If he had not been looking towards Ashlin, he would not have seen what happened next.
The girl lifted her foot to take another step, but she swung it outwards, hooking it around the pail of scented oil and sending it flinging it down the staircase. It rattled all the way to the ground floor, dripping oil as it went and drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
“You clumsy girl!” the woman on his arm snarled, her face twisting into a ugly glare that reminded him of a monster. “Clean that up at once.”
For a moment, Onric was too stunned to do anything. Then he saw the deep red that crept into Ashlin’s cheeks as she dropped to her knees and attempted to mop up the spreading oil. It was dripping down the stairs and over the edge to the steps and floor below. It was a mess.
He also saw a smug smile on the face of the attacker, and he had the sudden urge to shove her down the stairs.
Instead, he gestured towards the back of her dress with a loud cry, “Oh no! There’s oil on your gown.”
The girl instantly grabbed her skirt, attempting to swing it around her body, but in the act of doing so only succeeded in actually soiling the gown by dragging it through the oil she had just spilled on the step in front of her. “Where?!”
“All over your hem. It’s being soaked up. Hurry, hurry, go get someone to look at it before it spoils your furs.”
“Look what you’ve done!” the girl screamed at Ashlin before hurrying down the stairs, soaking up half of the spilled oil as she went. Onric did not give her a second glance as he dropped down beside Ashlin.
“I’m so sorry.” He looked around for something to help her with. “At least her massive dress cleaned up most of the damage on the way down.”
Ashlin looked down the staircase where the pools of oil had been swiped smooth by the voluminous skirts. He saw her shoulders start to shake as a small giggle escaped her throat. “You could almost say,” she laughed, “that she did most of my work for me.” Her smile was no longer guarded.
He laughed with her. “She’ll probably smell of patchouli and clove for the rest of her time here.”
“I know I certainly will.” Ashlin was still attempting to mop up the largest of the spills. The rag she held was completely soaked, as were her hands.
Onric looked through the railing at the other servants below. “Can we get some extra rags up here to mop this up?”
“Of course, Your Highness!” The steward himself was already at the base of the staircase, climbing up the steps with a stack of cloths over his arm.
“Careful, it’s likely slippery,” Ashlin called down to him.
He rounded the spirals without mishap, dropping rags onto the spillage as he went. “Are you alright, my girl?” he asked as soon as he reached their level. He quickly bowed to Onric as an afterthought.
“Yes, thank you. I am quite alright,” Ashlin reassured him, grabbing a few rags from him.
Onric grabbed a rag himself and started wiping up the oil.
“Your Highness, there is no need...” the steward stammered.
“My good sir, if you send me away, I will be obliged to check in on Lady... uh...” He chuckled. The rest of the servants in the room had gathered below the staircase, mopping up the final spills. Everyone in the room could hear that he had forgotten the woman’s name.
“Lady Clumsy-Foot, my Lord?” The steward kept a straight face. Ashlin started laughing again.
Onric nodded. “Don’t make me go,” he whispered.
Steward Daniel handed him another rag.
Chapter 11
Ashlin shyly watched the young man sitting two steps below her as he carefully wiped up the oily mess with a scrap of fabric rag. He wore his hair loose, but not quite long enough to reach his shoulders. It was a very dark brown, with the slightest bit of waviness that gave him a constantly disheveled look. Perhaps that was why she found it easier to speak with him. Other than the fine construction of his clothing, nothing about him seemed particularly princely. He was an average height and carried himself with confidence, but he was never arrogant or distant. He just... was.
Her heart warmed.
At the moment, he was entirely absorbed with the task at hand, eager to do his best in cleaning up the slick mess.
“I would never have guessed that such a small pail of oil could spread so far,” she said, afraid to admit to herself that she wanted to take this opportunity to converse with him.
He smiled up at her, flicking his head to the side to get the hair out of his eyes. “That might be the most subtly vicious thing I have ever seen.”
