Searching for a Maidservant

After listening to Commander's Irvine's speculations, Princess Amelia began to wonder about Laif's intention to join as her Royal Knight.

Right now, it was undeniable that she did not have a lot of supporters as the ruler of Noa Kingdom. That was why it was strange for someone like Laif and Kain who had excellent martial arts to join as her Royal Knight.

Previously, there were not many talented fighters who would join as her knights. They were not willing to offend the nobles.

With her position in court right now, Amelia realized that she did not have a lot to offer to her Knights. She did not even know if she could protect them if something were to happen.

However, these thoughts soon disappeared as her workload was piling out.

A couple of days ago, Amelia had recommended that they find someone to act as their spy. Someone that would spill the noble's wrongdoing. But Amelia soon learned that no one would want to take her side willingly.

A soft chuckle of disbelief escaped her.

It was disheartening that her subject did not respect her as a ruler. It was frustrating to know that most of them would prefer for Marquis Neill to govern than her, a legitimate ruler of Noa Kingdom.

Advisor Damian had told her that gaining her people's trust would not be an easy task. It will take them quite some time before she could gain their trust as a ruler. It could be months. Or years.

Amelia took a deep breath and broke a piece of sweet absentmindedly to feed them to her pet, Snow.

"Ow!" Amelia suddenly yelped in pain when Snow bit her finger. "Snow!" She scowled at the creature.

Snow looked up and met the princess's gaze for a while. He tilted his head sideways as if he was inquiring her what she had in her mind. Then, he purred innocently and licked his fur.

The princess smiled at the creature. She scratched Snow on his head and exhaled. "Perhaps I should take a walk outside to clear my mind?"

Snow tilted his head up and yawned in response.

Amelia shoved Snow into her bed-chamber and warned him not to come out. She left him a bowl of treats and stepped out of her room. Her eyes widened when she found Rae stood before her.

"Your Highness," Rae greeted with a curtsy. "I came to report for duty."

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be home? Resting?"

"The doctor told me that I'm well enough to work," Rae said. "Because Your Highness was kind enough to send me the royal doctor to treat me, I was able to recuperate faster than expected."

"Are you sure you're well enough?"

Rae nodded. "Yes."

"I'm just glad that you're alright." Amelia blew a sigh of relief and a smile graced her lips. "I miss you."

Rae lowered her head.

"I am going out to the garden for fresh air. Would you accompany me?"

"It is my duty to accompany you wherever you head to, your highness."

Soon, the Princess and her entourage including Rae, Sara, and a few palace guards followed her to her garden. Her steps stopped shortly when Amelia saw a man dressed in a dark blue outfit stood at her gate.

From where she stood, Amelia saw that the man was having a conversation with a few of her maidservants.

"He came here again," one of her maidservants whispered.

"Who is that?" Amelia asked. She tilted her head to look past her maidservants. Her eyes squinted to get a clear look.

"He's one of your newly appointed Royal Knights, Your Highness," Sara told her.

"Wait," Rae spoke. She inched to the Princess and whispered, "Your Highness, isn't he that man who saved us the other night?"

Her eyes widened when she got a clear look at his figure. Amelia quickly recognized him as Laif. She turned around in an instant in an attempt to avoid him. Her hand jolted up to cover her face.

Laif was not supposed to be here.

Commander Irvine had informed her that the Royal Knights will only begin their duty after the ceremony of their official appointment been made. That was a few days away.

Amelia quietly prayed that he hadn't seen her in her Princess dress. "What is he doing here?" Her voice was a whisper.

"He has been coming here for the past few days, Your Highness," Sara said, gaining the Princess's attention. "He was looking for a certain maidservant."

Rae turned to Sara. "A maidservant? Why?"

Sara shook her head. "I'm not sure."

"Did he tell who he was looking for?" Rae asked.

"No. He said that he didn't know her name. But he did give us a description of how she looks like. Auburn long hair and brown eyes." Sara paused as she glanced at the princess. Her breath hitched as she realized that the description fitted the Princess. "We couldn't find any maidservant that could fit his description. Perhaps the maidservant was from the other court."

Amelia frowned. "Why hasn't anyone informed me of this matter?"

"We didn't think we should bother you over a trivial matter, your highness," Sara admitted.

Amelia pressed her lips into a thin line. She swallowed at the thought that he has been looking for her for days. "How long has he been looking for this maidservant?"

"For two days," Sara informed. She watched the princess frowned and said, "Would you like me to call over the guards to take him away from here?"

"No. That won't be necessary. We will take another route to the garden." Amelia spun around, moving towards the other direction. After a few steps, she halted abruptly, surprising her entourage.

"Your Highness?" Rae said when the princess kept mum for a long time. "Is everything alright?"

Amelia chewed her lips, as she weight over her options.

She wanted to see Laif face to face and ask why he applied as a Royal Knight. She wanted to know his intention. Not knowing his intention is driving her crazy with curiosity.

Although the commander had warned her to be careful with him and his friend as they didn't know what his intention was, her instinct told her that he wasn't a bad person.

Amelia took a deep breath and turned to Rae. "Actually... Rae, there is somewhere I need you to be."