Alicia had a smile on her face as she rolled from one end of the bed to the other, as she dreamt of herself walking down a red carpet and being interviewed by the paparazzi. There were lots of journalists calling out questions to her, and she had a smile on her face as she answered every one of their questions. Yes, this was her life. And she would give anything to continue living like that.
"So when are you coming out of your hiding?" One of the journalists standing at the back asked.
"I'm not hiding," Alicia said with a confused smile as she tried to make out the face of the person speaking.
"Then why didn't you tell us about your marriage to the Prince?" The same journalist threw the question at her.
"What Prince? I'm not married to any Prince," Alicia denied with a shake of her head.
"But you are. You ran away because you were ashamed of your past and you got married to a cursed Prince!" The journalist said, and they all began to howl with laughter all at once, pointing mocking fingers at her.
Alicia shook her head in horror as she looked at them all, and she took a step backwards. They all stepped forward, laughing and booing at her, until the journalist at the back came forward, and she saw that it was the same journalist who had ruined her life and career.
"Your life is over!" The journalist said with an evil smile as they all kept advancing.
"No! No! No!" Alicia screamed, thrashing about the bed, flailing her arms and legs until she opened her eyes and sat bolt upright on the bed while panting hard.
It took her a while to settle down, and for a minute, she wondered where she was. Looking around in confusion, she finally remembered where she was. Moon Kingdom. She was indeed married to a cursed prince.
But something didn't feel right. As she looked around her in confusion, realization dawned on her, and her eyes widened when she realized that it was morning. IT WAS MORNING!
She hadn't escaped. "No, no, no, no," She said, pacing around the room and going to look out the window. It really was daytime. It looked like it was 6 a.m. already. She was certain that by the time she got to the door of the palace, every creature in the kingdom must have woken up.
How could she have slept through the night when she was planning to escape at night? Why did she keep sleeping off? She had only wanted to rest a little to help her digest the meals she ate. Now, this!
She didn't have much time left before that demon journalist would entirely tarnish her image. She needed to go back as quickly as possible before P & J company changed their mind about the endorsement deal.
She almost jumped out of her skin when she turned around and saw the mean maid from the previous day staring at her from the open door with disapproval. When did she come in? How come she didn't knock? What kind of mannerless people live here?
"What are you doing here? Don't you knock?" Alicia asked, with a look of disapproval on her face.
"I believe you have had enough rest. You were allowed to sleep in for an extra hour. Be up early tomorrow," Beth said with a scoff as she clapped her hands.
'You were allowed'? WHAT. THE. HELL! Did she look like a slave to these people? They must have all gone insane.
The door opened wider almost immediately and some maids walked in carrying bowls of water like they had done the previous day, which they poured into the big tub, which was located at the other end of the room with a curtain demarcating it from the bedroom, "It's almost time for breakfast. You need to get ready," Beth said in a superior tone and with a haughty expression on her face.
"I can bathe myself. I don't need any help," Alicia said dismissively.
"Of course, you will bathe yourself. However, they will be here to help you dress up, so go ahead and wash up. We will begin with your classes the moment breakfast is over," Beth instructed.
"And Paulina? When do I get to see her?" Alicia asked, wondering if Paulina was alright. Judging by how Beth was being mean to her, who was a princess, she didn't want to imagine that Paulina was being maltreated.
Surely they would treat Paulina well considering that she was a maid just like the rest of them, right? They all probably would have belonged to the same union had it been in her era.
"Am I supposed to know who that is?" Beth asked insolently.
Damn the ropes! Alicia thought as she took in a deep breath and looked down at Beth, who she believed she was probably older than, "Listen up, Beth, or whatever you're called; I'm not going to play the new girl versus high school bully princess game with you. You will watch the manner in which you speak to me going forward," Alicia warned, squaring her shoulders and raising her chin in an intimidating manner.
Beth looked slightly taken aback by Alicia's boldness. There was also clear confusion on her face; she didn't understand half of what she had said.
She raised a brow, "Or what?" Beth asked, taking a step forward so that she was standing nose to nose with Alicia. She was a mere human and could easily be ripped apart by an omega, talk more of her.
Alicia smirked, "Trust me, you don't want to know what someone like me is capable of. I'm not an enemy you would want to have," Alicia threatened, and with that, she roughly brushed past Beth as she walked into the bathroom, leaving Beth and the other maids present staring at her back.
She intended to let them all know who the boss was around here. She wasn't going to allow Beth, who was merely a maid, to push her around. What was the worst that could happen? She would rebel and frustrate Beth, and then escape from the palace before things got out of hand. Maybe if she was able to find Paulina, they would come up with a good escape plan together. And maybe Princess Tyra will be able to get the rope she desperately needs.