Scarlett's POV
"How can you climb a wall so well? As a lady" Felix asked
Without thinking I replied "I used to be a pickpocket so that's..." I slowly stopped dusting my hands against eachother as I realised the nonsense I was saying.
Luckily, he wasn't fully attentive to me "I didn't quite get that" he said.
"Oh nothing important, just childhood knowledge" I said while laughing nervously. I couldn't risk getting kicked out for anything.
I didn't know how to feel at that moment, my thoughts were clashing against eachother. Felix who I hoped to see again turned out to be the King of Alchlor, someone that was way out of my league.
I brushed these thoughts aside as I went to the dining table I realised that the food was already cold.
No what was I supposed to do?
"Your majesty?" I called out to him in a timid tone.
"Yes My Scarlett?"
"I think, your dinner might have gotten cold so I'll quickly get another one" I said in one breath.
"Don't trouble yourself, I wasn't hungry anyways I lied to you to get you out of the room. I wanted to organise my thoughts" He said while going to the closet room.
"Oh...okay! I'll take it back after I help you to bed then" I mentally crossed my fingers and hoped that he'd offer to get ready himself. And he did just that!
"No need, I have my own hands. Go ahead, I'll sort myself out. Come back quickly though." He said
I walked out of the bedroom, then outside the entire Chambers before I got out of the Western Palace, headed to the Royal Kitchen.
On my way, I came across Evelyn. I was in no mood to talk to anyone so I just planned to walk past her. I thought she had the same plan until she stopped at her tracks and called my name "Scarlett"
"Not now Evelyn, I'm busy" I said walking away.
"I'm watching you closely, I think you're up to something! Especially now that you're coming from the Eastern Palace. My suspicions have grow stronger" she said. This time I stopped and turned to reply her.
"Do you have a problem with me Evelyn? Answer me or I hit you with this food trolley"
I really had no guts to throw the food at her or hit her in this palace where my life was threatened everyday.
"If you have nothing to hide then tell me why you don't train with the rest of us" she said holding her head high.
"If it were any of your concern you'd have been informed by now. So if you'd excuse me...or not" I really walked out on her this time around.
"I'll find out your true intentions!" She kept talking gibberish till her voice faded away.
Why was she being so weird? I was sold here not that I came here willing. What sort of agendas was she thinking I had? Delusional girl!
On getting to the kitchen I gave the trolley back to the Kitchen lady. When she opened the trays, she sighed and murmured "Again, he ate nothing"
"What did you say?" I asked her.
"Nothing important, I'm just not surprised he didn't eat" she replied.
"Why? What do you mean?" My curiosity won't end me.
"Youuu! Are you new here? Or you're just pretending not to know he barely ever eats" she raised her voice at me, so high that I flinched a little bit.
He barely ate? Why though? Definitely today wasn't the first time his food was return in one piece.
I decided to not think so much about it since it wasn't so much of my concern. I was only to attend to him temporarily, the next day I was to go back to my place.
When I got back to his room, he was already asleep.
I went closer to him and waved my hands over his face, ensuring that he was actually asleep. I wanted to look at his face forever, but I wasn't in the best position in life to do so.
Don't get me wrong! I didn't like him, I just admired his facial features.
One thing was certain: I wasn't getting any sleep that night.
'I sleep, I'm done for' I thought to myself as I wanted to avoid any more misdeeds.
As I was about to leave his bedroom to go wait outside till morning...he stood up as if he had never even slept in the first place and went straight to his study.
Was he even asleep initially?
Regardless, I followed him to the study without asking any questions. He was serious going through the documents and sighing at almost every 20minute interval.
'He must be frustrated' I thought to myself.
I had been standing for 3hours straight just staring at him. It was as if he hadn't even noticed me there.
"Do you need anything Your Majesty?" I asked. I was hoping he'd say no. He actually said no and I mentally sighed in relief.
I quietly went to the corner and sat next to one of the book shelves hoping to get a teeny tiny nap. Just as I started to doze off a loud bang jolted me awake and I stood up quickly. Immediately the other maids and eunuchs outside each of the three doors rushed in as well.
Yeah! That was how loud the bang was.
"Are you okay, Your Majesty?" The head eunuch asked.
"I'm fine, you may leave now" He said and they all left immediately.
When they all left he called me "My Scarlett, come over and sit here" He was patting the space on the table in front of him.
I looked at him, then back at the space he was patting, then back at him, then the space he was patting until I finally said "I don't think that's very proper. If someone comes in they'd get the wrong idea"
"Nobody is coming in anytime soon" He said in a lazy tone as he winked at me.
I really didn't want to sit there with this stupidly short maid outfit.
He rose an eyebrow at me "Quickly! Come here" He said while ordering me to go over with his index finger.
I had no choice but to obey.
"Tell me the reason you came to the Palace, you seem intelligent enough to make a decent living outside of these suffocating walls" He said while leaning back on his chair.
I didn't want to talk about that topic so I just gave a short answer "I just didn't have any purpose in life....I guess"
He chuckled and said "That's not a very convincing answer....don't you want to talk about it?"
Evidently, he had a huge problem understanding basic social signals because it was clear that I didn't want to speak about my life with someone I barely knew.
I shook my head! At least he understood that.
