40: Another tale of misunderstanding

Another tale of misunderstanding

Anastasia's brown eyes widened, and blood rushed up her neck as the words left Dante's lips. W—what did he mean by that… It felt as if there was another hidden meaning behind it! She was glad when he stepped backwards and slipped into his off-white shirt. 

"You seem to be well acquainted with my brother Aiden, but you didn't go see him," Dante stated, his eyes weighing heavily on her entire body. 

"T—that, I thought the tailor would listen to you," Anastasia answered as she softly gulped. Prince Aiden had told her he was going out tonight, which was why she hadn't sought him out. And the reason she gave now wasn't false. 

Dante's eyes subtly narrowed. "And it isn't because you know if you go to his room, you won't find him?"  Anastasia felt her heart beating rapidly. Either he knew his brother too well or he was very good at catching lies, she thought. 

She watched Dante turn around and walk towards the bed while she heard him say, "Close the door as you leave." 

Not needing to be told twice, Anastasia quickly bolted towards the door. Turning the doorknob, she stepped outside Dante's room. Only a second later did she realise that the man hadn't answered her and had chased her away.

Sensing someone staring at her, she turned her head and her eyes fell on Lady Amara, who had a baffled look on her face. She offered a bow before leaving the area and headed back to the servants' quarters. 

Back in Dante's room, upon hearing the door close, he started to pull the gloves from the tips of his fingers, one after another. Once the gloves came off, they revealed black nerves resembling roots on the backs of his hands. 

The following afternoon, Anastasia followed Princess Emily from the inner palace towards the drawing room. 

Anastasia carried a tray that had biscuits and a pot of hot tea on it. She was currently wearing the princess's former maid's dress, which was long, and she had to kick it as she walked to avoid tripping. 

Princess Emily said in a low voice, 

"My mother has arranged a gathering for young men and women to get to know each other with everyone around right now. If you ask me, though, it is only an attempt of her trying to find Aiden's soulmate. Especially after Maxwell has found his soulmate," her voice sounded tense, with a hint of worry. 

Anastasia gave her a look as if asking if she was alright. 

Princess Emily said, "If you are asking if I am alright, then no. Not since mother told me something last night," she shook her head. She pursed her lips as they walked before whispering, "My mother believes that if Maxwell takes the throne, Lady Maya will have us driven out to go stay in the old palace."

So things weren't peaceful among the King's women, and everyone wanted their son to take the throne to secure their future, Anastasia thought. When they reached a large dark wooden door, the male servants, who stood on either side, opened it to let the young women pass through. 

"Princess Emily!" A tall man with brown hair walked towards her and was about to kiss her hand when Anastasia heard a familiar voice. 

"Keep your lips off my sister." 

The man Prince Dante had called to offered an apologetic look and dropped Princess Emily's hand. He apologised with a light chuckle, "I always forget that it isn't allowed here, Prince Dante. Forgive me for my forgetfulness."

Anastasia peeked out from behind Princess Emily and caught sight of Prince Dante, who was rising from his seat on a plush couch. He glared at the man. 

"Are you both leaving, Brother Dante?" Princess Emily asked, noticing him and Maxwell make their way closer to the door. 

"There's something important that needs our attention. Maxwell is in charge of the troops now, and we need to talk about the weapons that are being made in the other city. We will be back by tomorrow," Dante responded to her. 

"I suppose it cannot be helped," Princess Emily sighed.

As Dante got closer to Princess Emily and was about to walk past her, his and Anastasia's eyes met. When she tried to move to the side, she stepped on the fabric of her dress and felt her hands fumble with the tray, along with her heart. 

Before the tray could fall, Dante balanced it by catching it with his hand beneath it, which was also where one of Anastasia's hands now rested. He felt her hand tremble. 

"Where is your mind at?" As simple as the question was, Anastasia could feel him questioning her senses. 

"Careful with it, Anna," Princess Emily said with her eyebrows furrowed, "The hot tea would have burned you if it weren't for Brother Dante's quickness." 

Anastasia bowed in apology, making sure to hold the tray properly. 

Dante retrieved his hand and looked at the hem of her dress. He said,

"I forgot to tell you, but I have told the tailor to cancel the dresses you asked him to prepare. Queen Sophia said there was no need for it. And you asked him to make seven of them? She's a maid, not a concubine. I have already spoken to Norrix; she can reuse the ones that are already there." 

"Oh, okay," Princess Emily hid her disappointment at getting her maid new clothes, and she nodded without refuting his words. 

Anastasia, who was staring at the biscuits, snapped her eyes up to look at Dante, who was looking at his sister. She felt a weight lift from her shoulders, and she thanked him internally. Dante and Maxwell exited the room. 

