The Royal Maid And The Lost Kingdom

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Edward’s POV

I made my way to the dungeon and stopped right in front of my friend’s cell, I looked at him and sent him a big smile yet he looked and frowned in return rude.

“May I ask why you are in such a lowly dungeon your grace.” He asked me with all his words laced in sarcasm. I laughed and looked at him again.

“I apologise; I will write you a formal letter before I visit you again.” I bent towards him and peered at him “I mean it’s not like you are in my dungeons after all, tell me Stuart how does it feels? I mean how do you feel for a noble of high ranking to have your esteemed self, spending days in the dungeon over a little maid who steals for a living.” I said to him. He looked at me then he ignored me, I laughed harder.

“Did I forget to tell you that she is grateful to me for saving her from death and she couldn’t care less about your condition. She does not even bother to ask where you are even after not seeing you for a while, don’t you get it she does not care about you at all so why would you suffer for a maid like that.” I continued, I have no idea why the thoughts of them together gets me really angry. I looked up to see him laughing out loudly now I was the one confused.

“Stop lying, I know that she tried to visit but was stopped by the guards. She cares for me and that annoys you but she does, she cares enough for me that I had seen her visit.” He said smiling at me. My mouth turned into a sneer.

“You are a disgrace for trying to get on my bad side and all because of a mere maid. You dare that much?” I asked genuinely surprised.

“I would rather support a weak and mere maid like you said that has a very good heart than a miserable prince with nothing good but finds pleasure in tormenting others.” He told me, I got extremely angry so I turned and left swearing that I will make sure that he regrets his words. I walked out and stopped looking at the guards.

“Did Alice come here?” I asked the question knowing that almost all the maids here already know her name.

“Yes your grace, but as per your instructions she was not granted entrance.” I heard one of them reply. I got really pissed at that, so she really came here and how did Stuart know about that.

“From now on, no one is allowed to see him.” I told them as I walked away not sparing them another glace.

Alice’s POV

I walked into the servant’s quarters which surprised me because I know that we only gather here for briefings and the likes, because its where the population of maids and servants lives. I raised my head and did not look down or timid like I use to do. I already made up my mind to never let my dignity fall and I will keep it intact, I saw the other maids and servants are gathered around the raised platform. I raised my skirt and walked through without any difficulty as they opened up a path for me as they murmured and discussed when I pass them.

I walked up to the platform and I saw Meredith with a whip on her hands, I gulped because a part of me had already forgotten that she also is an Head maid and she could administer discipline as they deem fit. I saw her dress being wrapped up and I knew that my legs too will be flogged like hers as the punishment for thievery in the palace. I turned my head to the left and made a choice to go there myself without being dragged to where the maid was.

Wait why was another maid here? My thoughts spun into chaos, and from the look of things she had already been held there for a while but no punishment had been given to her. The maid was crying like a child and was lifting the ends of her dress awaiting the floggings for her wrong doings.

“Silence.” I yelped a bit when I heard Meredith call everyone to order and instantly silence reigned. I looked at Meredith and her furious look made me not to know her because I could not marge this person with the soft smiling lady who talks to me. I felt my head aches again and I saw a girl of 7 summers looking at me, I held my head and blinked twice to see Meredith looking at me worriedly. She looked at me raising an eyebrow to ask if I was okay, I nodded getting the question she wanted to ask even though I was freaking out. These things were becoming more frequent and I would be lying if I say that I was not afraid.

“Alice, you were accused by Madam Teresa that you stole some sliver wares this morning. But we searched everywhere and we discovered that you were not the thief.” She said like she was speaking to me but her voice was loud and clear, instantly my eye turned to the maid on the platform like many others too.

“The silverwares were found in her dress when I accidentally bumped into her in the hallway. I heard the sound and I commanded her to lift her dress, all the silverwares fell out which she had tucked under her garments.” She continued while the maid’s cry grew louder. I felt pity and anger for her, angry because she had almost landed me in trouble and out of the palace and pity as to how she was crying and scared at the moment.

“Now Alice will administer her punishment of fifteen laches of the whip.” She said walking toward me, I looked into her eyes as she handed me the whip urging me to take it.

“Why must I be the one.” I asked.

“First it is to make up for the false accusation because she was the one who told Madam that she had noticed something that seemed to have glittered and hidden in your room and that was why the head maid went to look for you that night but you were not in your room.” She told me, I held in the gasps that wanted to come out and looked at her again with new eyes.

