The lessons went on for the girls, but Alicia stopped paying attention after she heard what she wanted to hear. What was the point in listening when she was going to leave here soon anyway? She was lost in her thoughts until a maid walked in, and Beth bowed to the maid, who looked older than her.
Alicia's lips almost fell open as this was a sight very surprising to her. She had no idea that the 'almighty' Beth bowed to anyone except the King and Queen.
"The Queen wants to see you at once at the royal garden," the Queen's maid informed Beth and walked away, expecting Beth to follow her.
"Classes continue tomorrow," Beth said dismissively to the two before looking at the maids, and then she gave Paulina a pointed look. "Come with me," she said with a jerk of her head.
Paulina snapped her head up to look at her mistress before looking at Beth, and then she shook her head in refusal. After meeting her mistress, she didn't want to leave her and return to the maid's quarters again. She had slept on the bare floor the previous night, and considering all the hardship she had suffered since her arrival in the kingdom, she didn't know what was going to happen to her next.
She could not forget how the maid had lifted her the previous night and had almost strangled her to death until she had been saved by the man who claimed he had been sent by Prince Harold. Her neck still hurt from the bruise Beth had left on her neck, and she had covered it with a neckerchief.
Beth stomped her feet as she approached Paulina, but Alicia was fast and stood in between them, spreading her arms to not give Beth any access to the little girl. The other maids watched the scene before them with an expressionless face, as they didn't want to get in trouble with Beth.
"You can leave. She is coming with me," Alicia informed her with a stiff smile, not liking the way Beth was trying to intimidate Paulina.
"You wanted to see her. You have seen her."
"She is MY maid, and my maid will come with me. I won't let you take her to whatever disgusting place you kept her." Alicia said, adamantly letting Beth get to her.
"As long as you live in this palace, you do not own anything that has not been given to you by his Majesty!" Beth snarled at Alicia.
Seeing how tense the atmosphere was, Paulina began to get scared. Beth was scary, and the look on her face now looked like she was about to rip Alicia apart. Out of fear, Paulina moved from behind Alicia to stand in between Alicia and Beth.
"Mi...lady... I'll go... with her." Paulina stuttered.
With a frown, Alicia pulled Paulina back to stand behind her. "Don't be silly. I won't let you go there. You look thin and awful."
Susan watched them curiously. Was it because they were human? She had never seen a mistress this nice to her maid before. And the maid looked like she wouldn't mind giving her life for her mistress either, and it didn't look like she was doing it out of mere duty.
"You do not want to keep the queen waiting." Susan reminded Beth, who was gritting her teeth angrily.
Even if Beth was rude to Harold's bride, she wouldn't dare be rude to Susan. Glaring one last time at the two humans, Beth turned around and stormed out of the place, leaving the maids to run after her.
Paulina collapsed to the floor immediately Beth left, and with one look at how pale her face was, Alicia could tell that she had been very terrified.
"Hey, it's okay. Don't mind her. I will do my best to protect you, okay? You don't have to be scared," Alicia said as she crouched down in front of her as she consoled the little girl.
Susan almost rolled her eyes at the mushy scene. Paulina kept insisting that she didn't want the princess to get in trouble for protecting her, while the princess kept assuring her that it was her duty to do so since Paulina was there because of her.
"You are crying a river," Alicia said, looking for something to wipe off the tears that were running down her cheeks. Her eyes fell on the material around Paulina's neck, but as she reached for it, Paulina held onto it tightly.
"What's wrong?" Alicia asked in confusion. "I just want to use it to wipe your tears."
"Uhm... milady... You don't have to worry... I am fine." Paulina said as she quickly used her other hand to wipe her cheeks herself. She tried to stand up, but Alicia pulled her down, with a knowing grin.
"What? A boy gave it to you? You just got here and you have a boyfriend already?" She asked with a wink as she untied the neckerchief from her neck, but the amusement left her face immediately her eyes fell on the marks on Paulina's neck.
