MASKS TO UNVEIL! CHAPTER 7: PAYING FOR SOMETHING SHE DIDN'T DO
Naxzi woke up first and slightly wiped his eyes and looked at the woman next to him, who was seemingly finding warmth because of the coldness last night. He breathed out and carefully took out his hand that was behind Sencha's head and shook his head, to regain senses and to wake himself up.
He hesitated if he should call Sanc to put him down the wheelchair in case Sencha catches him, who was sitting with his legs a bit bent, or just go out quickly. But before he could decide, Sencha sat up groggily and asked him softly, "Husband, you're awake."
He flinched and mulled over what he was thinking to do and was relieved that he took time to think about it. He turned to her and stiffly smiled, "Yes. I am awake. Did you have a good sleep, wife?"
He changed the subject, gently straightening his supposedly paralyzed legs in a way that she wouldn't catch and smiled at her. She nodded at him and carefully stood up, not daring to touch his legs afraid that she'd hurt it when it's paralyzed.
She put the wheelchair in front of him and pointed at it, "Have a seat, I'll push you outside."
He was puzzled. He still doesn't know whether she was being honest last night for saying that her father detested her or even if he did, is she one of official Yen's people? If she is, he needs to silence her before she could report him to Official Yen and before Duke Yen could kill him when there's a chance that comes out. She is strangely being kind to him. What does she wants from him?
He frowned deeply and gazed away.
He sighed and nodded his head. Whatever her intentions are, he will find it all sooner or later anyways. Nothing would be impossible for him. She softly yawned and covered her mouth for her unethical move, awkwardly laughing and quickly explained herself, "I-It's just that… I am still sleepy. Hehe."
Naxzi glanced back at her, "You can go back to sleep. I can go out alone."
"No, I can't do that!" She refuted and he didn't respond anymore.
She was being pushy, but he didn't want to overreact too. When they got out, maids quickly attended to the crown prince and Sanc borrowed Naxzi so he would wash up and fulfill his task.
"Sure." Sencha brightly smiled and Sanc felt weird, which was twitching his eyebrows, glancing at Naxzi, who was signing him to heed no attention and push him into his chamber in a hurry.
"Your highness, please come with us." The servants said and Sencha worriedly looked at Naxzi, who was already walking away.
Why does she feel a connection between them?
When she was pulled into the bath, the maids snickered and loudly said, "Don't you think that paralyzed prince is so arrogant today?" the maid, who was soaping her left arm, blurted.
She widened her eyes and turned to her, but when she was about to say anything, the other maid put soap on her face and started rubbing it on her face endlessly. Her vision got blurry and it hurt her eyes.
She struggled to get out of the bath, but there were maids that were controlling her. When she realized, the life here was even scarier than what she had in her father's house. No, both of the maids could kill her. How can the crown prince manage when he was being belittled like this?
When the maids pulled her head out of the water, they poured water on her face that she coughed roughly and she glared at them, but the maids laughed, telling her,
"Why is this crown princess glaring at us? Hey, you better look at who you are glaring at because one complaint from us can kill you. Pfft. Hahahaha." The maids covered their mouths, and she had no choice but to stay still.
Because if the maids have the guts to bully, insult and criticize the crown prince but he had no power to stop it, then what power does she have? She frowned and clenched her fists. No, she can't use any force here otherwise she'd face her father and the consequences she might face are bigger and greater than she could think.
She stood up and almost slipped, had she was not stopped by the maid, who said, "Hey, if you die that easily, it would be no fun. Hahaha."
"How dare you?"
Sencha finally said and faced the maids. The maids snickered at her and threw her the clothes she would change into, which only resulted in it getting soaked into the water. She bit her lower lip and looked at them darkly.
The maids looked at her and went out to lie on the soft bed. Sencha rolled her eyes and covered herself up with the night gown that was fortunately not soaked or torn. Afterwards, she bothered herself with searching for her own clothes.
