Maid In Royalty

♛ 31 ♛

Aiden's POV

"Sir, your breakfast is ready!" My butler's voice rang from the other side of the door. He strolled in with my breakfast tray and fixed it on the table. I dried my wet hair with a towel and settled it around my neck thanking him. He bowed and stepped out.

I took a piece of the toast, not feeling the omelet and the fruits. My appetite has been low ever since she left. I close my eyes and try to swallow down the food in my mouth.

The newspaper was neatly folded next to my tray, but instead, I turned on my tablet to see what was going on with the seven lands.

I scrolled past all of them except Canna. It seemed that there were a food shortage and a high mortality rate. I sighed and kept scrolling down 'till my finger paused. Right there, the headline read-

Is King Elior in a scandal?

I narrowed my eyes at a picture of him resting on his bathroom floor staring at a girl. She had blonde hair, but her face was pixelized. Her clothes were dirty, and she sat far from him. Before I could finish examining the picture, Alex barged in, his eyes filled with fear and excitement.

"I found her!"

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Iris' POV

I played with the purple handkerchief in my hand, my mind coming up with several different conclusions. When I left that idiot's room, Lee had jump scared me and handed me the piece of cloth he found outside Elior's room. There was only one explanation.

Derek had something to do with locking us both in the bathroom.

I crumpled up the linen in my hand and rested my head back on my pillow. It was late at night, and Drew's snores got louder and louder every second. The entire morning, I did my very best to avoid Elior, so there wasn't any awkwardness. Every time I would see him around the corner, I would instantly hide.

Turning to my side, I eyed the bottom of my closet where my dagger lied on the cold ground. My breathing fastened as my eyes fluttered with anger. Jumping down from my bed, I reached my hand underneath the closet and pulled the dagger close to my heart. Looking back at an asleep Drew, I took in a deep breath and jogged out of the dorm. I sneakily made my way outside the palace backdoors.

"Hey!"

I whipped around and held on to my wrist, holding the dagger in its place. The guard approached me, eyeing me up and down.

"Can I help you?" I asked confidently, scaring away my nervousness.

"What are you doing out at this time?" he asked inching forward.

"I was assigned to the stables."

He narrowed his eyes, trying to believe my excuse. The guard nodded his head and led me towards the foul ground. Taking his leave, I approached one of the horses that caught my eye. She was a pure, white mare minding her own business as I glided my hand across her mane. It was soft. My eyes darted to her feet that were chained so tight that it left marks on her skin. I flinched and tried to get them loose, but even my dagger wouldn't budge.

"Don't worry," I whispered to her as she stared at me. "I'll come back for you, Snow." I laughed as she neighed at the name, almost as if she could understand me. I petted her one last time and then carefully made my way to the prisons, grabbing the lantern that was hanging from the wall. Lee said they were covered with dirt and mud, and quite frankly, it was self-evident. In a field of green grass, there was one spot that was unusual than the others.

Surprisingly, they were no guards around which initiated me to remove the grass and dirt and find a ring to lift up the wooden gateway that led underground. I gulped at the dark aura and stench that came from downstairs. I found a small rock nearby and placed it on the ground so it could hold the door open. Making my way down the stone steps, I couldn't help but feel afraid.