The carriage finally arrived at the palace compound, its rolling tyres coming to a halt near the tower’s entrance where they resided.
Arl, who sat alongside the carriage driver, hurriedly descended and moved to open the door. The escorts dismounted from their horses, weary from the long and exhausting journey back from Rivendelle to Gantz.
Elis obediently stepped out as ordered as the door swung open, promptly positioning herself to the side. Her hands rested firmly on her stomach, and she slightly lowered her back forward as a sign of respect for the derian royal siblings, who alighted from the carriage followed by Rafe.
"You must all be tired from the journey. Take so ti to rest," Kiev addressed his escorts, who gratefully bowed in respect to the derian Prince before moving forward to lead the horses to the stable.
Turning his attention to the silent Elis, who bowed to him without eting his gaze, the derian Prince called in a soft voice.
"Elis..."
"Your Highness, if there’s no further instruction, I would like to go upstairs and pack my belongings to return to the mansion imdiately," the maid interjected before Kiev could continue.
Their two-day journey had been sombre. Elis had maintained silence and avoided conversation as much as possible, deliberately keeping her distance from the derian Prince.
Kiev, too, remained quiet throughout, his face laced with a solemn expression that only grew more pronounced as they reached their destination.
"Don’t leave just yet, Elis," pleaded Callis, standing beside her brother. "We’ve just arrived, and you must be tired too. Rest for the day first. Also... would it be possible for you to extend your service for another week?"
"May I know the purpose?" asked the maid inquisitively.
"I won’t have an assistant to help adjust my sling, so I’m hoping you could stay and teach Jessy how to do it," the derian Princess requested.
"Your Highness..." Elis calmly responded, addressing her by her royal title.
"It’s Mrs Naver-Amares. Now that I think of it, it’s quite long. We used that in Rivendelle to avoid confusion, but here we can shorten it to Mrs Amares, right Rafe?" Callis suggested.
"Sure, if His Highness Prince Kiev doesn’t mind," Rafe replied, his gaze shifting towards the derian Prince.
Kiev remained silent, his face clouded with gloom. He seed lost in his thoughts and unfazed by the discussion of titles.
Observing the derian Prince’s lack of objection, Elis continued, "Then, Mrs Amares, I believe it’s unnecessary since your husband, Mr Amares, is by your side."
"He will soon be occupied with his duties, and I will only have Jessy around. I still need soone to attend to ," Callis pleaded.
"Mr Amares can certainly teach Jessy," Elis suggested.
"That won’t be the sa! You have been taking care of all this ti, and Jessy would feel much more comfortable learning from you. Moreover, my clothes from Madam Carson’s boutique should be ready by now. I could ask another maid to retrieve them, but it would be a hassle since they are unaware of the details. You’re the only one who knows the specifics and can ensure they were made according to my requirents. Please!" the derian Princess pleaded again.
"No need to beg her!" Kiev suddenly broke his silence with a stern voice. "She has already made it clear that she’s unwilling to stay, so stop forcing her. Coercing soone to do things they don’t want to only breeds discontent. Just let her go as she wishes," he continued with a defeated tone, not even bothering to look at the maid.
It felt as if an unspoken battle was taking place between them. Seeing the derian Prince’s resentnt toward her, the maid finally surrendered.
"All right, Your Highness," Elis said to the derian Princess, her voice steady.
Callis, who had been watching her brother, turned to the maid, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"So, you’re staying?" she asked eagerly.
"I will stay for today so I can teach Jessy right away. I’ll retrieve the dresses for you tomorrow and then return to the mansion. I believe two days would be sufficient," Elis replied, her tone resolute.
She then turned her gaze towards the derian Prince, addressing him directly.
"Also, Your Highness Prince Kiev..."
Elis paused, waiting for his attention. Kiev glanced montarily at her.
"Please don’t mistake for hating my job, as I do not feel that way. It has been a great honour to serve you and Mrs Amares. I will always cherish our precious encounter in my mory," she said sincerely.
"You don’t need to rember soone you don’t want to. Just forget everything and leave as you wish. It’s not worth rembering a person you despise," Kiev retorted bitterly.
"I don’t despise you, Your Highness," Elis replied earnestly.
"You don’t need to explain anything! I don’t wish to converse with you anymore. You can do whatever you want. It’s your life anyway! Don’t even bid farewell when you leave."
Kiev turned abruptly and left the group, entering the tower. Elis looked down, struggling to hold back her emotions.
The words from the derian Prince pierced her heart like an arrow shot right to its target. She didn’t want their encounter to end this way, but she knew she couldn’t change what had transpired.
Now, the maid had to accept the bitterness that arose from her own actions. The heavy atmosphere enveloped them all.
Taking a mont to calm herself, Elis silently reassured her inner self that she had made the right decision. Deep within, she found the strength to carry on.
"Are you all right, Elis?" asked Callis, concern evident in her eyes as she looked at the silent maid.
"I’m all right," she replied, mustering a small smile.
"Please don’t take to heart what my brother said to you. He’s always like that. I’m sure he didn’t an what he said just now," the derian Princess reassured her.
