Chapter 7

• Anna’s POV
• When Prince Lucas walked towards me, my heart was pounding in my throat. Fortunately, Kathy rushed out and stepped in front of me, blocking Prince Lucas's gaze.
• I was roughly dragged out of the banquet hall by Kathy, completely unaware of what was happening inside.
• I couldn't stop wondering what would have happened if Prince Lucas had recognized me. For now, I had covered the mark with the two braids I had left on either side of my shoulders, carefully positioning them over my neck. But how long could I even hide it?
• "You did it on purpose to get his attention, didn't you?" Kathy's nails pierced through my skin as she dragged me to the hallway, briskly heading for the kitchen.
• "No! Why would I make a fool out of myself like that?" I murmured softly.
• "So that you can show Prince Lucas how naive and cutely stupid you are," she retorted with a completely different agenda. Her obsession with Prince Lucas was scary. And somehow, she believed I would seduce him.
• "Ouch!" I grimaced in pain when she tightened her fingers around my arm.
• She shoved me into the kitchen, and suddenly all the maids working there were watching me. None of them liked me, I could tell.
• "Work here now," Kathy hissed, giving me a deadly glare before walking out of the kitchen. I rushed to wash dishes, but everyone's gaze on me was pretty disturbing.
• "Hey, you! Turn around," one maid, who was much larger than me in every way, grabbed me and spun me around. She was holding a wet towel in her hands and, without any warning, began to wipe my face roughly with it.
• "Ah!" I groaned in pain while she kept rubbing my face. The muffled laughter and subdued snickers were all I could hear before she stepped back and examined the towel.
• “There’s no makeup,” she grunted in confusion. I was flushed red and had almost tearful eyes.
• “There’s no way she isn’t wearing any makeup. A mere maid cannot be so beautiful,” another maid hissed, looking displeased.
• “Let’s wash her face with hot water,” the large, unpleasant maid suggested, and my heart sank. But before they could proceed further, the door to the kitchen opened, and in came Bella. Seeing her lifted my spirits.
• "Queen Karida is urging you to hurry with the refreshments. Do you still have time to waste here?" she said, much sassier than the others. I loved her for it.
• “What happened to you?” I could tell she noticed the trouble the other girls were causing me. She gently cupped my face in her hands, fixed my hair, and then helped me with the dishes.
• “There’s juicy news from the royal hall,” she leaned over my shoulder and whispered in my ear. I knew she loved royal gossip.
• “Last night, Prince Lucas found and marked his fated mate.”
• Her words stung, but I focused on the term “fated mate.”
• Huh? How could I be his mate if I didn’t even have a wolf? But did he really introduce the woman he marked as his mate?
• No! If they find out that Prince Lucas has marked a humble maid, they will kill me!
• “Did he--” I wanted to know more about what was going on in the hall, but my bad luck, the door to the kitchen opened again, and this time, the person walking in was a surprise.
• It was Prince Ford.
• My breath hitched in my throat, and I swallowed hard when he stepped in. He didn’t even bother hiding the fact that he was staring at me. His arrival cast a heavy silence over the room.
• “Everybody leave!”
• There was no need for him to repeat himself, everyone quickly dropped whatever they were holding and rushed out of the kitchen. I started to remove my apron, briskly walking past him when I heard his next command.
• “Not you! Stay here!”
• My heartbeat quickened as everyone left, leaving just the two of us in the kitchen.
• I remembered how he had acted the last time he found me alone by the lake. With every step he took toward me, I took two steps backward until my back hit the counter, and I could no longer move away.
• My gulp and breaths were louder, clearly audible to him as well. He narrowed his eyes and placed his hands on the counter behind me, causing me to press myself into the counter.
• As he lowered his body to my level, I wondered what he was up to. His eyes were fixed on my lips.
• My lips began to quiver in fear, and I closed my eyes, only to feel his hands on my waist and my body lifted onto the counter.
• I opened my eyes to find him carefully placing me on the counter and standing between my legs, moving so close that I could now hear his breaths mingling with mine.
• “My little bunny.” he smiled, letting me know he still remembered me.
