TWELVE

"I like her"

Prince Michael stare in disbelief at the words of the head chef, ever since young age he had grown a liking for her and has keep in touch even when he didn't contact his parents and she has become like a mother to him but hearing her saying she likes the Princess wasn't something she expected

"What do you like about her?" he asked

"everything" she confirmed making him looked more lost, h didn't seems to get exactly what make her say she like such person as her

"She's just what you need"

"How do you mean?"

"She's charismatic and has an aura which speaks of her strong will and can't be intimidated, plus she took down that witch the moment she got here"

Michael nodded his head as he tries to comprehend her words, indeed she was right about those things but then a woman like her can be dangerous, for one thing she's too ambitious and worst of all way too pompous

"No way" he objected

"Reece" she called out in despondency

"I know what you are getting at momma but it's not going to work and I thought we already agreed on this"

"but Reece…"

"Who is Reece?"

They turned to Princess Claire who just asked the question and Momma bowed before she make way for her to go through

"Of all the maids I've seen in this palace you seems to be the most respectful" she said as she walk past her to meet him.

"She's not a maid" Michael corrected with a hint of anger in his tone "What is she then? Another woman in your life?" she wanted to know

"I have a lot of women in my life princess" he replied her with sarcasm.

Claire smiled and nodded her head staring at Momma who seems a bit afraid and uncomfortable under her gaze

"Since you are on my husband side then you need to be on mine too" she said and stretch out her hand for as a kind gesture

"Don't touch her" he warned and grasp Momma gently, steeping between the two women

"What?" she asked looking calm

"Don't you try to use my people for your ambition in this palace" he warned again

"You are really a royal, you caught on my game"

"Am not interested doesn't mean I don't know how things work"

"I find you interesting my husband, but then I think I need to let you know some things" she said and let go of the calm expression and turned to a serious face "I am a royal and I am interested in obtaining the highest power ever, as you aware that women can never be crowned King but had to rely on her husband for that"

"I will be relying on you for that"

"Don't dream big princess" he cut her off

"Am not just dreaming or maybe I should reframe my words, I am going to make you rely on me, I don't care what you want as long as I get what I want"

The two stared long at each other with different messages passing between those strong gazes and after a while, Princess Claire put on a big smile and walk away without saying another word to him

"I don't like her now" Michael said more to himself after she left.

****

"I don't like her"

The princesses all took a sip of their drink as they sit under the wide pavilion for a time together, although they weren't sure of the outcome of the king's judgment but seeing the new princess walking proudly back to her room they knew she had a upper hand

"I know Aither has much authority than us but I didn't realize it's to this extent, she's just a princess but yet her aura speaks more than that" Brenda picked up a burger from the small plate in front of her and chew on them fast

"Since the new princess shines more than you, it's not surprising that you hate her" Princess Sonja also contributed looking straight at Izabella whose face shows displeasure

"I will not have you insult me Sonja and be careful with your words I did not say I hate her I only said I dislike her, they are two different words"

"Really? Doesn't that mean the same thing?" Brenda asked still shoving her mouth with burgers, the other princesses turn to her and stare with disgust at the manner she eats

"Can you stop eating like a pig and behave like a proper princess?" Princess Sonja asked and place a tissue in her hands to clean up, although Brenda seems upset at her words but she still accept the tissue anyway and clean her lips with it. "no need for her to be like a princess she wasn't born one remember, she's just lucky to be married to a Prince" Izabella commented and this time Brenda couldn't hold her anger at her words "can you stop saying that? Even if you don't like that fact that a commoner is a princess, you shouldn't make your bitterness so obvious" she resorted

"Atleast you know who you are" she whispered but audible enough for her to hear

"Melody, go get some more burgers" she ordered the maid with them ignoring their insults

"she's my maid not yours" Sonja stated and Brenda chuckle angrily "bring some fries with it, seeing the way Princess Sonja ate those burgers I can't bear to eat them again" she ordered and the maid left immediately to get their orders carried out.

Princess Claire wandered along the long passage with distorted feelings as she tries to think of something to do to make herself feel less bored but nothing seems to be forthcoming in this tiny palace she finds herself, back at home she had learn horse riding, martial arts, stitches, and many more things that a perfect princess should have knowledge of but here in Silverbell she can't seems to find such things to do especially when her maid keeps disappearing on her each time.

