Uncrowned Princess

3

Isabella scrubbed at the bathroom tiles, her face contorted in disgust. "This is revolting," she muttered. "I bet that incompetent cafe worker is behind this. She probably told Grandmother how 'mean' I was."

As she reached for another tile, there was a sharp crack. Isabella gasped, staring at her now-broken nail in horror.

"That's it!" she shrieked, throwing the sponge across the room. "I'm done with this nonsense!"

She stormed out to the balcony, taking deep breaths of fresh air. The view caught her attention – a stunning vista of mountains and sea. "Well, at least there's one good thing about this dump," she mused.

Just then, the room's door opened. A middle-aged woman entered, stopping short at the sight of Isabella.

"Excuse me," the woman said, frowning. "What are you doing in my room?"

Isabella turned slowly, eyebrow raised. "What does it look like? I'm cleaning. Or I was, until you interrupted."

The woman's frown deepened. "The bathroom is filthy, and you're out here resting? This is unacceptable!"

Isabella's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Is Her Majesty not satisfied with the service?"

"How dare you speak to me like that!" the woman sputtered. "I want to speak to your manager immediately!"

Isabella rolled her eyes dramatically. "Listen, lady. If you're not happy with my cleaning, feel free to do it yourself. I'm sure you're an expert at scrubbing toilets."

The woman's face turned red with anger. "Why, you insolent little—"

"Save it," Isabella cut her off, sauntering towards the door. "I have better things to do than listen to you whine."

With a final playful grimace, Isabella slammed the door behind her, leaving the guest speechless with rage.

In the hallway, Isabella leaned against the wall, a small, satisfied smile playing on her lips. "Well, that was fun," she murmured to herself, completely oblivious to the trouble she'd just caused.

As Isabella approached the stairway, she spotted Jenny and Dan engaged in conversation. With a mischievous smirk, she called out, "Chatting isn't working, you know."

Jenny whirled around, her expression immediately shifting to one of concern. She crossed her arms. "What did you do this time, Isabella?"

Isabella feigned innocence. "Me? Why would you assume I did anything?"

Jenny sighed. "The guest from room 53 just called, absolutely furious."

"My, she works fast," Isabella remarked, examining her nails. "Couldn't even wait five minutes to complain."

"Isabella," Jenny pressed, "what exactly did you do to make her so angry?"

Isabella shrugged nonchalantly. "I simply put her in her place. Nothing more."

Jenny pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly exasperated. She turned to Dan. "I'll handle this." With that, she rushed upstairs.

Isabella watched Jenny go, then leaned casually against the front desk, turning to Dan. "So, what's so amusing?"

Dan chuckled, shaking his head. "Just marveling at how much trouble you've managed to cause in one day."

"Trouble?" Isabella scoffed. "I haven't done anything. It's these people who are rude and expect me to be their personal maid. It's ridiculous."

"Oh, absolutely ridiculous," Dan agreed, his tone playful. "How dare they expect a maid to clean?"

Isabella rolled her eyes. "She wasn't satisfied with my bathroom cleaning. Can you believe that? As if I'm some expert in toilet scrubbing."