18 A Thorny Maid

Daphne somehow ended up in a bundle of cloth, not sure how she wrapped herself into such an unfortunate situation.

"I thought Your Royal Highness was better than this," the Northern King teased lightheartedly before clapping his hands once more.

The presumed servant girl from yesterday entered the tent, casting a sideways glance at Daphne before turning towards the Northern King. "Your Majesty."

"From today onwards, you'll become the Princess of Eversun's personal maid."

"What?" His words only drew a gasp of surprise from both of the women.

This woman, Devanka, looked more appalled than even Daphne, and Daphne was surprised that the Northern King hadn't executed the maid on the spot for publicly defying him. Perhaps she wasn't so special after all. She thought back to the Northern King's supposed forgiveness and tolerance from the prior night.

"Your Majesty, I will not leave your side!" The servant threw herself onto the floor, pressing her forehead against the ground.

Daphne only tapped her foot against the ground, watching the scene play out in front of her as a storyline surfaced in her mind. The girl must have been the Northern King's previous lover or at least one of them. Maybe he had once mistakenly bedded her but then discovered...

"Devanka, the Princess of Eversun needs someone to take care of her, and I trust you the most out of everyone in the royal court."

His voice was soft, almost apologetic, and there was no hint of his usual temperaments.

Suddenly, Daphne felt as if she was the outsider, the intruder of a blossoming romance. This must have been only one of many more instances to come.

"I can take another maid, and you can feel free to keep her by your side." Daphne chipped in, not wanting to have a pair of the Northern King's most trusted eyes by her side. By doing so, there was no doubt that Devanka would report her every action to the Northern King, and any plots she may have to secretly revive the Kingdom of Eversun would be as good as dead.

"No, I insist that you take Devanka."

The conversation was over, and he left to "tend to important affairs," leaving two equally glum girls in the room alone.

There was an awkward silence, and Devanka did not offer to help Daphne get out of the tangle of robes. Instead, she towered a head above Daphne, acting more like the master than the servant. She was physically built, and although she was lean, Daphne could clearly see the outlines of muscle on her arms.

"You have a pretty name, did you know that?" Daphne first tried to break the silence. "Whoever named you must have loved you very much to give you such a name."

Devanka didn't comment.

"The work of the divine. A spark of light and inspiration." Daphne continued while trying to wriggle free, "You must have been a joy to be around."

Devanka only looked to the distance.

"The Northern King must also see you as his light as well, or he wouldn't give you the important task of looking after a prisoner of war." Daphne pulled a hand through. "I'm guessing that every action I make will be reported to him, and you would immediately alert him if I dared to step out of the lines. Is that correct?"

"You should call him by his name. The Northern King is much too formal."

"No one has ever told me, and I never bothered to ask."

"You should call him Korbin."

"And you will not speak the words 'you should' to me ever again." Daphne's voice suddenly turned stiff. "Remember, no matter who you think you are and what your relations to the Northern King are... You are now my personal servant. I don't care if you have to report to the Northern King behind my back, but in front of me, you will be mine and mine only."

Devanka's eyes told Daphne that she would not give up without a fight.

Daphne knew her words were harsh, but she had only one goal in mind: to drive away the surveillance.

"Now help me dress."

Unwilling fingers touched upon Daphne's shoulders.

"Now." Daphne looked up, her unflinching gaze meeting Devanka's. "You don't want the Northern King to come back and see that you are not a capable servant, do you?"

Taking a deep breath, Devanka growled as she slowly undid the knots.

Daphne's gaze softened. "I'll give you back to him as soon as I find a suitable maid. The next time the Northern King comes, I'll suggest it to him that he take you as a consort instead, and you won't ever have to bow down to me again."

The pair of hands working to button up her back froze.

"Stop trying to guess at what I want. I may be your servant, but I'm not an object meant to be shoved in and out of a tent. I abide by His Majesty because I respect him, not because I want to become his consort or that I fear him." Her face became illuminated by the rays of sunlight peeping into the tent. "And you, you're but a princess from a fallen kingdom. If not for His Majesty's generosity, you would be in a place much worse than mine."

She pulled the dress off Daphne's body, tossing it into a heap.

"I would teach you how to put on the dress this time, but next time, you'll do so yourself."

---

When the new maid, Devanka, finally left the tent, Daphne heaved out a sigh.

She missed Akira more than ever, the loneliness suddenly gripping her heart and wrenching it from inside out. Hopefully, Akira had made it out by now.