Serena's POV
An awkward silence hung in the air as we continued down the winding hallways. The little maid beside me seemed shy, occasionally stealing glances at me but saying nothing. The quiet was starting to become a bit too much, and I was itching to get familiar with how things were run here.
“So… I don’t think I caught your name earlier?” I asked in a gentle tone, hoping to ease her nerves.
She glanced up, a bit startled, before giving a small smile. “Ah… yes, it’s Lily,” she replied shyly.
“Lily?” I repeated with a genuine smile. “That’s a beautiful name. My name’s Serena. It’s nice to meet you, Lily.”
Her cheeks flushed a light pink, and she ducked her head, clearly flattered. “Thank you, Miss Serena.”
I smiled, and another awkward silence fell between us. It seemed she wasn’t the talkative type. I sighed. As we walked a little further, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander back to the confrontation I’d just had. I wanted to understand what I was getting myself into here—especially if this was just the beginning.
With a sidelong glance at Lily, I asked, “So… what’s it like for the maids here? How are they treated?”
Lily’s expression dimmed slightly, her smile fading. “It’s… not very good,” she admitted. “Most of the time, we’re invisible. If we stay out of the way and do our work, it’s not terrible. But there are some people…” She trailed off, her eyes darkening with a hint of fear. “Some of the maids here make things difficult. They compete for the attention of the royals and the higher-ups, like the ministers and generals. They think it’ll get them favor or maybe even a promotion.”
I nodded, listening intently. I could tell from her tone that this “competition” was no friendly rivalry. “I take it they’re not exactly kind about it.”
Lily shook her head, sighing. “Not at all. It’s like a constant power struggle. If you get in their way, they make your life miserable.” She hesitated, glancing around as if to make sure no one else was listening. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “But there’s one… one woman you have to be really careful about.”
I furrowed my brows. Somehow, I already had a feeling I knew exactly who Lily was talking about. I leaned forward, keeping my tone light but with an edge of sarcasm.
“Let me guess,” I murmured. “This woman… she wouldn’t happen to have strutted around today in a garish purple dress, would she? The kind that’s about three sizes too tight and looks like it was ripped straight out of a circus performer’s closet?”
Lily's eyes widened in horror, her hand flying to cover her mouth as she stared at me like I’d just spoken the ultimate forbidden curse.
“Serena!” she whispered frantically, looking around as though the woman I was referring to might appear from the shadows at any second. “What are you thinking, talking about Mistress Amelia like that? You can’t say things like that, not here… not ever.” Her voice dropped even lower. “She’s… she’s probably the most wicked and dangerous royal in this entire palace.”
I arched an eyebrow, her reaction only stoking my curiosity. So the witch has a name.
“Amelia, huh? Who exactly is she, then? Besides being a royal pain in everyone’s backside?”
Lily's face scrunched into a horrified expression. She grabbed my arm with a grip surprisingly strong for her stature and dragged me down the dimly lit corridors. She didn’t stop until we reached my room—the one I’d been given for the night. Once we were safely inside, she closed the door with a soft click, pressing her back against it as though bracing against an invisible force.
“Alright,” I said, crossing my arms and giving her a steady look. “We’re in the clear now. Take a breath, Lily. I need you to calm down and tell me everything you know about Amelia. Start from the beginning.”
She inhaled and exhaled several times before steadying herself. Finally, after a long pause, she nodded.
“Alright… alright.” She began quietly. “Amelia didn’t start out in the palace. She was originally from one of the conquered packs—an alliance the Alpha King himself forced after he seized control of their lands. When the packs surrender, they’re required to send brides for him. Amelia was one of them, selected and brought here… a supposed offering to the king.”
I raised an eyebrow, sensing there was much more to this story. “So she was intended as… what, a tribute?”
“Yes,” Lily confirmed. “The Alpha King's tradition is brutal. He marks any bride chosen for him, and if they survive his mark, they’re meant to be wedded to him. So far, no one has ever survived his mark. But Amelia… she managed to avoid that fate. She charmed her way into his inner circle without bearing his mark—a feat that’s… unheard of. Somehow, she manipulated Kaidon into keeping her close, letting her become one of his mistresses instead.”
I gasped. I couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer audacity Amelia must have wielded to make the all-powerful Kaidon bend to her will. Convincing a man like him to let her stay by his side without a mark—that was unheard of, even to me. I wanted to mention that I’d escaped a similar fate myself, that Kaidon had nearly sent me away for being wolfless. But instinct told me to keep that detail to myself.
“When Amelia became his mistress,” Lily continued, her voice dropping even lower, “strange things started happening. The other mistresses—women who had been close to him long before she arrived—they started dying. Sometimes from ‘accidents’ or sudden illnesses. Some simply disappeared overnight. People whispered, said it was Amelia’s doing. They said she was… eliminating her competition.”
I blinked, feeling a chill settle over me. “She just… killed them?”
Lily nodded slowly, her face pale. “That’s the rumor. And it didn’t stop there. Any new mistress he took didn’t last long either. Even maids who showed an ounce of interest in the Alpha… They’d end up dead, or worse, vanish without a trace.”
“What sort of twisted woman was this?” A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered the confrontation with her. This deranged psychopath… already had me in her sights!
I opened my mouth to say something, but before the words left my lips, the door to the room burst open with a force that made us both jump.