Chapter 9: Heartless And Shapeless Monkey!
Iris’s POV
Before my head could process what was going on, the door to the room was shoved open again. Maris, the chief maid, stormed in, her face twisted in a scowl that made her look even more serious than usual. Her eyes darted between me and Amelia and then snapped.
"Here you are!" Maris barked. "I’ve been searching high and low for you both, and here you are, lounging about like you’ve got no duties!" Her hands are planted on her hips. "Iris, why haven’t you washed the dishes? You think you’re above your work now?"
My work? I’m off duty today. My arms still ached from scrubbing Cade’s shirts earlier and I don’t care anyways. I was serving the punishments and I don’t regret it. "It’s not my duty day today to wash the dishes," I said. "You know that, Maris. The roster says it’s someone else’s turn."
Her brows shot up, knitting together in disbelief, as if I’d just spat in her face. "Don’t you dare talk back to me," she snapped, taking a step closer and the veins in her neck pulsed with barely contained rage. "You’ll do as you’re told, or you’ll regret it. Now get to the kitchen!"
I stood rooted to the spot without flinching by her words. The injustice of it all burned in my chest. Inside my head, Lyra’s voice growled, her voice feeling my head. "You can’t do that. Let her try her worst!"
Her words sparked something in me as I took a step forward, squaring my shoulders, and met Maris’s glare head-on. "Whoever’s on duty should wash the dishes," I said. "Not me." I added.
Maris’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open for a split second before her expression hardened into something venomous. "How dare you?" she hissed, lunging forward. Before I could react, her hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of my hair. Pain seared through my scalp as she yanked me toward her, her other hand raised to give me a dirty slap. But then, Amelia’s voice came.
"I’ll help her!" She said, stepping forward, her hands outstretched as if she could physically pull me from Maris’s grasp.
Maris’s head whipped toward Amelia, her eyes blazing. "Step back, girl!" she snarled. "Unless you want to be punished alongside her!"