[Long chapter!]
---
Lydia woke up in the servants' quarters and, as usual, made her way to her mistress' chambers to help her prepare for the day. But to her surprise when she arrived, her mistress was nowhere to be found, and the bed looked untouched, as though no one had laid in it the previous night.
Her eyes widened in panic as she hurried out of the room to search for her. Although she had helped her mistress choose a dress last night, one gifted by the third prince months ago, Lydia hadn't thought she intended to wear it to sneak out of the palace—again.
Had she gone to meet the third prince without taking her along like the last time she was brought back covered in blood? Though Lydia was aware of her mistress's affair, she would never utter a word to anyone and would take it to her grave to protect her from the harsh consequences. In this day and age, the punishment for having an affair was being stoned to death in the center of the village.
