ADEBIMPE ( Episode 13)
Prince Adewale (POV)
I am the prince.
That truth has always answered questions before they were asked. It settled arguments, closed mouths, ended debates. So when the thought came to me Do I even have the right to apologize to Adebimpe? I waved it off immediately.
Why was I thinking like that?
Apologies were offered downward in this palace, never sideways. Never upward. And certainly never inward. I was raised to command, not to explain myself to servants.
Still… the thought refused to leave.
That night, when Adebimpe brought my dinner, I noticed the careful distance she kept. Her steps were precise, her eyes lowered, her body trained to avoid taking up space. She placed the tray down and bowed, ready to leave as she always did.
“Sit,” I said casually.
She froze.
“My prince?” she asked, uncertain.
“Sit until I finish eating.”
Reluctance crossed her face like a passing shadow. For a moment, I thought she would refuse. That would have surprised me. Instead, she bowed again and sat at the edge of the chair farthest from me, her back straight, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
She was quiet.
Too quiet.
She kept glancing at me from the corner of her eyes, as though measuring the room, measuring me, measuring danger. I caught one of those side looks and smiled to myself.
“Raise your head,” I said. “Sit properly.”
Slowly, she lifted her face.
And there it was.
I truly saw her then—not as a servant, not as a quiet presence moving through my space, but as a woman.
Her face was beautifully shaped, soft where it needed to be, strong where it mattered. Her eyes were large and expressive, holding caution, intelligence, and something deeper—resilience, perhaps. Her lips were full, naturally curved, like they had forgotten how to smile freely but still remembered the shape. Even in stillness, there was life in her.
She was beautiful without effort.
I felt something tighten in my chest.
I looked away and focused on my food.
When I finished eating, I leaned back slightly and decided to do something reckless.
I spoke.
“So,” I said lightly, “how was your day?”
She blinked, clearly unprepared.
“It was fine, my prince.”
“That answer sounds rehearsed.”
Silence.
I chuckled. “You don’t have to guard every word in this room.”
Her fingers tightened in her lap. “I do not know any other way.”
That honesty caught me off guard.
I stood and moved toward my bed, sitting on its edge. The room felt different tonight less formal, more fragile.
“Tell me something,” I said. “Anything.”
She looked confused. “What kind of thing, my prince?”
“A story,” I replied. “. Just tell me a story.”
She stared at me.
For a moment, I wondered if I had crossed an invisible line.
But I didn’t stop myself.
Continue reading Episode 14
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