Ash grey hair swayed from left to right as the sound of feet thudding on the floor echoed, her lungs were aching which made it harder for her to run and breathe.

She randomly entered the room to save herself from whatever she was going to get caught from not realising she entered the lion’s den herself.

Clemencia who was drying her dripping hair freshly coming out of the shower without any help from Lia was quite surprised with the invader breathing heavily while taking the support of her room’s door to stand straight.

“Hello?”

The girl looked up at the voice in surprise and her lips gaped apart regretfully.

“oh god-,no” she whispered while trying to breathe in more oxygen to recover from the shock.

Clemencia dried her hair nonetheless while keeping eye contact with her guest.

Her silver hair shined more with water droplets under the bright sun and her robe which was loosely tied, loosened a little more. Clemencia tightened her robe and overturned tea cups for two.

She poured the fragrant tea and the whiff of it filled her entire room and reached the girl’s nose heaving at the door.

She sniffed few times more at the addictive smell and recognised it immediately.

‘ hyacinth?’

“it’s hyacinth tea, quite fragrant?”, Clemencia voiced her thoughts out.

She encouraged the girl with her eyes to join her little tea time.

“i would have really enjoyed this little invitation if not for your familiar eyes or at least your interference with my quite life, Clemencia”, the lady blurted out without any honorifics and Clemencia raised her brows at her statement ignoring her dropping the formalities with her.

“Quite is something you shouldn’t say. It doesn’t exactly matches up with the kind of life you have lived till now, lady Minerva”

Clemencia sipped her tea with a slurp and felt her hands getting warm.

Minerva shut her mouth, swiftly. Bolting towards her with determined eyes as if removing a thorns from fresh rose. She grabbed Clemencia’s throat with her hand while over towering her with her tall height.

Clemencia laughed while trying to claw off Minerva’s hands from her throat.

“What do you want from me?”,Minerva seethed and gritted her teeth in anger.

“You, I want you”, Clemencia choked out lightly giving the scent of hyacinth from her breath.

Minerva frowned more at the answer and tighten her fingers around Clemencia’s neck, almost leaving a purple mark of her hand.

“I don’t know what sick games you’re playing right now but I don’t have any plans to participate in them, crown princess.”

Clemencia couldn’t answer her words correctly, her sight was getting hazy because of loss of air and her mind was going blank slowly.

“My maid- haah- is coming- haah-“,she breathed out.

Minerva loosened her hands that instant and stepped back. She breathed in heavily and looked around the room as if contemplating her next move. Her eyes finally landed on the deep purple marks on Clemencia’s neck and softened a little.

Clemencia fell on the ground and coughed a few times, her own hands chocked her neck and scratched around it.

‘dirty,dirty,dirty’

Minerva noticed the way Clemencia was scratching her neck and bent down to hold her hands still.

Clemencia flinched at the contact of someone’s hand and looked up in terror.

“No! ”she screamed and thrashed her hands at the person in front.

“Princess, stop.”, Minerva somehow could relate the way Clemencia was acting and hugged her body close to her, desperately.

Clemencia’s mind was hammering.

‘dirty, it’s dirty,those hands were dirty!’

“Stop, Stop!”, Minerva shaked her body and brought her out of her state.

Clemencia looked at the blue eyes watching her with sad eye. Those eyes made her feel small, dwindle.

She sat back up with the wall’s support on the floor and coughed out a laugh to avoid the terrors going through her head.

“You are really strange, lady Minerva. Chocking me with threats a moment ago and helping right after that second”, Clemencia laughed more while tracing the patterns on her robe.

“I have been told that many times”, Minerva sat right beside Clemencia, dropping her eyes at the fingers which were tracing patterns.

“told what?” 

“that how crazy I am”, Minerva sighed and closed her tired eyes.

“Well they’re not wrong.” Clemencia laughed.

Minerva hummed in agreement and silence flowed the large gap between them.

“I’ll ask again, what do you want?”, she filled the comfortable silence with her hoarse voice.

“You know too many secrets and I want one of them”,  Clemencia nodded her head.

“How do you know that? ”Minerva tilted her head in mock question already expecting something vague in written and rolled her eyes.

Clemencia’s lips tilted upwards, she folded her legs and rested her head on them. 

“how, exactly?”

Minerva looked at her secretive and playful eyes, comparing it with herself.

“what is it that you want? Whose information?”, Minerva sighed in defeat.

“This palace’s workers, each and every one of them. Including your family”, Clemencia stated her points in victory.

“What will be there for me in it?” Minerva intimidated her.

“Safety, I’ll keep you safe.”

“What?”

Being stunned was an understatement at the words thrown out of that mouth for Minerva, her pretty little eyes didn’t know the life she went through maybe she didn’t even knew hardships the common people walk on. She was a doll well kept, something she wanted to be. Safe.

“But what if you fail to do so?”

Minerva wanted to cry, her eyes glistened under the rays of sunlight. She closed her eyes in fear of reacting irrationally.

“I’ll give you my trust if I fail”, Clemencia scooted a little closer to minerva until their shoulders touched.

“I want to sleep”, Minerva stated her first condition.

“What about my tea?”, Clemencia complained in seriousness.

Minerva was still uncomfortable yet relaxed with Clemencia and her silver hair.

“Let’s drink it before it gets cold”

Minerva stood up while giving Clemencia her hand and stumbled upon her robe. Clemencia excused herself to change into proper clothes and left her bedroom.

“what am I doing here? I should be playing my part right now”, Minerva sighed again for the hundredth time. She didn’t even know how the princess knew she wasn’t mute nor the purpose of hers. She just agreed to her as if it was the most right thing to do.

Minerva can be considered as the ears of the wall. She knew people’s secret, dirtiest of them all. But then she ran and ran and ran for a home, somewhere she couldn’t hear anything about anyone. Just her.

This could be considered as a great deal for her if the princess really knows the words she spoke.

 Clemencia opened the gate with a tray in her hands, she brought it closer for her eyes to notice it filled with fresh hyacinth tea.

“princess, you’re not a tea freak. Right? ”Minerva asked nonetheless tempted with the warm smell of it.

Clemencia gasped and narrowed her eyes at her, “I did this all just to make you join my side but now I’m not giving it to you.”

Minerva chuckled and caressed her neck slightly to which Clemencia flinched and backed away a little. Her hands stopped mid-way.

“I’m not going to hurt you”

Clemencia caught the hurt which came upon Minerva’s eyes and wanted to say something to console her but couldn’t.

“I know, I know you.”, she whispered while tracing the phantom touch of her hands on her neck.

“Let’s drink the tea, shall we?”, Minerva suggested scratching the back of her arms in awkwardness.

“Yes,we shall”