Chapter 5

Winston, thinking he'd figured me out, gave a cold snort. "I've heard there are some scheming maids in the palace who try to seduce princes who've fallen out of favor. But even if I was down and out, you still wouldn't be my type."

I was genuinely puzzled. "Why not?"

After he became king, it wasn't just that he didn't care about me anymore; he started treating me like I was nothing but Rae's stand-in, facing me every day but calling me by her name.

Winston shot me a disdainful glance. "Seriously, do you even realize how old you are?"

I was speechless.

Winston sheathed his dagger, bent down to pick up Rae's body, and walked to the door. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he turned back to me. "You, come here. Change your clothes. If you walk around looking like some crazy woman who just broke out of exile, you'll get yourself killed if anyone sees you."

I changed into Rae's plain maid's dress, and he tossed me a wooden ID tag. It was cold to the touch, with a name carved on it.

"Take this," he said.

I caught it and looked down. It read "Rae Toland."

"From now on, you go by her name," he said.

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning, staring in disbelief at those two words. "I'm... Rae Toland?"

From up ahead came the sound of something heavy plunging into water. Winston had thrown Rae's body into the dry well, and my queen's ceremonial robe went in right after.

"I don't want to be Rae Toland," I snapped, tossing the tag right back at him.

He tossed it back without hesitation, his voice brooking no argument. "No one recognizes her around here. She's just another unfamiliar face. And now she's dead. If you don't step into her shoes, people will start digging around. Doesn't matter to me, but you? Who knows how many more days you'll get to see the sun."

"I don't want to use that name. Can't I pick a different one?" I protested.

"All the maids' names are registered. You can't just swap it out because you feel like it. Besides, there's only room for one maid at my side," he shot back.

Winston turned and walked away. I stared at his back for a moment, but in the end, I went after him.

In the Vermillion Kingdom's palace, during the twelfth year of Luminance, he was the only person I knew.

Besides, he was destined to be the future king of the Vermillion Kingdom. If I stuck with him, there might be scares, but no real danger.

At least, with him around, I'd survive another five years.

"So now that she's dead, aren't you going to find out who killed her?" I hurried after him and asked quietly.

He didn't even slow down, his voice cold. "She tried to harm a prince. She had it coming. It's got nothing to do with me."

I went quiet and just said, "Oh."

At thirteen, Winston was the most insignificant and pitiable figure in the Vermillion Kingdom's palace.

He lost his mother at the age of five and was sent to be raised by the queen. Less than half a year later, the queen passed away, and rumors spread throughout the palace that he brought bad luck. He was placed alone in the secluded Tranquil Hall, left to fend for himself.

The Tranquil Hall was a narrow, cramped courtyard tucked away in a remote corner. The plants were lush, but the place was damp and musty. Most of the window paper was torn, and whenever the wind blew, it made a rustling sound.

There were originally six servants in the hall, but Winston managed to drive them all away. Rae was the only one left; she was the most despised maid in the palace, lazy, greedy, and her hands were never clean. She'd been chased out of every other post before finally ending up at the Tranquil Hall.

So now, I was Rae Toland, the last and only servant left in the Tranquil Hall.

The spring rain just kept pouring, and the roof of the Tranquil Hall leaked so badly that I couldn't even use the bed at night. I ended up sleeping right on the floor. Around midnight, a wild gust of wind tore through, and half the window frame crashed down, almost smashed right into me.

Winston heard the commotion and rushed over, dragging me into his room. I still had to sleep on the floor, but at least his place was warmer than where I'd been before.

I'd been with Nelson since I was eleven, became a princess of the Silverpeak Kingdom at twelve, married the crown prince of the Vermillion Kingdom at sixteen, and became queen at eighteen. For more than ten years, I lived the good life; never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd fall this far.

But for a boy like Winston, rough days like these were just business as usual; he'd been through worse, and honestly, he barely even noticed anymore.

Every morning, Winston would be up at dawn, hanging laundry, sweeping the courtyard, and reciting his lessons as he worked. His voice echoed through the spring rain, making the whole place feel almost peaceful, like nothing bad could ever happen here.

I was just dead tired. I pulled the blanket over my head, rolled over, and went right back to sleep.

Once Winston finished his chores, he came over to rouse me. "Why do you sleep so long every day? Get up, it's time to fetch the morning meal."

He tugged me upright while I was still groggy. "If you don't hurry, you'll miss even the plain porridge and pickled cucumbers today."

He pressed a damp, freshly wrung cloth to my face. The cold shock finally dragged me back to consciousness.

No matter how capable Winston was, he was still a prince. In the palace, rank was everything; there was no way he could show up at the imperial kitchen to fetch his own meal. So, all the errand-running fell to me.

I combed my hair, washed my face, and dashed over to the imperial kitchen, flashing a smile and hustling for a bite to eat.

When I got back to the Tranquil Hall and opened the meal box, it was just pickled veggies and plain porridge, again.

"Ugh, this again?" I complained, making a face.

"It's fine," Winston said as he grabbed his fork and ate calmly, totally unfazed.