37

As Cotilion approached, Margot's days only got busier, and Evie got more and more frustrated that she hadn't yet had a dress fitting.

"Gogo! You need to come on Tuesday. I have time at 3pm, no excuses." Evie sighed exasperatedly into the phone.

"Evie, I have a meeting with Jane at 3, I can't." Margot replied apologetically.

"No. Not anymore, I will clear it up with Jane. You're coming. Otherwise, you're going to Cotillion naked." Evie threatened.

Margot sighed, already mentally reorganizing her mental schedule. "Fine. I'll try to ask if we can meet Monday instead, and I'll cut my visit to the dog shelter short."

"Good."

"Ok, I seriously have to go to work now though, I have a shift in 20 minutes and he'll make me stay overtime if I'm late."

"Fine, go. Just be there tomorrow, got it?" Evie clarified.

"Mm-hmm."

As soon as she was off the phone, she had changed into the uniform of the restaurant she'd started working at two months before.

She left the room in a hurry while Kalea just watched with a deadpan expression, wondering why Margot felt the need to overwork herself so much.

The girl was walking so quickly she nearly ran right into Ben, who steadied her by the shoulders before she could trip.

"Woah!" Ben said, laughing to himself.

"Oh, hey Ben." Margot replied, blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't see you there. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well, I was coming to see you actually." Ben said, chuckling nervously.

"Oh!" Margot smiled at him. "I didn't think you had any free time nowadays, Your Majesty."

Ben smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not much busier than you are, actually."

"Yeah, that's not saying anything. I'm already late to work as it is, and I've got three more meetings tonight." Margot replied, rolling her eyes fondly at him.

"You're on your way to work?" The young king looked very disappointed at that, and Margot felt her heart twinge as she smiled apologetically. "I guess I should've asked when you're free first."

"Sorry." Margot checked her watch and her eyes widened as she started inching down the hallway. "I've really gotta go now, but let me know whenever you're free and we can hang out. See you soon!"

Ben stood in the hallway for a few moments with a disappointed frown on his face, before he was called off to work himself.

Margot felt her guilt bubble within her as she raced on her bike to the Red's, the fancy restaurant known for its delicious desserts owned by Little Red Riding Hood and her family.

"Cuttin' it close, Margot!" One of the chefs yelled out laughingly as she signed in, tying her black apron around her waist.

Upon starting her shift, she seemed to not be able to sit down, or even take a moment to breathe, for the first 3 hours of her shift. Unlike other restaurants where dinner was the busiest time, at Red's it was afternoon tea which was most packed.

Citizens of Auradon flocked to Red's, and there was often a waitlist for a table a month in advance. Today was by no means an exception to the usual crowd, as Margot had to jump from table to table, taking orders, serving and clearing plates, and humouring any guests who wanted conversation.

Since becoming more well-known in the Kingdom, Margot had more and more customers who wanted to talk with her, either about rumours or politics most often, which had started to slow down her efficiency at peak hours.

"Oh, you're Margot, right? The daughter of Mother Gothel?" An older woman asked as Margot served her table.

"Yes, that's correct."

"You're the one running that program for the Isle kids?" Her husband asked, a man with greying hair in his fifties, maybe a couple years older than his wife. He was clearly unhappy at the thought.

"Yes, I'm organizing the program with the help and approval of the Council." Margot replied with a polite smile, though she was conscious of her boss's eyes on her.

"Don't you think it's a bit risky to be letting more Isle kids in after what happened with Maleficent?" The man accused.

Margot forced her lips to remain in a pleasant smile. "Of course, we're taking every precaution we can to make sure Auradon doesn't come to any harm. I can assure you, the Council and I are being very diligent in our planning."

"You can't prepare for everything, though. I just think it's a bad idea." The man said, though his posture had relaxed a fair deal. "I find it unlikely that many of the villain kids will turn out like you rather than causing trouble like that Mal girl."

Margot wasn't sure what to say for a moment, but she somehow managed to find her voice. "I am grateful you think well of me, but I can assure you, we will be much more prepared this time around, and there will be more resources to help the Isle kids to adjust." Before the man could speak again, Margot refilled his glass of wine. "I'm very sorry to cut our conversation short, but I have many tables waiting for me. Please, enjoy your meal."

It wasn't long before Margot had been stopped again by two giggling young girls.

"Is it true you're dating King Ben?" The older one asked.

"If you're dating the King, how come you're working at a restaurant?" The younger one added.

Margot's cheeks flushed pink, feeling nerves settle in her stomach. "The King and I aren't dating, but we are close friends. And, the reason I'm working at a restaurant is to raise enough money so I can officially adopt my dog."

"You have a dog?" The younger one exclaimed with shining eyes. "I want a dog! Can I see it?"

Margot smiled gently. "Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to bring my phone to work, so I can't show you a picture."

"Aww..." The girl pouted.

"What type of dog is he?" The older sister, aged around 12, asked.

"He's a German Shepherd named Estel, just a few months old now."

Once again, Margot managed to find a way to escape the conversation politely (much later than she would have liked). Her boss was also unhappy with how much the customers seemed to want to glue themselves to one of his waitresses. Red Riding Hood's husband, John, was very particular in how his restaurant was run. He had opened it so that his wife could finally afford the high end food she loved whenever she wanted, for free, so when something was at risk of disturbing its reputation, he could not let it slide.

"Margot, I'm so sorry to do this to you, I know you've got a busy schedule, but I can't have you working peak hours anymore. I know it's not your fault all the customers keep latching onto you, but you can't get around to all the tables and have all these conversations, and I can't pay two workers to do one person's job." John said apologetically.

"When did you want me to work then?" Margot wondered nervously.

"Early mornings would be ideal, maybe some late evenings during the week." John requested.

Margot's face fell, her eyes like sad moons gazing at him. "I... That would interfere with school and my meetings. I really only have weekend afternoons and evenings free. I scheduled away all of the free time that I had."

John winced. "I'm really sorry. You're a great waitress, really, I just can't have business slowing down so much. I don't wanna fire you or anything, we can just give you a leave of absence until your schedule clears up, if you want."

Margot held her breath for a moment, then shook her head. "No, even after Cotillion, I'll still have Council meetings pretty often, and I have so many things to do waitlisted already. Thank you for the offer though."

"You'll get a big bonus on your last cheque, and if you ever need a recommendation letter, I'll write you a great one." John offered, hoping the desolate look in her eyes would go away.

"Thanks." The spark in her eyes didn't return, but her polite expression remained.

"I'm really sorry, again, Margot. Anytime you want a meal here, though, it's on the house." Normally, John would not make such an offer, but he knew Margot's character well enough to know that she would never abuse it.

"I appreciate it, John." Margot gathered her bag and put her bike helmet on, signalling that she was ready to leave. "I've got meetings to get to, so I've got to go now. Have a nice day."