Chapter 2

Early the next morning, Vita was dragged to the entrance of the Imperial Study.

She had no idea what was going on.

The head matron shoved a clean set of clothes into Vita's hands. "Change into these, go attend to the writing materials in the Imperial Study. Don't say anything wrong, don't take a wrong turn, and don't touch anything that belongs to His Majesty. Got it?"

Vita nodded mechanically. Her mind was a mess. 'I'm so screwed. Did I spill the coffee yesterday? Or was my posture off?

'Is the king going to punish me? They want me to serve in the Imperial Study, but I can't even tell an ink stick from an inkstone.'

Vita braced herself and stepped inside.

The Imperial Study was brighter than she'd imagined, with bookshelves lining three walls and a faint sandalwood fragrance in the air.

Orion sat behind the imperial desk, reviewing official documents.

Vita bowed and quietly took her place off to the side.

"Come closer," Orion said.

Vita stepped forward a couple of steps.

"Closer," Orion said.

Vita took two more steps.

"Stand here and grind the ink," Orion said.

Vita stared at the inkstone in front of her, her hands trembling a little. 'How am I supposed to grind this ink stick again?

'Did Alyssa say clockwise or counterclockwise? Who cares? It's not like he will notice.'

Orion's lips twitched. Without looking up, he said, "Clockwise. Keep the pressure even."

Vita froze for a second, then obediently did as she was told.

After a while, her wrist started to ache. She murmured, 'Ugh, this is killing me. How much ink does the Imperial Study even use in a day?

'Being a maid is way tougher than working the fields. I just want some apple pie. That oatmeal this morning was so watery I could see my own reflection in it, and Abigail in the kitchen acts like I don't even exist.'

Orion turned the page of the document in front of him.

After a moment, he said, "Bring in the meal."

Aron answered from outside the door.

Before long, a plate of apple pie and a cup of milk were brought in.

Vita's eyes went wide. But she didn't dare move, just stood there perfectly still.

Orion didn't even look up. "It's for you. Go ahead and eat."

'Wait, seriously? Is this some kind of trap? Is Orion just waiting for me to eat so he can accuse me of offending His Majesty?' Vita wondered, anxiety rising in her chest.

Orion set down his pen and finally looked up at her. There was something inscrutable in his gaze.

"When I say it's for you, it's for you," Orion said.

Vita carefully picked up the plate and hesitantly took a small bite of the apple pie.

Her eyes almost filled with tears. She hadn't tasted a single sweet treat in three months.

The last time Vita had anything sweet was when Alyssa smuggled half a cookie out of the kitchen, and the two of them broke it in half and shared it.

'Wow, this is delicious. Seriously, amazing. The king is actually kind of nice... if only he were a little taller,' Vita thought.

Orion tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. "I'm over six feet tall," he said.

Vita nearly choked on the pie. 'Wait a second, I definitely didn't say that out loud.

'I'm positive I kept that to myself. So how did Orion know...?'

Vita looked up at him, but he was already back to reviewing the documents.

Vita's heart raced, but she quickly reassured herself. 'No way, no way. He was just saying stuff.

'Who even talks about their height out of nowhere? Over six feet? Back in my village, that's nothing special.'

Orion's pen froze for a second. He quietly scooted his chair back a couple of inches.

By the fifth day working in the Imperial Study, things were actually tougher for Vita than before.

It wasn't Orion making things hard for her. In fact, he was weirdly nice.

Orion treated her to meals every day, never yelled at her, and even let her take a break and sit down sometimes.

The trouble was coming from somewhere else.

Word had gotten to Lila.

Fred Knowles, the head servant, was waiting for her with two junior servants, blocking Vita's way back to the Imperial Culinary Bureau.

"Well, well, Vita Becker, right? Heard the king's been giving you special meals every day, huh?" Fred flashed a fake smile, all surface and no warmth.

"I wouldn't dare, it's all thanks to His Majesty's kindness," Vita replied, keeping her head down.

"Kindness? You? Just a grunt maid? You really think you deserve that?" Fred sneered.

Fred gestured to the two junior servants behind him.

The two junior servants stepped forward and snatched the food box right out of Vita's hands.

Fred sneered. "Lady Lila says you don't deserve anything from the Imperial Kitchen. From now on, you'll be eating whatever the Imperial Laundry Office gives you."

Everyone in the palace knew just how awful the food from the Imperial Laundry Office was. It was basically a running joke.

The spoiled leftovers weren't even as good as slop.

Vita clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. She didn't say a word, turned around, and walked off.

When Vita returned to her small quarters at the Imperial Culinary Bureau, Alyssa was already there, waiting for her.

"Vita, you look so pale. Are you okay?" Alyssa asked, worry written all over her face.

"It's nothing," Vita replied, forcing a smile.