The Scholar and The Crown

8

Maude

"So, according to Cedric, you're the new tutor substituting Lady Maeve," Prince Sylas began, his hands intertwined and resting his chin on them.

I took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, Your Majesty."

We were the only ones left inside the tea room, and the atmosphere around us was unsettling.

"Based on what Cedric provided me, you graduated from the same school as him, unlike your sister," he said, glancing at the paper on the table.

"Yes, Your Majesty," I answered again.

"Is the Starlight Conservatory raising wild people now?" I heard him mutter.

What did he just say? 

Did he let me stay here just to annoy me? Where's the 'let's pretend this never happened' thing?

"I didn't expect that Lady Maeve had a twin sister," he commented, leaning back in his seat.

Don't worry, I also didn't expect that you, the Prince, like to play childish games of payback.

"What a childish manner, indeed," I thought.

Hadn't Cedric told him that Maeve had a twin?

"As you're aware, your sister's sudden departure shocked us." To me too, haha.

He suddenly stood up from his seat. "You know, Lady Maude, homesickness is a pretty lame excuse to resign. Especially from a woman who grew up away from her family," he said, turning his back to me.

I know that. Maeve is terrible at lying.

"Don't worry, your father already disclosed the reason to me. I won't ask you about it anymore," he told me.

What Maeve told our father wasn't her real reason either. She lied to him, and he passed that lie on to the royal family and committee.

Does Maeve understand the consequences of this lying spree of hers? Father could be beheaded for lying to the royal family. Good thing I'm the only one who knows the truth aside from Maeve, and it's pretty lame too.

I can't believe she resigned because of that.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I thanked him.

"It's your first day teaching the ladies, right?" he asked, still facing away from me.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"How was it?"

What's his deal now? Should I tell him the truth? Nah, am I trying to get myself killed? Haha.

"The ladies seemed to adjust well to their new tutor and were attentive during the discussions," I said, biting my tongue.

I've had enough lies for one day, for goodness' sake. I've never lied so much in my life before, and this is only in a matter of hours.

Good thing it looks like he didn't hear anything I shouted earlier, or I'd already be doomed.

But first of all, what the hell was he doing there? It seemed I woke him from his sleep when my book hit him. Is he meeting someone there?

I smirked when a thought came to my mind.

Heh... I guess the Prince already has a selected lady.

"Good for them," he commented, turning to face me. "So, what were you doing there earlier?" he asked, making me stop for a moment.

Seriously, what's his deal? He already had his payback earlier.

"I wandered for too long and accidentally ended up there, Your Majesty," I avoided eye contact as I said that.

What, is he afraid someone discovered a place where he met one of the ladies secretly?

"You know me, yet you hit me with your book. You know that's a crime," he reminded me.

Huh? How many times—goodness!

I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress myself from talking back, but my intrusive thoughts won in the end.

"Look, Prince Sylas, I didn't intend to hit you earlier."

I'm just trying to control myself; probably another two provocations and I will really snap.

"Really? Then explain why you threw that book at the grass," he snickered.

Maude, it's the prince, please calm yourself.

"My book slipped from my hand," I reasoned out calmly.

"What a lame excuse," he smirked.

I felt something snap in me as soon as I saw his smirk.

"I thought there was no one there, okay? Given the length of the grass, I couldn't even see you lying there. And listen, I went there to calm myself, not to dig my own grave by throwing my book at someone I knew was the Prince," I let out a deep breath after that.

That's when I realized what I had just done.

Damn.

"Still not buying that. Since in all the places that book could land, why did it land on my forehead?" He took a big step towards me.

This made me stand up from my seat. "Look, small or not, there was still a probability that my book would hit you, alright?"

"Accident or not, you will pay for what you've done to my face," he pointed to his red forehead, which made me snicker.

"Was your childish payback earlier not enough for you?" I took a step towards him too.

At this point, I didn't care if he was the goddamn prince of this kingdom. He was getting on my nerves.

"You've got some nerve to talk like that to me," he said, looking at me like he couldn't believe I was talking back.

"Do I care?" I said seriously.

He snickered. "Thanks to you, it feels like my skull is cracked," he stated.

Isn't that overreacting?

"Thanks to you too, my forehead is as red as yours," I said back. "We're even, like you said earlier, so, if you please," I shut my eyes as I said that.

"The way you treated a royal like me, there's no way we're even. I will do everything in my power to make your stay here at the palace as rough as possible. Maybe then you'll learn how to treat a royal properly," he remarked and left me dumbfounded.

It took me a minute to absorb what he had just said.

What is he, a child?!

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