My snarky response took everyone around me by surprise, including my knights and Mia. Cecilia looked ready to bite me when Mera scoffed, “How dare you imply the Crown Prince will offer the same to Lady Cecilia?”
I batted my eyes. “Oh, but I thought it’s an honorable service to the royal crown? Why would it be offensive?”
Unbeknownst to them, this sort of thing was child’s play to me. I grew up in an environment where both physical and verbal fighting were expected. At some point, you learn to be numb to it all and understand that it wasn’t personal to you. It wasthemwho had a huge problem.
“Plebs really deserve to stay as plebs,” Kathel exclaimed, earning a few glares, but mostly amused looks. “Unlike you, proper nobles understand their rightful places, and yours is a maid for the Champions.Thatis the best you can be.”
It only dawned on me why they were being hostile despite staying quiet the past week — it was the fault of the same damn event yesterday. Cecilia, who was the ringleader of their group, must still be bitter from the Crown Prince rejecting their engagement. Of course she’d take it out on me, the Prince’s new object of attention, or at least what I seemed to be.
I knew I was anything but. He was only humoring his friend, or whatever his relationship with Claude was. It was Claude who was getting a little too unhealthily obsessed with me, for one reason or another in his insane mind.
Nobody stepped in to help me. Not that anyone could. My twins certainly wanted to, but I already had them promise me they wouldn’t cause any trouble involving nobles. Mia obviously couldn’t. Dahlia stayed in her room during breakfast, and I had no clue what she planned to do on the weekends. My brother was buried in his project, and I didn’t want to disturb him. There was no one else familiar to me around. And even if there were, Cecilia outranked everyone here. She was almost a princess; no one would dare.
Except someone who had more power than her.
“I see we’re starting the morning in a negative light,” Lord Grimwald approached us, dressed in casual, light clothing, unlike the military uniforms or the training gear I had seen him in the past week. “I had hoped the weekends are better.”
“Lord Grimwald,” Mera and Kathel both twitted, curtseying before him, while Cecilia curtseyed too in a more ladylike fashion. He turned to me, but I only glared back. The memory of yesterday flashed in my mind.
He was the lead professor for our Physical and Combat Training. Somehow, Strom and Derrick staying out of the altercation made sense to me, but Grimwald standing away, observing, made my blood heat. He didn’t do anything to stop orinterrupt what happened. It was only after the Prince made that egregious announcement that he stepped in to refocus the class.
So yes, I didn’t feel like being nice. Although in hindsight, this was the sort of thing that would make me stand out even more.
Stupid, stupid Bea. Too late to withdraw now.
He smirked. “Feisty as usual, aster.”
“Rude,” one girl muttered.
Oh, so now he couldn’t even be bothered to remember my name and resorted to calling me by my insignia.Great.I glared harder, ignoring the comments.
“Forgive me, my ladies, but you are all equally rude here,” he chuckled, earning appalled looks from these three. “Don’t think I wasn’t watching the entire time,” he tutted. “Frankly, it seems unfair; three to one, really?”
Mera sputtered and Kathel gasped, while Cecilia schooled her face back to a calm and proper lady. Impressive.
“My apologies that you had to witness that, my lord,” Cecilia gently responded. “I’m embarrassed to admit I lost my temper for a moment. I assure you it's only when there’s something veryuntowardin the room.”
Wow, I had to admit, I admired the audacity of this bitch. If it were anybody else, maybe it would’ve worked.
If it were me before …
But things had changed, and I had no interest in wasting my time anymore. It had been my turn in the buffet line, and the dining hall workers, while entertained, were waiting for my food choices. Ignoring the annoying lot, I beckoned my companions and tendered to our food.
Cecilia glared at me one more time before she walked away, followed by her cohorts of noble ladies and personal maids. They were all the same; they got bored when they didn’t get the reaction they wanted.
On the other hand, Grimwald stepped closer, and I was about to defend my knights from his poaching attempts when he asked, “Why do you let these people walk all over you?”
Was he concerned about me? My answer was cut off when he added, “But you don’t do the same with me? You resist me every single time.”
Ah. So he was actually jealous that I didn’t let him get away with shit, like most people who fucked me over did.
This was my honest answer. “Those people are only picking on me. I can take it. It’s not the same thing the moment you start picking on my friends. You know, like how you keep trying to steal my knights.”
Reuben and Robin both groaned. “Bea …”
Grimwald’s eyebrows both shot up, his lips in a thin line. “So, you hate me for doing my job.”
I shrugged. “Yes. Although I won’t use the word ‘hate’. Maybe ‘annoyed’. My knights are off-limits to you.” To emphasize, I placed myself between him and my bodyguards.