“You said first? Any other thing?” I inquired when she stopped again.

“She was also caught trying to frame you by spreading the rumours that you tried to seduce the prince.” She finished and yeah I was angry. Seduce Edward? Really?

Still with a lot of hesitation I took hold of the whip because I knew that she would not accept nothing I say now and I would have to take it from her hands. My hands trembled and the girl’s cry grew, I took a deep breath then I stepped towards her with a sad look covering my face, I lifted the whip but I stopped halfway turning to see Meredith looking at me in question.

“Can I choose not to flog her?” I asked.

“You could but I would prefer if you do it yourself Alice.” She told me and again I inhaled greedily then brought the whip above my head once more.

Without thinking this time around, I brought it down with enough force landing it on the maid’s legs. The maid screamed out in pain but what was she thinking? I brought the whip down again. Does she hate me that much? Think that I really am worthless? Again I brought it down. Does it hurt? The same way I was when everyone looked at me like a thief when I did not even steal anything?

I whipped her again, does she want to be Edward’s lover and she thinks that I am in the way? Again my hands came down, why could they not just leave me to myself and stay off my business, again i whipped her. Tears rolled down my face as I remembered the cold nights going on stale or spoilt food just to survive and I brought my hands down again. I remembered all the things I currently am enduring under the Prince and again my hands came down.

I cried as I started feeling the emotions I had bottled up, how I had to beg on the street, how I was cheated out of my pay and because I had no one to help me, how I was robbed and thrown to the street by the same people who I thought were nice and caring. How I had gotten lean and tired because of how hungry I was, how I ate crumbs just to live on. All these and I finally had a chance to work in a place like this but I had to face people who does not like me. Well like me or not I do not care but why the hell would they go as far as implicating me.

And again and again and again as I remembered how I survived rape on the street and how frustrated I am now with the nightmares that plague me anytime I sleep and the headaches when I was awake. I screamed as I brought my hands down again with all my frustration and anger, her cries reached my ears and the red haze covering my eyes cleared. I saw that her knee to her legs were all red from the whip.

My hand shook as I dropped the whip, I turned to see Meredith with a satisfied smile on her face and I saw how the rest of the maids were looking at me in fear. But why would they fear me, I did nothing wrong, yet when I looked at the maid crying I knew the reason.

“There is around eight more to go Alice.” Meredith reminded me, I looked at her and shook my head.

“I….. I c.. a…. cant. I can’t I’m sorry.” I forced out. She looked at me and nodded.

“I understand. You can leave.” I was not told twice as I rounded up and walked keeping my head high even with how my eye matched my hair, a pathway was opened again and this time no notice. Those I made eye contact with flinched in fear because I had just brutally flogged a fellow maid because she had implicated me, guess now they know what I could do when I really get angry.

Throughout the day and the next all the maids around me where all too bizarrely nice and kind to me, those who did not approach me looked at me in fear and even the little bully of us all stepped away from me. I guess my performance scared them that much and they also had come to realize that I was not the kind who will take it laying down because I am no pushover and I most definitely am not nice enough to accommodate anyone’s nonsense side, I mean if I cannot accommodate Prince Edward’s own, what makes them think that I would allow theirs.

I also noticed that few maids had come to me with the intention of becoming friends with me but I would rather not, I felt extremely suffocated by the newfound attention that everyone keeps giving to me and I try almost every time to escape them. My headaches and visions of soldiers dying in battle and people running does not really sit well with me and not something that I would love to have in my head.

The constant noise just does not want to stop and these maids makes me feel thoroughly disgusted because they all came waiting to be my friend after flogging a maid who was also their friend. I hid myself in my room almost throughout the days since I was not called upon, guess Meredith was still the one in charge as if it were to be Madam Teresa then I would be working my butt off in everywhere available. I also am super confused as to why I kept dreaming about a smaller version of Meredith and was she a pretty. Most times I hide myself in my room till I feel the maids pass before I rushed outside, I was already tired of the attention and I wish it would just end.

