The world seemed to slow down. The tray in Ishu's hands tilted, and the bowl of scalding soup began its arc toward my lap.
Theodore reached for his knife, Wayne jumped to his feet, and Arwin gasped—but they were all a second too slow. They were too busy being "powerful men" to actually be useful.
Suddenly, a hand shot out.
Mia, despite her sling and her bruised shoulder, lunged forward. She caught the edge of the tray with her good hand, tilting it back. The soup splashed, but it hit the floor and the hem of Mia's own apron instead of my skin.
"Careful!" Mia hissed, her voice sharp with protective anger.
God... if Mia were a man, I would have fallen into her arms and acted like the delicate lady everyone wants me to be. But it wasn't the time for that.
Ishu fell to her knees, her face a mask of practiced terror. "I—I'm so sorry! My Lady, please! I just slipped, the floor was so slick—"
Arwin was the first to move toward her. Not to punish her, but to play the part of the "Merciful Prince." He reached down and placed a hand on Ishu's shoulder, helping her up. "Easy now, little one. It was an accident. No harm was done to my beloved, thanks to this... brave maid."
Surely, what an asshole.
He gave Ishu a lingering, charming smile—the kind he used on the daughters of high-ranking dukes. To him, it was just a performance. But I saw Ishu's face. Her eyes widened, her breath hitched, and a faint blush crept up her neck. In her mind, the Prince hadn't just helped her up; he had chosen her. She looked at him with a frightening level of devotion.
Is she blind? Can't she see it's an act? It wasn't like she was the only one to ever fall for his charms, but the poor thing looked truly delusional.
I stood up, the legs of my chair screeching against the stone floor. The three men looked at me, expecting gratitude or perhaps a scolding.
"Look at you three," I said, my voice dripping with cold mockery. "A Duke, a General, and a Prince. You all sat there and watched a bowl of soup fall. Were you waiting for it to hit me? Did you think that if I got burned, you could finally act as my savior?"
I looked at Mia, who was already wiping the floor, ignoring her own pain.
"Mia, leave it," I commanded gently. "Go to the kitchen, get a fresh tray, and bring it to my room. I'm not eating in a room full of incompetent 'protectors' and clumsy Baronesses."
"Iris, wait—" Arwin started, reaching for me.
"Don't," I snapped, not even looking back. "I'm going to my room. If anyone follows me, I'll consider it an act of war."
I walked out of the hall, feeling the weight of four pairs of eyes on my back. Wayne looked ashamed, Theodore looked impressed by my sharp tongue, and Arwin looked frustrated.
But it was Ishu's gaze that burned the most.
She wasn't looking at me with fear anymore. She was looking at the spot where the Prince had touched her shoulder, a manic smile playing on her lips. Just what is going on in that little head of hers?
Once I was back in the chamber, Mia followed a moment later with the soup. She set the table and began to grumble as I started to eat.
"My Lady... I don't like that girl."
Her words made me pause. Mia had never offered her judgment of anyone to me so bluntly. "Why is that?"
"Yesterday, I caught her talking to the Young Master. She was even peeking at you while you were being examined. I saw her again late at night. She even came to me this morning, asking why I was the one staying the night."
I hummed, sipping the soup. So, the little girl thinks she can step ahead of me? It will be interesting to see how she tries.
As the sun began to set, the door creaked. Wayne had come to visit.