Chapter 10
#Chapter 10 Are you mocking me?
“I’m nothingpared to you, mydy.” Doris said quickly to reassure her. It was a wonder why she
would everpare herself to Doris when she was sitting as hisdy and Doris was still a maid.
“Besides, he’s already chosen you above all girls in the Pce. You’re his one and only, mydy.”
Doris didn’t bother to add the fact that she had no intentions of ever wanting to be in her ce. Melody
looked at Doris in the mirror for a moment before sheughed quietly. “I never knew you were so good at
sweet talking, Doris. Good. Remember who you are and what your ce is. If I hear anything strange
about you and Prince William… well, you know what I’m capable of. Understand?”
“Yes, mydy.” Doris said gently. Doris was not who Melody had to worry about, it was her prince she
should keep a closer eye on. Why would Melody ever bother having her as her Lady’s Maid if she
thought Doris was capable of stealing Prince William’s affections? She’d only ever spoken with him a
handful of times and each one of their encounters was just him demanding her to get something for him.
Except… except of course the night he marked her.
Months had passed since Doris had first be Melody’s Lady’s maid. The job paid much better than
the one at the library, but in the end it was never worth it. Everyday she spent with Melody was worse
than thest. The worst part was that she wasn’t able to vent about all her troubles at the end of the day
with her best friend as she used to. Beth would have loved all the gossip about Melody, it would have
kept herughing for days to know all the little things sheined about.
Doris felt an ache in her core with how much she missed that, the sense of belonging that Beth gave her.
There weren’t many ces in the Pce she felt that way, but her best friend never failed to make her
smile when she felt the world shift around her. Every extra coin she made, she saved towards their
release. The job was slightly more bearable because of it.
Only a few months remained until the amnesty was announced and signed and Doris was counting the
days. Only a few more months until she was free, so she suffered. It would all be worth it in the end. It
would be worth every mood swing Melody aimed at her if it meant she never had to see her again, or the
Prince for that matter.
To Doris’s surprise, Melody also had a bit of her own suffering. Not that Doris was d to see it, it only
made Melody’s mood worse towards her maid. Prince William had not yet asked Melody to spend the
night with him—which meant they hadn’t slept together once. Doris could tell it was somewhat of an
awkward situation for Melody, she hung all over him yet he still didn’t want her to stay with him. Most
days, she stayed inside her room because of it. Perhaps it was because of all the gossip that now
swirled around her.
In the hallways, Doris passed otherdies while on the way back towards Melody’s room. They stopped
her the moment they recognized who she was.
“We haven’t seen your Lady in a few days, is she feeling alright?” One of them sneered, the other tried to
muffle herugh. Had it been that obvious to the Pce? Doris only truly noticed because she happened
to be her Lady’s Maid, but if she were still in the library she wouldn’t have taken notice to it at all. Unless
Beth told her about it, she supposed. Doris never really paid attention to others bedroom affairs like the
rest of the maids had. It wasn’t really any of her business what the Princes did behind closed doors, she
wished she could say that to thesedies without offending them.
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“Lady Melody has been feeling under the weathertely, but she will be fine. Thank you for asking.” Doris
curtsied and tried to pass but they only kept on.
“Not feeling well, hmm? I think it’s because she’s embarrassed to be seen—“
“Absolutely! Prince William doesn’t even want to touch her! I wonder why she even still has the title of a
lady anymore.” The other added with a sneer.
Doris sped her hands in front of her and remained silent as theyughed. When they noticed she
wasn’t joining in on their gossip, they looked almost annoyed that she wasn’t being cruel like them. As
much as she disliked Melody and all the things she did to her, it wasn’t in her nature. Besides, she hardly
knew them.
“What are youdies doing gossiping here?” A voice sounded from down the hall. Doris nced up to
see a taller woman walking towards them. Her slim form moved with elegance and dignity, it made Doris
stand up straighter.
“Lady Jane.” Both girls quieted immediately, their heads lowered in respect.
Lady Jane was the daughter of a well-known beta family—one of the biggest merchants in the kingdom.
To strengthen their rtionship with Prince William, her father had sent Jane to stay at the Pce for a
while. Prince William obviously valued her family, so his respect for Lady Jane grew as well. They’d
never been lovers as far as Doris knew, but Lady Jane helped manage thedies and everything else
around Prince William. Especially when those resorted to gossip that involved him.
“Prince William has his own reasons for what he does. It’s not up for you two to spread gossip, do not let
me hear it again. Understand?”
“Yes, Lady Jane.” They replied together and curtsied before they turned to leave. Their cheeks were
splotched with red from embarrassment, Doris would haveughed if Lady Jane wasn’t still standing
there.
“You may leave too.” Lady Jane told Doris.
“Thank you, mydy.” Doris curtsied quickly before she returned to Melody’s room, releasing a slow
exhale. She raised her fist to knock, but stilled when she heard voices on the other side of Melody’s door.
“Thank you for the tip, mydy. But it’s really too much…”
“You deserve it, Ms. Shirley. If you can help me regain Prince William’s love and meet our agreement,
they’ll be more.” Melody spoke quietly, Doris almost pressed her ear to the door to hear her. Melody was
paying people to help her gain his love now? Had she really gotten that desperate? Doris supposed
gossip was a venomous thing, it must have been eating at her worse than she’d first thought.
“Well,” Ms. Shirley cleared her throat. “Prince William’s valet, Peter, arranges everything for him. That
includes who will be in Prince William’s thoughts tonight. If you pay him well enough, he might be willing
to try and sway him in your favor…”
Doris strained to hear more, but the voice grew too low to make out any words. Doris gave up and waited
patiently outside the door until Ms. Shirley came out a momentter. A sh of Prince William’s angry
face flickered through her mind. What would he say if he heard what hisdy was doing? Doris barely
knew him but she knew he wouldn’t be happy about any of this.
Doris stepped in once Ms. Shirley was gone and had a small velvet bag of gold ced in her hands
immediately. “Go deliver this to Peter, Prince William’s valet. And hurry back.” Melody demanded.
Doris epted the money and turned towards the door. A small sense of guilt stopped her. “Please don’t
lower yourself like this, mydy.”
“Excuse me?” Melody snapped. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve been given the title of Lady by Prince William himself. I don’t think it’s wise to bribe his valet. It’s
below your standards.” Doris hesitated. “Please be patient, mydy. Prince William has his reasons for
what he does. He won’t ignore you forever.”
“Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?” Melody looked offended, and a bit embarrassed—but
furious overall. “You’re suggesting me to wait now? And how long do you suppose it’ll take Prince William
to wake up and realize I’m right here?” Melody’s voice grew along with her anger. “Are you mocking me
now, too?”