The room was huge, almost double the size of her former bedroom at her father's house, but what astounded her was the colour of everything. The walls were painted white, which was the only thing tolerable in Adeline's eyes. The covers were a combination of pink and green, the curtains beige and the mat a velvety red. There was a yellow couch by the fireplace, and everything looked deliberately designed to annoy her.
What the hell?
Katherine noticed the scowl on her face but didn't say anything and only clapped her hands to beckon the maid standing outside.
"This is Judy. She will be your personal maid from now on," informed Katherine and Adeline turned around, eyeing the young girl up and down.
"I brought my own maid," Adeline countered and she saw Katherine smile.
"Of course. But your maid is new here and I think it is better to have someone who knows her way around the palace. You will meet the other servants tomorrow and you can choose anyone you want if you're not pleased with Judy." She waited for Adeline to say anything, but the latter didn't seem to have a response or a retort to the well thought-out explanation.
"You can ring the bell on the bedside if you need me for anything." Katherine then bowed slightly and sauntered out of the room.
Adeline looked at the woman's retreating back and she didn't know what made her more uncomfortable — the hideous room, or the woman's attitude towards her. She didn't even address her properly and treated her like… like what?
Adeline was not one to be bothered about such things, but there was just something about this woman…
Pushing Katherine at the back of her mind, she sighed then turned in surprise to see her newly assigned maid still standing there with her head down. Her eyebrows slightly lifted, then she remembered she hadn't given the maid permission to leave. For a moment there, Katherine almost made her believe that things were done differently here.
"You can leave. I'll call you if I need anything," she said, to which the maid bowed, not raising her head even once.
"Thank you, My Lady."
Adeline listened to the sound of the door closing and turned to the bed which occupied most part of the room. Apart from the bed, there was a small fireplace, a dressing table with an antique oval mirror, a huge wardrobe and a door which she guessed led to the bathroom.
—
After rolling on the bed and trying to get some rest for a couple of minutes in vain, Adeline sat up, sighing in frustration as she raked her fingers through her hair. Perhaps it was because she was yet to get used to the new environment and the change in everything, but she didn't doubt that the colour of the room had a hand in it.
She rang the bell to summon a maid and Judy rushed in, like she had been standing right there all this while.
"My Lady."
"I need to talk to Katherine. Tell her I want everything in this room changed because I can't sleep," she said in one breath and Judy left immediately.
The palace was bustling with activity as the servants worked under the pressure to make the necessary arrangements for the upcoming event and Katherine was busy at the entrance, confirming— for the last time—the guests on the guest list and the decorations going in and out of the palace.
When Judy delivered the message from Adeline, Katherine's lips curled upwards and she mentally ticked off the little test she had put up to evaluate Adeline.
Rule number one; never tolerate what you dislike.
If Adeline had chosen to stay in that room, it would be fine by her since that would be her preference, but from the way she scowled once she saw the room, it was obvious she didn't like it and she just wanted to see how long she would tolerate it, and how she would handle the matter.
As the wife to the Crown Prince and the next queen, Adeline was supposed to have her own chambers on the royal wing of the palace, but Katherine just needed to see what kind of person she was by setting up a little test for her.
Her actions would have had severe consequences if it were any other household, but Katherine knew her position in the palace, and the relationship she had with the Lowell family allowed her to do certain things that would be unforgivable for a mere servant.
"Make sure there are no intruders in the party. No one should be let in if their name is not on this list. You know no mistake will be excused, right?" She insistently said to the guard at the door, who nodded his head, his gaze stern.
"Understood." He responded.
Katherine then left for Adeline's room, Judy following closely behind her.
When they entered the room, Adeline was sitting on her bed, her hair which looked like a bird's nest covering half of her face as she supported her head with her hand.
"You sent for me, Lady Adeline," Katherine broke the silence and Adeline's eyes snapped to her, irritation evident in her sharp gaze as she glared at Katherine.
Unfazed by the little glare, Katherine stared into her eyes and Adeline had to take a deep breath because she felt like she was about to explode.
"I want everything changed in this room to something more comfortable. I couldn't sleep and I need a lot of rest," she said as calmly as she could and Katherine nodded in understanding.
"Of course my Lady. Let me take you to another room as we make the necessary changes," she offered politely, and Adeline's eyebrows slightly furrowed as she wondered why Katherine's attitude changed so much. Or was it because she could see that she was agitated?
Pushing the covers aside, she swung her legs down the bed, picked up a robe from the armchair and followed Katherine out of the room.
She had thought that the room would just be a few steps away since this corridor had plenty of rooms, but to her horror, they had to climb another flight of stairs before they came to what seemed like a royal wing.
A red carpeted floor, a wider corridor and fewer servants walking around.
At the top of the stairs, Katherine turned right and so did Adeline.
Unlike earlier in the day when she didn't take a look around herself, this time she allowed her gaze to wander around, especially on the paintings on the walls that seemed to depict different stories.
Some were landscapes and towns—probably of the Kingdom— while some were portraits of the king and other aristocrats.
Adeline's steps became slower and slower as she walked mindlessly, until she completely stopped when she came across a certain painting. Her eyes narrowed and she moved closer to the wall to get a clearer look.
In the painting, King Roderick was seated on a golden throne chair, the golden cane she had seen earlier on his hand. His gaze was sharp and regal, and his features darker than what she had seen. Maybe because he wasn't smiling in the painting.
On his right stood Katherine, dressed in a long, black dress with a low neckline, one hand on the throne chair and one hand dropped on her side. Her black hair was tied up in a funny but elegant looking bun, and her eyes looked more haughty with the way she looked like a predator. Her lips were slightly upturned in a smirk and her whole appearance was just unsettling to Adeline.
On the left stood a man with almost the same features as the two of them, with black clothes from top to bottom and a pale complexion that made him look like a ghost. He had hawk-like eyes that seemed to pierce the very soul of whoever was watching.
The more Adeline stared, the deeper the frown on her face formed.
There was something about this particular painting that just seemed dark. Whether it was their attire or their haughty eyes and strange looks, she couldn't tell. But more than that, she couldn't wrap her head around how a servant like Katherine appeared on a painting next to the King. Sylvan wasn't even on any painting! Or was Katherine not just a servant but a distant member of the Lowell family?
Adeline couldn't shake off the thoughts that crept up to her mind. Since she arrived here, she had noted something… strange about Katherine, and now she didn't know what to think.
"Lady Adeline," Katherine's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to her.
"Your room," Katherine reminded politely, pointing towards an opened door.
Still skeptical, Adeline stared at the painting one last time then walked to where Katherine was.
Katherine held out the door for her as she walked in and before she could take in the interior of the room, she heard her say, "Pardon me for the earlier… misplacement. This was supposed to be your room but we needed to confirm your preferences first."
She had a smile on her face to accompany the apology and Adeline turned to her with a frown.
Was she indirectly admitting to deliberately allocating her to the wrong room?