Chapter 204

Carol’s POV

There was a light knock on the door. I took a small catnap; since finding out that I was pregnant, I had been tired a lot more these last couple of days. I put my hand on my belly, not being able to believe that I was already showing even though I was only a few weeks along. But apparently, I was only going to be pregnant for a few months. The thought terrified me because I honestly wasn’t sure if I was ready to be a mom. But I knew with Aiden by my side, there wasn’t anything we couldn’t accomplish.

I guess it was a good thing that Aiden was coming to see me because now he could see that I was showing and maybe we could go back to the pack clinic and find out the gender of the baby. Excitement filled me at the very thought of it and I suddenly couldn’t wait to start picking out names.

I slid out of bed and walked over to my door when the knocking continued. As I pulled the door open, I froze when I saw a maid standing on the other side. She gave me a small smile and looked very nervous. Her eyes were darting around like she expected someone to be lurking around the corner. She was chewing on her bottom lip to the point where it was raw and almost bleeding.

She had dark circles under her eyes and her body was trembling. She looked young too, maybe even as old as Monica. My heart twisted when I saw her; I wondered if she was Moncia’s replacement and that’s why she looked so worried. If she was Jenna’s new handmaiden, I’m sure she heard the stories of how her last two maids died and how cruel the princess was.

“Hi,” I said, trying to offer her my best smile to ease her worries. She was probably thinking I was cruel just like Jenna and I wanted her ot know that I wasn’t anything like that bitch.

“Hello, Mam,” she said, bowing her head, her tone quivering slightly. “My name is Alice.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I replied. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“I was told to bring your things to your suite and get you whatever you need during your stay here.”

I nodded and gave her another polite smile.

“I hadn’t exactly packed yet,” I confessed, glancing at my empty suitcase. “Would you mind helping me?”

“Of course, Mam,” she said, stepping into my room.

I closed the door behind her and walked her over to my bed.

“You can call me Carol,” I assured her. “I really don’t do formalities.”

“Aren’t you a princess?” She asked, corking her brow in the air.

“I didn’t grow up here,” I confessed. “I didn’t have the luxuries of living as a princess like Jenna did.”

She bit her lip at the mention of Jenna and the way her face paled was all I needed to know. She was Moncia’s replacement and worked for Jenna this meant I had to be careful and wary of Alice, however, I also needed to keep this young girl safe.

I went over to my closet and grabbed all the clothes hanging up, walking them over to my suitcase. Alice grabbed the clothes from me and started to fold them while I grabbed my shoes off the closet ground.

“How old are you, Alice?” I asked her.

“18,” she answered.

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest; she was a legal adult, but she was technically still a child.

“I see,” I murmured. “Did you know Monica?”

She froze at my words, and I could tell she didn’t want to answer me; she didn’t want to say too much information.

“You don’t need to answer that,” I said quickly. “It’s okay…”

She gave me an apologetic smile.

“Yes, I knew her. We were friends.”

I was surmised by this; the only friend I knew she had was Tilly and Tilly was gone. I suppose there was a lot I didn’t know about the former maid.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said softly.

She offered me another small smile and then shrugged.

“She was always clumsy and falling over her feet. I’m not surprised she died falling down the stairs,” she said, swallowing hard.

I wondered if she truly believed that her friend died by accident, or if it was just a cover. I figured it was better if I didn’t ask though.

We finished packing my things and then we traveled across the manor until we reached the private suite section. I heard the clicking of heels and I already knew who was approaching us before I turned to look.

“What do you think you are doing?” Jenna asked, folding her arms across her chest.

“Princess,” Alice greeted, bowing gracefully in her direction. “Your father asked me to take Miss Carol to the suite he had made up for her.”

Jenna scowled.

“I thought she was staying in the guest rooms?” Jenna asked through her teeth; it was as if I wasn’t right there and that irritated me more than anything.

“It seems he changed his mind, Princess,” Alice answered. “Is there anything I can do for you before I finish his request?”

She stared at her for a moment before pulling her eyes from her maid to glare at me; I could feel the iciness of her gaze, but I didn’t let her see me sweat.

“No,” she muttered. “You may continue with your task.”

She nodded and motioned for me to follow her.

We walked further down the hallway until we reached one of the doors; she pushed the door open and stepped inside. I gasped when I saw that it was pretty much an apartment. There was a living room area, a mini kitchen with full appliances, including a stove, and a couple of doors that I assumed led to the bedroom and bathroom area.

We walked through the living room, and I noticed the nice carpet laid out on the wooden floors that surrounded the couches and coffee table. The flatscreen TV hung on the wall above the stone fireplace and there were some nice paintings for decorations near the large floor-to-ceiling windows.

We walked into the bedroom, and I gasped when I saw how big the bed was. The room itself was also big with a small table in the corner with a couple of chairs and a tea set already waiting for use. There was a TV on the wall and beneath it was a dresser set. There was a door to the bathroom and another door where the closet was. There were nightstands and other various drawers as well.

The large windows overlooked the Empire City, and I couldn’t help but gasp at how beautiful it all looked.

“Wow,” I breathed, staring around the room in awe.

“Yeah, the suites here are very nice,” she told me. “I hope you enjoy your time here. If you need anything, you can call me on the phone on your nightstand and I’ll be here as soon as I can. Otherwise, you’ll see me around and I’ll check in once in a while.”

“Thank you, Alice,” I told her with a kind smile. “It’s very kind of you.”

She nodded, looking pleased.

“Dinner will be ready shortly. Can I help you unpack and escort you downstairs?”

“That would be nice,” I told her.

We unpacked mainly in silence; she helped me fold my clothes and find a place for them. For a moment, I looked at her. She was so young, much like Monica, and I would hate for anything to happen to her.

“Are you Jenna's personal handmaiden?” I asked her.

She looked at me, puzzled.

“Yes,” she answered. “I was reassigned to her yesterday. I used to be in charge of laundry. It’s an honor to be working under the princess.”

I nodded and bit my lip.

“Just be careful,” I said softly. “I don’t want you to get hurt like the others.”

I probably shouldn’t have said that because she looked alarmed by my statement.

“The Princess would never hurt anyone,” she said sharply. “And saying so is treason.”

I nodded.

“I meant no disrespect,” I assured her.

She looked at me for a moment longer before nodding slowly.

“We should get downstairs. I’m sure the King and his family are waiting,” she said, turning on her heel and walking out of the bedroom. I sighed and followed her out of the suite and down the grand stairs.

As we reached the dining hall, she stopped outside the door.

“This is how far I’ll go,” she told me. “I’ll be seeing you later though.”

“Thank you, Alice,” I told her, giving her a small smile and watching as she walked down the hallway.

I turned back to the door and took a deep breath, just as I pushed the door open, I heard a scream and then something smashing to the ground, along with Jenna cursing loudly.