Chapter 157: I Didn’t
It wasn’t the snickering that Rose found odd. The maids still laughed at how she spoke, though they no longer boldly mocked her as they used to; it was not weird to hear a snicker. It was the smacking that Rose found very odd. That had never happened before; instead, the others would usually join in the laughter.
Lily grabbed the door handle and slowly turned around to look at Rose. She had a look on her face as though she might refuse to speak with Rose, but then her shoulders slumped, and she took her hand away from the door.
"I don’t see why not," she said and stepped away from the door.
The other two maids didn’t wait. As soon as Lily stepped aside, they stepped forward and were out of the room without looking back. The sound of their feet rushing away floated into the room just before the door closed.
Lily folded her arms and stared hard at Rose. "What do you want?" she asked, darkly.
Rose turned her gaze from the closed door to Lily, a confused expression on her face. Her forehead was slightly furrowed, and her hazel-green eyes had a blank, dazed stare in them.
"Did something ’appen?" she asked softly. "Why did you bring all these to me? It is too much for one person."
Lily’s expression shifted to bewilderment. "Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? What did you think was going to happen when you complained to the crown prince? I can’t believe Edna thought you’d never ask the crown prince for a selfish request, but I guess anyone would take advantage of the crown prince’s favor. It must be nice to be served like a royal."
Rose blinked, trying to follow Lily’s words. The maid was speaking too fast for her to keep up with. "Wait, slow down," Rose said. "Did you just say I reported to the crown prince? What could I possibly report to ’im about? I did no such thing." Rose stared at her in disbelief.
Lily looked at Rose with disgust. She could not believe Rose would lie so easily when everyone knew exactly what had happened. "You know I went out of my way to make sure you got lunch. Edna was too busy, and I was lending her a hand. I was the one who requested the maid bring you some food, as I was sure you must not have gotten any food for lunch. That was my mistake. I should have let you starve."