A NEW JOB

I immediately began my job as a maid as soon as I was taken to the maid quarters and left in the care of the head of maids, Katrina, a beautiful woman who looked to be in her forties. She taught me the basics, which were to do the prince's laundry and take his food up to his room before he woke up.

Living in the maid quarters was hell and I will take being sentenced to prison over being thrown to the wolves any day. I wasn't welcomed by the other maids. They were skeptical about me and wondered why a human maid should be tasked with such a royal duty when I could be shoveling horse shit in the stables like the other humans or working in the mines.

They wanted to get rid of me, I could see it in their eyes which was why the first night I slept with one eye open, not trusting my surroundings yet. The first two nights passed and I was still alive, but they did find other ways to make me miserable. Being the youngest and the weakest in the food chain, I was given the most duties.

I had to wash the prince's clothes and not just his, but that of his friends and King Aspen. The stream where we washed the clothes was a bit farther from the castle, so I was made to walk every day. As soon as I got back, I had to make sure that the food for the prince and the king was already set in the dining hall. At night time when I'm supposed to be getting sleep, the maids find a way to taunt me.

The first night, I found poison ivy on my bed which made me itchy for days. The second night, my bed was soaking wet so I had no choice but to sleep on the cold hard floor, the third night I had to sleep inside the toilet because I had the worst case of diarrhea and I was quite positive that someone slipped something inside my food when I wasn't looking.

I still didn't say or do anything, didn't complain, and just pretended that everything was okay when deep down it wasn't. I did what was asked of me diligently and without a single complaint. I think that's what made Katrina fond of me and only fueled the anger of the other girls towards me.

I couldn't complain or tell anyone about the maltreatment I was facing. After all, I was the one who landed myself in this situation, first by stealing the ruby and secondly by disobeying his orders. Speaking of Corion, I never got to see him after that time. He made himself so scarce that I could barely get a glimpse of him.

I did spot him with Anya and the silent companion from afar one time, but it was only for a brief moment before the three of them disappeared. I couldn't tell if he was ignoring my existence because of what happened or if he had duties he needed to attend to. For some inexplicable reason, some part of me hoped it wasn't the latter, I thought to myself as I stirred the pot of stew over the crackling fire.

The aroma of spices filled the air, mingling with the sounds of the clattering of pots and the soft hum of conversation between the other maids. Suddenly, some set of maids entered whispering in hushed tones. The other maids gathered around them to listen, moving towards a corner to whisper. I strained my ears to listen but their whispers were barely audible. I did catch snippets of some of their conversations though, something about a person called Raya and her being missing.

My curiosity was piqued and I moved in closer, hoping to hear some more details when suddenly the door slammed open and everyone kept quiet, rushing to go about their duties. I hurried to go grab some plates so I could serve their meal so the next maid on duty would serve it and I would call it a night, hopefully, I will be able to get some good night's rest this time around.

"Hey, you there!" I heard Katrina as she moved towards me with a sense of urgency, "Aneesa?"

I frowned at her but nodded my head at her, "Mistress?" I queried.

Katrina took one look at the meal that I served and nodded her head. I've managed to please her again, I thought to myself with a small smile on my lips. Perhaps, this time around she will allow me to go to bed early! I was prepared to speak when she suddenly gazed up at me and uttered words that I never thought I would hear.

"You are the one to serve the royal majesties today!"

Surprised, I glanced around just to be sure she was talking to me but the maids all stared at me with blank expressions on their faces, none of them stepping forward to correct what I assume to be a mistake.

When it was clear no one was going to step forward, I turned to look back at Katrina who looked serious, "His majesties?"

"Yes, King Aspen and Prince Corion are having dinner and you are going to serve them, after that you are going to attend to the prince tonight," Katrina said but she might as well have been speaking in a foreign language because I stared at her with a dumbfounded look in my gaze.

Attend to the prince? I frowned as I stared at Katrina, "I'm sorry but attend to the prince?"

"Basically what you've been trained to do, attend to his every need and do it all without question!"

My brows went up as I stared at Katrina, something doesn't add up here, I thought to myself as I stared at Katrina, "Why me though?" I asked her with a narrowed expression on my face, "What about the others? I have not served the prince before but now you want me to serve him and the king too?" I asked her with a suspicious look in my gaze.

Katrina's expression tightened, her lips forming a thin line. "No time for questions, just do as you are asked and you will be fine!" She snapped at me before grabbing the tray of food and placing it in my hands, "Now run along now, the last thing you want is to keep the king waiting!" She said in a tone that left no room for questions.

Knowing that I had no choice, I grabbed the tray and headed towards the exit. My mind raced with a series of questions, something just doesn't add up! Something was going on and I had a feeling that they were keeping something, what it was I don't know and I do not like not knowing.

"ANEESA!"

Just as I was about to reach the exit, I heard Katrina's voice call me. Swallowing I turned to look at her, noticing the way her look had softened as she stared at me.

"Try not to stand out." She said, "Try and be invincible if you must." She told me and I waited for her to elaborate more but it was clear that I wasn't going to get any more response from her, so I turned and left, Katrina's voice still heavy in my heart.