New maid

At Yoniez

In the ballroom, the maids were moving around and putting everything in place for the little Prince's party with the head maid supervising them.

"This will be the last party to the real birthday." One of the maid said to another maid while fixing the flowers into the right position.

"Yes." The other maid replied.

"Don't you think what the royal family are doing is not good?" The maid asked. "Well, they truly are being inconsiderate. Why would one throw a party for a small child when the kingdom will soon be in a crisis?" The other maid said ending her words with a question.

"I just worry for the poor guard. I really hope he would not die." The first maid said again with a sympathetic look on her face.

"I think you should worry for yourselves more." The head maid said with her suddenly behind the two gossiping maids.

"Is this what you are meant to do? Talking about the royal family carelessly? What do you think will happen if you both are caught? What if it was the queen that walked up behind the two of you at this morning moment? Do you think you will be able to scape through it?" The head maid continued firing away at them angrily.

The two maids looked down shamefully. "Get back to work now, and don't you dare gossip." The woman concluded, shooing them away. The two maids left quickly before another round of scolding.

The head maid continued moving around, checking the every work of the maids. Not long after, Rita walked in with a line of maids following behind her.

She was looking around the hall in admiration. The head maid, upon seeing her, walked towards her. Having gotten to Rita, she bowed, "My Queen,"

Rita smiled at her, "Mena, the whole place is looking good. You are doing a very good work at supervising the work."

"Thank you, my queen." She said. She paused for a bit, contemplating on telling the Rita. Rita noticed this and asked her what was wrong.

"My Queen, please can I see you in private?" She asked. "Say whatever it is you want to say here. There is no need to ask for privacy." Queen Rita replied seeing no reason in them talking in private.

"Okay. My Queen, I think it will be better if the party for the little prince is stopped." She said quietly, keeping her head low.

Rita's face darkened at this and she was very angry but managed to keep her anger at bay, "Why?"

"The workers in the palace are starting to complain and if care is not taken, it will tarnish the royal family's reputation..." Mena was saying but was interrupted by Rita.

"It is none of their business. All they are to do is to do their work. Are they to dictate what I am to do?" Rita said.

Mena figured that there was nothing she or anybody could say to change Queen Rita's mind so she said nothing more and just bowed. Rita walked out of the hall with her maids following behind her.

After Rita had gone, Mena raised her head and sighed.

...

General Livius and King Richard are in the room with the guard injured, Steve. The Royal Physician was getting to leave after he had checked up on the guard. "He needs to get enough rest so as to regain his strength."

He brought out a small bottle and said, "Three drops of this should be added to his food every 8 hours. It will enhance his healing." He said and dropped the bottle on the table beside the bed.

"Is that all?" King Richard asked. "That will be all, Your Majesty." Royal Physician bowed down to the King and he left.

"How are you feeling now?" General Livius finally asked. Steve nodded his head, unable to answer with his mouth as he was a little overwhelmed with the presence of both the King and the General.

"So straight to the question, who do you think of that may have carried this attack out?" King Richard asked without wasting any time.

"No-nobody." Steve stuttered. General Livius could see that he was overwhelmed by their presence so he tried to calm him down.

"You don't have to be scared or anything, okay?" Livius said while smiling at him and Steve nodded again and he calmed down a little bit. "So, do you notice anybody acting strange before or after you were hit by the arrow?" Livius asked him more gently than how Richard did.

Steve shook his head in declination. "Well, except for Yoddal." He said after thinking for a while. Richard and Livius looked confused because they had never heard of that name in the palace. It does not even sound like a name someone from Yoniez would bear.

"Who is Yoddal?" Richard asked him. "The new maid in the palace." Steve replied.

"In what way does she behave that makes you suspect her?" Richard inquired from him again. "No, no, Your Majesty, don't get me wrong. I do not suspect her for anything. All I mean is that she has been acting weird since she got here." Steve said, not allowing Richard to misunderstand him.

"Then what do you mean?" Livius asked him, tired with the guard's beating around the bush.

"Ever since she has gotten here, she always looks at me in a weird and mischievous manner. Even before the arrow was shot at me, she was with me earlier, asking me series of questions and disallowing me to focus on the work with her deliciously intoxicating scent and her flawless skin, with those long silk hair. I think she is using magic to look that beautiful." Steve said as he stared into space in a daze.

Richard and Livius exchanged a surprised look at each other with one thought in both of their minds, 'This Yoddal is indeed suspicious.'

---

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