Since Anna had been summoned by the King for a meeting, Leona was not particularly worried about her safety. There was probably no safer place here than at the King's side—assuming, of course, that he wasn't in a fit of rage.
By now, her series of actions had undoubtedly reached the King's ears.
Judging by the attitude of the maid who came to summon Anna earlier, Her Highness the Princess's situation wasn't too dire yet. When she returned, there would likely be a guard or two accompanying her to ensure her safety.
Before long, a faint scattering of footsteps came from outside the door.
She slowly lowered herself and crawled beneath the bed.
“Your Highness, some trouble has occurred in the royal palace recently. We will stay outside to protect your safety at all times,” said a guard wearing a longsword. A golden medal was pinned to his chest, and his tall, upright posture resembled a towering mountain.
“Thank you for your trouble, Udarik,” Anna said with a slight nod, her tone gentle.
Udarik was momentarily taken aback. He hadn't expected the noble Princess to remember the name of a mere servant like him.
As Anna pushed open the door to enter, Milan, the accompanying Chief Maid, stopped her.
“Your Highness, please wait here first. Allow me to check inside. The King hadn't assigned guards to you previously, so it would be terrible if an assassin were hiding inside,” Milan said, stepping into the room alone.
Flustered, Anna tried to step inside after her, but the guard beside her held her back.
“Lady Milan is right; it's better to check first. Please forgive us, Your Highness, but this is all for Your Highness's safety.”
Milan was very tall, taller even than half the men in the royal palace. It was said that before becoming a maid, Milan had worked in a blacksmith shop for several years, and even now, the defined muscle lines on her arms were clearly visible.
At the same time, she possessed sharp eyes and keen insight; otherwise, she wouldn't have been appointed to the position of Chief Maid.
She scanned her surroundings. Everything looked ordinary, but for a princess, such treatment was rather poor. There were neither novel playthings nor bright decorations in the room.
She walked slowly over to the curtain and pulled it back. The petals inside the chamber pot gave off a faint fragrance, but she still sharply caught a subtle whiff of foul odor.
Drawing the curtain closed again, there seemed to be no other place to hide in the room, so her gaze involuntarily fell beneath the bed.
She then bent down and lifted the bed skirt, but there was still nothing inside.
The worry on her face gradually faded, and Milan stood up to call out toward the doorway, “All clear, Your Highness. You may come in now.”
Anna slowly walked in, looking around with a slightly surprised expression.
“Your Highness, are you looking for something?” Seeing Anna glancing around, Milan couldn't help but ask.
Anna hurriedly shook her head and stammered, “N-nothing.”
Thinking Anna was frightened by the news of the assassin, Milan bent halfway down and said, “It's alright, Your Highness. Once you marry His Highness the Prince of the Glaze Kingdom ten days from now, everything will get better.”
“Until then, Udarik will keep you safe. A knight praised his martial skill very highly.”
Hearing Milan's words, Anna seemed even more worried. She had no desire to marry some so-called prince.
Still, she forced a stiff smile for Milan.
Just as Milan was about to leave, something occurred to her, and she turned around once more.
“Um, Princess... your chamber pot... is there no maid replacing it for you?” she asked tactfully.
Anna couldn't help glancing behind the curtain before looking back and shaking her head at Milan.
“I don't have a personal maid anymore. Ariel reached marriageable age long ago.”
Although the royal palace had strict rules, personal maids did not remain with a princess or prince forever; they would leave upon reaching marriageable age.
“Does His Majesty not know about this?” Milan asked, her heart sinking slightly, as she hadn't paid much attention to the matter either.
Anna smiled bitterly. “I imagine he does.”
From the looks of it, the King didn't seem to care much about this nominal princess.
Milan knew that the King's shift in attitude toward Anna—even dispatching two capable guards over the assassin incident—was primarily for the sake of that marriage alliance.
She reached out, wanting to pat Anna's head, but bound by her status, she pulled her hand back and lowered it.
“My apologies, Your Highness. I will arrange an excellent maid for you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Milan, but there's no need. I'll be marrying soon anyway.” Anna smiled and guided Milan's hand onto her own head, discerning what the woman was thinking.
Milan was slightly taken aback, but she let her hand rest there for a moment.
“No, this is the dignity a princess deserves.”
“But Father will be angry if he finds out,” Anna said anxiously.
Milan paused, growing surprisingly resolute this time.
Many people here had benefited from the kindness of Anna's mother, and Milan was no exception.
However, under the pressure of the current Queen, they had gradually kept their distance from Anna, maintaining a state of neither harming nor helping her.
But now, Milan's mindset had shifted again. Human nature was contradictory like that.
When news of the assassin spread, a large portion of people believed it to be the Queen's doing. Some observed passively, some felt pity, and some took action.
“Then let His Majesty punish me.” Milan spoke the gentlest words in the coldest tone.
With that, she gave Anna a loving look, turned, and left the room.
Anna stood dazed for quite a while before suddenly remembering that Leona was still inside the room.
She began searching around, but whether under the bed or behind the curtain, there was no sign of Leona.
“Strange,” Anna murmured under her breath, her eyes settling on the last hiding spot in the room.
She slowly crawled beneath the bed. Fortunately, her body was small and delicate, so she didn't bump into anything.
She skillfully located a panel that felt like foam to the touch and gently pushed it aside, revealing a hollow opening.
She slowly squeezed inside, sealed the opening shut again, and climbed down the ladder by feel.
It was a secret passage.
“Leona,” Anna called out after reaching the ground.
The surrounding dirt walls were remarkably smooth, with paintings hanging every few meters. Not far ahead was an open space of roughly thirty square meters.
Inside were a wooden table, two wooden chairs, a few flower garlands, a tattered doll, and finally a stone statue of a woman wearing a flower garland with a gentle smile.
A figure in a red cloak stood behind the stone statue, looking up as if gazing at something.
“I see,” Leona turned around and looked at Anna. “So the wishing well connects directly to your room. But I still don't think you have the strength to carry me back up to your room while climbing a ladder.”
“Furthermore, I never told you my name. How do you know it?”
“Could you tell me why, Your Highness?”
Rate on N.U.
