The Alpha Prince's Purchased Maid
Chapter 348: Maid in Disguise

Chapter 348: Maid in Disguise

“You’re right. I simply thought that it was funny. Things got more interesting when I called her out on it and she offered me her cigarette,” he said as he seemed to recall what happened on that day.

“Do you smoke?” I asked although I guessed I already knew the answer.

“I don’t smoke,” he replied.

What the prince had just told me about her didn’t quite add up. First of all, she was a prostitute before being brought to the palace. Then she became an honorable maiden who should be kept in the Sacred Chamber. So, how did she end up smoking in the prince’s garden on his palace grounds?

“How did she end up there in your garden?” I asked curiously.

“Oh, sorry I missed telling you properly about this. When I first met her, I thought that Roxanna was just a regular palace maid. After all, she was wearing a maid uniform, and so I thought that she was slacking off on her cleaning duty. She was surprisingly bold, cheerful, and very talkative. Either that or she was trying to talk herself out of trouble the first time that we met,” he continued with his story.

The prince seemed to be speaking quite fondly of her and I could sense that he held the memories of her dear and close to his heart. Although I thought that it was great that the prince had good and warm memories to recall, I couldn’t quite ignore the throbbing pain in my chest that felt like thorns were piercing my heart every time I breathed in and out.

“She sounds like a very nice person. Umm...but how did she become a maid?” I asked curiously.

“Let’s just say that she’s quite unique. As for how she became a maid, well...that’s part of the committee’s creative plan to help the maidens get closer to the princes. Roxanna was assigned to work as a maid in my palace with the aim of catching my attention. Funnily enough, she managed to do exactly that but perhaps not in the way that everyone had hoped for,” the prince said before letting out a laugh.

“Oh...” I murmured.

“That’s how she ended up wearing a maid uniform and walking around in my palace. The committee member probably didn’t count on her lazing off and smoking while hiding in the garden. Apparently, Roxanna wasn’t at all interested in me or any of the princes for that matter,” the prince said before grinning my way.

I was dying to know about their relationship. Although he had told me that she wasn’t interested in him that way, that didn’t quite mean that nothing happened between them, and nothing could explain how she ended up the way that she did.

“What happened after that?” I asked.

“Nothing much happened. We talked randomly on some days when we ran into each other. Well, I guess after running into her a couple of times in the garden, I figured out when she would be hanging around there and smoking. Of course, smoking is prohibited and probably not a trait that is admired in an honorable maiden, but I couldn’t find it in me to stop her,” he explained and once again there was a small smile on his lips when he spoke about her.

“You’re very kind,” I said while meaning it.

“Not really. I feel like I was letting it all slide for my own sake rather than her own. Looking back, perhaps I took some comfort in seeing her acting so rebellious instead of doing the things that everyone wanted her to do. I guess knowing what it’s like to be under pressure all the time, I pitied and understood what she was feeling. I could tell from the look on her face that she was dying to be anywhere else but lurking around on my palace grounds,” he replied.

“Did you become friends?” I asked softly before realizing that I was very scared of his answer.

“Of course, but only because I ended up helping her get cigarettes. It’s not easy for her to get on hands on them, apparently. Honestly, I had Roxanna to thank for keeping me out of trouble. The committee thought that their plan was going well because Roxanna was always in my palace and spending some time with me. It worked well for me because she really wasn’t out to win my favors in any way that would be troubling for me. I thought that if I could keep her around, the committee would leave me alone at least for a while,” he replied.

His answer was so unexpected that I didn’t know what to make of it. Perhaps there really was nothing romantic between them and they were just friends that met under very unexpected circumstances.

“You look so surprised. Were you perhaps expecting something else?” he asked teasingly.

“No. Of course, not...” I replied in a whisper.

“I don’t know what you saw but she’s a good friend of mine. I also feel like I owe her something for helping me although in an indirect way. At least, that’s what I would like to think. I met her more regularly in the gardens and she would tell me things about her life before she agreed to come to the palace. She told me about her work and her younger sister. All we did was talk and we only ever met in the garden and always at the same place,” he said before coming to a pause.

Prince Leonard seemed to hesitate as if he wasn’t sure how to go on with his story about Roxanna. I wanted to help him out, but I wasn’t sure what I could say to ease the troubled look on his face. It was then that I knew that he was about to get the part of the story that would explain where things started to go wrong.

“Well, it would have been nice if people saw it for what it was. Apparently, that wasn’t the case, and it was already too late when I found out all about it. The committee thought that Roxanna was successful in her mission of getting closer to me and getting my attention. I admit that I was careless in the way that I interacted with her. Then again, I didn’t think that the committee was trying desperately to pair me up with one of the maids that was supposed to be working in my palace,” he said before heaving a regretful sigh.

--To be continued...