Elis continued her wistful smile as Rafe glanced at her with a pitiful expression.
"I won’t. I owe His Highness Prince Kiev so much. Even if he’s angry with , I won’t mind at all. Besides, I’m just a re maid," she replied.
"Don’t say that! My brother and I value your presence in our lives. You’re a good person. My brother isn’t soone who easily opens up to people. Truthfully, I was shocked when he decided to marry you," Callis insisted.
"Please, Mrs Amares, let’s not ntion the matter in Rivendelle anymore. I don’t wish to draw attention from the people here. If they knew about it, they would look at differently and misunderstand ," the maid sincerely requested.
"I understand. Forgive for bringing up the past," Callis apologised.
Elis expressed her gratitude to the derian Princess. Just then, a middle-aged woman descended the stairs at the entrance.
"Oh, my princess! I missed you!" Jessy exclaid excitedly, rushing towards Callis.
Rhen, who had been left behind with the nanny, joyfully ran to Arl and barked. The young teenager bead upon seeing his puppy and scooped it up in his arms, hugging it tightly.
"Hey, little one! How have you been? Did you behave while I was gone?" the teenager asked, kissing the puppy on the head.
"He’s been a good boy. We usually spend ti in the garden. You know, Her Highness Princess Laura and Lilith, the daughters of His Majesty, are so fond of him. We t once, and they asked to play with Rhen. So, I let them. They usually co every day in the afternoon to play with him. I hope you don’t mind," Jessy explained.
"Ah, I’m glad Their Highnesses love him. I don’t mind at all," Arl replied, affectionately rubbing Rhen’s head.
With the teenager happily reunited with his puppy, Jessy’s attention returned to Callis and Rafe.
"Please forgive , my princess and Mr Amares, for not properly greeting you. How was your journey?"
The nanny bowed respectfully as she addressed them.
"I ca imdiately after encountering His Highness Prince Kiev in the hallway."
"It was great, Jessy. You should start calling Mrs Amares now," Callis replied, smiling shyly.
Jessy returned her smile, relieved to see the delighted grin on the derian Princess’s face, indicating that she had enjoyed her ti at Rivendelle.
"Oh, is that so? Very well then, Mrs Amares," Jessy responded.
"Stop it! I was only joking! You don’t need to call that! Just address as usual. You’ll always be the only one who calls ’my princess’ other than my parents," Callis insisted.
Jessy chuckled softly.
"I would prefer that too. I’ve been calling you that since you were born. I hope Mr Amares doesn’t mind."
"It’s fine. You’ve known her longer than , so it would be awkward to change how you address her," Rafe said to the nanny.
"By the way, is everything all right?" Jessy inquired. "I ca across His Highness Prince Kiev just now, and he didn’t appear to be in good spirits. It seems like sothing is bothering him."
"That..." the derian Princess turned her eyes to her husband, contemplating the situation.
Callis understood the healer’s silent gesture, which signalled her to keep the incident involving Kiev and Elis a secret, as requested by the maid. It was necessary to protect her honour.
"Elis has decided to quit. She will return to the mansion tomorrow after picking up the dresses from Madam Carson’s boutique," the derian Princess gave a plausible answer.
"What? But why? Wasn’t you supposed to serve her during your stay here?" the nanny asked the maid, confused.
"I have so personal matters to attend to, so I must conclude my service to Mrs Amares. Please forgive for that," Elis explained.
"Oh, what a pity! I had beco quite comfortable with having you around. It’s not every day you co across such a good and diligent young maid," the nanny expressed her regret.
"Please excuse my shortcomings. However, it is best for to return. Therefore, as requested by Mrs Amares, I will teach you how to prop and manage the sling for her shoulder today. I hope you can find so ti for it," the maid offered.
"I have no problem with that. However, my princess, I must inform you that His Majesty anticipated your return today and has invited you and His Highness Prince Kiev to have lunch with him, the ministers, and high-ranking officers at the royal dining hall tomorrow. Her Majesty the Queen’s assistant asked to convey the ssage as soon as you arrived," the nanny inford Callis.
"A lunch with the ministers and high-ranking officers?" Callis asked, surprised by the invitation.
"Yes, I’ve just inford your brother about it, and he ntioned that he would be attending. Furthermore, Mr Amares must also be present as your spouse," the nanny confird.
"I see... Since we are guests at the palace and owe His Majesty our gratitude for accommodating us, we shouldn’t decline the invitation," the derian Princess remarked.
"You’re right. As a subject of His Majesty, I cannot refuse the invitation either. Please inform His Majesty’s assistant that we will attend," Rafe responded.
"I’ll convey the ssage imdiately, Mr Amares," Jessy assured them.
Turning her attention to Arl, Callis instructed, "Summon the palace servants and ask them to assist with the luggage. You can also take so rest for the day."
Then, her gaze shifted to the solemn-faced Elis.
"Let’s go inside and rest now," Callis said.
"Thank you, Mrs Amares," the maid expressed her gratitude.
They all made their way inside the palace, ready to find so reprieve and rest.
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