• “My brother marking a woman has been made public,” he said, narrowing his green eyes onto mine. His hands rested on the counter, and his body was hunched over to my level.
• “And do you know what will happen when my father or mother find out he marked a maid? They will execute you!”
• It felt like someone had given me a glimmer of hope, only to snatch it away. The instant pain of not being good enough for Prince Lucas struck me, but along with it came the fear of getting caught.
• “I...” I said meekly, causing his eyes to fall on my lips once again. I shuddered when he swallowed, watching my lips.
• “Sweet bunny!” he shook his head playfully, “If you give me what you have, I’ll give you a potion that will conceal the mark on your neck.”
• I was no child, I understood exactly what he was asking.
• My heart raced in my chest, and sweat formed on my temples.
• Why would he request such a thing from his brother’s marked maid?
• I was clearly startled by his shameless suggestion and was momentarily stunned. He laughed heartily at my expression.
• "A timid little rabbit. I'll give you the potion now, but remember, you owe me a favor forever." He pulled a tiny bottle with blue liquid from his pocket.
• Shoving my braid aside, he suddenly pulled my dress down from my shoulders until half my shoulders were exposed.
• “Look at these, I can’t wait to touch them,” his voice was filled with lust as he looked my shoulder.
• Just when I thought he was about to do something rude to me, he then rubbed some of the potion on his fingers and drew closer, lowering his face to my neck. He licked the mark before rubbing his fingers over it.
• “It will hide the mark very well. Even after a shower, it will last for a few days. However, there is just one catch--” he whispered into my ear, and as he revealed the catch, I heard a yelp from the door.
• It was supposed to be just the two of us in the kitchen, but now there was an audience.
• "Your Highness! What are you doing?!"
• I turned to find myself facing the red eyes of Prince Ford's new bride—Molly.
• I hastily tried to adjust my dress while Molly continued to glare at me.
• “There is no spider in your dress, don’t worry,” Prince Ford said calmly, his nonchalance surprising me. Despite the intense scrutiny of his bride, he remained unflappable, making it seem like I had merely asked for his help with a minor issue.
• “What are you doing here, babe?” he asked as he approached the seething bride and kissed her on the cheek.
• “Your Highness, Mrs. Molly heard that you came personally to check on the dinner preparations and came to offer her assistance,” Kathy emerged from behind Molly, and I wondered if she knew Ford was alone with me in the kitchen and had brought her here on purpose.
• “Oh, alright. I’ll head back to the hall then. Come back out soon, okay?” Prince Ford casually strolled past her while she kept her eyes fixed on me.
• As soon as he left, she rushed over, grabbed my legs, and yanked me down from the counter. A sharp smack across my face left me stunned for a moment. Her blow was harsh, being a warrior, her strength far exceeded mine.
• “How dare you! You think asking for his help would help you seduce him?” she shouted, smacking my head and tugging my strap up to cover me. I wanted to tell her it wasn’t me who had pulled my dress off my shoulders, but rather her groom, yet I knew that would only enrage her further.
• “I keep telling her to stop lingering around the royals, but she’s always so lustful,” Kathy added fuel to the fire. Molly’s eyes widened in red.
• “You’re lusting after my husband?” As Molly approached, I flinched, fearing another blow.
• “Don’t let her ruin your mood, Your Highness. You go join Prince Ford, I’ll take care of her,” Kathy said with an overly obedient tone, receiving a nod from Molly as she stepped closer and grasped my arm.
• “You better teach her what she’s here for,” Molly hissed.
• She was usually elegant, but when she was angry, her demeanor became frightening. Her once-beautiful face contorted into an ugly frown, and her narrowed eyes took on a menacing glare. Her anger left me terrified as she marched outside to follow her husband.
• “Look what’s happened. I’ve warned you to stop seeking attention from men,” Kathy said, rolling her eyes as if she were delivering a final judgment on me.
• "Come with me now," Kathy said sarcastically, leaving me confused about where she was taking me.
• She cursed under her breath, "If I find out which bitch seduced my Prince Lucas and got him to mark her, I’ll make her wish she were dead."
• Her words made my heart skip a beat, and then she continued talking to herself.
• “Queen Karida has requested the presence of every maid in the Royal Hall.”