The Scholar and The Crown

18

Maude

"Who do you think would do this to you?" Cedric asked seriously, his eyes fixed on Maisie, who was sitting between Laura and me on the long couch.

It was still the same evening. I had planned to catch the culprit, but a cat had startled her, causing her to run away. We tried to chase her, but she was too fast.

Now, we were gathered in the tea room with the other tutors, the prince, and Cedric. Everyone was shocked when I returned with the prince and his secretary.

Mai remained silent, her face pale and tense.

"It is one of the ladies in the selection, right?" I asked bluntly as a maid set down tea in front of me. It seemed obvious. Who else would be the tutors' enemy but the students themselves?

The prince sighed.

"Maude..." Mai lifted her head and shook it, signaling that I should drop the subject. Her eyes were pleading, but I couldn't just let it go.

I sighed, feeling the frustration welling up. "Mai, tell us the truth," Laura urged, holding her hands gently.

"Maisei," Cedric called her name seriously, making her sigh in resignation.

"Was it Lady Eirene?" the prince suddenly asked, his voice cutting through the tension. Cedric's expression told us they knew something we didn't.

I looked at Laura, trying to read her expression. Lady Eirene had one reason to do this if she was indeed the culprit: Mai had given her a failed assessment last Friday.

Mai's shoulders slumped as she finally spoke. "Yes, it was Lady Eirene..." she confessed, making some of the people in the room gasp.

"She wasn't really doing well in her etiquette class," she added. That lady is just alright in History though.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Laura asked gently, her eyes full of concern.

"I didn't want to cause any trouble," Mai admitted, her voice trembling. "I thought maybe I was overreacting."

"You're not overreacting," the prince said firmly. "What Lady Eirene did was unacceptable. She must face the consequences of her actions."

When did this guy become this reliable?

Cedric nodded in agreement. "I'll inform the head of the household staff and arrange for a meeting with Lady Eirene in the morning."

"Thank you," Mai said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The prince stood up, his demeanor commanding. "This matter will be resolved, and I assure you, Lady Maisei, you won't have to deal with such behavior again."

This guy is giving me the creeps right now.

"It's alright if she goes back to her room now, right?" Mabel was still skeptical of Mai's safety.

"It's safe to return. We will deal with this right now," Cedric assured us with a smile. Then we all walked out of the tea room.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," we all bowed to him.

I yawned after my head got back up. Everyone had already turned their backs and started walking back to their rooms. I was about to walk too when the prince suddenly spoke.

"And you, stop loitering outside alone," he pointed at me. I just yawned once again and nodded before turning my back and walking away.

What a night.

It had been three days since the incident with Lady Eirene, and everything seemed to have settled back to normal. The palace was once again filled with the usual buzz of activity, and our routine as tutors had resumed without any further disturbances.

"I guess the prince was reliable after all," I whispered to myself, shrugging my shoulders as I thought about how quickly the situation had been handled.

"Guys, the annual royal ball is right around the corner, right?" Mabel asked, gazing out the window beside her.

"Speaking of that," Thomas said, closing his book and looking at Maisei, "I hope we get the day off, at least on that day and the day after." I lazily said while my face was resting in my palm and the other hand was flipping the pages of the book I had been reading earlier.

"I agree with Maude," Karen added, resting her head on her hand. "I want to at least go home. I miss my family."

"Me too," Becca chimed in.

"But in the contract we signed, we're not allowed to leave the palace unless it's really necessary," Robert contradicted, ever the stickler for rules.

"But if we aren't allowed to leave, how are we supposed to spend those days when a party is literally being held at the palace?" Mabel asked, frustration creeping into her voice

"We might end up being extra hands for them at the end," Laura responded with a sigh.

"Just extra hands? How about inviting us?" Thomas argued, clearly not content with the idea of being relegated to mere helpers.

I looked up from my book and met his gaze. "There's a greater chance that we'll be waiters at the party rather than being invited as guests," I said frankly. In this place, we were just tutors, not deemed worthy enough to be invited to such an elegant event.

"Maude is right," Laura agreed with me. "We're not considered high-ranking enough to be guests at the royal ball."

"But wouldn't it be nice?" Mabel mused wistfully. "To be able to attend, even just once?"

"Of course it would," Maisei said, her tone wistful. "But realistically, we should be prepared to help if needed."

"I guess you're right," Thomas conceded, though he didn't seem entirely happy about it. "Still, one can dream."

"Dreams are nice, but we have our duties," Robert reminded everyone, though his voice softened.

As we continued our conversation, the door creaked open, and Cedric stepped in, looking around the room. "Good morning, everyone. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important?"

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