Finding Secretary Lyn

”What do you think, Secretary Lyn? ”

I stopped typing on the wireless keyboard of the tablet and looked up to the eyes of the royal family together with the prime minister and his wife staring at me as we all sat outside the veranda overlooking the lagoon the following day enjoying the warm sun during after-breakfast tea.

”Pardon, sir? ” I asked the king tentatively, pretending I didn understand what he was asking even though I fully knew what he was talking about the whole time.

”Come now, no use playing dumb when you lasted this long tailing my eldest son. ”

I bowed my head respectfully, ”Im afraid I am only here to be a scribe, not to interject with subjects that doesn relate to my task at hand, sir. ”

”It pains me to see a woman bereft of the ability to unleash her full potential, don you agree, Mrs. Themis? ” the queen asked disappointedly to the prime ministers wife, who looked at me sadly nodded slowly.

”Wholeheartedly, maam, ” she then looked at me and winked, ”If the wind blows wrongly on your head, you might just become mentally challenged permanently love. ”

Prince Leo sighed and stretched his arm after yawning lazily, ”I can offer you a better stipend and benefits than my brother, Secretary Lyn. You can manage my estates and portfolios whatever you like. I am sure you can better use your degree on Administrative Sciences better there than in that cage my brother called his office. ”

”Administrative Sciences, sir? ” Prime Minister Evander asked in astonishment to the prince, who nodded.

”Yes, prime minister. Finished with flying colors. I saw her transcript of records myself. ”

”Why on earth are you cleaning staterooms and offices as a maid in Arcadia Palace, Secretary Lyn? ” the bewildered leader of my nation asked in disbelief, to which I bowed my head in shame.

”Because I was kicked out of my job several times, Mr Themis. Either the company is reducing the workforce or hiring foreign workers who are cheaper. If not for the Crown Prince, I wouldn even have the chance to practice what I have studied in college at all. After school each and every work I had were manual labor. But I cannot be picky because I will starve if I don take what is available in front of me regardless of my degree. ”

The queen raised an eyebrow at her ashamed prime minister, ”I guess now we know what is one of the major problems of our dominion, don we, Prime Minister Evans? ”

”Maam, I give you my word that the moment I return to the parliament, I will order a complete and thorough review of the labor and employment laws and issue an edict declaring a limitation of overseas foreign workers until we address local unemployment. ”

”See to it, prime minister. I knew something was wrong when Leo told me that he found out that our very capable newly hired maid graduated top of her class, ” the king ordered sternly before looking at me fondly, ”Though I would be lying if I didn say we didn miss your perfect arrangement of our workspace, Secretary Lyn. The new one that replaced you is capable but, as they say, once you have the best, everything that comes after pales in comparison. ”

”Thats very kind of you, sir. ”

”Where is Magus anyways? ” the queen asked curiously as she looked at me, ”Why is he not here when in fact he told me the other day he is rather keen to talk to the prime minister here. ”

”He told me that he would be having a one-on-one chat with Prime Minister Evander later this afternoon instead and ordered me to take down notes instead so he can peruse it later at his leisure, maam, ” I answer promptly. That made her smile all of a sudden as the queen, and the king exchanged knowing looks.

Leo snickered, ”My brother, asking someone to attend a meeting for him? Whats next, me winning the crown city sweepstakes? Heck, might as well buy a ticket later. ”

The prime ministers wife, however, is studying me quietly before glancing at the queen, ”Maam, I think we have been doing things wrong all along. ”

”Go on. ”

”Instead of depriving the tabloids of what they want, why don we give them exactly what they are craving for, maam? ”

The kings jaw dropped as he looked at the prime minister in awe, ”What would you ever do without your wife, Evander? ”

”Suffice to say I wouldn even be here sitting in front of you, sir. ”

-0-

”Welcome to Emporium Exotique, Your Royal Highness. ”

Dozens of staff and even the general manager and supervisors lined up to welcome Magus and me into the most expensive and high-end boutique selling only the best haute couture and jewelry in all of the dominion.

The Senior Manager walked towards the manager and curtsied toward him respectfully, ”Planning for another business trip, sir? ”

”No. Actually, I am not here to buy for myself, ” he said bluntly before turning around and looking at me seriously, ”Shes all yours, manager. ”

”Oh my, just look at these long, slender limbs. The waistline, the sublime face, and the silky hair, ” I was taken aback when the elderly lady suddenly grabbed my arms and hair to check closely, ”Wy are you not in the industry my angel? ”

”Because shes my private secretary, ” Magus answered for me curtly as he checked his wristwatch impatiently, ”Mother wants you to fill her wardrobe with dresses, uniforms, shoes, and accessories fitting and in line with her position as the first-ever female Royal Private Secretary to the Crown Prince in history. She will be accompanying me starting tomorrow in public engagements both here and abroad, so it is of utmost importance for her to look presentable to the media as well. Make it so. ”

The elderly woman curtsied deeply before standing upright and raising her head proudly, ”I have dressed the Queen Mother, the Queen, and the entire royal family. I am putting my pride, career and dignity on the line on this task, sir. It will be done in three hours or I will see myself out of this establishment. ”

Magus sat on the sofa and grinned at me expectantly, ”This might be more amusing than waiting for my mother and grandmother shopping here, manager. ”

”You are onto something, sir. If youll excuse me, I have a history to make. Lets go to the fitting room and put on a show for the crown prince, my angel! ”

-0-

”This is no mere uniform fittings, this is more of a whole wardrobe overhaul, sir. ”

Magus looked up and sneered at me, ”Mother was aghast that you have to borrow a dress from your friend and several articles of clothing from the prime ministers wife for the duration of our stay at White Castle. ”

”Still, I do not understand why I need to have gowns, dresses, evening wears, jewelries, and expensive handbags for work, sir? ”

The crown prince exasperatedly looked up from his book at the elderly manager and sighed as the kind woman explained it to me instead.

”Direct orders from Her Majesty, Queen Cleo herself, my angel. She tasked you to accompany His Royal Highness to his public appearances on top of your clerical duties, does she not? ”

”Yes… ”

She put an impressive set of mother-of-pearl fineries on me as her assistants fixed a flowing white gown embroidered with Swarovski crystals, ”Then you must be as impressive as the one you will be accompanying. The Crown Prince of the Dominion of Arcania must not be seen with a woman wearing an ugly ensemble. The tabloids already have enough rubbish to let a dumpsite burn for a year without you adding more fuel to the fire, my angel. ”

”Now, now, ” Magus interjected in annoyance, making the elderly manager chuckle a little.

”That is why I agree with what Her Majesty always said. That when a man is in a deep mess he created and seems to have no hope of pulling himself out of, it is the sacred duty of a woman to step in and save the shit show by dazzling the crowd! ”

Magus stood up as the ladies stepped away from me after several hours of seemingly endless fittings and wardrobe changes before looking at me from head to foot, ”We shall see, manager. We shall see if she will survive the medias baptism by fire. ”

”By what Mrs. Themis had told me yesterday, she passed the Waite Examinations with flying colors. If she can ride the ever-changing tidal waves of Her Majesties moods, the masses whims are all but a childs play. ”