Chapter 3

"I have an invitation to Lady Lington’s tea party tomorrow. It is a grand event hosted by the daughter of the Viscountess, and everyone important in the palace will be there. Can you accompany me?"

"Yes, Your Highness," I bowed to him slightly.

"Okay, then it’s settled! Tadaaaaa!!!" He held up a beautiful green dress, bright and fine, with soft embroidery and smooth fabric that looked expensive just by looking at it.

"Is that?" I stopped for a moment, unsure what to say.

"That’s right, Agatha," he said, smiling widely as he held it out to me. "You’re gonna wear this tomorrow!"

I looked at the dress, then at him, and shook my head immediately. "I cannot wear that, Your Highness."

"Why not?" He tilted his head, looking confused. "It’s pretty, and it fits you perfectly. You’ll look so nice in it."

"Because I am just an ordinary maid. I have no noble blood or title. Wearing clothes like this would be wrong. I will wear my usual maid uniform, that is proper and fits my position."

He frowned a little and stepped closer, holding the dress tighter. "But you are coming with me. Everyone will be there. If you wear your old clothes, you will look out of place. You need to look presentable. You deserve to look nice too."

"I do not need that, Your Highness. My job is to serve you, not to dress like a noble lady. My uniform is enough."

"But why? It’s just clothes. It doesn’t change who you are." He pouted a little, not giving up. "Please? Just try it on once. It will look so much better than what you usually wear."

"I appreciate the thought, but I cannot agree. It is not right for me to wear such fine things." I turned away slightly, not wanting to argue but knowing I had to stand my ground.

Ezekiel sighed and walked around me so he could face me properly. He looked at me with those bright eyes of his, and his expression softened a little. He put the dress down for a moment and spoke gently, like he was asking something very important.

"Agatha…you know I want you to come with me, right? But…you don’t even call me by my name. You always say Your Highness or Young Master. You never call me Kiel, even when we are alone. You always keep everything so formal and far away from me."

He paused for a second, and I stayed quiet, not knowing what to say.

"So…" he continued, his voice sounding a little sad, like he was hurt but not angry. "If you won’t call me by my name, then…at least wear this dress, please? Just this once. Do it for me. I really want you to look nice at the party. I want everyone to see how pretty my personal maid is"

He looked at me, waiting for my answer, and I felt something inside me change. He wasn’t being stubborn anymore. He was just asking, and his words made me feel like I could not say no anymore.

I looked at the dress again, then back at him. He was smiling softly now, like he already knew he had won.

"…You don’t even call me by my name, Agatha. So at least wear this please?"

That line stayed in my head. It was true. I always kept my distance, always used formal words, always kept things proper between us. And here he was, asking for such a small thing in return. It was just clothes. It would not change who I was or what my duty was.

I took a deep breath and looked at him. "…Alright. I will wear it."

His face lit up immediately, and he grinned so wide it looked like his whole face was happy. "Really? You will? Oh thank you, Agatha! You won’t regret this, I promise!" He picked up the dress again and held it out to me, bouncing on his feet a little like a child who just got what he wanted.

"Thank you, Your Highness," I said, taking it carefully. It was lighter and softer than I thought it would be, and the color suited me well, even if I did not want to admit it.

"You’re welcome! Now go try it on! I want to see how it looks right away!" He waved his hands excitedly, pushing me gently towards the door of the changing room. "Hurry up! I’ll wait here! I know it will look amazing!"

I went inside and closed the door behind me. I changed out of my plain uniform and put on the green dress. It fit perfectly, like it was made just for me. The fabric felt nice against my skin, and the details on it looked elegant and beautiful.

I opened the door again and walked out slowly. Ezekiel was standing there, waiting, and when he saw me, his eyes went wide and he smiled even bigger than before.

"Wow…" he said softly, walking around me slowly to look at every part. "You look so nice beautiful Agatha"

I touched the fabric gently and looked down at my clothes. "It is just clothes, Your Highness."

"No, it’s not just clothes," he said, shaking his head. "It’s how you look when you are comfortable and when you look good. And you look great. I’m so glad I made you wear it."

I said nothing, but I did not take it off. It was just a dress, after all. And if it made him happy, and if it made things easier between us, then it was worth it.

"Now!" He clapped his hands together, all cheerful again. "We need to pick shoes and jewelry too! We can’t have you looking nice from the top and plain from the bottom! Come on, let’s go get everything you need! Tomorrow is going to be great, I can already tell!"

He started walking ahead of me, turning back every few steps to make sure I was following. He looked happy and excited, like this party was the most important thing in the world.

We walked through the palace halls together. He talked non-stop about what would happen at the party, about who would be there, and about all the things we would see and do. I listened, and answered when he asked me something, and for the first time, I did not feel like I was just a servant walking behind him. I felt like I was walking beside him, like we were just two people going somewhere together.

When we stopped at the storage room to pick out shoes and small decorations, he helped me choose everything.

"There," he said, stepping back to look at me again. "Now you are perfect. Ready for tomorrow."

I touched the pin in my hair and nodded. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"You don’t have to thank me," he said, smiling. "I just wanted you to look nice. And…I’m glad you agreed. Really glad."

We went back to his rooms after that. The whole time, he kept looking at me, like he could not stop. Every time I turned around, he was watching me, and every time I caught him looking, he would just smile and look away for a second before looking back again.

That night, when I was alone in my room, I looked at myself in the mirror again. I was wearing the green dress, with my hair fixed nicely, and I looked different from how I usually looked. But I still felt like me. I was still Agatha, the spy and the maid. The clothes did not change who I was.

But I had to admit… it felt good to wear something nice. It felt good to look presentable.

I folded my uniform carefully and put it away, then laid the green dress on the chair where I could see it. Tomorrow would come soon. And even though I was still the same Agatha, things felt a little different now.

I knew Ezekiel would be happy tomorrow. And I would do my job well, just like always.

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