Isadora was having a hard time carrying the bundle of the unvonscious Gareth. He was heavier than she had thought. She only ended up bringing him by the door despite the much effort she had put. She let go of his arms and placed him by the door. She needed help. But from who? Her disguise had already fallen which meant she would be easily recognized. But Gareth’s health was her first priority now.

Pushing the thoughts at the back of her mind, she opened the door and caught sight of two knights who were chatting by the hallway. Her heart skipped a beat but she reminded herself what her prority was. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she took measured steps to where the knights were standing.

"Excuse me sir?" She called catching the attention of the knights. They turned around simultaneously with a poker face.

"Yes miss. How can we help you?" One of them asked.

And now Isadora was confused. She expected them to cuff her on the spot or turn around with awed expressions. But seems she got it all wrong. On the contrary, they were smiling at her, waiting patiently for her response.

"Ah, yes. I do need your help. One of your fellow knights engaged in a fight and got badly injured and fell unconscious. I wanted your help to take him to the physician." She said.

"And where is he?"

"Over there," she pointed at her room and without further ado, the knights went to check on it. Seconds later, they came out holding Sir Gareth with surprised expressions. Sir Gareth was termed as the strongest knight in Valoria. Seeing that he was in such a state made the knights wonder who his opponent was. And whoever it was, he was one dangerous person.

"You can stay here. We’ll take him to the physician." Isadora wanted to protest but thought it was better If she stayed here. She didn’t want to stumble across Lord Richard or any other person. Her stomach suddenly growled and she knew she was hungry. She had already eaten the eggs she had during lunch time. Eggs didn’t make her full though. She needed to eat, and a lot at that.

The kitchen was the only possible place to salve her stomach. She decided to go but halted in her tracks when she remembered that fat woman; Jessica. She spent most of her time in the kitchen ordering the cooks around to make sure that everything was in place. And now that Alexander had been poisoned, she would be extra careful.

Isadora’s shoulders dropped in disappointment when the sweet aroma of freshly cooked food filled the air. She lifted her nose trying to catch the direction of the smell when she saw a maid walking on the other direction, heading to the chambers of the royalties. She was holding a tray of food in her hands. This was it. Isa’s legs carried her forward and she found herself trailing closely behind the maid.

And for some odd reason, there were no knights on this part of the hallway. Strange, she thought. There were always guards stationed everywhere, especially on this hallway. Wait! This hallway! Yes! It now dawned on her. This was the hallway in which Alexander’s room was located. And before she could think further, she saw the maid open a door and enter.

She took steady steps closer to the room but almost ran into the other maid when she was close to the door.

"Hey. Watch your step," the maid scolded. And as if remembering something, "Oh! You are that maid."

Oh no! Isadora didn’t expect the maids to have known it already. But the maids knew almost everything in the palace. Would she call the knights now? 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Don’t worry. His Highness will be more than happy to have your services," she said blushing.

What was the meaning of this? Isadora was now confused. And what services was this maid talking about? She searched for her face and saw the mischievous look on it.

"I envy you. I would be glad to give myself to His Highness body, mind and soul," she said.

Oh! Now Isadora understood it. So this had to do with that night’s incidence. Did that mean that the maids knew nothing about Alexander being poisoned?

"I’ll be waiting for him in his room. Now if you’ll excuse me," Isadora said with the same tone. The maid rolled her eyes before she stepped aside. Isadora gave her a meek smile before she stepped in the room. She closed the door behind her before she puffed her cheeks and rolled her eyes.

And now that she was already in, she noticed it was indeed Alexander’s room. It looked as she could remember. The velvet curtains, the large bed, the parlor and the... Before she could think further, the smell of food hit her nostrils again making her stomach to growl again, louder this time. She searched for the food and saw the tray placed on the table. A basket of fruits sat comfortably beside the tray. Chunks of chicken meat, soup and rice all present on the plate made Isadora’s mind go blank. And without further ado, she swung into action.

She begun with the chunks of meat, stuffing everything in her mouth until white bones were left. She then ate the rice in one go and drunk the soup too. Delicious, she thought. The manner in which she was eating was nowhere close to that of a princess. She even choked on the food several times but she was glad when she saw a jug of water and a glass on the nightstand. She poured several glasses during her eating and rubbed the plate white when she was done.

"Dessert," she said pointing between an apple and a banana. "Which is better?" She asked no one in particular. It was good having a royalty’s supper. She had even forgot she was in someone else’s room. She closed her eyes and let her hands chose. An apple was what she picked.

Her stomach was now heavy and full. Gods! She couldn’t even manage to walk. And her eyes felt heavy now. In the end, she found herself on the bed as she lay facing the ceiling. Her large eyelashes fluttered before they closed. ’Good night Isa,’ she said in her mind before everything went black.