Chapter 10

#Chapter 10 Are you mocking me?

“I’m nothing compared to you, my lady.” Doris said quickly to reassure her. It was a wonder why she would ever compare herself to Doris when she was sitting as his lady and Doris was still a maid.

“Besides, he’s already chosen you above all girls in the Palace. You’re his one and only, my lady.”

Doris didn’t bother to add the fact that she had no intentions of ever wanting to be in her place. Melody looked at Doris in the mirror for a moment before she laughed quietly. “I never knew you were so good at sweet talking, Doris. Good. Remember who you are and what your place is. If I hear anything strange about you and Prince William… well, you know what I’m capable of. Understand?”

“Yes, my lady.” Doris said gently. Doris was not who Melody had to worry about, it was her prince she should keep a closer eye on. Why would Melody ever bother having her as her Lady’s Maid if she thought Doris was capable of stealing Prince William’s affections? She’d only ever spoken with him a handful of times and each one of their encounters was just him demanding her to get something for him.

Except… except of course the night he marked her.

Months had passed since Doris had first become Melody’s Lady’s maid. The job paid much better than the one at the library, but in the end it was never worth it. Everyday she spent with Melody was worse than the last. The worst part was that she wasn’t able to vent about all her troubles at the end of the day with her best friend as she used to. Beth would have loved all the gossip about Melody, it would have kept her laughing for days to know all the little things she complained about.

Doris felt an ache in her core with how much she missed that, the sense of belonging that Beth gave her.

There weren’t many places in the Palace she felt that way, but her best friend never failed to make her smile when she felt the world shift around her. Every extra coin she made, she saved towards their release. The job was slightly more bearable because of it.

Only a few months remained until the amnesty was announced and signed and Doris was counting the days. Only a few more months until she was free, so she suffered. It would all be worth it in the end. It would be worth every mood swing Melody aimed at her if it meant she never had to see her again, or the Prince for that matter.

To Doris’s surprise, Melody also had a bit of her own suffering. Not that Doris was glad to see it, it only made Melody’s mood worse towards her maid. Prince William had not yet asked Melody to spend the night with him—which meant they hadn’t slept together once. Doris could tell it was somewhat of an awkward situation for Melody, she hung all over him yet he still didn’t want her to stay with him. Most days, she stayed inside her room because of it. Perhaps it was because of all the gossip that now swirled around her.

In the hallways, Doris passed other ladies while on the way back towards Melody’s room. They stopped her the moment they recognized who she was.

“We haven’t seen your Lady in a few days, is she feeling alright?” One of them sneered, the other tried to muffle her laugh. Had it been that obvious to the Palace? Doris only truly noticed because she happened to be her Lady’s Maid, but if she were still in the library she wouldn’t have taken notice to it at all. Unless Beth told her about it, she supposed. Doris never really paid attention to others bedroom affairs like the rest of the maids had. It wasn’t really any of her business what the Princes did behind closed doors, she wished she could say that to these ladies without offending them.

“Lady Melody has been feeling under the weather lately, but she will be fine. Thank you for asking.” Doris curtsied and tried to pass but they only kept on.

“Not feeling well, hmm? I think it’s because she’s embarrassed to be seen—“

“Absolutely! Prince William doesn’t even want to touch her! I wonder why she even still has the title of a lady anymore.” The other added with a sneer.

Doris clasped her hands in front of her and remained silent as they laughed. When they noticed she wasn’t joining in on their gossip, they looked almost annoyed that she wasn’t being cruel like them. As much as she disliked Melody and all the things she did to her, it wasn’t in her nature. Besides, she hardly knew them.

“What are you ladies doing gossiping here?” A voice sounded from down the hall. Doris glanced up to see a taller woman walking towards them. Her slim form moved with elegance and dignity, it made Doris stand up straighter.

“Lady Jane.” Both girls quieted immediately, their heads lowered in respect.

Lady Jane was the daughter of a well-known beta family—one of the biggest merchants in the kingdom.

To strengthen their relationship with Prince William, her father had sent Jane to stay at the Palace for a while. Prince William obviously valued her family, so his respect for Lady Jane grew as well. They’d never been lovers as far as Doris knew, but Lady Jane helped manage the ladies and everything else around Prince William. Especially when those resorted to gossip that involved him.

“Prince William has his own reasons for what he does. It’s not up for you two to spread gossip, do not let me hear it again. Understand?”

“Yes, Lady Jane.” They replied together and curtsied before they turned to leave. Their cheeks were splotched with red from embarrassment, Doris would have laughed if Lady Jane wasn’t still standing there.

“You may leave too.” Lady Jane told Doris.

“Thank you, my lady.” Doris curtsied quickly before she returned to Melody’s room, releasing a slow exhale. She raised her fist to knock, but stilled when she heard voices on the other side of Melody’s door.

“Thank you for the tip, my lady. But it’s really too much…”

“You deserve it, Ms. Shirley. If you can help me regain Prince William’s love and meet our agreement, they’ll be more.” Melody spoke quietly, Doris almost pressed her ear to the door to hear her. Melody was paying people to help her gain his love now? Had she really gotten that desperate? Doris supposed gossip was a venomous thing, it must have been eating at her worse than she’d first thought.

“Well,” Ms. Shirley cleared her throat. “Prince William’s valet, Peter, arranges everything for him. That includes who will be in Prince William’s thoughts tonight. If you pay him well enough, he might be willing to try and sway him in your favor…”

Doris strained to hear more, but the voice grew too low to make out any words. Doris gave up and waited patiently outside the door until Ms. Shirley came out a moment later. A flash of Prince William’s angry face flickered through her mind. What would he say if he heard what his lady was doing? Doris barely knew him but she knew he wouldn’t be happy about any of this.

Doris stepped in once Ms. Shirley was gone and had a small velvet bag of gold placed in her hands immediately. “Go deliver this to Peter, Prince William’s valet. And hurry back.” Melody demanded.

Doris accepted the money and turned towards the door. A small sense of guilt stopped her. “Please don’t lower yourself like this, my lady.”

“Excuse me?” Melody snapped. “What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been given the title of Lady by Prince William himself. I don’t think it’s wise to bribe his valet. It’s below your standards.” Doris hesitated. “Please be patient, my lady. Prince William has his reasons for what he does. He won’t ignore you forever.”

“Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?” Melody looked offended, and a bit embarrassed—but furious overall. “You’re suggesting me to wait now? And how long do you suppose it’ll take Prince William to wake up and realize I’m right here?” Melody’s voice grew along with her anger. “Are you mocking me now, too?”