Chapter 37: Back to the Palace

Laurel’s heart burned with anger though Alice whined about not going with Adolph. She had never been so angry with Adolph as she was then. It was almost hatred boiling in her blood and mingling with her hatred for Basil.
Rude, unreasonable, arrogant, high-handed: they were just alike. Like father, like son.
Allice was full-on upset as she got Eden back to the inn they were staying in. The day had started horrible and only seemed to get worse. First her parents, then Adolph of all people. She worried her lip thinking of Eden’s injuries.
“I’m so sorry for dragging you into this and getting you hurt.”
“What do you mean?”
“It's because of me that you got hurt. Do you need to go to the doctor?”
Eden shook his head, “I’ll be fine.”
“But—”
“I just need to rest for a while, and I’ll be fine,” he grinned. “I told you I’m tougher than you’d think.”
She chuckled a little bit as they neared the inn.
“…So, he's the king?”
“Have you never seen him?”
He shook his head, “He was never around when I went to the castle before the end of the war.”
Laurel scoffed, feeling silly. Of course, Eden would have never seen him. Adolph had been on the front lines for the past four years.
He looked at her with a curious expression and she could almost hear the questions he wanted to ask.
“What is it?”
“You don't look... like someone who has that kind of relationship with the king…”
Laurel laughed a little sadly at his words. She was pretty sure he meant that she didn’t seem to be the type to be the king’s mistress. She was glad that he was skeptical about it, but it still stung that it had come to mind at all.
“No, of course, I'm not.”
Eden flushed, “Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. You seem like a very capable... and independent girl. I hope you get to enjoy your youth and do what you want to do and always be happy. Not like today when you spent most of the day crying…”
He touched Laurel's face gently, his grey eyes gazing at her as if they held some kind of magic that made her heart flutter. Her face warmed with bashfulness.
“T-Thank you. H-Have a good rest.”
He nodded and drew away from her slowly before retreating into his room. Laurel turned swiftly and hurried down the hall to her room.
With the door closed, she sighed and thought back to her day with Eden. She liked him, she realized. He was gentle and kind. Sure, he wasn’t her mate, but she could be happy without a mate, couldn’t she?
“Laurel?”
She looked up, pulled from her thoughts. Sarah was sitting at the table, seemingly waiting for her.
“Oh, Sarah. Hi.”
“Are you okay?” Sarah asked looking at her as she crossed the room. She sunk into the chair. “What happened?”
She winced, “Well… Eden found Mr. and Mrs. Hamiltion… You were right they’re horrible people.”
She gasped, “Did they speak to you?”
“No,” she shook her head. “They just got into a fight outside of a run-down inn while talking about the late luna… They were blaming her for their misfortune.”
Sarah flushed, “Those… I can’t believe such a nice person could have come from such terrible people. They didn’t deserve to have her as a daughter!”
Laurel smiled, “You’re very kind, Sarah.”
Sarah smiled, “I’m sorry that you had to see them like that.”
She shrugged, “You did sort of warn me.”
The most important thing was that her suspect list had been cut down. She wasn’t sure about cutting Delia off completely, but she was more certain that it was likely Basil who had killed her, but how was she going to get close enough to him to get him to admit it?
Going back to the castle was the only option, and since Adolph had all but ordered her to report to the castle while she worked for him, she supposed her only hope was to use her time at the castle to try and run into Basil and goad him into admitting to the crime.

********
The next morning, while she and Sarah were eating breakfast, Sam and Lynn came to pick up Laurel to go to the castle. Sarah smiled bashfully at Sam and he seemed just as entranced by the sight of her. He greeted her kindly with a tilt of his head.
“Good Morning, Miss Sarah.”
“Good morning,” she said sweetly. Lynn rolled his eyes as Laurel smiled at them.
“Sam, will you stay with Sarah?”
Sarah flushed and stared at her wide-eyed as she slipped out of her chair. Sam took her seat beside Sarah.
“It would be my honor.”
Lynn chuckled as they laughed, “That Sam…”
Laurel shook her head and nudged him, “Don’t be like that. They’re sweet.” Laurel asked Sam to stay with Sarah, and then she followed Lynn back to the castle.
“It’s good to have you back in the castle!” Lynn cheered as they approached the castle gates. She didn’t hesitate at the stairs, though she felt herself grow tense as she walked through the gates.
“Is it?”
He groaned, “You don't know how angry the king was when he came back yesterday and found out you weren't here! He punished all the maids and ordered that the prince's wife be locked up for a whole day!”
Laurel considered it a fitting punishment since Delia liked to wander around the palace and terrorize innocent people. While she was glad that Adolph handled the situation, she couldn’t find it in her to look kindly upon him. She knew he was a ruthless man, but it was so disappointing to see him succumb to his instincts and hurt Eden like that...
She turned away from the thoughts of Adolph as she was supposed to be focusing on justice and getting away from the Imperial City and the Raymond family as soon as possible.
They turned a corner, passing an old maid carrying a large barrel of wine. She barely grunted a greeting as they passed, Laurel assumed that she was struggling with the barrel too much to give a proper greeting. She stumbled and swayed.
“Let me help you,” Laurel said approaching her.
The old maid lifted her face with a sneer and Laurel stepped back recognizing the woman.
It was Tina.
“I don’t want your help,” Tina hissed. “Haven’t you done enough, girl?”
Laurel stepped back further as the barrel wobbled and pulled Tina off balance and tossed her to the ground. Laurel looked down at her. She thought of Sarah and wondered if she had been forced to carry such heavy things on her own.
“Why is Tina carrying wine barrels?”
“I heard that she was sentenced to work in the kitchen,” Lynn said. “She is no longer the head maid.”
Tina hissed at her and kicked out like a child throwing a tantrum, “It's all your fault! How dare you come back, you wretched girl!”
Lynn snarled and stepped between them, glaring down at Tina, “Watch your words, maid!”
Tina broke into a sob, “It’s not fair! I’ve been the head maid! I was nanny to the prince. I—I—”
She banged her hand on the floor and Laurel watched her sob without any remorse or sympathy. She remembered the days Laura would hide in her room and cry in frustration because of Tina’s actions. She remembered Sarah’s recounting of how she suffered at the woman’s hands after Laura died.
She had been the head maid and trusted by the prince, but she had been cruel. She had always been the head maid and was feared and respected by the whole castle.
To see her now, carrying barrels, dirty from her toil and sobbing, and scolded by a soldier, Laurel thought it was the justice she had earned.
She looked down at Tina disdainfully. To think that she called Laurel a disgrace to the castle, and Laura unworthy of being married to Basil. A little malicious part of her wanted to laugh. How had she found Tina so terrifying before? Seeing her acting like a toddler, made her feel a bit embarrassed about how easily she had given up in all her confrontations with Tina in her past life.
She almost wished that she had slapped Tina more than once before leaving the castle.
“Let’s go,” Laurel said and turned down the corridor. “This doesn’t concern me.”
Lynn agreed, walking past her as Basil and Delia rounded the corner ahead. Laurel didn’t want to stop and talk, but she stopped anyway as Delia looked at Tina sitting on the ground and sobbing. She gasped and rushed past Laurel to Tina’s side to pull her into her arms and cast a hateful glare at Laurel. There was concern in her eyes for Tina before malice scrunched her features into a scornful sneer.
Laurel thought of the last time they saw one another and how Delia had sent her into her memories. She clenched her fist and turned away from her to face Basil who seemed at a loss for words as he looked at Tina and Delia.
“You horrible girl!” Delia shouted. “How can you bully Tina?”