And since Prince Theodore’s chambers had been missed in the chaos of yesterday, I already had a lot of catching up to do this morning.
I shuffled through the prince’s papers, stacking and storing them in the drawers of his desk. Usually, Ella and I would tease each other as we shared duties, but now, the silence suffocated what little joy I’d found in my position.
My body tensed as voices from the study rumbled through the walls. I began collecting stray books silently, hoping to remain unnoticed.
The conversation transformed into a heated exchange, although I couldn’t make out anyone’s words. As I wiped the prince’s shelves with a cloth, the study door opened and Prince Thomasstormed out.
My breath caught.
He failed to even spare me a glance, slamming the chamber door behind him.
A strange quiet settled in his wake.
I finished dusting and had just begun a quick sweep of the floors when the weight of a stranger’s gaze fell upon me.
“Lyra.”
Prince Theodore was watching me. His eyes were sunken and red-rimmed, stubble darkening his jaw.
“Your Highness?”
“You must know where she is,” he said, his voice cracking. “Please tell me. I have to… I just have to know if she’s alright.”
“You and me both, Your Highness,” I said. Something ached in my ribs at the sight of his face. “I don’t know where she lives. I don’t even know her family name. She was very private.”
Prince Theodore nodded slowly. “I understand. I believe you.”
“I doubt her family is well off,” I offered. “That’s the only lead I have for you.”
“Anything helps.”
At the sorrow in his eyes, I took a chance—perhaps too large of one. “I overheard you and your brother by accident just now… forgive me, Your Highness. Does he not approve of your friendship with a chambermaid?”
A bitter look crossed his face. “Thom has his own flaws like the rest of us.” He clenched his jaw. “But that’s between him and I. Forgive me.” He bowed, prompting me to curtsey, and left me biting my cheek in thought.
I’d never expected Ella to have captivated the prince so deeply, but I wasn’t surprised at Thomas’s opposition. It only confirmedwhat David has always insisted—that the divide between nobility and servants was as fixed as the stone floors that separated our wings of the palace.
And yet…
And yet the devastation written across the eldest prince’s face, the pleading in his tone…
He was in love with Ella, I was sure of it.
And if a servant with nothing to recommend her but character could capture the heart of a prince, what limit was there to my own achievements?
I shook the thoughts from my head. David would laugh at my ponderings, and he would be right to do so.
My head in the clouds… I was starting to sound like Ella.
I knelt to the ground, sweeping the remains of dust and dirt that the royal princes had trailed in.
Exactly where I belonged.
That evening, as I donned a coat in hopes of a walk, the room was oddly silent. No bickering or gossip filled the air. Rather, both Anna and Drea sat silently on their mattresses, one picking at her nails, the other staring at the wall.
“She should have said something,” Drea said. My gaze met Anna’s, who looked away quickly.
My whole body clenched. After bullying her for the past year, why would Ella ever confide in either of them? I bit my tongue, clinging to the sting for the sake of self-control.
