I wanted to spend the day learning more about the castle byt I had no idea where I was going to.
Not with how people were giving me strange looks.
Down to the maids who came to my room to clean. They were all whispering amongst each other.
The whispers started small, faint murmurs that I could barely make out as I walked through the palace halls.
At first, I thought I was imagining it the quick glances, the half hidden smirks, the way conversations stopped the moment I entered a room.
But then, the rumors grew louder.
“She’s the one who killed that councilman, you know,” one of the maids said loudly as I passed by the kitchens. Her voice carried, sharp and biting, and I froze just out of sight.
“I heard it wasn’t just the councilman,” another chimed in, her tone conspiratorial “She killed her own friend too. Olivia, wasn’t it? The healer? They said she died during the week she came and the. She tried to act as Luna to cover it up. Like oh my God.”
“That’s right,” the first maid said, her voice dripping with disdain. “Poor girl. Trying to help a snake like her, and what does she get in return? Betrayal. They say she watched her die.”
My breath caught in my throat, my hand tightening around the edge of the doorframe. How did they know about Olivia? could they know?
I stepped into the room, my heart pounding. “That’s not true,” I said, my voice louder than I intended.
How
The two maids turned to me, their eyes narrowing. One of them, a tall woman with auburn hair, crossed her arms. “Oh? So you didn’t kill the councilman?”
“I didn’t,” I said firmly, though my voice wavered under their scrutiny. “It was self–defense. He…he attacked me.
The other maid, a younger girl with freckles dusting her nose, scoffed. “And Olivia? Was that self–defense too?” ng her nose, scoffed. “And Olivia? Was that self–defense too?”
I flinched, the memory of Olivia’s bloodied body flashing in my mind. “I didn’t kill her,” I said, my voice shaking, “I would never
“But you watched her die, didn’t you?” the auburn–haired maid cut in, her tone cold and accusatory. “You were there. You let it happen.”
“No,” I whispered, my chest tightening. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Then how was it?” she demanded, stepping closer. “Because all we hear are stories about the ‘new Luna‘ who’s got blood on her hands. First a councilman, then her own friend. What’s next? The king?”
“Enough,” I snapped, my voice breaking. “You don’t know anything.
+15 Bonus
The room fell silent, the tension thick enough to choke me. The auburn–haired maid raised an eyebrow, her expression a mix of skepticism and disdain.
“You can’t silence the truth, Luna,” she said mockingly, the title dripping with sarcasm.
I swallowed hard, my fists clenched at my sides. “It wasn’t my fault,” I said quietly, my voice trembling. “I didn’t choose any of this.”
“Sure you didn’t,” the freckled maid muttered under her breath.
Without another word, they turned and left, their whispers starting again the moment they thought they were out of earshot.
The rumors followed me everywhere after that
In the halls, I could feel the stares of the palace staff burning into my back. In the dining room, the servants barely met my eyes. Even Elise, who had always been cold and distant, seemed more hostile than usual.
“She must’ve bribed her way into the king’s favor,” I overheard one of the guards mutter as I passed by. “How else would someone like her end up here?”
Another voice replied, quieter but no less cruel. “The king probably doesn’t know the full story. If he did, she’d already be dead.”
Each word was like a dagger, sharp and unrelenting. I tried to ignore them, tried to focus on adjusting to life in the palace, but it was impossible.
They all thought I was a monster.
And the worst part? I couldn’t entirely blame them.
I’d been there when Olivia died, frozen in shock as the knife plunged into her chest. I had fought back against the councilman, and though I hadn’t meant to kill him, his death was real, his blood on my hands.
But they didn’t know the whole story. They didn’t know about the threats, the manipulation, the lies. All they saw was the aftermath, and no matter how hard I tried to defend myself, my words fell on deaf ears.
That afternoon, as I passed through the palace gardens, I heard another group of maids talking in hushed tones.
“Have you seen her?” one whispered. “The so–called Luna?”
“Yes,” another replied. “She doesn’t look like much. Certainly not someone fit to rule alongside the king.”
“She’s dangerous,” the first maid said. “Mark my words. If the king isn’t careful, she’ll bring ruin to this place.”
I rounded the corner, startling them into silence.
They stared at me, wide–eyed, before quickly lowering their gazes and scurrying away.
2/6
+15 Bonus
I stood there, rooted to the spot, my hands trembling. The anger that had been simmering beneath the surface boiled over, and
before I could stop myself, I shouted after them.
“I’m not a murderer!”
The words echoed through the garden, but the maids were already gone.
I sank onto a nearby bench, burying my face in my hands. Hot tears stung my eyes, and I clenched my fists, willing myself not to
cry.
What was t
was the use?
No matter what I said or did, they’d already made up their minds. I was the girl who had killed a councilman. The girl who had let her friend die. The girl who didn’t deserve to be here.
The whispers wouldn’t stop. They would never stop.
