The Prince (part 2)

 The Prince (part 2)

"So you're 50 years old?" said Constanza.

The butler choked on his glass of water, he had just put to his lips. The prince gave him a stern look. At that moment, the waiter came over and set his stake on the table and her salad in front of her. The maid had nothing but water, as did the butler. The butler got up and waved, what looked like a pen over the steak.

"Will there be anything else, " the waiter said. The butler turned to him and said, "can we get a doggie bag for this?" The waiter seemed confused, he had only just set the plate down and the patron hadn't even taken a bite.

"Come along dear," said the maid. The prince sat motionless. "Come along dear," the maid said again. Constanza turned to her about to eat her salad, "I haven't eaten yet." "I am not talking to you dear. Haven't you noticed I haven't said a word to you? I am talking to his royal highness," she whispered under her breath.

Now it was Constanza that was confused. The prince swiftly stood up and turned to the waiter, "what is your name?" and stuck out his hand to shake his.

"uh, Jimmy... sir," the waiter stammered, startled by how swiftly the prince stood up and spun around to him. He shook the prince's hand, confused.

The princes lifted his hand to smell his fingers. "Oh I see that you are a smoker." The waiter blushed at this. "Yes... sir." 

"On second thought, we will not need a doggie bag," the butler said. The prince was already out of the door of the restaurant. And the maid was ushering the young lady out of her chair and putting her fork down. Before he left the butler grabbed the waiter's hand and shook as well. He said nothing.

The waiter stood there for a few minutes after the odd party left. The busser came up to the table and swiftly cleared it and cleaned it. The waiter decided to go have a cig out back.

After putting the prince and the young woman in the car, the butler left the car. Constanza asked the maid, who was just sitting down in the front seat, "where is he going?"

"My dear, don't you worry about him. Sir would you like to go somewhere else to eat?" she looked back and forth at them both.

"Yes, I am hungry still," Constanza said.

The maid looked at the prince who was staring off into the distance. "The chef will make us a feast at home. Change of plans, we're eating at the estate."

The prince said nothing. The butler returned and got into the driver's seat. The maid took her kerchief and seemed to wipe some blood off his ear. 

The ride to the estate was in silence. The maid never spoke to Constanza, but she guessed she had been put in charge of her. It seemed like an odd dynamic. The butler spoke to the prince almost constantly and no her, while the maid hovered around her, but didn't say anything to her. When the car stopped, the maid got out and opened the door for her. She stood still after she closed the door. When Constanza went to join the prince when he god out, she grabbed her arms and motioned her to stand next to her.

A maid and a butler opened the doors, and head butler gave them an odd look. The young maid rushed off to the kitchen, to tell the chef to prepare something for the prince and his guest.

Constanza turned to the maid and asked, "why did you hold me back? Aren't I supposed to be here for the prince?"

The maid rolled her eyes and said, "he is in a very bad mood. Best not to interfere with men when they are in such a bad mood. He would never do anything to you, but it would just add to his annoyance."

"Bad mood? I didn't see anything," Constanza stopped going towards the house.

"I've known the prince for 20 years. This was the angriest I've ever seen him," the maid said, grabbing her arm and walking her to the mansion.

"I didn't see anything," Constanza said to herself.

"You'll pick up on things. He can't fly off the handle. He's a prince. Where we're from... nevermind," The maid shook her head. "Now let's wash up and get ready for supper."

"I can wash up alone, thank you," Constanza said, annoyed the maid intended to follow her.

"Not while you're in this estate. I am your chaperon. Besides, if you come live with us, I will always be your chaperon.

And with that, the two went to the bathroom and she sat on a bench while Constanza used the bathroom and washed up.

"It would be best you not say anything to the prince at dinner, unless he speaks to you," the maid said drying her hands off.

When the two go to the dining room, the maid was walking to the other end of the long table, away from the prince, who was already sitting there. But, the butler motioned the two to a chair next to the prince and the other servants were moving the silverware to that spot.

The maid motioned for Constanza to sit there and be quiet.

It wasn't until the two were eating that the prince finally turned to her and said, "our chef is the best."

And he was quite right, the maid, standing by the wall behind the prince kept motioning for her to slow down. The food was so good and she was so hungry. But, she tried to slow down.

"How are you 50? I'm 16 and you look like you're 2 years older than me," Constanza stared at the prince, forgetting all about the delicious food.

The maid threw her hands up and looked up at the ceiling. The head butler, standing beside her snickered, like he did earlier at the restaurant.

"Little miss, that is not polite. And, we don't know why the prince looks like that. His family all look normal, but he never ages. Now, eat your food," the maid said, coming up and placing her napkin in her lap.

The butler was now laughing, in earnest. The prince turned to look at him, and turned back around and laughed as well. "She's right. No one knows why I look like this. Beedie prince the photos."

The butler almost jogged out of the dining room. He came back quickly with a big book and he walked around the table and set beside Constanza and began opening it and narrating. "This is the prince with the queen. Look at how young she looks. Her his highness is with the pope, see he's also young, he passed away almost 2 years now. Here he is next to this building. They removed it about 30 years ago."

He went on and on about this and that, that were 30 - 40 years old and the prince was there, looking the same. When he finished he took out his pocket watch.

The prince stood up and stiffly directed his head at her. "It is getting late. He will take you home."

With that the prince was out of the dining room and off somewhere.

"Miss take your time. You want desert?" he said. Several servants cleared the prince's table spot. No one else spoke to her, nor looked at her. The maid came and stood by her. "Miss you've had a long day with us." In reality it had only been about 3 hours.

When she was finished they were walking to the door. Through some double doors she could hear music and when she peaked in, there sat the prince playing an instrument that looked like a piano, but wasn't. "was he alive when that thing was made."

The head butler almost doubled over with laughter, "that was 200 years ago, miss." The 3 piled into the car and away they went to drop her home. The head butler laughed almost the entire way there.