"Okay fine. Are you comfortable where you're sitted or you want me to get up and sit where I'm sitted instead?" He asked.
Did I look uncomfortable? Yes because I was sleep-deprived coupled up with the fact that I was so closely sitted infront of a man with this short outfit.
I finally answered him "No thank you, Your majesty"
He looked like he was trying to come up with a conversation or whatnot. Regardless, I wasn't used to this job of staying up late.
"Are you having a hard time in the Palace?" He asked.
"No but...doesn't matter honestly" I decided not to tell him about how frustrating Evelyn was.
"Tell me about it" He said in a serious tone. I got so scared but about ten seconds later he started laughing hysterically.
I gathered as much courage as I could and started to talk about Evelyn. "There's this really beautiful roomate I have back at the quarters....." he interrupted and asked me "is she as beautiful as you?"
I nodded yes and he replied "Oh I doubt that. Come along with me" He dragged me to the dressing closet and turned my body towards the mirror.
"I don't think anyone can beat this beauty standing in front of this mirror" He said right before he winked again. Oh sigh!
"Sorry for the interruption, you may continue your story" He said apologetically.
I told him about how Evelyn always glared at me for no reason and just kept picking on my every action! I even told him about how one of her things got missing one time, she accused me and in the end we found out she had planned with her friends to frame me but one of her friends forgot to put the item among my things so it got caught with one of her friends.
The story amazed him so much he said "What a messed-up plan? If you need to frame someone at least do it right."
He paused to laugh for a while and then continued "So all of these things happened within two weeks?!? Unbelievable!"
I was about to continue my story when I suddenly remembered what I heard in the Royal Kitchen about him not eating properly.
"Permit me to ask you a question Your Majesty"
"Yeah go ahead"
I wasn't sure if it was the right idea to ask this but I went ahead anyways "I learnt something about you recently. It's that you don't eat well. Can I ask why?"
The smile he had on his face dropped abruptly and he answered "No reason, the Royal Kitchen's food doesn't interest me much"
Had I said something wrong?
"Goodnight Scarlett" He said while quickly approaching his bed to sleep.
***********************
Fortunately and unfortunately for me, I ended up not sleeping all through the night. I was able to go to the Quarters to get myself ready and change my clothes early before he woke up.
I went to the kitchen to ask about his diet, perhaps I could make something different out of these ingredients.
"Why do you need His Majesty's dietary information?" The kitchen lady asked me in her extremely loud voice.
I pulled out the token he had given me initially and showed it to her, immediately she started to give me answers I needed. It was so wrong of me to use the token I should have returned this way. However, I hoped not to get caught!
I made quick breakfast for him and made my way to the Eastern Palace just in time. At least he pitied me doing the work of six maids and he got dressed himself.
"Breakfast is served Your Majesty " I said
Almost like he ignored me he said "Take it back I don't have time for that."
He turned to his personal guard and said "The official that gave us the information regarding the taxes, arrange me a secret meeting with him. Make sure to protect him at all cost! We're almost late to the Hall of Assembly, let's move along now!"
I ran towards him but before I could get close his body guard stopped me with one stretch of the arm. Felix nodded at him to drop his hand and he obeyed.
"Leo, wait right outside for me. I'll catch up" he said. "What is it? I really don't have much time to waste"
"Your majesty, this meal....I actually made it myself and I think you should try it" I said
He went to the dining table and tried the meal and to my surprise he ate more than half of the entire thing.
Oh wow! At least he didn't turn the table over. Honestly, I feared that the food might not be to his taste. I wondered why he even gave me a chance in the first place.
He stood up from the table, looked at me in a silent approval before taking his leave. I let out a sigh of relief. I barely saw him the entire day except meal times. After dinner he was going to his study when I told him "I have to leave now"
"Sure you're allowed to!"
"I mean I'm leaving the Eastern Palace permanently to resume my formal duties." I said to clear the air.
"Oh is that so? Well then, so long My Scarlett, if fate permits we shall meet again" He said with an attitude of indifference.
His behaviours confused me, sometimes he was as kind as a friend, sometimes he seemed like a different person entirely. Maybe I was being delusional by thinking we could have been friends. I forgot I had no position in his life, I was just a regular passer-by courtmaid.
I left the Eastern Palace in partial disappointment.
After I dropped by the kitchen I made my way to the Palace of the Queen Dowager for my life's verdict.
********************
Upon my arrival at the Palace of the Queen Dowager, I noticed the Queen Dowager already questioning the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace. I did the bows and patiently waited at the side as I might have heard some parts of their conversation.
"The things that caught my attention were that His Majesty smiled yesterday during archery and today, he ate his meals properly as well" the head eunuch said.
"Are you sure about this?" The Queen Dowager asked him in shock.
He answered "I'm absolutely sure about this. The kitchen Courtladies gossiped about it too"
"If that's true, then we need to be quick and get our plan into action" the Queen Dowager said and looked at me.
I was really curious about what planned she had been referring to.
"You! What do you think about resuming your duties fully next to the king? As long as my son ate well while you were there when smiled as well, I need you by his side" she said in a rather arrogant tone.
Without waiting for my reply she tells the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace "she starts tomorrow"
I honestly had no choice but to comply. I also wasn't sure if I was to be happy or sad about getting closer to Felix.