Chapter 18: Chapter 18
"Calm down. I won't hurt you." The lady said.
"Milady...." She bowed in greeting and Princess Alice simply smiled.
"What are you doing h-" She wanted to ask when she noticed something and her eyes narrowed. "What happened to you?" She asked Melina, and Melina who didn't know what she was talking about just stared....confused.
'Huh?' Was it the tears? She wanted to ask as she immediately cleaned her face.
But lady Alice's attention seemed to be focused elsewhere. She walked slowly to where Melina was standing. Melina paused to see what she looking at. Then suddenly, she saw the princess stretch her hand to the back of her head where she had injured and behold! when she brought it back it was covered in blood.
Melina's eyes widened when she saw the blood. The last time she checked, there was no blood on that part of her head. How come? She placed her hand there again to be sure and she could even feel the blood oozing from the part of her head that was punctured by the brush.
"How did you get this?"Lady Alice asked her but she could barely speak. She looked confused too.
She scrutinised deeper. Her eyes were red like she had been crying. First of all, she looked around her surroundings to make sure no one saw her and when she had done that, she pulled Melina's hand and said, "Follow me."
"No!" Melina responded, yanking her hand back.
However, Princess Alice was in no way offended and just asked her. "Are you scared? Don't worry, this is my side of the castle. No one usually comes here." She assured Melina and suddenly, the girl looked around her before her eyes widened like she just realized something. She had walked to the distance part of the palace where the servants were usually not allowed to pass and strictly only the ones who were there to clean.
She ogled at the pillar she was resting on. No wonder it was so unfamiliar and lonely. If anyone caught her in this part, that would be another trouble.
Why did she always get into trouble anyways? She asked herself. She had been in deep thoughts that she forgot and leapt to this place.
"It's okay. Come with me, let me treat your wound. I'll accompany you back to where you came from. I know you didn't do it on purpose." Princess Alice certified her when she saw the tensed look on Melina's face after pointing out where she was. She gently gripped Melina's hand again, following a particular direction and this time, Melina obliged.
Alice took her up the stairs in the backyard straight to her room and when she opened the door, Melina's eyes were blessed with interiors she had never seen before. The room was decorated in a moderate amount of pink which she guessed to be her favourite colour. Well, she had never cleaned any royals room since that day and that was why she didn't know it was like this.
Even that day, the King's room was of old interiors. Maybe by now, the room will be decorated like this, she thought. She saw the princess take off her beautiful looking shoe she had worn at the front of her door and she too, carefully pulled her overworn sandals at the doorstep to avoid dirtying the room floors. The floor was too clean...even her bare legs were dirtier.
Maidservants never had such an opportunity to enjoy this much luxury.
Haha....they should even be glad they had a comfortable room in the castle with a bed to stay in....unlike the former quarters.
"Sit." Came Alice's calm words and she sat on the plush couch. The princess was nice, she believed.
Bringing out a first aid box, Alice came to stand behind Melina. She opened the box and brought out cotton wool with an antiseptic and poured little of it on the wool. Melina had not seen this before too. Whenever she was injured, aunt Paloma would use heated water with a cloth to clean the injury and apply a balm on it. It didn't heal fast or carry less pain but it helped. Now, this princess was using this strange thing. Hopefully, it wouldn't hurt like usual...
When Alice was done, she beckoned on Melina to turn around and she immediately obeyed. Without wasting time, she dabbed the wool on the exact spot that was hurt and Melina almost squealed when it touched her head.
"Sorry," Alice said curtly when she saw the maid's body language.
"It usually hurts intensely when you put it at first....." She explained while still dabbing it on the place. Because of Melina's long and full red hair, it was harder to locate the correct spot since everything was red.
"....but after a few seconds, it completely dies off....." and that was when Melina felt the complete relief it gave her, unlike the wonted method that was used for her.
"....and it heals faster." The lady finished her sentence.
Still not done, she collected a bandage in the box placed it on the spot she had cleaned and used a cloth to clean its surroundings. Then applied an ointment.
"You would need to wash your hair. It's tangled because of the blood." Lady Alice told her, ready to take her to the bathroom when she protested.
"Don't worry, milady... I'll do that in my room." And Lady Alice simply nodded.
"Fine then. By the way, what is your name?" She inquired.
"Melina."
"Meli...na...you're so pretty." She complimented her and since she wasn't used to compliments, she smiled awkwardly.
The way Lady Alice spoke to her showed the difference in their class and feeling slightly embarrassed about the way she spoke since she didn't have that much tutoring when she was little, she kept her mouth sealed.
"When were you brought into the castle for training if I may ask?"
"Huh?" Melina just started looking confused.
"I mean how old were you when you were taken from your parents to train in this castle?"
"Oh.....I.. don't remember." She shrugged and Lady Alice's eyebrows furrowed. She should have been five years and above by then so why didn't she remember? Or...
Was she the maid that was brought here at infancy? She wondered.
If so, then there must have been a reason since children were not taken in here at their tender age. It was a law her father made when he was alive.
"Who trained you?" She wanted to confirm and after Melina stared at her in scrutiny for a while, she answered.
"Aunt Paloma."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone