Meanwhile, earlier.
In the dimly lit maid quarters, a dozen women sat huddled together in the modest room, the soft glow of candlelight casting long shadows on the stone walls. The fire in the hearth crackled softly, but it wasn't the warmth of the flames that kept them there—it was the gossip.
"She's not like the others, you know," one of the younger maids whispered, her voice carrying a conspiratorial edge. "The new princess, Salviana. She doesn't act like royalty. I saw her in the market today, laughing like any common girl."
"Laughing?" another maid, older and more skeptical, raised an eyebrow. "What could she have to laugh about? Married off to that demon of a prince? There's nothing funny about it."
