The preparation for the dinner went as usual with Malee preparing her fried potato dish. Once the dinner was done, the servants were called to gather in the main hall for an announcement. Malee stood behind Mary as the master along with the mistress and the twins looked on them.

“Thank you for the work you have done so far. But there will be special guests coming here in a few days and I need you to put on your best effort. Some of you will be sleeping in the main house so Mary, prepare those rooms in the cellar.  That’s all.” said the master. Malee wondered what kind of people would be described as “special” by the family. As she was walking out of the door with the rest of the staff, Mary pulled her back.

“Come with me” said Mary as she walked back to the kitchen. Instead of going back into the kitchen, she turned to the other side and opened the door to reveal a stair case going below the house. It must be the cellar that the master mentioned, Malee thought. There were several rooms labeled such as storage and such with a few rooms unmarked. Mary gave Malee a key to one of the room.

“This will be your room till the party is over. Tomorrow we will sleep here. My room is next room. Let’s go back.”

Malee nodded and followed her back to the main lobby and then across the garden to the servants’ house. They had started dinner so Malee and Mary just sat down and joined them.

“You must help Mary, Malee. The parties are very difficult for everyone but especially for her.” said one of them. “We will be working day and night from now on.  I heard this time there will be a lot of guests.”

“I heard one of them is a real princess from Europe to be George’s wife.” said Michael with his mouth full of Malee’s fried potato.

“Who told you?” asked Mary.

“I overheard from the windows when George and Georgia were arguing.” replied George.

“So they had started planning for the succession.” added another.

Malee had no idea what were they talking or the meaning of succession but all that talks about princess reminded her of the conversation with her friend the night her father died.

“It’s like the rumour I heard from my friends.” said Malee.

“What rumour?” asked Michael while taking another piece of fried potato.

“That people are looking for a bride for a prince.” said Malee.

“Oh that, it is not a rumour. It is true.” replied Michael.

“You know who is the prince?” asked Malee to amazed looks from everyone else around the table.

“Doesn’t she know that George is a prince?” asked Michael to his mother.

“George is a prince?” Malee echoed with her eyes opened wide.

“No. She doesn’t know yet.” said Mary.

Malee finally understood why everyone was bowing to George and Georgia and why the two policeman couldn’t find any identification attached to George at the police station. He simply didn’t exists for them. And why nobody other than Mary,Michael and her called the twins by their names.

“I feel so sorry for him. No wonder he looks so lonely.” sighed Malee. Everyone was astounded by that remark except for Mary and Michael. They, more than others, understood that underneath his anger and holier-than-thou attitude, there existed a very lonely boy who had no peers of equal standing aside from his sister.

“Wait, doesn’t that make Georgia a…”

“Princess? Yes.” said Michael, helping Malee to finish her sentence. Malee felt as if she was in a story book that she read when she was try to learn the words by sitting outside the class during meal breaks from pushing the cart.

“Well, that would calm down George and Georgia, so be it. I am sure mdm would approve of it.” said an old lady who seemed older than most of the servants and mostly responsible for keeping the servant’s house in order. Malee had never seen her out of the servant’s house or in the garden.

“Yes. Mdm would be proud of George.” echoed Mary. Malee thought for a brief moment that she saw tears in Mary’s eyes.