Sloan received a letter from her mother, Gale, a day later. It was said from the letter that Gale would love to stay in her father's house for three months because of Joe. Shae has appointed Miss Ulysses, Sloan's old governess, to be Joe's governess. Sloan smiled, reading it.
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It also said that Joe wants to learn swords, begging Shae to train him just after Sloan left yesterday. But he still can't, he needs to get rid of being skinny before Shae allows him. And he was still weeping about Sloan leaving the house, so her father said that if he were to weigh more than 43 pounds, he'll see his m'lady right away.
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Sloan kept the letter beside her bed.
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The second day at the palace made Sloan realized one thing; the old head maid loathes her. The queen introduced her yesterday, and since then, she kept glaring at her. The tea she prepared for her at this morning taste incredibly awful so Sloan had to ask her to prepare another, but when Amanda, the old head maid's name, was taking the tray out of the table, Sloan saw what was intentionally coming but her reflexes to move was too slow, the hot tea poured over her and the glass got broken. Her sole was in deep wound when her foot step on a piece of a broken glass cup when she panicked.
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Sloan fell on the floor, her sole were excessively bleeding and she was grieving and enduring the pain, but when she look at Amanda, she looks like she didn't care at all. She was only picking the pieces of the broken glass rushing and left the room after saying she will be back to treat her wound like she didn't take the incident seriously.
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Sloan endured the pain and waited for her, but almost ten minutes passed, no one came. She didn't dare to shout for anyone, she was new to the palace and afraid of anyone might gossip of her again that would only add as a humiliation of being the prince's soon wife.
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Shaking, Sloan couldn't wait anymore and remove the broken piece of glass herself, countless of tears rushing through. And even though the burn off in her arms and chest due to the hot tea that poured over her still tingles, she took the courage to stand up and ripped off her dress to wrapped the fabric to her sole for it to stop bleeding. When she made sure the bleeding stop moments after, she walked through the closet to change her dress before cleaning the floor of her room after her new deep wound took too much bleeding.
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Even after an hour, no signs of a maid came to her room.
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Sloan thought, never in her years of living someone treats her like this. Well, there were ones who hated her, but really, never in her life someone holds the deepest prejudice to her that it will come to the point that they will have no sympathy anymore.
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She wondered of it deeply.
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If this will go while she's staying here, would she survive? It's just her second day, but this already happened. What more of her tomorrow's? But what if she told the king and queen about this? Or to the prince? Would they believe her? Everyone on the palace treated each other like a family, they've known each other for years and more, would someone new here believe her when she say something?
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With that, she will risk herself against anyone here at all.
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They will thought of her lying, that's for certain.
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The head maid harmed her? Lie. She hurt herself. It was her fault for being stupid. Or maybe she's trying to eliminate everyone's position of the palace, or to be in control in everything. The king and queen pitied her, they'll do anything she'll like.
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The old head maid thought of everything possible, that's undoubted. Her position will stay as it is because she has more influence here, everyone knew her.
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While her, only prejudices will occur.
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So she comes to a decision to just forget this happened. Everything will be just complicated inside the palace if she make a complaint for her second day here. It will just show that it's her problem, not anyone's.
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She turned blind-eye when she left her room to eat the noon meals along with the king, queen, and Prince Sage. She endured every step just for walking normally so that anyone wouldn't get suspicious of her condition. She was not able to speak of the truth, especially that the one who's at fault was the head maid who was trusted by everyone.
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The head maid at the corner was staring and glaring at her still. And she observed, except the head maid, all the other maids and knights were seemed of wanting to talk to her and greet her while beaming. Their eyes were flickering from time to time.
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Sloan could only focused on her plate while thinking. They seemed so kind. Maybe they're different than the head maid.
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After the noon meal, Sage invited her for a walk in the pavilion behind the palace. Just the two of them since Sage forbidden anyone to follow them.
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While Sloan was pretending to not be hurt of the pain while walking, it only worsened the situation of her condition when Sage saw the trails of blood behind them that's from her foot. She did not realized it until Sage pointed it out.
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"What happened?" Prince Sage asked after the other maid treated the deep wound in the drawing room.
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"I just stepped to something a while ago, before the meal. I thought it wouldn't be a bother, it wasn't serious. Just a little pain." She answered, lying.
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"Why didn't you tell the maids to treat you a while ago?"
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"I can do it myself," She shortly replied.
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That's enough words from Sloan for Sage to foreseen her. He already has thoughts that there were be possibilities that anyone will hate her here, and will do things out of hand, but he perceived that it was just thoughts. Now he can't trust his mind anymore.
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"I've seen people lie thousand of times, and you're the only person who has the great performance of them all, Sloan. But it doesn't mean I wouldn't foreseen through you."
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Sloan didn't expected it. Not at all.
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She was silent for a moment, until he spoke again.
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"What really happened?"
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Sloan answered truthfully this time, but she did not reveal one thing.
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"The teacup shattered into pieces when it fell after the tea poured over me, it was an accident. I panicked and step on it. That's what happened."
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"Who sent the tea for you that time?"
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"No, please, don't ask."
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Sage raised another question. "Someone left you in your room in that state a while ago?"
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"It doesn't matter what happened a while ago, your highness."
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Prince Sage's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't want a talk about it?"
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"It's in the past, doesn't matter." She shortly answered.
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Sage was silent. He offered his support to help Sloan walked on the way to the his room where no one was allowed to enter. Even the maids.
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He closed his door after Sloan has sat beside his bed.
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Sloan asked. "Your chamber, your highness?"
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Sage nod. He crossed his arms and firmly stand.
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"Talk about it, truthfully. Now that no one's listening and watching over you here."
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"...I don't want to cause any mess here in the palace, your highness."
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"You're afraid that no one would believe you?"
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Bam. Straight to the point. He really foreseen it.
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She stayed silent. Until he spoke again.
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"Do you have a burn where the tea was poured over?"
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Sloan nod, pointing her left arm that's being covered by the dress sleeve. Sage lifted it up to her shoulder. Luckily, it wasn't any worse. It was just redenned.
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Sage sighed. "What could possibly the worse, right?"
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Sloan shakes her head and snorted. "Your highness, can you asked no more? Yeah?"
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Prince Sage' face twisted. "This'll happen again, if you won't say anything. You're being stubborn, I'll sent you back to Shae's house."
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"Yeah, if you could stop the queen." Sloan mocked him.
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Sage was speechless. But after a moment, he come up with an idea.
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"Don't stay in your room anymore. We could share here."
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"...That's forbidden, your highness."
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"I'll talk to mother. It's impossible if she doesn't allow it."
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"She'll think something was wrong."
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"You don't know mother, she'll think something was right."
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"..."
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"That's decided."
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There was a silence. They both shake their heads and chuckled.
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"You're being a hero, your highness, it's ridiculous. I can save myself here. I really don't want your help."
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Sage shrugged. "It's okay to be ridiculous sometimes. And you cannot always save yourself or you'll fall into despair. Ask your father, he experienced it after years of war."
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"And how does that get along with me being mistreated here already at my second day of stay?" Sloan chuckled.
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When she realized what she had just said, she immediately looked away.
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Wrong words, Sloan. She said to herself.
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"Can I start sleeping here now?" She asked after a long silence.
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Sage just nod before leaving the room, saying that he'll go do something outside.
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