Dydra followed the lead of the other colored maids, her boots clicking softly against the marble corridor as they navigated the winding paths of the palace. Each maid moved quickly and quietly, their heads bowed, their expressions taut with tension. The red-haired girl could sense the unease radiating from them, like an invisible electric current. She matched her pace to the maid in front of her, quickening her steps as the older girl darted down a narrow hallway.
"Hey… what's going on?" Dydra whispered, her voice barely audible, but the fear around them muted even that.
The maid in front didn't spare her a glance, her steps swift and deliberate. "Princess Naiya has summoned all colored maids," she murmured, her voice low, almost a hiss.
Dydra's blue eyes narrowed. "Why?"
The maid's shoulders tensed. "We don't know. But whatever the reason is… it isn't good." Her words carried a weight that made Dydra's stomach knot.
They approached the corridor leading to the art gallery, and there stood Madam Sandra, her hands folded neatly, her back straight. The maids collectively lowered themselves into synchronized bows, heads down, bodies trembling slightly under the weight of anticipation. Dydra, caught slightly off guard, lagged just a fraction behind. She didn't bow in time, her heart hammering at the audacity of failing an unspoken rule in the presence of Sandra, yet the head maid didn't scold her. Instead, she knocked sharply on the polished oak door.
"I have gathered the maids, Your Highness!" Sandra announced, her voice steady but tense. She opened the double doors, ushering the line of maids inside. Each step seemed to echo in the vast hall, the soft rustle of skirts blending with the creak of the old wood floor.
Dydra kept her head lowered, her hands tightly clenched at her sides. She had learned long ago that in the presence of nobility, and especially royalty, it was dangerous to meet their gaze. Years of servitude under the elites had taught her caution. But still, the room exuded a tension so thick it made her skin prickle.
Princess Naiya sat on a grey couch, legs crossed with the elegance of someone accustomed to power, a delicate cup of blood tea in her hand. Her eyes moved slowly over the maids, each one's pulse visible in the rapid rise and fall of their chests. Her smile was pleasant, almost deceptively so, but there was a sharpness at its edges that could slice through steel.
Her gaze traveled down the line of bowed heads before settling on Dydra. The red-haired girl stood out, not only because of her hair but the quiet confidence hidden beneath her nervousness. Naiya's mind flickered with curiosity, and perhaps envy—her half-brother had noticed her beauty, hadn't he? Slowly, the princess rose, her movements smooth and controlled, gliding across the marble floor toward Dydra.
Dydra's body stiffened. Why was she singled out? Her mind raced, listing every possible misstep she might have committed, every slight she may have unknowingly given. Her heartbeat thudded like a drum in her chest.
"Lift your head, dirty thing," Naiya's voice was cool, almost languid, yet every word dripped with authority. Dydra's brow furrowed. Was the princess speaking to her? It had to be—she was standing directly before her. She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to lift her chin, careful to keep her gaze on the princess's jawline, avoiding those piercing eyes that seemed to cut through flesh.
"Last night, my half-brother, Leonard, was spotted carrying a maid in his arms, heading to his room. A colored maid. Do you happen to know anything about that?" Naiya's voice was calm but held an undercurrent of steel, a weapon that could pierce even the bravest hearts.
Dydra froze for a split second. Her mind raced back to the night before, the encounters, the shadows, and the man whose presence lingered in her memory. Leonard… the same pervert from the marketplace? Could it be the crown prince? The thought made her stomach twist, but she quickly dismissed it. "No, my princess. I do not know anything about that," she said softly, her words careful, truthful, but laced with unease.
Naiya's eyes narrowed, sharp like daggers. The maid's expression betrayed honesty—she was telling the truth. But if not Dydra, then who? The princess's mind whirred with suspicion, irritation, and something darker—jealousy, perhaps, at the thought of another woman catching Leonard's attention.
Stepping back, Naiya's gaze swept the room. "Are any of you rats aware of this?"
The maids shook their heads violently, fear evident in every motion. Naiya's frown deepened. "So, you ugly chimpanzees are claiming I, Princess Naiya, am incorrect?" She stepped closer, her presence suffocating, and the maids trembled further.
"Don't you have voices? ANSWER ME!" Her roar shattered the room as she smashed the tea cup in her hands onto the marble floor. The liquid splashed over her gown, the shards of porcelain scattering at her feet, but Naiya barely noticed. She was a storm, an unstoppable force, and the maids were only fragile leaves in her path.
"We know nothing of this, Princess Naiya!" The maids cried out in unison, voices trembling, foreheads pressed low to the ground, tears streaking down their faces.
Naiya's chest rose and fell with controlled anger. Her fingers curled into fists, nails digging into her palms. "Guards!"
The doors to the gallery burst open as two palace guards entered, their polished armor gleaming faintly in the filtered sunlight. "Yes, Princess!" they answered in unison, bows precise, movements exact.
"Get these disgusting maggots out of my sight and punish them with five lashes each!" Naiya ordered, her voice cold, unyielding. Panic rippled through the maids, and they all collapsed to their knees, begging.
"Please, Princess Naiya! Spare us!" Their cries echoed against the high walls, mingling with the clatter of fallen porcelain.
"And give their leader an extra five lashes!" Naiya added, her lips curling into a cruel smile. Sandra's eyes widened in terror. She had been through the princess's wrath before, but this… this was beyond anything she had imagined. The maids' pleas grew louder, their tears flowing freely now, faces pressed into the cold marble floor.
Dydra knelt, her body shaking uncontrollably. She had never experienced such cruelty firsthand. Her hands gripped the marble edge beside her, fingernails digging in as her body convulsed with fear. The thought of receiving lashes made her entire being tremble. She recalled the man in the marketplace, punished mercilessly with whips—his cries still echoed in her mind. The thought of feeling that pain herself sent icy spikes through her veins.
Before the guards could move, a voice cut through the chaos. "What is going on here?"
All heads turned toward the door. The fierceness in Naiya's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by sheer terror. A figure had entered, one whose presence made the air itself seem to shiver. The timing… the fear… it was clear this person was no stranger, and Naiya's confidence faltered.
Dydra's heart pounded as she lifted her eyes slightly, catching a glimpse of the newcomer. The maids were frozen in place, their bodies tense like statues, unsure whether to move or cower further.