Chapter 100: The Rumor Mill
Walking past the familiar path that no longer seemed to be threading with the tendrils of a vine, Samantha’s gaze lingered on the wall where she had caught sight of the green growing vines, but now that she was staring at the wall up-close, it didn’t look like a place where any vines could grow on as the walls were made of hard concrete, yet she couldn’t help decipher the sudden mishaps cause she knew exactly what she saw, not once, not twice had she seen it.
Moving her skeptical gaze to the long shadowy path ahead of her, Samantha wasn’t ready to believe it was just her mere imagination and began walking down the path, as if she could sense something was over there, she could feel it, but she could also feel it drifting away whenever she came close.
"We shouldn’t go too far." Herbert’s voice had Samantha stopping in her gait, and she had almost forgotten that she requested for his escort down the path. She knew what Herbert meant when he said they shouldn’t go too far, this part of the Palace wasn’t just any place she could freely step into, but in order to prove she wasn’t insane, and that she knew exactly what she saw, Samantha stubbornly kept moving, ignoring Herbert’s deterrent words.
"I knew what I saw."
When she got close, an unexpected wave of dizziness instantly swept through her, forcing her to stop, and her eyes spun.
"Herbert." Her steps faltered as she managed to get his name out of her mouth, and her eyes blurred momentarily, whilst causing her body to sway precariously, but before she could stumble and fall backward, Herbert had caught her just in time, and a look of pure concern flickered in his eyes when he sensed her pulse was weak.
"You shouldn’t stress yourself knowing your body can’t handle it, it is best if we return. So far we’ve seen nothing here, and my Lordship will not find your situation appealing when he returns tonight." Herbert frankly suggested, and he only let go of her after confirming she had regained her composure to stand on her own, and somehow, he pitied the servant.
"Bless my eyes, isn’t that Lord Ivan’s servant? Oh! And the bodyguard? What are the two of them doing here, alone?" One of the three maidens who were peeping from the entrance, whispered to the remaining two maidens who had witnessed Herbert reaching out to catch Samantha, and the sudden display left them staring wide-eyed, their curiosity piqued, unfortunately, they couldn’t lean closer to eavesdrop on the conversation they were having.
"Yes, they’re the ones." One of the servants named Gwen replied with an austere voice, and her eyes narrowed with evident dislike at the sight of the maiden. She hadn’t forgotten about what that tricky servant did to her and Anaïs, infact, that little entertainment she pulled had left a scar on her name, but she never got the chance to avenge since the servant had Lord Ivan’s green buttons, but if she causes a scandal with this news, it will be sure to upset Lord Ivan and he might just punish the servant for breaking one of the Palace rules; having secret affairs with a royal bodyguard, which is very much prohibited.