As the two women were escorted out of the room, I focused my attention back on the remaining seven.
“Did you think that challenge was fun?” I asked them. They responded with shy smiles and giggles. “Well, you’d better strap in for the next one if you thought this was a lot…”
Chapter Nineteen
Amber
The pleasant, lazy afternoon was interrupted by a loud angry shriek.
Zara and I looked at one another, eyes wide with surprise. We were on our feet in seconds, rushing out of my room where we’d been talking and running down the hallway to where the noise was coming from.
A bunch of the other girls had gathered in front of one of the rooms, and my eyebrows knit together when I realized it was Freya’s. What now?
“It’s GONE, don’t you understand?”
The loud screaming was coming from behind Freya’s closed door, and we exchanged glances with Asya and Camellia before shifting our attention back to the raging in the bedroom.
“I HAVE looked everywhere!”
Just then, the door flew open, slamming into the wall, and Freya came storming out of the room, expression thunderous and getting even angrier once she locked eyes with me.
“It was her!” she snarled, taking long, determined steps toward me and jamming a finger in my chest. “I bet it was. Just look at her, she’s guilty! It wasn’t enough to humiliate me once, Amber? Now you have to steal from me to make a point?”
“What the hell?” I stepped out of her grasp and glared at her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure, that’s what you want us to think,” Freya roared. “But we all know the truth… You can take the poor girl out of the gutter, but no amount of gold will ever make her a princess.”
I felt tears welling in my eyes and was thankful when Zara stepped between us, shielding me from Freya’s rage.
“That’s enough,” she told her, reaching back to squeeze my hand. “You’d better tell us what’s happened before you make a scene. What if the Queen finds out you’re running around screaming and insulting the other girls?”
“Of course you’d stick up for her,” Freya smirked. “Your best little friend. I bet you helped her do it, you stupid-”
“That’s enough!”
I looked over Zara’s shoulder to see Fleur exit the room with her eyebrows furrowed and her hands on her hips. I’d only seen the pretty maid smiling and friendly, and it was quite the change to see her in a different light.
“What’s happened?” Asya asked, her voice shaking as Fleur turned to face her.
“My necklace is missing,” Freya snarled in response. “My diamond necklace that’s a family heirloom. It’s been stolen.”
“Is that true?” Camellia turned to face Fleur while the other two girl appeared behind us. “Is it really gone?”
“It appears to be,” Fleur admitted. “We’ve turned her room around and it’s nowhere to be seen. So unless Freya is lying…”
“Lying?” Freya erupted. “Why would I lie about a priceless family heirloom? I will be in deep trouble if it isn’t recovered! But not as big as you all when my parents found out.”
“Threatening grown women with your parents is such a classy move,” Zara told her with a little snort, earning a look of contempt from the pale blonde beauty. “We can help you look for it, if you want.”
“No, I don’t.” Freya crossed her arms defensively in front of her body. “I don’t trust a single one of you. You’re the only ones with easy access to my room. Unless it was the help.”
She eyed Fleur suspiciously, making the made blush.
“We’ll find the necklace,” Fleur finally said. “Even if we have to turn all the rooms around. The Queen shouldn’t be bother with such frivolities.”
“What frivolities?”
I turned in the direction of the voice, following the other girls who were quick to curtsy. The Queen strolled into the room, head held high and a look of contempt thrown in my direction just to remind me she wasn’t a fan.
“Your Majesty,” Freya rushed toward her. “My necklace, a Bardland treasure, has been stolen.”
“Missing for now,” Fleur was quick to add. “Let’s get our facts straight for the Queen, Freya.”
The Queen glanced between her employee and the blonde girl, her mouth pursing.
“Well, this just won’t do,” she said in a low whisper. “We have to find the necklace, now. It’s time to search the girls’ rooms, Fleur. Start with Amber.”
“What?” I argued. “I had nothing to do with this!”
“Of course you would say that,” the Queen purred with barely hidden satisfaction. “Relax, Amber. You’re only the first one to be searched. I’m going to look under every stone until that necklace is found. And besides, you have nothing to hide, right?”
I pursed my lips and she gave me a triumphant smile before barging past me, down the hallway and toward my room. Zara and I exchanged worried glances before rushing after the gaggle of girls.
“I’m sorry about this, Miss Jonathan,” Fleur whispered to me before the nightmare began.
Joined by two other servants, she turned around every corner of my room.
They looked everywhere. In the pillowcases, every closet, every nook and cranny. My clothes were strewn about by the time they were done and I felt hot tears of humiliation in my eyes when Fleur announced they hadn’t found a thing, but would keep looking.
“I want Olivier,” I heard myself saying. “This isn’t fair. He should know what you’re doing.”
“Stupid girl,” the Queen hissed at me, standing before me. Somehow she still managed to look threatening even though she was shorter than me. “Why would I involve my son in something as dumb as this? Besides, he’s running an errand. He doesn’t have time for your nonsense. Are you sure there’s nothing, Fleur?”
“No, Your Majesty,” the maid replied sheepishly.
“Very well,” the Queen sighed. “Move onto the next room. Zara Patel.”
Next to me, Zara stiffened, and the procession of girls moved a couple of doors down where the same rigorous search was done on Zara’s room. I held her hand throughout, feeling her humiliation just like I had my own a couple of minutes ago.
The Queen was evil. It was almost as if she got off on intimidating us, taking a special interest in making me suffer. I wanted to tell Olivier, but she was his mother, after all… Would he choose me over her so soon?
No. I need to play my cards right.
We watched as the search was done on Camellia’s room next before the attention shifted to Monica. I prepared for another hour of misery and wishing the Queen would just let it go instead of indulging Freya, when there was a triumphant scream from within the room.
Freya excited with Fleur right behind her, holding a blindingly bright diamond necklace in her hands. When we saw her, Zara’s hand flew to her mouth and I gaped in open-mouthed shock.
“I knew there was a thief here,” Freya announced. “I just didn’t think it was you!”