Running into you know-who

After sending Vizima back, she had been heading back to her chambers but the closer she got, she could hear an argument play out.

“I’m only restricted from coming near the bedchamber, but I am a servant of this palace! Why are you preventing me from even being here?” Although the voice was lowered in fear that someone would hear, it was a tone of fierce beratement. The voice belonged to no one other than Mina.

“Don’t you think it’s blatantly obvious that you were waiting in the hall leading to her highness’ bedchamber? Don’t make a scene and go away, child.”

“Ha! What if I don’t? Are you going to drag me out you old hag?”

“Absolutely it’d make my day.” Philippa answered with the dry bluntness she presented previously at the baths along with her insulting cheekiness. She sweetly closed her eyes and gave the warmest of smiles to the idea of removing someone she saw as a nuisance.

She slowly walked in her direction. Soon enough, her presence alone made the two women arguing stop and bow their heads deeply.

“Princess, it is so nice to see you from your chambers and walking through the palace once more.” Philippa was the first to speak.

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s my palace.”

“Correction, this is your brother’s palace.”

“Technicalities.” She **** the threatening tone from her throat. She intentionally laid her Alexandra impression on thick when speaking to the two she definitely didn’t want to be discovered by.

Mina was pricked by the sudden loss of the head maid’s attention by the princess and had rapidly made her move. “Your Highness! Please listen to me! It is about Dimitri. You will regret it if you don’t hear me out!”

Even though she hadn’t replied, Mina knelt in front of her without pause.

“Although I do not know the reason you spared me, please allow me to repay that grace.”

“Grace?”

She laughed at the obvious ploy.

“Are you asking me to make you my personal maid?

The question only brought a stifled of laughter out from Philippa as she looked down at Mina. “Adorable.”

“I have talked it over with Dimitri.”

Mina looked up at her with self-satisfaction. And eyes filled with the certainty and hope that she would not reject them. But the words that came from their mouth.

“He said that he would attend to Your Highness every night as before.”

Their smiling face couldn’t be more nauseating.

She automatically clenched her fist.

“….If you value your life, stop right there.”

‘Don’t make it so I won’t feel guilty for killing you.’

“What do you want exactly for you to go that far?”

‘What expression did you have when you told him to go into the bedroom of another woman, not to mention his enemy, every night for your sake?’

“You ask me when you have more than you could ever want?” Mina answered with another question. “Does it bother you that I own even his love? Should I tell him to give Your Highness his heart too?”

Mina spoke, like a person who couldn’t fathom why the woman in front of her was so angry.

The same women who no longer care for anything or anyone, the husk of a once noble princess. A husk whose body was now screaming to commit ****.

‘Quit wasting our time and kill the deserving bitch already.’ Like catching something in the corner of their eye the foreign voice inside her head appeared and disappeared, turning her blood cold. Not catching it the first time but the voice differed greatly from her own, still quite femme it held a regal air and a withering expression. Only one person came to her whose voice it was, the same person whose body she was now inhabiting. ‘Alexandra?’

“Your Highness. If you ever change your mind, let me know. If your nights are lonely. Any time.” Mina took the women’s attention and as she looked at the girl for the first time the novel’s sweet and kind Mina burnt away.

As though they were certain that they would definitely seek her out again, Mina confidently stood up.

“Thank you for hearing me out. I am grateful for your great magnanimity.”

“That will never happen. Tell him that.”

At her words, their smiling face momentarily fell apart but Mina quickly fixed their expression.

“Get out of my sight.” The command was given the instant Mina’s lips had motioned to speak.

The women playing the villainess took great effort not to fully embrace the role and order the girl’s execution. The way Mina had acted so different from the girl she had read, it felt like someone had just tarnished a thing she treasured right in front of her eyes.

She remained in her anger until she felt the soft touch of Philippa’s hand who cradled her close fist she didn’t know she had clenched.

“You showed much restraint but relax now my princess. You’re bleeding.” The maid’s forward yet honest voice had turned to a sound that could calm a wild beast, not a princess.

“Excuse me?” Her anger sank back into her heart as she turned to Philippa, confused by their comment and found the maid bringing the princess’ hand up to reveal, in her anger, she had dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand without realising.

As she saw what she had done she quickly opened her hand, the pain rushing into her hand the moment she released.

“Allow me.” Philippa drew her tongue from her mouth and with care began licking her princess wounds.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Finally, she was brought back to her old self, confused and freaked out about everything in this world.

“Tending to you.”

“I can see that but seriously with your tongue!?”

“Mhm.” Philippa's playfully answer could have been mistaken for a moan at how she returned to licking her princess’ hand.