Secret Rumor-monger

"N-no, no. I can't." She stuttered in her words.

Behind the serious façade that Theodore wore, he was internally basking in the dread she felt. The satisfaction he got from making people feel queasy and want to run away was something to look into.

Vanessa doubts she could keep up with a week in his chamber after just one day.

"Don't fret too much; I was only joking." Theodore smiled. But even after hearing his words, Vanessa didn't feel relieved, nor did she find his joke funny at all. "Wait here!" He gave the order and returned to his chamber.

Apart from how hideous the punishment was, Vanessa feared for her reputation. Not that she had one in this town, and she didn't want to create one that was bad.

Not a moment later, Theodore stepped out again from his chamber, holding a large book. He gave the book to Vanessa, and she stared at its title once it was in her hands.

It read, 'The book of spells.'

Her eyes rose to meet his. "Why do you have this?"

Theodore grinned. He said with a nonchalant tone, "One of the witches who admired me gifted it to me before I killed her."

"…" Or he forced her to give it up and then killed her. It seems like the most logical answer.

"Now go practice the art of casting spells. Who knows, you might end up like her or gain freedom, depending on how long you take to bring me the stone."

Vanessa turned around, more than happy to leave. With every step she took, her pace increased more than the last.

Not wanting to give the king enough time to change his mind.

A thought continued to eat her up even as she walked farther from Theodore. It was the fact that she was not sure if she could harness the art of casting spells or do things like a real witch.

'Just because he said it was possible doesn't mean it is.'

On one side of the corridor, a maid hurriedly made her way to start her work. A bucket of soapy water and a cleaning rag in her hands. Just as she stepped out of the corridor to take a turn, she caught sight of Vanessa, who was just stepping out of the hallway that led to Theodore's chamber.

The maid quietly stepped back and hid herself behind the wall as she watched.

Vanessa was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice this simple movement.

"Another whore of a maid, in the palace." She commented with bitterness in her tongue.

The maid walked away with a scowl on her face, while Vanessa looked around to see which direction led to the servants' quarters; her mind was too distracted to make a quick decision.

By the time it was noon, rumors had already gone around about Vanessa sleeping with men.

The maid who had catered this rumor was the same maid who had seen Vanessa in the early morning, and she is none other than Vanessa's new friend, Rosetta.

While Vanessa watered the flowers as ordered by the butler, she could feel eyes on her, but when she turned to look, the servants around her seemed all busy with their work.

"Why do I feel those judging gazes around me?" She muttered to herself as she continued with her work.

But she felt uneasy. This was not the first time it had happened. When she walked around, she could also feel them.

'Did they perhaps see her hairs? But it had been covered all day.' She pondered with a frown on her face.

Vanessa finished her work and then headed to find Ralph so he could supervise her work. As she walked, she heard a not-so-quiet whispering, and the fact that her name was mentioned made her stop to listen.

"..she's new and already sleeping around with the king." One girl commented.

"I thought she was a wonderful person until now. Who knew she was a wolf disguised as a sheep?" A look of fake disappointment appeared on the other girl's face.

Vanessa turned to look at the two maids. 'They certainly must be talking about someone else.' She reasoned. It was early when she left Theodore's chamber, too early for any maid to notice, and it was not like she slept with him.

Her reasoning was interrupted when the maid, who had first spoken, looked directly at Vanessa, not bothering to hide the fact that she was talking about her. She said, "I wonder what kind of ugly scarf she always uses to tie her hair."

"Her hair must be withering." The two maids both joined in a snicker.

Vanessa walked away from there. Feeling her hands turn sweaty, she rubbed her clammy hands on her dress.

Just in time, another maid came to block her way. And Vanessa watched her with a questioning look while trying to contain her emotions.

"Can I help you?" Vanessa asked the maid politely, but she didn't recall her name.

The maid looked at Vanessa's dress intently without bothering to answer her question. "Considering how clean your dress is, I'm guessing you changed it; the blood stain must have been difficult to remove," she said. Her voice was loud enough to catch the other servant's attention and low enough not to pass the corridor where they stood.

'Blood?' The last time she checked, there was no blood on her dress, and the reason she changed it was because it was torn and dirty from running in the forest last night.

Vanessa's eyes moved anxiously to look at some of the servants who had stopped what they were doing to listen.

Meanwhile, Rosetta stood away from Vanessa's view, watching all the scenes unfold. "Once you're out of the picture, you won't have to be on my list again, so no worries," she said, a sinister smile on her face.

If only Rosetta knew that she could not get rid of Vanessa and that there was a game master somewhere who could decide everyone's fate. Not even Vanessa herself can do it.

"What lie are you trying to spread about me?" Her brows furrowed.

"Lie?" The maid turned to her audience to ask, "Have you not all seen her spend alone time with our king?" and the majority of them agreed. "Where were you yesterday?"

"I-I w—" She couldn't tell them she tried to escape, even if the king already knew.

"See that, everyone?" Her arms were crossed in front of her chest.

"Stop these rumors."

"Or what? You will run and cry to the king?" as if he cares.

Vanessa's eyes had begun to sting with the tears that were trying to form. She quickly blinked her eyes to push them back.

"What did I do to you?" Vanessa's words came as a whisper. She had never shared a word with these maids, so how come they held grudges against her.

Unable to stand it anymore, she ran away from there to hide in a place where she wouldn't see those judging eyes on her, hear all the untrue rumors that had been spread among everyone, and where no one would see her cry,

Meanwhile, another servant had only just walked into the scene and gotten the information from another servant, who had been happy to share the castle trending's. He quickly made his way to the king to relay all the information.

The servant was someone the king had assigned to keep an eye on Vanessa.