Erin knew she shouldn’t assume. Aurea’s people were far from Ashen City’s in a lot of ways, so she couldn’t just go and accuse anyone she found remotely suspicious. After all, she barely knew how things worked in that place. Maybe—just maybe—the handmaid wasn’t up to something bad as she always pessimistically assumed.
Nevertheless, she decided to go to Klaire just to make sure. Maybe she sent her handmaid on an errand or something. Erin wasn’t too sure what it was exactly that handmaids did, but maybe it included going into the kitchen for something. So, Erin asked one of the guards to point her to Klaire and Aldin’s room, and she went. She knocked at their door and announced herself—like she was told to do—but no one answered.
So, with the time nearing five o’clock, Erin decided to jus