When she had finally got out, what her eyes saw made her drop her jaw. The maids were looking at the jewels that she was wearing yesterday at her wedding, and they were even throwing those earrings which seemed not valuable even though they are gold! They showed what they liked to each other and explicitly put them into their pockets.
When a maid saw her, she lifted her brow and said to her with a cunning smile, "You're here, slut. Mind if we take a bit of your jewelry? These all look good though. Someone like you is not worthy of these things. Hahaha."
Sencha blinked her eyes and she felt that her veins had popped out of her hands. She approached the maid and slapped her hard.
"How dare you insult the crown prince and his crown princess?!!" She was mad and she was aggravated. She looked at the other maids and they flinched. When they tried to get out of the room, she used her Blue power and one after one, she slapped them hard without any step back.
The maids glared at her and she sneered, smirking at them. "How dare you glare at me? Aren't you confident? Come, and hit me. If you do, you might see heaven." She formed her left hand into a fist and the maids fled away, shouting at her,
"You'll pay for this!!"
When they got out, she fell on the ground and looked at the mess the maids did and crouched down to get them back. The jewelry that she never experienced when she was under her father's house. But then a nightmare came, and the maids are now the people who are looking down at her, more on thinking high of themselves.
"Seriously, how is he living here?" She asked recalling the soft face of the crown prince and unconsciously, she remembered their kiss and she blushed. She covered her face and bashfully flushed.
".. What is that… aahhhh~" She couldn't restrain herself but to squeal. It was merely a peck but why is she so embarrassed about it?
"Your Highness, the Empress has called for you!" Suddenly, an alert voice from a different maid called her and she almost abandoned the jewelry she lifted. She hastily tidied herself and quickly regained her composure. The maid looked at her and smirked without Sencha noticing her.
The maid offered to lead the way and Sencha followed behind. With her carefree mind, not thinking about what had the maids done because she had forgotten it over the kiss she shared with the crown prince.
After someone reported her presence, the maid left her, and she walked inside alone. She gulped when she stepped inside and felt that that ambience was rather serious and suffocating. She observed her surrounding and was feeling anew when a soft voice called her,
"You're here."
Realizing that no one else was there except the two of them, the empress and her, she lowered her head in a dash and greeted her. "Mother, I heard that you called me here."
The empress turned to face her and pointed at her,
"Why are you being ignorant?!" She yelled and Sencha kneeled in front of her, not knowing what wrong she had done and gulped.
Her cold sweats covered her back and she said,
"M-mother, I don-don't know what you are talking about…. Please tell me what I have done wrong and educate me." She hesitantly uttered and gulped roughly.
She had just arrived and merely did anything, yet problems chase her?!
The empress threw something and out of instinct, she took it and opened the document.
{'The Crown princess had beaten up my maids after my maids bathed her and most of them were covered with swollen cheeks and their feet were also bleeding when they returned to me. Please have mercy on my innocent and diligent maids. With my utmost respect, please look into it and return the lost justice my maids had.
Imperial Concubine; Loushin Yen.}
Sencha blinked her eyes blankly and defended herself after standing up. "No, Your Majesty. This is outrageous! I have never beaten them up! It's true that I slapped them, but that was because they had insulted my husband's name and also the Imperial family. Please judge it again, Your Majesty."
She was firm and was pleading with her eyes, but the empress closed her eyes, telling her, "In this Palace, no one has power other than the emperor and his women. Crown princess, apologize by kneeling in front of them."
"Your Majesty, but I am the crown princess!" Sencha felt that this is unfair. She even needs to kneel in front of them?! She never did something wrong! She clenched her fists.
The empress sighed and said to her, "If you want to live, don't make any ruckus and head to Imperial Concubine Yen's chamber. Be obedient."
"Mother… but, your son, my husband, we are insulted! Please do something!" Her madness was clear on her face.
The empress hit the chair and ordered her, "I demand you to apologize to them. Are you defying my orders?" The empress glared at her and Sencha scoffed, bowing her head in helplessness.