The King's Lover-Chapter 533: Getting Her Maids

When Rose heard a knock, she had a brush to her hair as she stood in front of her dresser. She carefully placed the brush on the top of the dresser and opened the golden box.

She wore the crown and placed the signet ring on her gloved finger. She looked at her reflection one last time, making sure she looked like the queen she was.

Then she marched towards the door with her chin in the air. She pulled it open, meeting face to torso with the huge man.

"Your Majesty," he bowed, and even then she had to tilt her head back to see his face. "You called."

"Yes," she stated and walked past him. "I need you to come with me to the servants’ quarters. I need to get my maids."

"Very well," Maximus replied as he followed after her.

He didn’t ask any questions, as Rose suspected he wouldn’t. She had thought about doing it herself, but Maximus’s presence would speed things up, and she most especially didn’t want to involve the King.

Which meant she had to get this done before it was time for breakfast. Rose didn’t have any clue what this was about, but something told her she wouldn’t like it.

She grabbed the hem of her skirt and briskly walked down the stairs. Rose marched towards the servant quarters, she knew her way there. She could even find it in the dark, as she had done several times before but things were different now.

Servants moved out of the way as she approached; they bowed, but mostly she could hear whispers as she passed them. Rose didn’t ask questions until she came to the servants’ quarters.

It wasn’t any different from the last time she was here. It wasn’t as exquisite as the main castle, and it was really built like a weird attachment to the sides. The walls were different—darker, smaller—and the ceilings lower.

Servants eyed her oddly as they went about doing their duties, but none were disrespectful. However, Rose didn’t see any respect in their eyes, only fear, and she was certain Maximus had something to do with that.

"You," Rose called, stopping a maid who was running past with a laundry basket.

"Y-yes," she stammered.

Rose wasn’t sure why she looked familiar. "You know Chelsy and Isla, right? Where are they?"

"I don’t know," she mumbled, sounding as though she was on the verge of tears.

Rose frowned. Welma had said the same thing, and she had a feeling she would get the same response from the rest of the maids, especially with the way they looked at her. Fear didn’t hide their contempt.

"Where is Madame Edith?" She changed her tactic.

The maid looked hesitant, but only for a moment, before she mumbled, "The Royal kitchen. May I l-leave please?"

"Sure," Rose said, and she scampered off. Then the memory hit: she was one of Martha’s goons, but it was irrelevant now. Martha hadn’t been a problem for a long time.

"Do you know where to find the kitchen?"

Rose was startled when she heard the question. It was so odd to hear a question from him, especially one where he had to take the initiative.

"Yes, I know my way around here well enough." She had never been to the Royal kitchen, but Rose knew where to find it.

Rose turned and walked down the hall, startling the poor maids, but she didn’t care. Her maids were somewhere, and none of them wanted to tell her anything. Surely, they must all know why she was here.

The Royal kitchen was close to the servants’ quarters, but it wasn’t in the servants’ quarters, and it had a full section for itself. Not only was it the kitchen but it was also the pantry and the food store for the castle.

Rose smelled it before she saw the dark door that led into the kitchen. It wasn’t known if the door was originally black, or if smoke and soot had tainted it for so long that it was now black. No amount of cleaning could ever get any of the stain out.

The door suddenly opened, and a servant stepped out of it. The poor servant nearly lost their footing at the sight of them.

"What are you doing here?" a stern voice yelled from inside the huge kitchen.

Rose was surprised she recognized the voice. It had been a while since she heard it. "I don’t suppose that’s how you’ll speak to me," Rose said and stepped into the kitchen.

It was hot, and smoke floated through the space. It was huge, bigger than the dining room that was often used. Rose realized she had never been inside the Royal kitchen before.

The cooks worked hard on the stove that held a pot big enough to fit a child, and there were three different pots of that same size. Servants ran about while Madame Edith oversaw everything.

She stood close to the door and saw Rose as soon as she entered, but didn’t see Maximus. She was about to respond when Maximus walked into the space with her. Even in the large kitchen, the giant dominated the space.

Madame Edith bowed immediately, as did all the servants. Rose frowned. She was slightly annoyed, but it was expected. She would be able to exercise authority without Maximus, but she would most likely have to force it.

The crown on her head meant they had to obey, but it didn’t mean that they were choosing to do so, and she hoped that was something that would change soon.

For now, she was queen but only by hearsay. The King had not made any official announcement, and Rose understood her position.

"I have no plans to waste your time or interrupt whatever is going on here. I am simply here for my maids. Where are they?"

"Your maids? I don’t recall you having maids."

Rose touched her temple, but she could exercise patience. They both knew she had the upper hand here. "Chelsy and Isla. They have served me every morning. It isn’t possible that you are unaware of this."

"I am aware, and I do not know where they are."

Rose looked at the older woman and said, "I find it very unlikely that you would be that incompetent." Rose stared her right in the face.

Maximus took a step forward, and Madame Edith took a step back. "I-I t-think they may have angered the Queen. They ruined her dresses during laundry, and she threw them in the dungeons."

"When?!"

"Last night."