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“I’m not sure what to say, since you weren’t asking a question,” I tell him, bouncing a little on my feet. Ready to run the hell out of there, since I’m no doubt going to win a medal when it comes to getting into trouble.
“And who are you talking to?”
Fuck. He heard me talking to myself?
I tear my gaze away from his soul-sucking eyes, but when they shift to his chest, I’m suddenly distracted by the memory of him shirtless. “You see, your highness, I have a habit of talking to myself because no one else seems to want to talk to me.” I sneak a glance back up. Does he look amused? “Although, I blame everyone else. I’m delightful to talk to.”
He clears his throat. “You…”
I realize he’s struggling to remember my name. Which is, you know, fine. It’s not like we grew up together. No, wait, we did. “My name’s not important, Prince Sulien. I’ll try harder to stay out of your way.”
Before I lose my nerve, I give another bow and dart around him, heading toward the Head Maid, Alexi’s workroom. Although I swear, I can feel his gaze on me as I run for it.
It’s not until I’m nearly to my destination that I risk slowing down. I have two horny faes to avoid and one princely one. As a maid, my job is to be invisible.
I can do that. Even though it’s not exactly my skill.
Darting down the hall containing the small rooms of the maids who live at the palace, I head to the very last room. Alexi isn’t going to want to hear anything except that I’m done with my work for the day. She takes few excuses, but this one is actually an acceptable one.
Tapping on the door, I debate about exactly what to say, knowing who she is as a person. Alexi isn’t a terrible boss, but she doesn't care about anyone or anything. She just wants the job done. So, how do I approach this without saying too much or not enough?
"Come in!" I hear her say.
Stepping inside, I instantly feel a strange pang of envy. I don't want to be a maid, so I sure as hell don't want to be the Head Maid. But seeing Alexi with her feet up, papers in hand, and the relaxed look on her face, it's hard not to want what she has. My kind of work will quickly erode my body and my beauty, but not hers. We're the same age, but in time I have no doubt she'll age far better.
“All done?” She asks, not looking up from her lists. She lives for a list. Her desk is littered with them. A checked-off list is the only thing I know that’ll make her smile.
I’m not about to make her smile.
“My last room for the day is…” I trail off, trying to find the right word. “It’s currently occupied.”
Alexi shuffles through her list and finds the one with my name on it. “No, it shouldn’t be. They haven’t arrived yet. I just got an updated list of our guests.” She picks up another list and runs her finger down it. “Nope, they aren’t here yet.”
I let out a low sigh. “I understand. But the room is occupied.” I raise my eyebrows to give her an indication of what I mean by occupied, but she still hasn’t looked up at me. I pinch the bridge of my nose. I can’t tell her that two high fae are fucking in the room. I definitely can’t tell her I barged in there without knocking and saw them fucking.
“Well, it shouldn’t be occupied, but we can’t do anything about that now. Go to the next wing and clean the Purple Room. Someone’s occupying it, but I know she won’t be back in it for another couple of hours after lunch. I’m sure it could use a refresh. Take care of that, and you can call it a day.”
Relieved, I head to the Purple Room, named so because of the decor, but also because it’s the most west-facing room with a large window that catches our gorgeous purple sunsets. Something about the sky in the Summer Court amplifies the purples in the sunsets here. This room blazes a brilliant purple every single day. It’s one of my favorite rooms in the palace.
Knocking this time, I enter after waiting for a response for longer than usual. Walking in on anyone else today just doesn’t sound appealing. Jewelry covers every surface of the room. Whoever rooms here brought every ring, necklace, and bracelet she owned with her.
I laugh at the idea that she feels she needs this many choices for the few days she’ll be here. These superficial fae make my stomach churn. The value of one necklace… I shake the thought out of my mind. There’s no use in whining about their egregious wealth. You’re born into it or you’re born human. I’m the latter.
I spruce up the room, avoiding all of her jewelry. Some people are meticulous about the placement of their belongings. I don’t want to disturb her process. I remake the bed, open the curtains all the way, and pick up anything that doesn’t belong on the floor—an easy last task of the day.
I open the door, smiling because I’m done for the day and also because I’ve got some food to take home. These spoiled, over-indulged fae will have their party tonight, and I’ll spend the evening with my family, who I’d choose any day over the fae. I head towards the closet. They make us leave our regular clothes and belongings in, the one they search regularly, to grab my bag.
Glancing behind me, I see Lady Takara and Lord Cirrus lurking at the end of the hall.Lurking. Fae don’t usually lurk, they saunter, and they don’t hang out near the servants’ quarters. Something clinches around my heart.Are they planning to threaten me? Slit my throat on my walk home?
I’m tense as I continue past them, but neither of them stops me. I unclench my ass cheeks just a little when I start down the stairs, and they don’t stop me. Still, I think I might find someone to walk me home today.
Downstairs, I see Alexi and a fae I don’t know. She’s from the Fall Court with their signature shiny auburn hair falling in waves down her shoulders. The woman’s face is scrunched up, looking irritated, but she says nothing. Alexi points at me and then signals for me to approach, which is weird. She’d usually be waving for me to get the hell out of there in front of an important guest, but who knows what the woman wants?
Coming to stand in front of her, I hesitate, then decide to just ignore their awkwardness. “I finished cleaning the last room.”
I don’t acknowledge the fae. There’s no point. Not only am I just the help, but I’m also a human. She wants nothing to do with me.
“And everything was as expected?” she asks me, choosing each word carefully.