I decided to go out today and go visit Angela in the stables, at least she was a much better company than any of the fakes running after me thinking of using me to gain better footing with one of the head maids, I mean apart from Madam Teresa every other Head maid are cordial with me and I with them. Yet no matter how much I tried I was very much close to Meredith than any of them. I walked out and saw Edward leaning on the wall right next to my door, with a flip of a switch I became more annoyed and could not help but wonder why he even was here and why in the world does he likes messing with me so much. I walked up to him.

“Good day your grace.” I greeted him and was about to leave.

“I had no idea you could be that scary.” He said, looking at me with those annoying handsome eyes of his, what did I just thought of. Him? Handsome? No.

“Pardon me your grace.” I responded determined to not give him time of the day.

“Cute.” He laughed out loud before reaching his hands to touch my hair smiling, I started having a speculation and how he knew and maybe he was the mastermind of everything.

“What do you mean?” I asked him as I stepped from the range of his hands.

“I had heard about some commotion from the servants and about a meeting between you all. So I came and I saw you brutally bringing your hands down on a fellow maid like you.” He said acting disappointed. The nagging feeling intensified with an accusation that I do not want to accept.

“Tuck…… although I know that I was a bad one by making that sweet innocent maid steal the silverwares just to put you in trouble but how was I expected to know that it would turn out that you were even more cruel for beating and tormenting her like that. Why would you do that.” He said. I knew it, I just did. How could he send such a person after me, I looked at him with everything I felt. I saw him flinch but I do not think it was because he feared me I mean he was the Prince, I felt pure disgusr and anger toward him. Without a word I turned and procced to go meet Angela.

“Oh…. Now you are about to be a bad friend Alice.” His voice stopped me, I turned and stared him down but he just laughed.

“I seem to have lost the understanding for your words.” I spoke rather rudely.

“So you are not going to see your boyfriend before he will be sent out of the palace and also not granted permission to leave his house for the next one summer? Of course not his house in this kingdom” He questioned with a smirk.

“My boyfriend…. who….” I asked confused, he looked at me again silent for a minute before he broke into a huge smile.

“Stuart of course.” He replied, my eyes widened he would not dare would he?

“Oh come on don’t look at me like that. And if I were you I would try to catch him so I would be able to say goodbye to him before his exile.” He told me and if there were to be a third party here they would think that he cared about me. I ran to the gate of the dungeons and I saw the guards seated playing some games, I went to them in a hurry.

“Is something wrong lady.” One asked as soon as he saw me and how breathless I was.

“Stuart, is Stuart still in the cells?” I asked praying with all of me that Edward was lying.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“Ohhh, He was removed like an hour ago now yes?” He replied turning to his mates to confirm and they nodded, my heart dropped to my stomach as I stared at them.

“Yes, I think he should be leaving the kingdom soon.” Another added and I got more crestfallen.

“What do you mean by that.” I asked even though I already knew. I saw them all shift their eye from curiosity to pity as they looked at me.

“He is being exiled for insulting the Prince to his face yesterday and I think he would be escorted out of the kingdom with some guard with not a shred of his dignity as a nobleman.” He reviled, I swayed with the nauseated feeling I felt, without looking and I said nothing else as I ran out of their sight, my whole being was praying that I get there as soon as possible as I ran to the gates of the palace.

But I knew that I could not leave just like that, I started my race with one destination in mind, the kitchen. I heard that Madam Teresa took some days off work and Meredith became the highest authority for maids in the castle. i rushed in and I saw Meredith who was laughing with two of the cooks stopped and stepped toward me when she saw the alarm in my eye.

“What is it Alice, are you hurt.” She asked as she looked at me all over.

“No ma’am. I came to ask you to let me off outside the castle for a few hours.” I said out rushed, she stopped and looked at me.

“Why?” She asked, I already was feeling my eye sting from the tears I had been holding back.

“I have to see him before he leaves, please Meredith.” I said as I took her hands in mine. She stares at me for a while before she nodded.

“Fine you are permitted.” She said reluctantly. Without anything more I ran out then I remembered that I was supposed to thank her.

“Thank you!!!” I yelled out as I raced to the front door, I had no idea which way to run when I left the giant doors of the palace and decided to run straight ahead. I ran through the market, falling once but kept running. I reached a path I already was familiar with and remembered the farthest kingdom gate. I realised that that was where Edward would have him be. I rushed toward that direction, I needed to see him to apologize, I caused it all after all. I got there finally and I looked up to see that I was right.

There he was standing at the entrance, about to step out of the border.