ADEBIMPE (Episode 18)

Adebimpe (POV)

When the prince touched my neck, my heart almost left my body.

Not because it hurt.

Not because it was rough.

But because it was unexpected and gentle.

For a brief second, I forgot where I was. Then fear rushed in to replace the warmth. The palace had taught me one thing clearly: closeness without permission was dangerous.

“My prince,” I had stuttered, stepping back quickly.

I saw it then the realization in his eyes. Shock. Embarrassment. Something else I could not name.

He pulled away as fast as I did.

The silence that followed was heavy. I focused on my work, my hands moving automatically, my thoughts loud.

Why did he touch me?

Why did it feel like concern and not command?

Why did my chest feel tight afterward?

I cleaned quickly and left.

Later, when I returned with his breakfast, I had prepared myself. I would be calm. Proper. Invisible.

He asked about my health. I answered.

He told me I would only serve him. I accepted.

But my mind would not rest.

When he dismissed me, I walked out with careful steps, my heart still unsettled.

Outside, Iya Morounkeji was waiting.

“You saw the prince,” she said.

“Yes, Iya.”

She studied my face. “And?”

I hesitated. “He… asked after my health.”

She nodded slowly. “That is kindness.”

“Or danger,” I whispered.

She placed a hand on my shoulder. “In this palace, it can be both.”

That night, as I lay on my mat, I replayed the moment again and again not the fear, but the concern in his voice. The way he had rushed to me without thinking.

I did not know what frightened me more:

That a prince could care.

Or that I was beginning to feel it.

Prince Adewale (POV)

By evening, the king’s warning echoed in my mind.

Remember your position.

I remembered it too well.

That was why, when Adebimpe brought my dinner, I kept my distance. I spoke little. I dismissed her early.

Yet when the door closed behind her, the room felt hollow again.

I sat alone, wrestling with a truth I could no longer ignore:

Caring was not the mistake.

Carelessness was.

And if I did not learn the difference soon, this palace would punish us both.

Continue reading Episode 19