Elene stared at the flowers she could barely hold in one hand, cringing at the strong scent emanating from them. This was the third time she had received a bouquet, and if the lack of note wasn’t bothersome enough, the smell was. She couldn’t even walk into a room without everyone turning her way and for a person who prided themselves on being able to move undetected, that was no compliment.
She stopped by the metal container for trash and food waste just outside the north kitchen and dumped them inside. When she looked up, three of the kitchen maids who were sitting on low stools under the window were staring at her with horror.
“Why did you throw them away?” one of them whined, a tall girl with ginger hair pulled into a messy braid. She left the knife and the potato she was peeling and