Paulina's hands flew to her neck to cover it, but it was too late already. Even Susan was surprised to see the mark on her neck. It was very bruised and she could tell that they were claw marks.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" Alicia asked in shock as she slapped Paulina's hands away so she could have a better look at the awful injury.
"Who did this?"
Paulina shook her head, "No one," she lied.
She didn't want to tell her the truth and put the princess in any more trouble. She had overheard the other maids talking about how the princess was going to get into trouble one day because of her reckless behaviour.
Not willing to let it go, Alicia began to grope the much embarrassed Paulina as she tried to look for other marks until she finally found one around Paulina's wrist.
"No... she... didn't do this." Paulina shook her head and withdrew her hand before putting down her sleeve. The bruise on her arm was from the stranger who had saved her last night. When he pulled her, he held her so tightly that she thought her bone would snap.
'She' Paulina had said 'she'. A girl had hurt her. Having remembered how she had behaved in front of Beth, it all made sense.
"It was Beth? Beth did this to you?" Alicia asked angrily, without expecting an answer. Beth was the only one she knew in this kingdom who was capable of such animalistic behaviour.
Paulina shook her head in denial as she quickly tied the neckerchief around her neck once again, but she wasn't smart enough to come up with a good lie.
Before either Paulina or Susan could guess what she was up to, Alicia stood up and was already leaving the maidens' quarters angrily. Paulina ran after her with pleading cries, and Susan followed them, but with no intention of pleading with Alicia. All she wanted was to witness what Alicia was going to do.
Harold, who was walking by, stopped when he spotted Alicia from a distance, walking with a determined expression on her face while her maid and Susan followed hurriedly.
'Not again.' His wolf groaned.
"Where are they going to?" He asked no one in particular as he watched them.
"Your bride is going to cause a scene at the royal garden. Beth hurt her maid's neck last night," Alvin supplied as he joined Harold.
"You should stop her before she does something reckless," Alvin added in a concerned tone.
Harold took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before heading in the direction he had seen her take. He followed a faster route so that he would get to her and stop her before she got there.
Alicia's eyes were burning with anger as she stopped at an interception and looked to the right and left, trying to figure out the way to the royal garden. She had heard the other maid tell Beth to meet the queen there.
"Please milady, please don't do anything. Please," Paulina pleaded with tears in her eyes as she stood in front of Alicia.
"Step out of my way!" Alicia hissed at her angrily before turning to look at Susan, "Which is the way to the royal garden?" She asked, and Susan pointed in the left direction.
As Alicia turned to head in that direction, Harold came out of nowhere and blocked her path.
"What are you doing?" Alicia asked, shooting darts at him with her eyes.
Harold took a look around him. There were no guards or maids in sight since anyone who sighted him from a mile away made sure to take a different route. Paulina and Susan stood behind Alicia, clearly intimidated by his presence.
"Let's talk," Harold suggested when he saw how angry she was.
"Talk? I'm not in the mood to talk to you. Get out of my way," Alicia hissed as she tried to sidestep him, but Harold kept blocking her path.
"Where are you going to?" He asked calmly, and Alicia immediately reached for the neckerchief on Paulina's neck and tugged it off.
"You see that? That animal you call a maid did this to her! I'm going to have it out with her. I'm done tolerating her insolence!" Alicia yelled as she tried to push Harold out of her way, but he was like a brick that refused to budge.
"Let's talk first before you do anything," Harold insisted.
"Are you deaf or something? I have nothing to say to you!" Alicia snapped at him as she roughly pushed past him.
'She is rude.' His wolf chimed, but this was not the time to indulge his other self in banter.
Seeing that she wasn't willing to listen to reason or talk with him, Harold lifted her off the ground as though she didn't weigh more than a bag of feathers. He didn't carry her bridal style. No. He carried her like a sack of rice on his shoulder.
"What do you think you are doing?" Alicia shrieked angrily as he began to walk in the opposite direction.
'This is a good opportunity. Let's bite her!' His wolf said with excitement.
'Shut it!' Harold hissed, already angry that she was making him break out of character.
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