𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐄

04

"What?!" The book from the Queen's hand dropped down to her lap as she looked at her personal maid, Viella.

"Vince bought a girl from the royal court?" Her voice held disbelief as she confirmed.

Viella, nodded, her voice dropping to a low whisper. "Yes, your highness. The grand prince took that girl by the wrist and left the court with her. And I must say, everyone was quite gossiping about the prince afterward, your highness."

"Oh my," The Queen murmured, her eyes widening at the news.

She set the book down on the table and leaned closer to Viella, the wrinkles on her face deepening with her frown. "Who is she?"

The royal maid just shrugged her shoulders. "Nobody knows, your highness. She came into the court with the other 'women' and was quiet the entire time, but the grand prince seemed quite taken with her."

The empress rose slowly from the red velvet sofa. With a flick of her hand, she gestured for the maid to exit the chamber.

Viella nodded and bowed respectfully before obediently turning to leave the room.

The Queen stepped out onto the grand balcony of her room, her footsteps quiet against the cold stone floor. A gentle breeze fluttered through the sheer curtains, carrying the faint scent of roses.

She leaned against the stone railing and inhaled deeply, her eyes fixed on the expansive view of the royal court.

"Vincent, what are you up to?" She sighed, her hands on the balcony and a crease on her smooth forehead.

✮✮✮

Edith's smile faded slightly at Bridget's tone, replacing it with a frown. She leaned forward, her eyes studying Bridget's face intently. "Why not?"

Edith waited for a response from Bridget, but the woman simply remained quiet. After a moment of awkwardly thick silence, Edith sighed and stood up, "Come, dear, let's get you dressed up." she said, gently.

Edith led Bridget to a large wardrobe, opening the doors to reveal a wide array of maids' uniforms. She began sifting through the uniforms, looking for one that would fit Bridget's frame.

"Hm.. this one should fit you." Edith murmured as she pulled out a light grey maids' uniform. It was a simple design, consisting of a knee-length dress and a plain white apron.

Edith handed the uniform to Bridget, who accepted it without protest. "Here, put this on." she instructed, waiting for Bridget to begin changing.

Bridget nodded and began to put on the uniform, her slim arms wriggling into the sleeves. Edith watched as Bridget got dressed, taking in the woman's lean figure.

Even in the oversized uniform, Bridget looked graceful.
Once Bridget had finished dressing, Edith gave her a once-over. The uniform fit her better than Edith had expected.

"You look lovely." Edith praised, her eyes roaming over Bridget's form. "Turn around, let me see the back."

Bridget obeyed silently, turning around so that her back faced Edith. Edith quickly checked that the back of the dress was properly fitted, making sure it wasn't too loose or tight anywhere.

"You look presentable enough to serve the prince now." Edith said proudly.

She glanced at the clock and her eyebrows shot up. "Ah, it's been hours already. The prince will have my head. I must go now. I'll be back soon, so just wait here, alright?"

Bridget just gave a small nod, still sitting quietly on the chair. Edith wasted no time, nodding in response before striding out of the chamber, leaving Bridget alone.

✮✮✮

The sound of clashing swords echoed loudly across the vast training grounds. Steel grinding against steel, men grunting as they parried and lunged.

This was where the men of the royal family practiced their skills and tested their endurance. Two figures in particular were currently engaged in a fierce spar.

The grand prince, Vincent, and the crown prince, Christopher.

The youngest prince, Asael, sat on a nearby rock, lazily munching on an apple. He had come to the training grounds in search of entertainment, and was now casually watching his brothers battle each other.

He took another bite of the apple, the sound of his crunching teeth barely heard over the sounds of clashing swords.

Suddenly, he called out to them, his voice slightly mocking. "Be careful not to break each other's bones, brothers, or how will we rule later?"

Vincent, who was breathing hard from the exertion of their spar, shot a scathing glare at his younger brother. He wiped the sweat off his brow and retorted with a smirk, "Who needs the throne anyway?"

The retort was met with a scoff from the youngest prince. Asael hopped off the rock and sauntered over to his brothers.

"Careful, hyung," he mockingly said. "Speak like that in front of mother, and she'd disown you. I'd be more than happy to take the throne, you know."

Christopher, who was panting slightly from the fight, gave a scoff of his own in response. He gave his younger brother a look of disdain before replying firmly, "The throne was made to be mine, Asael. I am the crown prince, not you."

Asael just chuckled and gave a shrug of his shoulders. He leaned against a nearby wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't be so cocky, hyung," he teased. "Fate is a thing. You never know, when I might be the one sitting on the throne."

Christopher just chuckled, shaking his head slightly at his younger brother's teasing. "That's unlikely," he said, dodging the grand prince's attack.

"Your highness!," Edith called out, standing at the entrance of the training grounds.

Her voice rang out across the grounds, getting the attention of the three princes.

Vincent, who was just in the middle of attacking Christopher again immediately looked over in Edith's direction. At the sight of her, he quickly disengaged from the fight, gesturing for his brother to do the same.

Vincent handed his training sword to a nearby attendant and strode over to Edith, his eyes never leaving her face. He stopped infront of her, crossing his arms.

"What brings you here, Miss Edith?"

Edith clasped her hands in front of her, her eyes meeting Vincent's. "The girl you asked me to look after, your highness. She is ready, as per your instructions."

Vincent cleared his throat and looked at his brothers, who were both staring at him intently.

"You may leave now," Vincent said.

Edith gave a small nod and quickly curtsied before turning on her heel and leaving the training grounds.

Vincent turned around and headed towards where his shirt was hanging. He picked up the shirt and began to put it on, his eyes briefly glancing at his brothers who were still looking at him.

"Well..." Christopher began.

"...What do you say about the girl?" Asael added on.

Vincent shrugged as he finished buttoning up his shirt. "She was helpless," he said simply.

"And you decided to buy her?" Christopher said, his voice incredulous.

Vincent smirked and shrugged nonchalantly. "Something about her caught my eye," he replied, his voice nonchalant.

Giving his brothers a last glance, Vincent turned to walk away, leaving Asael and Christopher to gape at his retreating figure.