She forced a polite smile onto her face before turning around, only to find the prince already dressed in loose black trousers and a shirt, his damp hair tousled as he ran a cloth through it. His eyes narrowed slightly, as though he were studying her.
"Would you like anything else, Your Highness?" Lilith asked, keeping her tone even.
Hades exhaled, his lips curving into a smile. "No, that will be all."
Relieved, Lilith lowered her head in a respectful bow and turned toward the door. Just as her fingers grazed the doorknob, his voice stopped her.
"Oh, silly me." His tone dripped with feigned innocence. "I almost forgot, my laundry basket. My clothes need washing and drying."
Lilith turned slowly, following the direction of his outstretched hand, only for her stomach to drop. The basket was overflowing with clothes, more than thirty pieces, spilling onto the floor.
"They're not too many," Hades mused, his smirk deepening at her reaction. "I'm sure you'll be done before afternoon."
Lilith clenched her jaw, her fingers tightening around the door's handle as she forced herself to keep her expression neutral. "Very well, Your Highness," she murmured, gathering the clothes and hoisting the basket up.
As she turned toward the door once more, she could feel his eyes on her, reveling in her frustration. Gods, she wanted to shove him out the nearest window.
Lilith made her way down the stairs to the back of the building, where the sound of soft laughter, chatter, and splashing water filled the air. The sharp scent of soap mixed with the morning breeze, creating an oddly comforting atmosphere, until she stepped closer.
The moment the other maids noticed her, their smiles faded, and hushed whispers spread between them. Lilith felt their gazes shift toward her, cold and unwelcoming. She mustered a nervous smile, but it was met with nothing but hard stares and thinly veiled hostility. It was clear, they did not want her there.
Before she could react, a firm hand suddenly gripped her arm, making her nearly drop the overflowing basket. She turned sharply, startled, only to meet the familiar face of one of the maids who had prepared her bath the day before.
"You startled me," Lilith breathed, steadying herself.
The woman smiled, something softer than the expressions of the others, though still reserved. She seemed to be in a better mood than when they first met.
"Forgive me, that wasn't my intention," the maid said, her eyes flicking to the large pile of clothes in Lilith's arms. "Come, I'll show you where you can wash these."
Before Lilith could respond, the woman gently pulled her along, guiding her to a quieter, more secluded part of the backyard. The area was shaded, separated from the others, with two wooden tubs and a small stool nearby.
"This is where I wash," the maid explained, setting down the basket for Lilith. "I like the privacy."
"Thank you," Lilith said, setting the heavy basket down on the gravelled ground. She hesitated for a moment before offering a small, awkward smile. "I'm Lilith."
The woman turned to her with a knowing look. "I know. We haven't been properly introduced, though." She wiped her damp hands on her apron before offering a faint smile. "My name is Fiona. Nice to meet you again."
"Nice to meet you, Fiona," Lilith replied, watching as Fiona filled buckets with water and added soap.
A question lingered on her mind, and after a brief pause, she finally asked, "Umm… what's with the other maids? They didn't exactly seem thrilled to see me."
Fiona glanced at her before returning to her task. "They are not," she admitted bluntly. "They always get jealous when someone new arrives. And, well… you made quite an impression at the ball."
Lilith's lips pressed into a thin line. "Oh," she whispered.
"What you did was brave," Fiona continued, her voice lower this time. "Most of them wish they had been the one to expose Lady Cassidy and save the prince. That way, they would've been rewarded instead." She let out a dry chuckle. "Not that I understand why anyone would want to be his personal maid."
Lilith exhaled sharply, folding her arms. "That's unfortunate because, in my case, it's more of a punishment. That madman is the last person I want to be around. He's strange and completely unhinged, to be ho..."
Before she could finish, Fiona's eyes widened in alarm, and in an instant, her hand clamped over Lilith's mouth, muffling the rest of her words.
"Do you want a death sentence, or are you simply stupid?" Fiona hissed, her voice laced with fear and urgency. "No one speaks ill of the prince. Anyone could have heard you, and you would have been punished brutally. The prince is not a forgiving man."
Slowly, she pulled her hand away from Lilith's mouth, her sharp gaze searching for any sign of understanding.
"I—I… forgive me," Lilith stammered, Fiona's words settling heavily on her chest.
"Now you do know," Fiona said in a hushed tone. "We might not be friends, but I don't want to see you dead anytime soon." She straightened, eyeing the basket of clothes before giving Lilith a pointed look. "Are you going to stand there all day, or are you actually going to wash these?"
Without waiting for an answer, Fiona crouched beside the tub, rolling up her sleeves and dropping the first piece of clothing into the soapy water.
Lilith hesitated before a small smile formed on her lips. Lifting her dress to her knees, she secured it carefully to keep it from getting wet, then stepped into the tub. Grabbing a washboard, she turned to Fiona with curiosity.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked, genuinely surprised.
Fiona shrugged, scrubbing a cloth against the board. "You look like you could use some help. Besides, I have nothing better to do right now."
Lilith studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Thank you," she said sincerely, appreciating the small kindness in an otherwise unwelcoming place.
Minutes passed in silence, the only sounds being the rhythmic scrubbing and the occasional splash of water. The atmosphere was calm, but something about the quiet felt too heavy. Wanting to lighten the mood, Lilith glanced at Fiona and decided to break the silence.
"So...how long have you been working here?" Lilith questioned.
"I've been here quite a while, ten years," Fiona said, rinsing out a tunic. "My mother worked as a cook for years until she had an accident and couldn't work anymore. The prince gave my sister and me jobs as maids, and he actually pays us enough to take care of her."
Lilith paused mid-scrub, raising a brow. "You make it sound like the prince is a generous and kind man."
Fiona let out a small chuckle, shaking her head. "I wouldn't go that far. I don't see or interact with the prince enough to judge him myself. All I know is what I've heard from others. But he's never shown cruelty toward my sister or me."
Lilith frowned, her mind struggling to reconcile Fiona's words with her own experiences. Who was the prince, truly? Was his callousness just a mask? She found that hard to believe. He was too good at being cruel, and the way he had slaughtered those women at the ball… it was monstrous.
Shaking off the unsettling thoughts, she focused back on Fiona, deciding to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Have you ever thought about life outside of Valyron?" Lilith asked, wringing out a shirt.
"Not at all. I like it here," Fiona said with a small shrug. "I make enough money to live comfortably with my family, what more could I wish for? Besides, Valyron is a beautiful kingdom. The prince does a good job maintaining law and order, and Valyronians are peaceful people."
Lilith watched as Fiona expertly scrubbed a tunic against the washboard, while she herself had barely managed to wash four garments. Fiona's hands worked swiftly, showing years of practice, while Lilith struggled to keep up.
As they worked, another thought nagged at Lilith. She hadn't heard anyone mention the king. If the prince's father was alive, wouldn't he be the one ruling? And if he wasn't, then why wasn't Hades officially the king?
She hesitated before asking, "What about the king? No one ever speaks of him."
For a brief moment, silence settled between them. Fiona's hands stilled, her gaze shifting slightly before she stepped out of the tub and into another.
"You ask a lot of questions, Lilith," she said quietly. Then, lowering her voice, she added, "Just a piece of advice, don't. Keep your curiosity to yourself, or you might end up in serious trouble."
Lilith swallowed hard, Fiona's words sending a shiver down her spine. Something about the way she spoke made it clear, It was a warning, one she would be a fool to ignore.