The Scholar and The Crown

9

Maude

"What have I just done?" I whispered to myself while staring at the ceiling of my room.

It's only my second day here, and I already messed up big time. First, I annoyed a noble lady who might become queen in the future, and then I talked back to the freakin' prince.

Laura was right. I should hold my temper more, or I'll end up messing things up even further.

But who wouldn't lose their temper with those kinds of people? I already lost mine within minutes of meeting them. Are the people here in the capital a different breed of humans than those in the countryside?

I turned my body sideways and looked at the huge window beside my bed. I couldn't see anything but the stars in the night sky, with the moonlight slowly creeping up on my window.

Did the Prince already tell my father? If so, I'm so done tomorrow. I could see my mother making her way to the palace just to scold me, haha.

I closed my eyes to sleep, but it seemed my body and mind wouldn't cooperate. My body missed the hard labor I did in the fields back home. Those field works really helped me sleep peacefully, but now it seems like physical labor has been replaced by mental torture, preventing me from having a good night's sleep.

I didn't sleep well last night either. Although my room here gives off vibes similar to my room when I was 15, it didn't help the fact that my mind is aware I'm miles away from my true home.

I guess I'm homesick now. This is the first time I've stayed away from the comfort of the countryside. I already miss everyone—my mother and her nonstop reminders about being a lady, Marius and his wife, who looks like she ate an entire watermelon, Mavis and our mischiefs around the manor, Mavien and his trivial things, and almost everything back home.

Does Maeve also feel this?

I opened my eyes and realized I was curled up like a little girl in the big bed. I sighed, straightened my body, and looked again at the ceiling filled with painted pumpkins. My ceiling back home had the same design, but as I grew up, my mother said there were things I needed to change since I was an adult now, and one of them was my room design. I used to stare at the same ceiling for ten years before they changed it.

It's like I'm back to my 15-year-old self by staring at this ceiling. For some unknown reason, I found peace and solace in the pumpkins. 

But right now... I can't sleep at all!

"Maybe a little walk can help," I said to myself and got out of bed. I took the robe from the rack and wore it before stepping out of my room.

A strong, cold gust of wind greeted me as soon as I got out of the manor. While walking, I looked up at the dark sky dotted with stars and the crescent moon that illuminated the night.

Unlike the countryside, the air here at the capital isn't as cold. Maybe because the capital is much more crowded than the countryside? There's no way to compare things here and back home. I shook my head to clear my mind.

As I wandered again, I found myself standing at the same place where I first encountered the prince. Another gust of wind blew and embraced my body.

"The wind is as cold as it is back home," I uttered while staring at the dancing, glistening grass in the field. Maybe because this is the part of the palace that's at the back? It's already almost midnight; there's no way the Prince is here.

I decided to sit on the grass and watch the lights at the foot of the hills give life to the town around the palace. It's pretty quiet here; the only noise is the crickets and the wind that flaps the grasses and leaves around me.

I closed my eyes and tried to feel the place.

"What are you doing here?!" I jolted and immediately opened my eyes when a familiar voice roared not far from me.

Shoot, did I get caught by that guy again?

"I-I just wanted to talk to you, Your Majesty," another voice spoke, a lady's voice.

Shit, did I run myself into some romance novel scene right now?

I turned my head slowly to see where they were. They were not that far away, not that close either. That's why I decided to sneak and hide myself behind a nearby tree. I couldn't afford to be seen here, especially with the prince and what sounds like one of the noble ladies present.

I only came here to calm my mind, but I ran into some problems again. I just want to sleep peacefully tonight, okay?

"Lady Eury, do you not understand the term privacy?" the Prince asked.

Eury? You mean Eurydice? That noble lady whose parents are both on the royal committee?

Oh, this is fun to watch anyway. I laughed inside my mind.

"Y-your Majesty..."

"Go back to your room now, and stop tailing me everywhere I go. You're creeping me out."

Oh, she's tailing the prince? For real?

"Look, Lady Eury, stop this nonsense shenanigans of yours. Now that you've shown me your true colors, you've also given me a reason not to choose you." Oh, that hurts.

Then, after a few seconds, I heard sobbing. Caught live, the Prince made a lady cry! Then I heard running. I guess Lady Eury ran away. It will be awkward tomorrow.

Then I heard another set of footsteps. I was about to sigh in relief, but I realized they were coming closer.

Did he notice me earlier?

"Just come out from behind that tree," I heard the prince tiredly utter.

I guess he really did.

I sighed before exposing myself. His amber-colored eyes greeted me as soon as I stepped out.

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