Chapter 36

MILA

I was still in a ball on the kitchen floor when I heard a knock at the building’s main entrance.

I frowned. It was still too early for Felix to come and pick me up for dinner. Who else could it be? I didn’t know anyone in Fresonia. Was I being mugged again?

My face broke out into a grin when I rounded the corner and saw Isla, one of the castle maids, standing at the front door. She had been so kind when I had first been in the castle, and I was thrilled to see her again.

“Mila!” she squealed as I opened the door. “The Prince said you’d be here.”

I gave her a hug, my heart feeling lighter already. “What are you doing here?” I asked her.

“Felix thought you might need some help with the cleaning,” she said simply. “So I came, and I brought a few of the other maids from the castle. We’re very efficient and very thorough.”

She gestured behind her, and sure enough, there were six maids from the castle, all carrying an armful of cleaning supplies.

Once again, Felix was saving the day. Could he read my mind? His ability to solve my problems even when he didn’t know they existed was becoming a little eerie.

I couldn’t concentrate on why Felix sent the servants, only that he had, and I was eternally grateful.

“Yes! Please!” I said, ushering them inside.

Isla surveyed the restaurant before looking at me. “Wait, so did the cleaners even show up today? It doesn’t even look like it’s been cleaned at all.”

I explained to Isla the disaster that had occurred with the cleaning company, down to the horrible goodbye. She grimaced as the story poured out of me.

“Wait, did you use Fresonian Cleaners?” she asked me, grabbing a broom.

“Yeah, they had the best online reviews,” I told her. “I was totally shocked that I had any issues with them.”

Her frown deepened.

“That’s so odd. They’re usually so dependable. I worked there for a summer before starting at the castle,” she said.

“I thought I had offended them or something. I wasn’t trying to, I just really did not understand their behavior. It seemed so… opposite to what their reviews said. They seemed so nice when I hired them!”

“You did nothing wrong,” Isla assured me. “Their unprofessionalism is entirely on them. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

I grabbed a damp rag from the cleaning supply closet and got to work scrubbing the floor. It was a bit therapeutic to sit down and get my hands dirty, both literally and metaphorically. I had always prided myself on my ability to get things done, and cleaning the floor filled me with a small sense of pride.

All around me, the castle maids were hard at work, carefully combing through every surface, making sure the place was spotless. Isla was right–they were both efficient and thorough. Soon enough, white tile began to appear beneath the layers of dust on the floor, and the light pink paint I had selected for the walls started to glow in the light of the setting sun.

As layers of dust and dirt were lifted, my beautiful restaurant took shape underneath. If I could get the cleaning done tonight, all I would need was some final decorating touches and the building would be all set to go.

I had hope in my heart–something that had seemed impossible only an hour ago.

The process was going so well that I even had time to look at the ingredients in the storeroom and start brainstorming menu offerings. I promised the entire group of maids a reservation, on the house, for opening night of the restaurant.

“We’re just happy to help,” one of them said.

Within an hour, the entire dining area was clean.

What had once felt like a deep hole of self-pity was replaced by overwhelming joy. This was truly a miracle, and after the day I’d had, I could use a miracle. I sent a quick email to the cleaning company, informing them that I would no longer be needing their services. Felix had no idea how much time and money he had just saved me.

Isla must have seen the relief on my face, because she came over and hooked her elbow into mine.

“The kitchen shouldn’t take too long,” she announced. “We should be done with the entire place before 7, and then we’ll be out of your hair. I assume you have date night tonight.”

I looked at her gratefully. “You have no idea what a huge help this is,” I told her. “Really, you might have just saved my restaurant. The cleaning company was going to bankrupt me before I even had the chance to open.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Felix,” Isla said. “He’s the one who sent us.”

“He always seems to be saving me,” I said ruefully. “It’s like he can inherently tell when I’m in a tough spot. A prince always needs to have his damsel in distress.”

“Well, maybe that’s true love,” Isla said. “Always knowing your partner’s needs.”

“I suppose…” I let my voice trail off. “I would just like it if I was able to help him every once in a while too, you know?”

Isla bumped her hip into mine. “Listen, Mila, I haven’t known you for very long, but even I know that you’re no damsel. Felix might be saving you from time to time, but we all know that you are more than capable of saving yourself.”

I looked at her, aware of the tears filling my eyes. “Thank you, Isla. That's incredibly kind.”

“Of course!” she said. “Besides, I’m rooting for you and Felix. I’d really like to have you around the castle. Not all of the noble ladies are as sensible as you.”

“That’s an understatement,” I muttered sarcastically. Isla laughed.

“Why don’t you work on the menu?” she suggested. “Let us take care of the kitchen. You’ve been on our feet all day, we can handle the rest of the cleaning.”

I wanted to protest, but the words left my throat as Isla gently pushed me down into a chair.

“Sit,” she instructed, before heading off into the kitchen area.

I took out my favorite cooking journal and started making notes on the menu. I was hoping for an upscale spin on comfort food, a way to blend my favorite local Fresonian cuisines with my best American dishes.

As I started writing, an idea began to form in my head. Felix had done so many kind things for me–maybe I could start returning the favor.

I called Mrs. Raven. She answered immediately.

“Mila!” she exclaimed. “How is the restaurant going?”

“It’s going really well now, Mrs. Raven,” I said. “I was calling to ask if you could bring me a dress.”

“A dress? Sure!” she said. “Any requests?”

“I want to look as good as possible. A total knockout, if you will,” I admitted. “So anything that would fit that bill.”

There was a long pause, and then: “I have the perfect selection from your closet. I will be there in ten minutes.”