95 Wary footsteps

Anastasia's mind had been so preoccupied with the recent deaths that had taken place that she overlooked the fact that a courtesan was not supposed to leave the palace without Madame Minerva's permission. 

When she shifted her gaze towards Madame Minerva, she found the woman's narrowed eyes fixed upon her, as if poised to punish her for her failure to obey a simple order, which even the guards had enforced. This was because when Madame Minerva returned to the Paradise Tower, she discovered that the newly added courtesan was nowhere to be seen. 

"It was I who ordered the courtesan to accompany Emily, as she didn't have a maid to assist her in the old palace," the Mother Queen explained.

Maxwell raised his eyebrows and questioned, "So you decided to choose her, a courtesan, when you could have selected any other available maid here?"