"Why don't the new maid serve you drink then?"
Lady Eirene said, giving Olessia a dreadful glare, her lips twitching with disgust as she deliberately called her a maid.
Olessia froze, her gaze locked on Lady Eirene's back. She didn't understand why the woman had chosen to hate her since the water incident. Ever since that day, Lady Eirene's eyes followed her with nothing but spite.
"Go serve me drink, black-haired," Ziven added, his tone mocking.
Olessia blinked, trying to process his words. Maid? Was that what she was now? She wondered if she had somehow become one without realizing it.
She had only wandered into this part of the palace while strolling. It was her first time seeing this dining hall, clearly the section that belonged to Ziven and Lady Eirene, not Kaive.
They were having a meal when Ziven suddenly started choking and called for a maid. But before anyone could come, Lady Eirene's eyes landed on Olessia. Her lips curved cruelly.
"Let her bring the drink," she had said, her voice honeyed with malice. "The new maid can be useful for once."
"Didn't you hear?" Ziven rasped, clutching his throat.
Startled, Olessia hurried off... not because she wanted to obey Lady Eirene, but because Ziven was actually choking.
When she returned, she didn't bring a drink but a jug of water. She quickly poured it into a cup and handed it to him. Ziven snatched it and drank deeply, still holding his neck.
"What did you give him?" Lady Eirene snapped, anger flashing in her eyes when she realized it was water instead of the drink she requested.
Olessia looked confused, her brows knitting together. "He was choking… I thought—"
"Why don't you obey and bring the drink," Lady Eirene interrupted, her tone sounding loud at this point, "instead of water? Now go back and bring the drink."
Olessia looked at Ziven. He was breathing normally again, the water had clearly helped him. She stepped closer and gently patted his back, relieved that he was fine. But Ziven jerked away and shoved her harshly.
She stumbled backward and hit the floor hard, her breath catching. Shock froze her in place. She had only wanted to help.
"Filthy hands of a maid?" Lady Eirene hissed, walking toward her.
"Lady Eirene."
The deep, cold voice made everyone turn. Kaive had entered the dining room, his eyes filled with anger.
"There are plenty of maids in this palace," Kaive said, his tone trying to stay calm. "And Olessia is not one of them."
He turned to his brother, not in anger but disappointment. Ziven, however, looked furious.
Kaive's gaze shifted to Olessia, still sitting on the floor. His face softened slightly, though his expression remained unreadable.
"Leave here, Olessia," he said quietly.
Olessia swallowed hard, stood up, and dusted off her dress. Without a word, she walked out of the dining hall, her pace quick and stiff, leaving them behind.
Kaive started to follow, but Ziven's voice stopped him.
"Is this how you want things to be, little brother?" Ziven asked bitterly.
Kaive turned back. "Bro..."
But Ziven brushed past him angrily, cutting him off. Lady Eirene followed her fiancé without a word, her expression triumphant.
Kaive sighed, the weight of frustration pressing against his chest. He knew exactly why his brother was angry... Of course, it was because of Olessia. Ziven didn't want her here, but Kaive did.
He couldn't explain it... something about her had drawn him in from the first moment he saw her. Her face lingered in his mind, haunting him so much that he had begun sketching her. He couldn't focus on anything else. Now, more than ever, he needed to understand who this strange girl really was.
*
*
*
Olessia sat in her room, tears spilling freely down her cheeks. She felt helpless, humiliated. The way Lady Eirene and even Ziven had treated her hurt deeply.
If only she could leave this mysterious kingdom, she thought bitterly. If she were back in her village, she would at least be welcome. But even if Kaive told her to go, where would she go? There was nowhere for her anymore.
She wiped her tears with the back of her palm, then she turned on the bed, and froze.
Kaive was lying next to her. She hadn't even heard him come in.
"I don't mean to scare you," Kaive said softly.
His eyes trailed over her tear-streaked face. He knew why she was crying. If Randa hadn't come to inform him that Olessia was in trouble, who knows what Ziven might have done to her?
Startled, Olessia quickly sat up and scrambled off the bed, straightening her dress. Kaive let out a small scoff when he saw the panic on her face.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said.
But that wasn't the reason she moved away so fast, it was because of what Randa had told her earlier about Kaive practicing celibacy, living like a monk. And now, here he was, lying beside her.
Her cheeks flushed red, and Kaive noticed. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone firm.
"I demand you speak whatever is going on in your mind this instant," he said.
Olessia hesitated, wondering how Kaive would react when she told him what she'd heard... that he was praticing celibacy, and want to follow the path of a monk.