Sarah and Fallon never left her side for too long, they are always with them just in case she needs something or needed a task to be carried out. She isn't sure if the maid given to her is being on purpose but this is outrageous, if it were in Aither she would have had such servant beaten to half-death.

With her thought so engaged she didn't notice the presence of maid coming behind her on the passage until she got to Claire and step hard on her dress, feeling her foot on her exquisite dress made Claire face turn furious as she halt firm in her stepping

"oh so sorry my Princess" the maid said with such pretense and travesty, the same look her sisters always had every time they did something evil or plan a trap for her, she slowly made a turn back and saw just in time the servant squashing hard on her flowing dress before off her slippers and putting on a fake face

Seeing her put on face made Claire more furious and send two hits across her face sending her down on her face with painful force

"arrrrh" she scream out in horror, whether it was to draw attention to them or it was her way of expressing her pain Claire ignore her yell and place hard on her right leg which she matched her with her own heels and watch her yelp in agony like a woman in labor

"How dare a low life like you" she scream back to her face causing her a fright, she pressed her heels on her legs again this time placing much force in her foot as she crushes the maid without any show of pity in her.

Princess Claire heard footsteps rushing towards them but she didn't bother to turn to see whose steps they are but focus on giving pains to the person in lying helplessly in front of her

"Stop it!"

"Have you lost your mind?" another yell

"Let go of her" one said in an appeal and that's when she took her foot off the servant who is in anguish and look misery

"What are you doing you evil woman?" the second princess said again, Claire wasn't sure what her name since she didn't show interest while they were been introduced to her but she recognized her voice second ago when she yell at her

"Whose maid is she?" she asked ignoring their questions, terrified faces and angry looks

"She's my maid, how dare you treat her as such, how dare you insult me" she state again and Claire finally understood why her voice was the loudest

"So you are the master who has refuse to teach her servant proper manners"

Princess Sonja finds herself choking in anger as the words got to her hearing "what? Manners? I think you are the one with rotten manners and heart here how could you beat up someone so badly?"

"That's because this low life did something she shouldn't have done"

"What on hell could she have possibly done to warrant such evil from you?" she asked sharply

"And Melody is not a low life" the other Princess corrected helping the maid up but she seems to find it difficult to stand on her feet

"All maids are nothing but a low life who has to serve all their lives and carry out tasks till they are worn out"

"I think you have a bad orientation about who a maid is Princess"

The Princesses all turned to the left direction to Prince Michael walking towards them, all except Claire look happy seeing him as they are sure he's going to be on their side, everyone in Silverbell knows what the Prince hates the most

'Treating servants as nothing but low lives'

"Did you do this?" he asked gazing at the maid and then back at her

"Why did you have a problem with that?" she returned back still keeping her poise

"How on earth could you hurt someone like this? Have you no heart?" he asked with disappointment and anger

"She's just a servant. Why should I have a heart when she lacks one? Shouldn't the first thing to ask be 'what did she do?'?"

"Whatever she might have done you have no right to treat a person like this" he yell at her and for the first time in years, Claire felt sad and almost show her emotions out in front of others but she quickly controlled herself and put on a false smile instead to conceal her real feelings

"Maids are like your friend and family and they should be treat with respect and kindness

"Friend? Family? How?" Prince stare at her for seconds confuse on her question but before he could find an answer Claire beats his tongue

"you send them errands, ask them to do menial labors for you and get angry when they don't do it well or even punish them to instill fear into them" she said facing the three Princess in her last statement

"You all had them do your tasks for you and yet you call them family?" she asked with ridicule in her face and voice

"What a joke" the Princesses look down a bit feeling guilty of her accused but also angry at the princess who seems to them as rude and unfitting

"I don't have servants do my task for me" Michael defended

"Oh really, then who waters the garden? Who washes your car and keep your home clean? Are you the one? Are those not servants too? Or perhaps do you share the tasks with them like a friend would do? Stop the pretense Prince, nobody how hard you deny it, no royalty will claim he hasn't use someone as a working tools for himself"

"as a royal, there will be but people who are misfortunate enough to serve us all their lives till their bones break and those people are nothing but low lives who mean nothing but nothing to us" she said and sneer at him before walking away conceitedly

Prince Michael stare at her as she leaves and found himself clutching his hands in ire.