A PRINCE

{Evelyn's pov}

I had just swept the bedroom for the tenth that day, no one had used that room except my aunt and the room was messy but she made me reclean the room out of her own selfishness. I was extremely tired from working since morning, I hadn't tasted anything food or water, I was tasty and hungry but I knew better than to eat or drink something now except I wanted to put up a fight with my aunt and Yelin, after arranging the room again, I sat on the bed yawning loudly as I stretched my body. I noticed I was beginning to dose off and luckingly for me, my aunt and cousins were not around, I stretched myself on the bed weakly begging God to bring up something that will hold them a bit.

With this thoughts, I slept off which was totally not my plan, I just wanted to rest a bit.

"Evelyn" I heard my name from downstairs and with this, I jumped off the bed and started pretending like I was still sweeping. The door came flying open and Jane's figure appeared behind the door, Yelin's behind her.

"How many hours are you going to use in sweeping one spot, just this small bedroom, you are taking hours, Evelyn" Jane scolded me as she stood akimbo watching me as I put together the items I used in cleaning the room.

"Maybe she wasn't even sweeping, she must have been sleeping" Yelin said as she gave me a disgusting look.

"Sleeping? Evelyn were you sleeping? Or is Yelin exaggerating?" Jane asked me as she moved slowly to me.

"I wasn't sleeping" I said as I stammer.

"Oh you were sleeping" Jane yelled "I'll teach how to not sleep on duty again" she added and with this, she pounced on me.

**********

I am Evelyn Daniels, twenty six years old, I lost both parents when I was five, eversince I could remember I lived with my aunt and cousins, most times my aunt's husband returns from work- he's an offshore worker- making us five. I lived comfortably with my aunt and her family until one day, her kindness turned to pure hatred and wickedness, first it started with her being pissed off by any little thing I did and turned into her giving me chores far my age.

I lived with it and soon got used to the chores but not the beating and punishment I received from Aunt Jane and Yelin, anytime Frank tried to intervene for me, the beating got worst, so he just stopped helping and overlooked but deep down I knew he felt my pain.

I was told my parents died in a fatal motor accident and most times, I wished I was part of the accident and had died along with them.

Everyday, I wept and wished mama and papa could just return because aunt Jane made my living on earth, a death wish. It was second hell, that's if what I was passing through wasn't better than hell itself.

I had only one person who made me still smile and feel better, that's no other person than Judy. She is the best thing that could ever happen to me, she gave me a big reason to live again.

Judy is a lady of high self-esteem, she is a bold, fearless and funny human being.

Speaking of the devil, here she comes with her free short gown as usual, this girl is something else.

"Eve!" She called me in her usual manner as she approach me at the back of the house.

"When will you change?" I asked her chuckling.

"I miss you too dear" she said sarcastically and I laughed as she sat next to me.

"When I said you haven't change, you won't ask me change from what?"

"I already know what you want to say. My dear. First impression matters alot, that's all I have to say" she said as she examine the clothes on the floor "don't tell me you are washing all these today" she added as she lift some of the clothes examining them.

"Just drop it" I said playfully as I took the clothes from her.

"These clothes are mostly Yelin's, are you helping her to clean up her trash again?" Judy asked again.

"I have no choice" I said still washing the clothes.

"Ehen.... Eve I've got some juicy news for you" Judy said as she snap her fingers in the air.

"You always have juicy news for me" I chuckled.

"Yes nah... because I know you don't get news.... from your aunty's abode" Judy said "anyways the king collasped yesterday due to a heart attack and his son is returning from Country V according to what we heard from some nurses who had night shift" she added.

"O my God, I hope the king is fine" I said.

"He should be because all they said was collasped and not dead.....but that's not the exciting part of the news" Judy said.

"So what is? And by the way that news is not exciting" I said.

"The prince is coming home"

"So that's the part you are excited about"

"Evelyn do you know what it means for the prince to return?"

"I don't"

"It means he gets to pick a wife, he gets to pick one woman from our city"

"What if he returns with a woman from where he is coming from?"

"Impossible, very impossible. It's a taboo for the prince and heir apparent to the throne at that to marry an outsider. He must marry an indigen to help rule well and long, that is the tradition"

"You know so much about the tradition. Are you by any chance planning to marry the prince?"

"Who wouldn't"

I laughed out loud.

"You are spontaneous Judy, very funny. Even if the prince wants to marry anyone, definitely not from our side of the City, okay?"

"You are a killer joy"

I laughed loudly.