74: Midnight eyes that follows her

Midnight eyes that follows her

Upon entering the dimly lit room, Anastasia quickly placed the tray on the side table before walking to each window and drawing the curtains apart. She then opened the windows to let fresh air inside the room. 

"It is morning already," murmured Princess Emily, still in bed, her voice laced with sleep. 

"Good morning, Princess Emily," Anastasia greeted her. Returning to the bedside, she offered the glass of juice to the princess. "Did you sleep well?" 

"I did," Princess Emily smiled, and she returned the question, "How about you, Anna?" Caught off guard and unsure what to say, Anastasia simply nodded while the princess consumed half of the glass of juice before resting it on her lap. 

Anastasia quickly walked to the bathtub and began to draw a warm bath for the princess while hearing Princess Emily remark, 

"You look pretty today, Anna. You should always let your hair down like this. It makes you look younger."

Anastasia bowed, returning to her side and said, "Thank you, Princess, but I will be pinning it back up into a bun."

"Why so? I think you look rather lovely like this," Princess Emily asked Anastasia, who pulled the blanket away from her before assisting her out of bed. The princess's hazel eyes then fell on the darker patch of skin on her maid's neck, prompting her to ask, "Did you hurt your neck, Anna?" 

"T—That, yes," Anastasia stammered in response to the princess's perceptive eyes. She assured her with a smile, "But I am fine now."

Princess Emily looked at her suspiciously before saying, "It doesn't look fine. The skin underneath looks bruised. Did someone hit you? You know you must inform me if Mr. Gilbert punishes you, okay?" 

Anastasia smiled at Princess Emily's protectiveness and replied, "I do, Princess." She then led the princess to the bathtub, helping her out of her nightdress. 

Princess Emily didn't push Anastasia for an answer but didn't fail to remind her maid, "Don't forget that you can always tell me anything, and I will keep it between us. It will be our own little secret." 

"Thank you for your kind words, Princess Emily," Anastasia smiled and proceeded to help the princess bathe. 

It wasn't that Anastasia didn't trust the princess. She only worried that, based on their previous conversations, if Princess Emily found out the truth about what her eldest brother had done to her and what it implied, depending on her reaction, there was a possibility that Princess Emily would jump in excitement at the prospect of turning her into her brother's woman, which would circle back to her becoming a concubine. After all, she wasn't a woman of high class, and she didn't want any part of that. 

"About your hair, are you worried about people finding out you are Tasia Flores?" Princess Emily asked Anastasia with her eyes closed while she soaked in the warm and scented water. 

"I am, Princess," Anastasia answered, and she continued, "I also think it is better I don't catch anyone's attention as I am happy to move in the shadows."

Princess Emily softly laughed at her response and she remarked, "You might very well be the only maid in the whole palace who doesn't want to be noticed, Anna. However, I think it is a challenging request for you," as she dipped beneath the surface of the water before resurfacing gently. 

Anastasia's eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, "Why do you think so?" 

Princess Emily wiped her face with her hands and turned to look at Anastasia to say, 

"You are my maid, Anna, and a princess's maid doesn't go unnoticed. Why do you think most servants endeavour to elevate their status?" She said, "Perhaps one way to divert attention from Tasia is by subtly transforming yourself, ensuring that no one will ever grow suspicious?" 

It wasn't that the thought hadn't crossed Anastasia's mind, but doing so would only threaten her current status within the palace. 

Once Princess Emily was ready, Anastasia twisted her hair before fixing it into a tight bun. Yet, it seemed that it wasn't just her hair but her very appearance that was undergoing a change, like a bud that had begun to blossom in the spring of its life. 

Anastasia stepped out of the room, following two steps behind Princess Emily. She heard the princess comment, 

"I think one of the best times of the day is in the morning when we can speak freely. Maybe once we finish visiting Lady Evin in her chambers, we can take a stroll in the garden. What do you think, Anna?" 

"I think it is a wonderful idea, Princess," Anastasia replied as they headed towards the dining room. 

As they walked through the deserted corridor, with no one but them present, she whispered, "How long will it be until she wakes up?" 

"We aren't sure," Princess Emily whispered back, as they were talking about the king's fianceé. She said, "Grandmother handed over the right antidote, yet there has been no sign of improvement. Grandmother said she will be leaving the palace to search for the nearest available antidote for the spreading poison. As she has the seal of freedom in her possession, she is no longer under arrest. But Queen Maya has decided to send guards to accompany Grandmother, so she doesn't attempt anything suspicious." 

Upon reaching the dining room, Anastasia offered a bow, as she had turned mute once again. She was about to step backwards to go to stand against the wall and await the return of the princess, who had disappeared inside the room, when Mr. Gilbert noticed her standing idle and called out to her, 

"Anna, come and take this." He beckoned, and handed her a tray of freshly baked food. 

Mr. Gilbert was used to calling Anastasia for assistance, and he seemed not to care much that she was now Princess Emily's maid. 

