmed herself a little and thought about getting the duke's attention without offending the nobility.

But what was she thinking? There is no time to consider whether or not she is going to offend anyone or not, the prince needs to get down immediately so Sofia nudged the only person who can understand her.

Fortunately, Trevor stopped shouting and faced her.

She quickly signed about the leaning tree and Trevor's eyes enlarged in horror just like her reaction upon noticing the situation.

"Your Highness! You really need to get down from there! The tree is going down because of your weight! The tree is not stable!"

"For goodness sake Trevor! I am not heavy! And what are you talking about?!" The prince shouted back and continued on trying to put up the star.

'What a stubborn royalty.' Sofia thought.

"Please your highness! Come back now…"

"NO!"

And now, he sounded like a kid.

Trevor called some man to pull Prince Claude from his stubbornness when all of them turned their heads when they heard something cracking. And to everyone's surprise, the tree was already falling down with the prince hanging on the top.

Everybody screamed for the life of the prince.

"Jump down your highness! All of you get ready to catch the prince!" Trevor instructed with fear and authority.

All of the male servants available, as well as the guards, who were too late to notice the situation, ran as fast as they can to the prince's aid.

And then, out from her own thought, Sofia ran with the other man. She didn't know why she did that. Something just came rushing through her. This is maybe what she heard, when one is in the face of an alarming situation and your blood boils and your body becomes irrepressible that you find yourself running towards the scene.

The tree continued falling down and the ladies in the ballroom were all screaming. And as instructed, the prince jumped off from the top of the tree.

Many people were ready to catch him. But as the tree was too big and everyone beneath it were all afraid of being crushed down, everyone scattered like ants and Sofia was the only one left ready to catch the prince.