Lady Amara noticed the brief exchange between the prince and the maid, and she bit her lip. 

Emily made her way to a spare seat and sat on it, while Anastasia moved to stand behind the princess. "Brother Dante is always working; if only he could get to rest a little more. Now even Maxwell will be busy." 

"I am sure Prince Dante got plenty of rest and relief yesterday," Lady Amara remarked in a taunting voice that didn't go unnoticed. 

"What do you mean, Lady Amara?" Princess Emily inquired. 

"I don't like to talk about such things, but there seems to be a misconception about Prince Dante," Lady Amara pursed her lips before saying, "and he has been active in relieving his stress through others." Her eyes then moved to stare at the maid. 

Everyone's curious eyes moved to look at Anastasia, who looked back and forth before her face turned red, when it dawned on her. What was this woman saying?!

"Oh my!" Princess Niyasa laughed at this information. She said, "It looks like Brother Dante is the same as our other brothers. Only he prefers maids, not courtesans or concubines."

Prince Aiden, who had been surrounded by young women, frowned and defended Anastasia by saying, 

"That can't be true. You have probably got it wrong, Lady Amara." 

Lady Amara closed her eyes, sighing. She opened her eyes and replied, "You don't have to defend Prince Dante. I know it's shocking, because I was shocked too. But it is the truth. I have seen the looks she gives him when he's in the room. Ask her if she wasn't in his room for several minutes last night." 

Princess Emily looked taken aback, while Prince Aiden had a stunned expression as he stared at Anastasia along with the other guests in the room. Prince Aiden asked, 

"Anna, is Lady Amara telling the truth? Were you in Brother Dante's room late last night?" 

"She's a mute, how do you expect her to reply?" Princess Niyasa rolled her eyes. "But then, she can nod if she was." Turning to the maid, she raised her eyebrows. 

"Don't even think about lying," Lady Amara glared at the lowly maid. "Lying will cause you trouble, and you don't want that. Especially if you know what happened to that maid a few days ago." 

The woman was talking about Charlotte's death, which Anastasia hadn't heard but had seen happen before her. If only Prince Dante was here to deny that nothing strange had happened between them. 

Anastasia nodded to the question of her visiting Prince Dante's room, and murmurs spread through the room before conversation carried on, as it wasn't uncommon to use a maid. But that wasn't good news for a maid, as she was now a used object.

"I believe she enticed the prince to get a better position. " Lady Amara's voice drawled, and she said, "If I am not wrong, this one was the deceased maid's friend. You should be careful when you speak to her, Princess Emily. You never know what harm she might cause." 

Anastasia hoped to be asked more questions, just so that she could clear the air about the misunderstandings about her. But everyone continued talking as if moving on, while Prince Aiden looked at her from afar and even if he wanted to, couldn't speak to her. 

After spending more than an hour inside, Anastasia followed Princess Emily out of the room. On the way, she tried to speak to Princess Emily in hopes of clearing up the misunderstanding, but as she moved her hands, the princess stopped and said, 

"I am not upset with you for sleeping with my brother," Princess Emily reassured her, while Anastasia shook her head to tell her that was not it. "Though it did come as a surprise… I guess some of us will be relieved. Especially my grandmother, on knowing that Brother Dante is not completely uninterested," she cleared her throat at the end. 

When Princess Emily began to walk again, Anastasia felt the confusion about her with the Blackthorn family deepening every day. She quickly followed the princess. 

Back in the room where the young guests were talking to each other, Lady Amara's mood had turned sour since last night, and it worsened now. 

Lady Amara puffed her cheeks and looked around the room, where her eyes fell on Prince Aiden. Maybe her mother was right. It was better to choose the one who could become a king one day, because Prince Dante was vexing her as he wasn't paying her attention, no matter how hard she tried. It made her feel hopeless!

On the other hand, Princess Niyasa, who sat beside her, couldn't help wondering about what the woman had said an hour ago. Curious, she asked, 

"How did you find out that my dead maid was closely acquainted with my sister's maid?" 

Lady Amara swirled the liquid of the glass she held and shrugged her shoulders, "I asked the young maids who helped me get ready. Apparently, that dead maid and another woman were the only ones who talked to the mute one. You should ask her if she knows who drew those things."

"Maybe it was her," Princess Niyasa's jaws clenched in thought. She wondered how it had been missed. 

"Where are you going?" Lady Amara asked the princess, who had gotten up from her seat. 