Anastasia had hoped not to show her face to anyone inside the room, especially to the one who had bitten her. 

As soon as Anastasia stepped inside the room, her eyes scanned through the people sitting at the table, and it took her less than two seconds to spot Prince Dante, who was seated at the far end, while Prince Aiden and Princess Emily were sitting between him and their grandmother. 

Seated on the opposite side of the table were Queen Maya, Princess Niyasa and then Lady Evin's parents, while King Maxwell occupied the head of the table. 

The royal family members didn't bother to look at Anastasia, as she was only a maid, while they were busy engaging in conversation. 

"How about I join Grandmother on her travels today, King Maxwell? I don't think it would be good to have only the guards accompanying her," Princess Niyasa appeased her brother with a polite smile. 

"Niyasa is right," Queen Maya agreed with her daughter's proposal. She then turned to the Mother Queen and said, "She cares about you a lot." 

"Mm," the Mother Queen hummed before muttering, "Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve such amazing grandchildren."

Anastasia ignored the words spoken in the room and continued to walk to Queen Maya's side before she leaned forward, placing the tray in the middle of the table. And just as she did this, it took only a breath for Dante's eyes to fall on her. 

Even though she tried to keep a blank expression, Anastasia's cheek flushed instantly, betraying the warmth she felt under his gaze. 

She was about to leave the dining room when Mr. Gilbert ordered her in a lowered tone, "Where are you going? Serve the food there and wait." He gave her a pointed look as if she had forgotten all the training she had learned until now. 

Anastasia closed her eyes before turning around to help serve the food. 

Princess Niyasa, who was smiling with glee, found her smile faltering when she noticed her sister's maid walking around the room, serving them food. Her eyes narrowed upon noticing the new design of her dress. She asked Princess Emily, 

"Lily, I didn't know you were altering the designs for your maid's dress. If you told me, I would have done the same with mine."

Princess Emily smiled at her younger sister's words and replied, "I happened to be playing with the fabric when the idea struck me to change it. I can ask Norrix to inform the tailor about it." 

"It's fine," Princess Niyasa replied before her eyes returned to the maid, and she said, "I will have the tailor create a better version than the current one." 

"I am sure you will come up with some better ideas," Princess Emily encouraged her sister. 

Queen Maya intervened, halting their conversation by saying, "They are servants, not members of the royal family. Even though it is apparent who belongs to royalty, there is no need for such pointless changes." She then turned to look at Princess Emily and said, "I expect you to consult me regarding such matters, Emily." 

"Yes, Queen Maya," Princess Emily responded, offering a slight bow. 

Meanwhile, as much as Anastasia tried to keep her eyes on the food and the ground, she was becoming increasingly conscious of Dante's presence. 

It was one thing to be stared at when they were alone but an entirely different matter when others were present in the same room. She inadvertently made the mistake of glancing at him and found herself locking  eyes with his deep midnight gaze, watching her intently as he continued to eat. 

Distracted and not watching where she was walking, Anastasia's body collided with Niyasa's hand, which the princess had pulled back while speaking, causing the glass in her hand to fall, along with its contents of milk. 

The slight clatter gathered everyone's attention, and Anastasia's eyes widened in horror as she quickly bowed, expressing her deepest apology. 

Princess Niyasa became irritated and questioned the lowly maid sharply, "Can't you see where you are walking? You always seem to crash into things and cause damage."

"You shouldn't have pulled your hand back, Niyasa," Aiden quickly interjected, coming to Anastasia's defence. 

Princess Emily quickly placed her hand on her younger brother's arm, signalling him to shut up. There were some boundaries they couldn't break and were expected to uphold. If they didn't, it would cause retaliation. There was a time in the past, during their father's reign, when they could voice their thoughts, but things were different now, and they didn't hold the same power as before. 

"Are you suggesting that the blame lies with Niyasa rather than the maid?" King Maxwell demanded from Aiden, who immediately went quiet. "Your first priority should be to defend the family, and the rest comes second. This is why you aren't sitting here." 

King Maxwell turned to look at the maid, whom he couldn't see clearly as he only caught a glimpse of a side of her face. He ordered, "Get it cleaned up quickly." 

When one of the maids came over with a cleaning rag, Anastasia took hold of it, as it was her fault, and she sat down on her heels. She pressed the dry rag to the carpet, and while she was doing so, she heard Princess Niyasa complain in slight frustration, 

"There's saffron milk on my dress now! I will go get it cleaned." 

Princess Niyasa didn't bother to turn, and instead, she stood up and adjusted her chair to move it back, causing the back leg of the chair to press on Anastasia's right ring finger. 

Anastasia stifled a cry of pain as her lips parted involuntarily,, while she cursed the rude and heartless princess in her mind.  1

She felt as if an iron nail had been hammered into her finger from the pressure exerted by Princess Niyasa on the chair before she vacated her seat. Tears threatened to prickle her eyes due to the unbearable pain. Under the table, she continued to clean the carpet despite the throbbing pain and the beginning of a bleeding wound on her finger. 

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