Everyone got down from the carriage without saying a word, and they all went and joined the line. Dydra's question was still not answered by the old witch, who signaled her to stay quiet by placing her index finger over her lips. The young witch complied as they patiently moved with the line, wondering what was in the building.
Her question was soon answered as it became their turn. The door was opened, and she stepped in. Her eyes roamed the place. It was not what she expected. She had imagined it to be filled with people chatting with each other, but it wasn't. The only people there were maids on the line, quieter than an owl soaring through the night sky. She wondered where they were moving to and stood on her toes, trying to see the front. She spotted someone at the far end—someone she never thought, in a million years, she would see. Her eyes grew cold, shooting daggers at the obsessed man, who wore a silk white shirt and black trousers, sitting on a wooden chair with a wooden table in front of him. Numerous parchments were scattered across the table's surface. Two guards stood behind him, huge swords attached to their waists. As his lips moved, speaking to a maid in front of him, Dydra noticed his eyes weren't red, and they lacked the lust that had swarmed them back in the carriage that day.
Her heart pounded against her chest, and the corners of her lips twitched as rage built up in her gut. It was him! The man who haunted her dreams! It was the man who tried to rape her! Her palms folded into fists, clenching tightly.
"Next!" Leonard's voice shot through the room, as the maid he had been speaking to previously left through a door not far from where he was. (Author's note: many of you might be wondering if we have two Leonards… yes, we do. The prince and the pervert).
Five people stood between the young witch and the plump pervert.
Oryen stood in front of the red-haired girl, oblivious to the brewing rage within her. The old witch was deep in thought, wondering if she should have given the young witch a talk on how to act in the palace so as to remain out of trouble.
There were a lot of things Oryen found really suspicious about the royal castle. She had many unanswered questions about bizarre events that took place and how people disappeared without a trace. What she found even stranger was that whatever happened in the royal castle was always forgotten immediately after she stepped out of its premises, yet she was able to remember again whenever she returned.
Her mind brought up the memory of an incident that had taken place in the palace a few years back.
She had a friend, a fellow maid, much younger than her, whose name was Ellen. Ellen had a face even princesses and queens would envy. She had an angelic voice and sang a lot. One particular day, as she and Ellen were tending to the gardens, the young girl started to sing. Unbeknownst to her, a prince from a neighboring kingdom, who was in the place for important matters, heard her voice. He watched her arrange the roses and wildflowers, lovely melodies escaping her lungs. He was captivated by her pale skin and blonde hair. From the angle he stood, he could only catch sight of her back, and when he saw her retreat into the castle, he went after her.
"You there!" he called out as he quickened his pace. Ellen's singing ceased, and she turned toward the voice that called her. The prince's heart skipped a beat as he met a pair of golden-brown eyes. Her eyes held innocence and warmth, making the prince wonder if she knew how the world worked.
"W-who are you?" he asked softly. Being a maid, Ellen immediately bowed to the neighboring prince, wondering what he meant by the question.
Oryen, a few feet away from them, observed the prince's gaze and noticed he fancied the young girl. A frown settled on her face. The prince was to marry one of the princesses of his kingdom; if he were to change his mind because of a simple maid, it would not end well for the young girl. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she brainstormed a way to get the girl out. Luck seemed to be on her side when she heard a familiar voice call out.
"Barron!"
It was the voice of one of the king's daughters, Princess Naiya. She wore a deep blue dress that showed her pale shoulders and a little of her cleavage. She had brown hair and brown eyes, and her pink lips pulled into a sweet smile as she saw the prince, who her mother said she was going to marry.
She had dressed in his favorite color and let her hair down, as she knew he liked it. Her smile immediately faded when she saw one of the maids, whom she had heard one of her brothers fancied, standing close to the prince. She had heard that the young girl's beauty was remarkable and that she could get any man she wanted.
Her womanly instincts immediately shot in as she noticed the girl held a bow, and the prince's gaze remained on her even after she called out to him.
Was the lowly maid deliberately showing her cleavage to the prince?! Her palms clenched tightly, and so did her teeth. That lowly servant was seducing her prince!
"You!" Her voice thundered, finally catching the attention of the prince. He turned to her, frowning as he observed the irritated look she wore.
Ellen knew the princess could not address the neighboring prince in such a tone. Figuring it was her, she rose, but before she could be aware of what was happening, she felt something strike her face—hard—causing her to plunge to the ground.
Prince Barron's eyes widened in total awe, and he suddenly raised his voice at the princess.
"How dare you?!"
Naiya, whose brown eyes were shooting daggers at the maid, suddenly looked up at the prince with disbelief.