Lila’s POV
I’d pulled some strings—well, more like requested a few favours from Catherine—and officially relieved Sophie of her regular maid duties. She was now my assistant, a promotion that lit up her whole face when I told her. Apparently, this sort of opportunity was rare for someone of her rank. And if she was going to be seen escorting me through the palace grounds, she couldn’t keep walking around in a maid’s uniform.
I happily handed over a dozen of my previously worn gowns—clean and barely used, of course—and asked Catherine to arrange for Sophie to have her own room in the servants' quarters. It felt good, giving something back to someone who had genuinely helped me. Sophie was beaming from ear to ear when we met for our “walk” through the gardens and into the woods. No one eve
