Chapter 5

Lila's so-called calming soup was actually a slow-acting poison.

Orion closed the report. He finally connected the dots. 'Lila is poisoning me. Eileen is undermining my authority.

'One is out to ruin my health, the other is after my throne.

'Are they acting on their own, or secretly working together?'

Orion wasn't sure yet. But there was one thing he was sure of. The answer lies in Vita's inner thoughts.

Orion thought, 'That little maid, who doesn't even realize she's acting as a spy, is my only ace in the hole.

'I have to find a way to get her out of the Imperial Laundry Office. And I need to do it without raising any suspicion.'

Vita had endured seven grueling days in the Imperial Laundry Office.

Seven days. Every day, she washed clothes from before dawn until nightfall.

Her hands were steeped in lye water all day, the skin cracked and streaked with blood.

By the third day, one of her nails had peeled back painfully.

Vita wrapped her injured finger with a strip of cloth and just kept scrubbing away.

The head matron, Amelia Donald, was in her fifties and happened to be a distant relative of Eileen

Amelia came by twice a day to inspect the place.

The first time, she checked if Vita was working hard enough; the second, she was there to catch anyone slacking off.

"What's a little scratch on your hand? When I first came to the palace, all ten of my fingers were covered in frostbite, and I never complained once. Girls nowadays are so pampered." Amelia snorted.

Vita kept quiet. With her head down, she scrubbed the clothes with her injured hands, the lye water seeping into her wounds.

The pain made her grit her teeth, fighting back a cry.

Day five, Alyssa showed up.

She somehow slipped past the patrols and snuck to the back gate of the Imperial Laundry Office, passing an oily paper parcel through the bars.

"Hey Vita, eat up. It's an egg pancake. I swiped it from the Imperial Culinary Bureau," Alyssa whispered.

Vita took it. The pancake was cold, but as she took a bite, her nose tingled and she had to fight back tears.

"Don't come back," Vita said quietly. "If they catch you, you'll get punished too."

Alyssa shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm not scared."

"I am," Vita said, looking at her. "You're the only friend I have in this palace. I can't let you get dragged into this too."

After Alyssa left, Vita swallowed the last bite of the pancake.

She crouched by the basin, staring at her swollen hands.

Suddenly, a hazy memory flickered in her mind. Big hands wrapped around her small ones, pointing at a plant.

"Vita, remember. If it smells like this, it's aconite toxin. Don't touch it, and never eat it," a gentle voice said.

The voice was gentle, just like her dad's.

But as for her dad... Vita couldn't really remember him.

The only thing she remembered was being sent to the palace at six years old. And after that, she never saw her family again.

On the seventh night, an unexpected visitor arrived at the Imperial Laundry Office.

Aron, the Chief Steward servant, had come in person.

Amelia came out to greet him, wearing a broad smile. "Aron, what brings you here tonight? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Aron cleared his throat and unfurled a decree. "By the king's command: Maid Vita from the Imperial Culinary Bureau, recognized for her diligence, is hereby assigned to serve in the Imperial Study.

"This order is to be carried out immediately."

Amelia's smile froze on her face. "But... what about the Queen Mother?" she stammered.

"The Queen Mother handles the inner palace affairs, but the Imperial Study's staff is under the king's direct control. Amelia, are you trying to make decisions for the Queen Mother now?" Aron shot back.

Amelia didn't dare say another word.

When Vita was led out of the Imperial Laundry Office, the moonlight spilled across the ground.

She took a deep breath. The air was free of the stinging lye and musty dampness.

All that lingered was the crisp, clean chill of the dying winter.

'Being alive feels amazing,' Vita thought.

In the Imperial Study, Orion heard those words. He lowered his eyes, lost in thought.

Seven days ago, Orion had sent Aron to dig into the backgrounds of everyone around him.

And now, he had his answers. His personal servant, Greg, was a spy planted by Eileen.

And the clerk, Zachary, who kept track of his daily routine, was passing information to Eileen's people every three days.

Orion didn't raise any suspicions.

He made sure to do whatever he wanted Eileen to notice, right in front of those two.

Like when he had Aron fetch Vita, he explained, "She's got the knack for grinding ink, and I'm used to her style. Anyone else just throws me off."

It was casual enough and was subtle enough.

Even if Eileen wasn't happy about it, she wouldn't risk a direct confrontation with him over something so trivial. At least, not for now.

But Orion knew exactly what was going on. This chess match was only just beginning.

The very first day Vita stepped back into the Imperial Study, she could tell right away something was different.

Orion's gaze toward her was no longer the same.

Before, he'd looked at her with curiosity, as if she were some amusing novelty.

But now his gaze was intense. Dead serious.

His seriousness sent a chill down Vita's spine.

"Your hand," Orion said. His gaze lingered on her fingers, wrapped in strips of cloth.

"It's fine, it's almost better," Vita replied.

Hearing this, Orion didn't say anything else.