The Royal Hospital

Jess, say your greetings to Her Royal Highness, Princess Melissa; Walker Lane introduced.

Jess turned toward the princess and curtsied to her.

It is my pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Jess Smith.

And who asked for your name? She quizzed, and Jess quickly apologized.

Jess found her attitude as a princess rude and arrogant; her sassy attitude reminded her so much of Mia, as they behaved similarly.

Forge me, Your Highness, she said apologetically, and Princess Melissa hissed in annoyance.

Listen to me, do not try to entice the director, and focus on your work. I have seen many of your types desperate to get close to the director using all manners of tricks under their sleeves, but in the end, they were thrown out and severely punished. Princess Melissa said.

I will keep that in mind, Your Highness, and focus on my work without crossing my limits and boundaries. I would never aim for what is above my status and reach as I am content with my life. Jess explained.

Princess Melissa was speechless.

She truly is shameless, using the ploy of being employed to get close to my brother, but let me see if you will manage to last for long before my brother returns. She thought.

She went inside, and her maids and bodyguards trailed behind her.

Jess concluded that with the interaction with the crown prince at the ball, he had better restraint and control of his emotions than his sister. She hoped to avoid meeting the princess in the future so that her stay would be peaceful.

The princess does not seem fond of me. Jess said, to which Walker Lane chuckled.

You will get used to her once you get to know her better; she is close to the director and acts like a jealous girlfriend, but she means no harm. Walker Lane explained.

Pardon me for not giving you the gate pass. I can be forgetful at times, Walker Lane said apologetically.

Jess nodded in understanding before saying-

It happens to the best of us.

Since it is your first day and considering the long distance you traveled, I will show you around the hospital and your quarters so that you can rest and tomorrow you resume. Walker Lane said.

Jess was thankful for her thoughtfulness as she was tired from all the bumps on the road that the carriage had to go through on their way here, which left her unsettled and her bones weak.

Thank you, my lady. Jess said gratefully.

You can have my diary; it contains the appointments of the crown prince whenever he is on duty. He does a lot of undercover operations like the one you witnessed at the ball in East Caswell. In some cases, you might need to accompany him, she explained.

Another thing you should note is that you are not to refer to the crown prince by his title but by the director, and do not curtsy to him in public because his identity as the crown prince is not known.

I will keep that in mind, my lady. Jess said, taking note of all the information in her head.

As they stepped into one of the many buildings scattered abroad, Jess was impressed by the details and beauty of the interior. There were paintings of all kinds hanging on the wall, and one painting in particular caught her attention.

It was a painting depicting a village surrounded by tall trees with a river running through the middle. Next to it was another painting with some profound words written on it.

The Royal Hospital is a place of refuge from the storms that hurt the mind, a place of peace and sanctuary.

The Royal Hospital is where people of all ages and social classes are warmly received, into arms that will hold them until their pains become bearable, to go through those moments with them, and be your anchor, the pillar in their hurricane.

As they continued walking, they came across a young woman with black hair and brown eyes. She was tall and had a commanding aura around her, and she seemed to hold a prominent position within the Royal Hospital.

Loren, I want to introduce you to Jess Smith. She will join our team tomorrow, and I would love for you to assist her in getting accustomed to our work here.
Jess, this is one of our physicians.

Nice to meet you, Loren; I hope to learn from you and help when needed. Jess said with a smile.

She noticed how Loren profiled the way she dressed and gave her a condescending look before responding.

Nice to meet you.

Jess thought nothing of it; she was here to work and not bother about people who considered her beneath them.

After giving her a tour around the hospital, Walker Lane showed her to her room in the staff quarters.

The walls were lined floor-to-ceiling with bookshelves, every inch filled, and in the corner of the room was a simple desk, neat and orderly, a few piles of paper stacked in the middle and a small light on.

I will leave you to rest. I will have one of the maids bring you food and your uniform shortly. Walker Lane and walked out of the room, leaving Jess alone with her thoughts.

As she lay on the bed, admiring its bouncy feel, she heard someone knocking. The door creaked open, and a maid came in carrying a tray of food and a jug of water.

Walker Lane instructed me to bring this to you; I did not know what you preferred and just prepared something light for you to eat.

Thank you. Jess thanked the maid who had placed the tray on the small table in the room.

Here is your uniform, she handed Jess a bag.

Thank you. I am Jess Smith. Jess introduced herself, remembering what the crown prince had told her about the proper way of asking someone for their name, but he never told her his.

Bianca Morris. The maid stated.

It is nice to meet you; I hope we can be acquitted in the future and lend a helping hand to each other. Jess said, hoping to make some friends.

Bianca smiled and left without saying a word, which Jess found strange but dismissed and ignored her attitude; not everyone was a social butterfly.

The uniform consisted of a cream-colored gown and black flat shoes; Jess was thankful for the flat shoes because she wanted to be comfortable walking around. She was not fond of makeup, so she just put on a pink lip gloss and cream color butterfly earring.

She arrived at her station at the hospital at exactly 7. 30 am. She walked into the building, greeting staff and patients as she rounded the reception area.

Good morning, Loren; she greeted the physician with a smile.

Loren raised her brow and looked at Jess with a scowl. Jess wondered why she always had a scowl etched on her face; it took away from her beauty and made her look ugly.

Loren had made it clear to her yesterday that she did not fancy her, and Jess wondered why but could not care less about who liked or hated her. She was here to work and help out her family financially.

What are you doing here? I thought you to be tidying the hospital area with the maids and not polluting this holy place with your presence. Loren asked rudely.

I am the director’s assistant. Jess replied smugly.

“What?” Loren asked, shocked.

Walker Lane did not mention that part when she introduced her to the staff, and she thought the director did not want a woman working directly with him. What changed his mind? Loren thought to herself.

Jess did not know at this point that she was in for a war she never anticipated.