The little girl was hesitant in letting Zoe help her, but Zoe insisted. She couldn't watch her climb the ladder to get to the upper part of the mirror. What if she missed a foot and her fragile body fell?
Who would have thought that Maximus would come by later and see her cleaning the mirror while chatting with the little kid.
Slowly, he crept up behind her and questioned. "What are you still doing here Zoe?"
Surprised that he had caught her, the image of the time she had spent hungry and dirty in the dungeon came rushing back to her. Because she was too surprised, she ended up slipping and fell from the ladder. A normal gentleman would have prevented the fall. But Maximus, the Oh—ever so gentle man, took a step backward and watched her land hard on her butt. The impact was not much as she hadn't climbed far on the ladder, but it was still harsh enough to hurt and bruise her palm.
Maximus watched her groan in pain and questioned again. "What are you still doing here?"
Annoyed, she dusted her palm and responded. "Isnt that obvious? Oh..." She pretended as if she just remembered he couldn't see and slowly got on her feet. "Sorry I forgot you can't see." Then it came to her, if he really couldn't see, how did he know she was here?
In fact, it was more than that. If he was truly as blind they said, how is it that he was able to walk around on his own without missing a foot and recognize people too?
"Are you really blind? How come you knew I was here?"
Boring his eyes into her forehead, he lowered his gaze a bit so that he was now staring into her eyes. "Because you are the only fool who dares to smell like me."
She scrunched up her face in disgust and Maximus realized he had said something wrong.
Immediately, he put on his imposing aura and commands. "Stop using Rosemary. It is disgusting to have you scent like me."
Zoe knew he usually smelled of Sandalwood and something mint but she had never once thought it would be Rosemary. Sometimes, she would think the scent wafted from her. This wicked man was surprisingly surprising in this way.
"Should you not be in your room by now? Was I not specific enough when I said 'go to your room'?"
If anyone who wasn't aware of Maximus and Zoes relationship, and hadn't seen them treat each other with disrespect and disgust, the scene now seemed like a big brother telling his little sister to retire to bed after a long day.
"You don't tell me what to do with my life." She countered by placing her hands akimbo. Maximus eyes slips to her hand for a second before coming back to stare at her. "This kid is too young to clean this huge mirror, so I offered to help. How do you have a problem with that?"
"Eveyone has their specific roles to fulfill here and you will not disturb the system." He informs.
"I am not disturbing your 'doesn't make a single sense system'. I am just being nice. In case you don't know, this is what is called an act of kindness." She squeezed the cloth she had been using to wipe the mirror in her hand and resisted the devil in her that urged her to throw it at his face.
"What instructions did I give?" He asked, getting impatient. The frown on his face was enough to tell Zoe that she was threading on the wrong path.
"To go to my room."
"Do you love punishments? When I tell you to do something, you fucking follow my instructions Zoe!" He shouted and the other workers flinched. Even the little girl who had been on her knees couldn't help but quickly shrink to a side. He took a step towards her and she took a cautious one back. She was beginning to think he loved to shout. "Or do you still think you are a princess?"
"Priestess." She corrects and he scoffs.
"The audacity." He mumbled to himself. "Go to your room." But Zoe couldn't bear to leave the huge mirror to the child.
So as he had expected, she defied him. "I cant. I can't leave such a huge task to a little girl." She hurriedly climbs back on the ladder.
He knew she was daring and took his words lightly. She had no regard for him as a king but seeing how audacious she was, he threw his head backwards and felt a hot flame starting to rise in him. His fangs were itching to come out and he suppressed his wolf from taking over and tearing her apart. If it were not for what he wanted to get from her, he would not hesitate to wriggle neck right now. Does she not have fear?
About to scold her, Madam Cardboard appears in the hall. "Your highness, the ministers are waiting for you. You shouldn't leave the court that empty."
Maximus turns to her and points at Zoe. "Did you ask her to do this?"
Madam Cardboard stared at Zoe who was wiping the mirror with all her strength and no regard to King who was fuming right behind her. Just as she had thought, she knew Zoe must have angered the King again. "Zoe, come down from there and retire to your room right away!"
Zoe climbed down the ladder and told Madam Cardboard. "I refuse to. This child is too young for this task that has been assigned to her." Unhappy with Maximus, she adds. "Surely I don't expect a particular dog to understand but you should."
The other workers couldn't dare to gasp out loud and only gave each other surprised looks as they continued with their work. One of them quietly slipped away and rushed to inform others of the gossip.
Flaming with anger, Maximus was about to pronounce her punishment when Madam Cardboard quickly interferes. "Pardon her your highness, it is my fault as I am yet to teach her the way to behave." She then hurriedly signals to Zoe to leave. Zoe wanted to protest and say something but the old woman furiously grabbed her by her left arm . Gritting her teeth, she asked in a low tone. "Do you love the dungeon? I have told you, the King isn't that patient of a man. If you continue this path, you will end up with the blood drained out of you."