Mona’s Observation Log

 

 

 

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.

❀❀❀

THE next day, I was walking down the corridor when I spotted Sir Ray yet again. He must’ve been on the clock, because he was with a fellow knight. When the two of them reached the covered walkway, however, Sir Ray turned to his associate and said, “Actually, there’s something important I’ve forgotten to take care of. Could you go on without me?”

“Alright then.”

Once the other knight was gone, Sir Ray glanced over at the woman approaching from up ahead. It was Lady Iris, the aristocrat Mayna had mentioned yesterday, wearing an extravagant dress. And sure enough, her hair was very short...but she was wearing a large, stylish flower ornament that suited her perfectly. In fact, she looked to be on the very cutting edge of the trend. It wasn’t a look people with round faces (like me) could pull off, but with her slender figure and high cheekbones, she was the pinnacle of elegance.

“Oh wow...”

“She’s gorgeous...”

Lady Iris smiled as the servants nearby all swooned in admiration. Puffing out her chest, she strutted down the walkway—that is, until she noticed Sir Ray looking at her.

“Why, hello, Sir Ray,” she greeted him.

At this, Sir Ray donned a perfunctory, cordial smile quite unlike the way he’d smile around Mayna. “Hello there. I’m told Mayna cut your hair recently. It looks wonderful.”

“Hee hee. It does, doesn’t it? I’m glad I decided to take the plunge. Now I turn heads everywhere I go!”

“That’s strange. I’d heard you weren’t a fan of your new cut.”

Lady Iris smiled mischievously. “Oh, she told you? I was lying.”

Sir Ray furrowed his brows slightly. “Why would you lie about that?”

She shrugged. “That woman has all the luck. I wanted to take her down a peg.”

“What do you mean, she has all the luck?”

“She was chosen to be your Bondmate, was she not? That alone is proof enough! Surely dozens of women out there are wishing it could have been them instead.”

Was she one of them? I admit, there was a point in time (before I met Padell) that I thought Sir Ray was totally dreamy... It didn’t last long, though. I wasn’t too serious about it.

Lady Iris quirked a brow and scoffed. “And yet that honor went to some hairstylist from Myulan. She’s not even a Dragonkin! So yeah, I wanted to put her in her place. I’m sure she’ll get over it.”

At this point, I was expecting Sir Ray to knock her off her high horse, but surprisingly, he kept smiling.

“Please don’t treat her like that. She never asked for this.” Just then, his humble tone grew steely, and the light left his eyes. “And if you hurt my Bondmate, I will personally see to it that you suffer for your misdeeds.”

Lady Iris froze. Honestly, I’m not sure what she was expecting. If anyone messed with my Padell, I’d probably try to get revenge, too.

But it was clear Sir Ray wanted to solve things peaceably for Mayna’s sake, because he smiled and continued, “That hairstyle really does suit you, by the way. Absolutely stunning.”

But while it was obvious from his tone and body language what he really meant—“Mayna’s handiwork is absolutely stunning”—Lady Iris seemed to think he was referring to her directly.

“Y-Yes, I know,” she replied, blushing. “I like it quite a bit. I’ve been getting so many envious compliments—why, I feel like a new woman.”

“In that case, could you at least tell Mayna you’ve changed your mind?”

“...Very well, if you insist.” It was clear she didn’t want to get on his bad side. But then she said, “To be clear, I was always going to tell her. Honest. I’m going to need her to cut my hair again, anyway. She’s just so passionate about her work... When it comes to hair, it’s obvious she really knows her stuff. I couldn’t have gotten a better cut from anyone else.” She twirled a strand around her finger. “Besides, I was on my way to see her just now. She wanted me to stop by so she could show me some different ways to style it.”

At this, Sir Ray frowned. “She never did come to bed last night, did she...?” he muttered under his breath. I’d forgotten they were living together.

Mayna must’ve been worried sick, thinking Lady Iris was heartbroken over her new cut. She probably stayed up all night long brainstorming hairstyles in order to find a solution as quickly as possible... She did seem sleepy when I saw her this morning...

I snapped back to reality in time to notice Lady Iris strutting off down the hallway. Then Sir Ray looked in my direction. “Oh, Mona. Didn’t know you were there. You heard all that?”

I flinched. “Yeah... I got nosy and started eavesdropping. I’m sorry.” Ugh, why did I admit to that?! I’m so stupid.

Fortunately for me, Sir Ray didn’t get upset. Instead, he pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t tell Mayna what I said to Iris, all right?”

I nodded timidly. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

He smiled slightly. “That being said, it looks like I didn’t need to bother—it seems Iris was going to have to acknowledge Mayna’s talent sooner or later. Perhaps I should’ve just stayed out of it.”

“Mayna really is incredible,” I agreed.

But the look in his eyes told me he desperately wanted to be there for her.

❀❀❀

THAT night, after we helped the Princess into bed, Rebecca and I left her quarters. Our shift had ended at last.

Out in the hall, we found Mayna and Sir Ray walking together. Mayna had already put Her Highness’s hair into bedtime braids, and as such, her work for the day was complete. As for Sir Ray, he seemed to have finished his shift as well. My guess was that he had tracked her down so they could head home together.

“I invited Lady Iris to the castle today so I could show her how to style her new hair.”

“Oh really? How did it go?” Sir Ray asked innocently.

Mayna’s face lit up. “She really liked them! Every last one of them! And she told me she’d come around on her new cut, too. Apparently everyone’s been giving her lots of compliments!”

“That’s good to hear.”

“I’m just so glad to see she’s feeling better! Oh, and she told me to tell you she said hello...” She paused, frowning. “Specifically, she wanted me to tell you she was very nice to me. Is something going on with you two, or am I way off-base?”

“Can’t say I know what she’s talking about,” Sir Ray replied casually. Clearly he was a good liar. “Anyway, I’m really glad you got Lady Iris to change her mind about her hair. I saw her walking by, actually. Her hair looks great.”

“Hee hee! It really does, doesn’t it?” Mayna grinned to herself cheerfully.

This smile proved infectious, and soon Sir Ray was grinning along with her. He glanced back at us and shot me a wink, as if to say, “Our little secret.” I answered him with a curt nod.

Fortunately Mayna didn’t notice our exchange, but Rebecca was a different story. “What was that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

I wasn’t about to blab to anyone, much less Mayna. After all, I didn’t especially want to find out what would happen if I made Sir Ray angry.

Meanwhile, I envisioned Padell’s soft, warm smile. Sir Ray was certainly good-looking, but he was just too intense...

In the end, I think fate made the right choice for both of us.