Snow's heart was racing as she walked away from the prince's chambers. She couldn't believe she had given her real name to the guard and to the crown prince. What if they found out she wasn't a kitchen maid? What if they came looking for her?
Snow knew that it was risky to reveal her name and bring refreshments to the crown prince, especially since she was not his personal servant. She worried that she might get punished for her actions, but the thought of impressing the prince and earning his favor was too tempting to resist. However, as the days passed by without any news of the prince looking for the new servant, Snow started to feel relieved. Perhaps her actions went unnoticed, and she could continue her job without any trouble.
She knew she was overthinking, but the fear was real. She had to be more careful from now on.
As she made her way back to the kitchen, she realized she had left her duties unattended. The head maid, who was in charge of the kitchen, scolded her as soon as she saw Snow.
"Where have you been, girl? You were supposed to be preparing the ingredients for tonight's dinner," the head maid snapped.
Snow apologized profusely, but the head maid was not satisfied. "You better make it up to me by working twice as hard tonight," she said sternly.
Snow nodded, feeling guilty for letting her personal mission get in the way of her responsibilities.
As she chopped vegetables and stirred pots, her mind wandered back to the prince. She couldn't stop thinking about him, even though she knew it was dangerous.
"He's just a prince," she reminded herself. "I can't risk getting caught."
But even as she tried to focus on her work, her thoughts kept drifting back to the prince's piercing gaze and his sharp features. She couldn't deny the attraction she felt, no matter how hard she tried.
Snow knew she had to be careful, but the pull of the prince was too strong to ignore. She would have to find a way to get closer to him without raising suspicion, no matter what the cost.
Days passed, and Snow went about her duties as usual. She cleaned, cooked, and ran errands for the palace staff. However, her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the crown prince and the slip of her tongue. She couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that he would discover her true identity and punish her for deceiving him.
Snow sat in her small room, her mind racing with thoughts of the crown prince. She couldn't stop thinking about him, about how she could get closer to him.
"How can I seduce him?" she muttered to herself, pacing back and forth. "I need to figure out a way to get into his chambers."
She sat down on her bed, staring off into space. "But how?" she whispered, feeling defeated.
Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. Snow jumped up, her heart racing. She opened the door to find one of the other maids standing there.
"The head maid wants to see you," the maid said, her voice stern.
Snow's heart sank. Had she been caught? Had someone seen her trying to sneak into the prince's chambers?
She followed the maid down the hall and into the head maid's office. The head maid sat at her desk, looking up at Snow with a disapproving gaze.
"What is it, Head Maid?" Snow asked, trying to sound innocent.
The head maid didn't say anything at first, just continued to stare at Snow. Finally, she spoke.
"You have been neglecting your duties, Snow," she said, her voice sharp. "You were supposed to clean the west wing this morning, but I received a report that you were nowhere to be found."
I did my duties but I forgot that I was assigned in the west wing.
Snow's heart sank even further. She had been so distracted by thoughts of the crown prince that she had forgotten about her duties.
"I'm sorry, Head Maid," Snow said, bowing her head. "It won't happen again."
The head maid sighed. "I hope not. We can't have any slackers here at the palace."
Snow nodded, feeling ashamed. She couldn't let her infatuation with the crown prince get in the way of her duties as a maid. But at the same time, she couldn't stop thinking about him.
As Snow was making her way towards the west wing, she spotted the guard who had lent her a mirror during her arrival here. He smirked as he saw her and teased, "Still daydreaming about becoming a princess, I see?"
Snow rolled her eyes, feeling annoyed by the guard's constant teasing. "As if," she replied with a scoff. "I have better things to do than fantasize about impossible dreams."
The guard chuckled, clearly enjoying Snow's reaction. "Oh, really? Like what?"
"Like my duties as a maid," Snow retorted, hoping to shut down any further teasing.
But the guard wasn't deterred. "Duties, huh? Sounds thrilling," he said with a smirk. "You must be getting close to the crown prince then."
Snow's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the crown prince, but she tried to play it cool. "What makes you say that?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
The guard shrugged nonchalantly. "Just a hunch. And don't tell me you're getting feelings for me now," he added, winking at her.
Snow pretended to gag at the thought. "Ugh, please. I'd rather eat dirt," she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
The guard laughed, clearly amused by Snow's reaction. "You're a feisty one, I'll give you that. What's your name, by the way?"
Snow hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should reveal her real name. But then she decided to take a risk. "Snow," she said finally. "My name is Snow."
The guard raised an eyebrow at her, looking surprised. "Snow, huh? That's a pretty name. Well, Snow, I'll see you around," he said with a grin, before walking away.
Why did he ask for my name? From what I can remember, during my first day here at the palace, he called me 'Snow'.
Maybe... not?
However, Snow stopped the guard and asked, "Excuse me, I don't think I caught your name earlier. What is it?"
I need to be close to someone and gather more details.
The guard flashed her a playful smile. "I'm Marcus," he replied.
"Nice to meet you, Marcus. So, what brings you here again?" Being friendly with him makes me want to puke.
"I'm one of the palace guards," Marcus said, gesturing to his uniform. "I'm in charge of training the crown prince in combat and defense. You know, making sure he can protect himself and all that."
Snow raised an eyebrow. "Really? So you must be quite skilled."
Marcus chuckled. "I'd like to think so. But don't worry, I won't let the prince get hurt on my watch."
Snow couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as she thought about Marcus training the crown prince. It seemed like he was getting closer to her goal than she was.
"Well, I better get going," Marcus said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "I wouldn't want to keep you from your duties."
Snow nodded and started to walk away, but then paused and turned back to him. "Hey, Marcus, do you think you could help me with something?"
"Why? You falling for me?" he said teasingly.
Out of all people, why do I think he's the one who can help me? He looks stupid, though.
Snow smiled and rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, Marcus," she said, "I just need a little favor."
Marcus chuckled. "Sure, what do you need?"
"I'm just wondering if you could give me some tips on how to be a good servant," Snow said, trying to keep her tone casual.
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know that?"
Snow shrugged, trying to play it off. "Oh, you know, just curious. I want to make sure I'm doing everything right."
Marcus studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Well, I suppose I could give you some pointers. But you have to promise to take it seriously."
Snow nodded eagerly. "Of course, I will."
And so, Marcus began to give her advice on everything from how to carry a tray to how to bow properly. Snow listened intently, trying to absorb every bit of information he gave her. But all the while, she couldn't help but think about how she could use this knowledge to get closer to the crown prince.