The Royal Deal

Chapter 134

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Leaving him alone in the ballroom, Amethyst returned to her bedroom.
Well, he would hardly be alone, seeing how everyone is flocking to him.
Thinking he would return, she changed fast and got into bed to sleep.

She pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes.
A while later, she felt a presence beside her, but she paid it no mind and fell asleep.

***

Slap!

The loud sound of a slap filled count Glacia’s room.
Habe cradled her swollen cheeks and sobbed.
She tasted blood on her lips.
Count Glacia couldn’t restrain her rage and hit Habe again.

“How dare you lie to me?” said the count through gritted teeth.

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“I wasn’t lying,” pleaded Habe, “I don’t know why Madam changed her outfit at the last minute.”

“You still dare to make excuses for your failings!” yelled count Glacia, raising her hand again.
Habe closed her eyes and instinctively recoiled.
Count Glacia’s maid rushed between the count and Habe.

“Count!” said the maid, “Please calm down.”

“How do you expect me to be calm?!” yelled Count Glacia.

“She is a personal maid to the Lady Skad,” explained the maid, “If there is an injury on her face, she will be questioned.
Lady Skad might take this personally.”

Count Glacia had trained as a knight and was a formidable woman.
Her maid rushed to interfere because she knew things might get out of hand if the count couldn’t control her temper.
Count Glacia glared at her maid, then at Habe and reluctantly lowered her raised hand.

“If you did not lie, then explain to me how this happened,” said the count, “Are you secretly betraying me to Lady Skad?”

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“No!” sobbed Habe, shaking her head, tears spilling from her eyes.
“I joined as a personal maid to Lady Skad only recently for the annual festival.
I wasn’t aware of the details before that.
I never lied to you.”

Count Glacia turned to glare at her maid.
Her maid lowered her head unable to meet the eyes of the count.
Her rage was only to be expected since she had wanted a maid very close to Lady Skad, not someone who had no useful information about her.

“Of them all, you brought me this worthless kid!” the count said to her maid.

“I apologize, count,” said the maid, “I have made a terrible mistake.
I wasn’t sure.”

Habe looked at the maid trembling in fear.
“Madam never has anyone by her side,” she said, “All of us were gathered to attend to her for the annual festival only.”

“What?” said the count, glaring at Habe.
“Is that true or are you just spouting nonsense that doesn’t have any basis in reality?”

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“It’s true!” said Habe.
“You can ask anyone.
She normally doesn’t have anyone attending her.”

From the looks of it, Habe didn’t seem to be lying.
There was no point in finding another maid then, seeing how nobody would know much about Amethyst if she didn’t keep personal maids to attend her.

“Fine,” said the count, “You may leave.”

Habe left the room crying.
Count Glacia frowned as she considered what to do next.

“Nothing is going the way it should!” said the count, “The hunting match will be my last chance.”

“What should I do with that maid?” asked the maid.

“Leave her be,” said the count, “She is useless.
She has received bribes from me so she wouldn’t dare open her mouth.
She will only be branded a traitor.
And as you said, she is Lady Skad’s personal maid at least for the duration of the festival.
It will be best not to harm her.”

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The maid nodded.
Count Glacia was desperately in need of some help.
She had realized that the young Lady of the House was not as naïve as she had expected.
If only Dajal was around I would not need to deal with these worthless rats! I wouldn’t need to involve myself in these petty ways to get information in the first place!

Dajal had been very convenient for any job she needed done.
She couldn’t let things slip out of her grip this annual festival.
She needed to make sure she had control over the Skad house, and over the Lady Skad, otherwise everything she had earned would disappear.
She wasn’t going to back down so easily.
I have lost much and worked hard to reach here, thought Count Glacia, angrily, I am not going to let a kid spoil all this!

Count Glacia was of the opinion that whoever dominated the annual festival would wield power over everything.
She desperately needed people on her side to win.
She couldn’t possibly make amends with the other ladies; they had never liked her.
It would be faster to have Dajal reinstated instead.
After all, Dajal’s predecessors had always served the Skad family.
If I manage to convince the duke somehow, it wouldn’t be difficult to have Dajal brought back.

“Has there been any news on what I asked you to find out?” the count asked her maid.

“After much investigation…,” said her maid, haltingly, “It seems Dajal has left us as a guide of god.”

Count Glacia was taken aback.
“What?! Left as guide…,” she said, “He is dead?!”