Chapter 26: Chapter 26

KAMORA

The past five days under Claudia’s tutelage had been nothing short of intense for Kamora. If she’d ever doubted that Claudia disliked her, those doubts had now vanished.

Every day, before the sun rose and again just before bed, Claudia demanded that Kamora wake early to practice what felt like endless etiquette drills. Kamora was fairly certain most of it wasn’t necessary—Claudia seemed to assign extra tasks purely out of spite.

The only silver lining was that she went to bed utterly exhausted, which spared her from the usual nightmares. Still, she wished her sleep could last just a little longer.

At last, the day of the playdate arrived. Kamora hadn’t seen Lord Maroke in nearly two weeks, and even Jarosh was beginning to show signs of concern, though he did his best to mask it.

Her anxiety over whether Lord Maroke was angry with her had taken a back seat to a much bigger fear: going to the palace. She’d never imagined she would ever step foot inside, and the thought filled her with both excitement and dread.

Jarosh had once mentioned that the princess had an unusual obsession with his father—though how he knew that, he never said.

“She is always inviting him for one strange event or another, and he is always declining,” he had told her just the previous day as they were going over what to expect.

“But at least she likes you,” Kamora had said. “For her to invite you to such an activity.”

“I don’t think so,” Jarosh had answered, waving the thought away. “I am sure she hopes that I will be the one to bring her and my father closer, but that will never happen. There is something strange about her.”

He shivered dramatically. “I do not like her one bit.”

“You don’t even know her very well.”

“Never underestimate my intuition, Kamora,” Jarosh said, smugly. “In most cases, I am always right.”

And she did believe that.

The both of them were currently in Jarosh’s room. Jarosh was seated atop his bed while Kamora stood next to him.

Claudia was also present, giving them an intense series of lectures about the proper way to act in the palace.

“Kamora, you have the opportunity that so many maids in this manor have never been afforded. Use it wisely, and don’t bring our name to shame. The same goes for you, my lord,” she said, facing him.

“You are the young lord of the Maroke manor. All your actions will reflect the greatness of this house. You mustn’t do anything that might taint that name.”

Jarosh sighed dryly. “I understand.”

Claudia, who fortunately had finally run out of things to say, stood straight with her hands folded in front of her. “The carriage awaits you both downstairs,” she said.

Jarosh stood up happily and quickly held onto Kamora’s hand. “Let’s go!”

“Before you do that,” Claudia said suddenly, stopping them.

She slowly came forward, her gaze aimed directly at Kamora and Jarosh’s joined hand. “I have to tell you that this form of relationship, this ~closeness~ between you two should not be shown in the palace.”

“Why not?” Jarosh asked, getting defensive.

“Because it is not proper. Do not forget her place, my lord. She may mean so much to you, but in the end, she is just a maid, a servant of the Maroke manor.”

Though Claudia’s words held truth, Kamora couldn’t stop the sharp sting of hurt that pierced through her at the harshness of her tone. The slight tremble in Jarosh’s small arm revealed that he, too, felt the weight of Claudia’s words—perhaps even more deeply than she did.

Sensing that the situation could spiral quickly, Kamora gently removed her hand from his and mustered a smile. “I’ll do well to remember my place,” she said simply.

Claudia gave her a pointed stare, then left the room without another word.

Kamora faced the young lord. “Come, my lord. Let’s go.”

“Don’t feel sad about what she said,” Jarosh spoke gently, trying to comfort her. “Even if others see you that way, I certainly don’t.”

The ache Kamora had felt moments ago melted beneath the sudden, overwhelming warmth that surged through her. This—this was why she could never bring herself to leave the Maroke manor.

She adored the young lord far too much.

A bright smile lit up her face as she leaned in and playfully pinched the tip of his nose. “You are my favorite person too.”

A shy blush crept up Jarosh’s ears, and Kamora had to resist the urge to tease him further. With a playful smile, she simply said, “Let’s go.”

They left the room together and made their way down the stairs, passing the long hallway lined with portraits of Maroke ancestors.

When they reached the entrance, they were surprised to find Greyson already waiting for them—alongside Claudia, whose expression was still tightly drawn into a frown.

“Safe journey, my lord,” he said, bowing slightly to Jarosh.

He then stood straight and gave a single nod to Kamora, who bowed in return.

“My father,” Jarosh said meekly, “does he know I am leaving?”

“He does,” Greyson said, his tone turning gentle. “He apologizes for how he hasn’t had time for you and promises to make it up to you. He also wishes you a safe journey and hopes you have fun.”

Jarosh gave a single nod before heading toward the carriage. Kamora followed close behind.

Once they were both seated and the carriage began to move, Kamora noticed that the young lord seemed unusually quiet. His spirits were noticeably low.

“My lord, is something bothering you?” she asked.

“Do you think my father is avoiding me again?”

“I don’t think so,” Kamora said gently. “He really might be swamped with work.”

Seeing that he was still sad, Kamora then said, “How about this: when we return, we pay him a surprise visit. What do you say?”

“Okay,” Jarosh answered, smiling softly.