In a quiet corner of the castle, Karsanna yanked Phil aside, lowered her voice, and spoke with a trace of mockery.
“Phil, what were you spacing out for just now?”
“I…”
“Looks like you’ve forgotten why we’re here,” she said, her eyes narrowing at Phil. “Our plan was to embarrass Su Ling in front of the princess, wasn’t it?”
Phil tensed at the words. She didn’t want Karsanna to notice her hesitation, so she forced a retort.
“Of course I haven’t forgotten! Didn’t I just teach her the wrong etiquette?”
“But when Su Ling gave you that shabby little thing, you almost blew our entire plan!” Karsanna sneered, clearly unconvinced. Leaning in close, she whispered coldly, “Phil, we’re in this together. Don’t let that little girl fool you.”
Phil was conflicted. She truly didn’t want to go back on her agreement with Karsanna. Gritting her teeth, she forced a calm expression.
“I know the plan. Don’t worry. I’m not going to change my mind over something so trivial.”
“You’d better not!”
Karsanna scrunched the rabbit doll into a ball and tossed it aside. Phil stood still, ears drooping, watching silently as it landed.
Her eyes lingered on the doll. She stood frozen for a long moment, unable to bring herself to pick it up.
“Phil, were you looking for me this morning?”
A deep male voice interrupted her thoughts. Phil looked up sharply, alert.
Standing at the far end of the corridor was the old butler, Saipan, dressed neatly in a black tailcoat.
“M-Mr. Saipan… Yes, I wanted to apply to be Su Ling’s training mentor…”
Saipan raised the application in his hand, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lined lips.
“I know. Which is why I have something I need you to do.”
“You mean…”
“It’s about Su Ling,” he said, his eyes flashing with an icy glint.
Meanwhile, Su Ling was in the hallway of the Hailuosen Castle, gently wiping the windows with a rag. Her eyes occasionally drifted toward the birds hopping happily on the tree branches outside.
She thought back to the morning etiquette lesson with Phil. Though Phil always had a stern face, every move and every word of hers was etched into Su Ling’s memory.
Phil didn’t seem as prideful as Tii had described. Maybe, in time, the other maids would slowly begin to accept her.
Splash—
Suddenly, Su Ling’s hand slipped, and some water sloshed out of her bucket. She looked down and saw that the water had become dirty. With a sigh, she picked up the bucket to get fresh water.
The path to the water reservoir passed by the trash disposal area. Out of habit, Su Ling took the usual route—but what she saw near the garbage bin made her freeze.
“This is…”
That little rabbit doll she had sewn with her own hands was lying quietly in the trash bin. The once-pale pink ears were now dull and grimy.
Su Ling stood motionless. She remembered clearly—it was the gift she had made to thank Phil for teaching her etiquette. It had taken her two whole nights to complete. She never thought it would be discarded like this.
She crouched down and gently retrieved the doll. Its ears were worn, and its body was stained.
Letting out a small sigh, she brushed off the dirt.
Maybe… I’ll never really fit in with the other maids here.
She hugged the bunny tightly to her chest and lifted her gaze to the sky, where the birds continued to sing cheerfully.
“What are you doing here?”
A quiet voice came from behind. Still lost in her emotions, Su Ling didn’t turn around.
“It’s nothing… I’m just feeling a bit down. I’ll get back to work right away.”
“Down?”
This time, Su Ling turned—and froze at the sight of the person before her.
Standing there was Sista.
Even in casual clothes, she exuded a distinct, icy grace. Her jet-black hair flowed like silk over her shoulders, and her deep crimson eyes glinted beneath it.
She looked at the ragged bunny doll in Su Ling’s hands, her brows slightly furrowed.
“That doll—is it yours?” Sista asked in her usual emotionless tone.
Su Ling nodded, flustered.
“Then why is it here?”
“Because…”
Su Ling knew she couldn’t mention Phil or Karsanna’s names—not to Sista. Reporting them would only cause unnecessary trouble.
“N-no reason… Maybe someone accidentally threw it away,” Su Ling forced a smile. “I’ll just wash it and take it back—Your Highness, do you need anything?”
“Heh.”
Sista immediately saw through her lie. She glanced at the doll.
“It still has a gift ribbon. You meant to give it as a present, didn’t you?”
“I…”
Sista clearly had no intention of letting the matter go. She stepped forward, her piercing gaze locked onto Su Ling.
Su Ling felt an invisible pressure weighing down on her. She instinctively stepped back, trying to stay calm, but those cold red eyes held her completely.
Sista drew closer—so close Su Ling could faintly smell the light fragrance on her clothes.
“I know what you’re thinking. Every maid in this castle has her own agenda. Just focus on your own work—why care so much about their opinions?”
Saying this, Sista suddenly reached out and took the bunny doll from Su Ling’s hands, inspecting it closely.
“Tch. It’s terribly made. You didn’t even trim the threads,” she commented flatly.
“Whatever. I’ll take it.”
“Your Highness?”
Huh? What’s going on?
Su Ling widened her eyes in shock. She never expected the aloof princess to take interest in such a dirty little doll. She looked at Sista cautiously—but Sista seemed completely serious.
“What? Don’t want to give it to me?” Sista raised a brow.
“N-no, it’s just that it’s filthy… If Your Highness likes it, I can make you a better one…”
“No. I want this one.”Sista’s tone was commanding and final—her usual way of giving orders.
“I understand…”
Su Ling stood in a daze, watching as Sista gently patted the dust off the doll as if she didn’t mind that it had just been picked from a garbage bin. It looked completely out of place in her refined hands.
“I’ll be taking this. Go finish your chores.”
Su Ling nervously responded and turned to leave. Just as she turned, she heard Sista’s voice softly behind her:
“If you keep being this defenseless, this castle won’t tolerate you for long.”
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