"The tailor is coming to show me the fabrics today. I need to make sure I am well dressed as the future king's sister," Princess Niyasa smiled before making her way out of the room, and then her smile fell. 

Princess Niyasa ordered two guards to follow her before she made her way towards the servants' quarters. Upon reaching there, her eyes fell on an older adult, who was none other than Theresa.  1

"Which one is Anna's room? The maid who belongs to my sister?" Princess Niyasa demanded, raising her eyebrows. 

Theresa offered a deep bow and answered without raising her head, "T—the one on the left, Princess." 

Princess Niyasa turned to the guards and ordered, "Search for any signs of parchment or charcoal in the room. Don't leave any corner untouched."

At the same time, Anastasia had just returned to the servants' quarters after Princess Emily said she was going to rest in her room a bit. Noticing Princess Niyasa standing in front of her room with her arms crossed, she worried about what the princess wanted, and when the princess turned, she quickly bowed. 

"You look worried," Princess Niyasa remarked, wondering why her eldest brother picked a maid to sleep with. "There's nothing to worry about if you have been frank. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing you had stolen. Who knows, because of your lack of speech, you might have been compensated with something else." 

The dress… Anastasia wondered if she was talking about the magical dress and clenched her hands.

When the guards turned Anastasia's room upside down, finding no parchment or a piece of charcoal in there, they stepped out of the room and shook their heads in front of the princess. 

Dissatisfied, Princess Niyasa turned to Anastasia and said, "Seems like I was mistaken." But before she left, she said, "To be able to break Brother Dante's resolve, you must be smarter than the rest. If you have lied, watch your back." She smiled before leaving the corridor with the guards. 

Once they were alone in the room, Theresa asked in a low voice, "What did you do to gain her attention, Anna?! This is not good, because she suspects it was you. That is why she was here."

"One of the guests mentioned Charlotte and me being friends…" Anastasia whispered as she fixed her messy room. She said, "Do you know if the courtesans returned to their tower?" 

Theresa nodded. "They did. Though I am not sure if Marianne has returned."

"Let me go and see her. I need to talk to her," Anastasia said with a frown. The longer she stayed here, the closer the sword got to her neck. 

After fixing her room, Anastasia, who was in the clothes that belonged to the deceased maid of Princess Emily, walked up the stairs of the Paradise Tower. She noticed how the walls were carved in white marble, intricate and beautiful. As she got closer, a sweet fragrance drifted outside, and golden curtains hung at the entrance. 

Anastasia could hear the sound of women laughing and teasing about something while they spoke about some man. When she entered, she noticed women dressed in expensive dresses, with jewels around their necks, ears or hands. 

"Looks like someone's maid is here. Who are you here for?" One of the older courtesans asked the maid. 

Marianne, sitting in front of a mirror, turned to find her sister there. Her eyes widened, and she quickly made her way there. 

"Just the usual calling for Marianne," said another courtesan, "It shouldn't be a surprise that she's been asked for again," before returning to their earlier conversation. 

Marianne pulled Anastasia out of the room and moved to the side. In a hushed voice, she asked, "What are you doing coming up here, Anna?"

"I need to talk to you," Anastasia looked around to ensure no one was nearby. She then turned to her sister and said, "I know I told you to take your time, but I—"

"Let us leave together," Marianne interrupted, and Anastasia stared at her. "What? Isn't that what you want?" She asked, tilting her head. 

It is what Anastasia wanted, but she didn't want to be selfish. She said, "I want you to make the decision because you want to. Not because you have to. I don't want you to regret it in the future."

Marianne noticed the conflict in her younger sister's eyes. She said, nodding her head, "Maybe I will. But did you forget?"

"What?" 

"The place where the ann in my name ends is where yours begins, Anna. I think I would be sadder not knowing if you are alright," Marianne said, smiling. 

Upon hearing Madame Minerva's voice coming up from below, Marianne said, "We will talk about it later. You should leave now before Madame Minerva sees you here and questions you." 

"Okay, stay well until then," Anastasia wished her sister, and kissed her cheek. 

"You too! Please be careful, Anna," Marianne wished back in a whisper, watching her sister walk down the stairs. 

Anastasia bowed at Madam Minerva, who looked at her from the corner of her eyes as if suspicious, before walking up the stairs. On reaching the top of the stairs, Madam Minerva saw Marianne at the entrance and said, 

"It is good that you are here. Pack all your things. You will be moving to the inner palace."

Marianne frowned and asked, "Pack?" 

"Yes," Madame Minerva's lips twisted, and she said, "Apparently Prince Maxwell sent the document to have you exclusively as his courtesan a few days before the celebration. The document came through today. Lucky you, huh?" 

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