The King's Mistress

Chapter 70: Troubles Lead To Burden

"That’s... against the rules!" Princess Agnes yelled as she pointed her finger at Sierra.

Everyone turned to look at her with a shocked expression. No one dared to say anything. Not wanting to cause a scene, Sierra continued to assist Taita with her cooking. Taita was stunned, shaking in fear.

"Princess Sierra, I... I don’t want to get you in trouble," she said in a low whisper as she stopped Sierra from helping.

Princess Agnes grinned, thinking she had thrown a wrench in their plans. But Sierra did not stop helping. She did not want to add fuel to the flames, knowing anything she said would swiftly be used against her.

"Don’t worry about me, Your Highness. I’m simply here to help a fellow princess in need."

She completely ignored Princess Agnes and her accusations, much to everyone’s shock. Even Cassandra was stunned. Myra, on the other hand, decided to take Sierra’s example and help Taita out too.

"Princess Myra, I didn’t take you for a half-wit too. Never would I have expected the Princess-"

"Have you ever considered keeping your mouth shut, Princess Agnes?" Sierra’s voice rang loud and clear throughout the hall.

Her fierce gaze sent chills down all of their spines. Agnes widened her eyes, her mouth agape. Sierra’s sudden response caught her completely off guard. Sierra turned back to Taita and gave her instructions on the next steps to take before straightening her back.

She walked over to Princess Agnes, one step at a time. She had chosen to keep her silence earlier because she did not want to cause a scene. She would take any insults that came her way and brush them off. But Sierra would not stand for insults thrown at her friends.

For every step Sierra took towards Agnes, she took a step back. The look in Sierra’s eyes was not one of benevolence or forgiveness. It was something dark and sinister. From the corner of Agnes’ eye, she could see that the events had successfully caught the attention of the King and Queen.

Just as Sierra was only a step away from her, Agnes fell to the ground with a thud. Everything happened so quickly that no one knew exactly what had happened. From Sierra’s angle, she could see it as clear as day.

She bit her lip the moment it happened, knowing what Agnes was trying to do.

"I should have kept my calm," she muttered to herself as she sighed.

"You... you pushed me!" Princess Agnes accused Sierra while pointing at her.

She held onto her ankle while wincing in pain as if she had sprained it. Some of the other princesses went forward to help her, as Sierra folded her arms while watching Agnes continuing with her act.

"What in Drakin is going on here?" Queen Roxine asked sternly as she walked across the hall to get a closer look at the commotion.

Sierra returned back to Princess Taita’s station to help her, knowing full well what was going to happen next. She glanced over to the hourglass. There wasn’t much time left and Princess Taita needed all the help she could get.

Sierra was surprised to see King Alistair had come over too. She avoided making eye contact with the Queen or King, continuing to assist Taita with Myra.

"Your Highness! Queen Roxine, Princess Sierra pushed me! And look, she’s helping Princess Taita with her dishes, isn’t that against the rules?" Princess Agnes spouted while pointing fingers.

Queen Roxine unfurled her lace fan, amused by what had transpired. She glanced over to Sierra, who had not looked up once since returning to help Princess Taita. She did not even meet the Queen’s glance when she looked over.

"Princess, I think you’ve been gravely mistaken."

Agnes grinned from ear to ear. But it soon disappeared from her face when she noticed the Queen was looking straight at her while she spoke.

"The rules never forbade anyone from helping each other. I don’t know what you’re arguing about," Queen Roxine explained from behind her lace fan. freёwebnovel.com

A cold chill ran through Agnes’ body. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

"On the other hand, claiming that you’ve been pushed... that sounds like you’re accusing Princess Sierra of something she supposedly did." Roxine knew she could not continuously protect Sierra, regardless of the deal they made.

Furthermore, their close relationship may also cause trouble for both of them in the future. While she knew full well Sierra was likely innocent in this situation, she had to be as fair and just as she could be.

"She pushed me! Everyone saw it! Anyone here can be my witness."

Sierra, on the other hand, knew Agnes was doing all of this on purpose. If she could successfully delay her from helping Taita any further, it would simply mean less competition for the other princesses.

From all of their inaction, it was clear that they would likely side with Princess Agnes if it came down to it. Even after the Queen declared that it was not against the rules to help, no one else came forward to assist.

King Alistair walked up to Princess Agnes. He bent down slightly and offered her a hand. His actions caused all the princesses to gasp in shock and envy. Who wouldn’t want a chance to hold the King’s hand?

"Are you alright, Princess Agnes?" His smooth deep voice had everyone’s attention, including Sierra.

Her grip on the frying pan tightened. Her vision was transfixed on King Alistair’s every action. It took all of her strength to avoid looking up. Myra and Ida noticed the change in Sierra immediately. Even Princess Agnes could see it from where she was, grinning.

As she got up on her feet with King Alistair’s assistance, her legs suddenly grew weak and she collapsed into his arms. Alistair held on to her tightly.

"Woah, easy there princess. Looks like you’re hurt," Alistair remarked, "Guards, send for the Royal Doctor, Princess Agnes is in need of medical assistance."

"Right away, Your Majesty!"

Another servant brought in a chair for Agnes to sit on while they waited. The special attention the King was showing to Agnes was in full view of everyone in the hall. Sierra could not help but glance over for a moment, just in time to catch a tender look on Alistair’s face.

This time, even Queen Roxine caught it.

"She really has it bad for him, doesn’t she," she could not help but mutter to herself.