20|| The Critical Bet

I sighed, watching Poppy reluctantly cover her plate of steaming pasta to answer the door. Meanwhile, I carried mine into the living room, sat comfortably on the couch, crossed my legs, and ate another bite. Then I looked up, ready to enjoy the show.

Poppy opened the door the same way as before, not giving whoever was outside a chance to see what was going on inside. That was when I heard the voice of Head Maid Smite.

“Poppy,” she said, trying hard to sound patient. “It seems Grace must have… misunderstood you, so I came to clear up this little matter myself.” I could literally hear her shaking with anger and I smirked and chewed slowly, wanting to hear what else she’d spew out of her dirty mouth.

“She told me,” Smite continued, “that when she came to call Miss Dahlia for Concubine Naomi, you not only refused her entry, but also slapped her. At first, I didn’t believe her. After all, you’ve never had the audacity in your entire life. But as her superior, I cannot simply ignore such accusations. So I came to ask you directly… is it true?”

Anyone overhearing the conversation would have thought Head Maid Smite was a reasonable woman, someone with even a little bit of common sense. But I knew better. Smite wasn’t protecting Grace, she was setting a trap. That was why she didn’t come alone, she came with two guards and other maids and palace workers to witness what was about to happen.

Whatever Poppy would say would be used against her and while I was still protected because I hadn’t failed the third trial yet, Poppy was just an entry level maid. If Smite really wanted to deal with her she would.

But unfortunately for her, Poppy wasn’t a trembling little deer anymore. No. She was a panther in training.

And just like we practiced, Poppy widened her eyes so big I thought they might pop out of her skull. She didn’t blink once until fat tears started falling down her cheeks. Then she started crying so loud that it made it sound like someone had just murdered her entire bloodline.

She was so convincing that even Head Maid Smite froze. Her mouth dropped as she was speechless, like she couldn’t believe Poppy had busted into tears out of nowhere. But before Smite could recover, Poppy was already defending herself.

“Her Highness Dahlia… She's been bedridden for two days! Ever since Advisor Saffron came with His Majesty’s verdict, she hasn’t been able to eat or drink. I’ve been caring for her, trying so hard to help her get better, when Grace came,” She hiccupped dramatically. “She tried to barge in, but I wouldn’t let her! I told her it was dangerous, that she might fall sick too, but she wouldn’t listen. She shouted at me, told me to drag Her Highness out of bed even if she was dying. She even said she didn’t care if the whole palace got infected!”

The small crowd that had gathered around gasped. And Smite looked like she swallowed a bug, while Grace’s jaw dropped so low she looked like her soul had just left her body. She held her cheek as if she’d been slapped again, shaking her head furiously at Smite, but it was too late. The damage was done.

I leaned back into the sofa and took a slow, sip of my juice, enjoying the sight of the tables turning.

Head Maid Smite probably thought she could waltz in here, drag me out by my hair, humiliate me before the entire palace, and punish Poppy in the process. Two birds, one stone. She must’ve been giddy on the way here, excited to teach me a good lesson.

But she didn’t know. From now on, I would always be two steps ahead.

“Madam Smite, she’s lying!” Grace yelled angrily. “She’s a liar! I never said that, she’s making it up! I swear I didn’t—”

Smite’s eyes narrowed dangerously, trying to silently tell Grace to shut her mouth, but Grace was too panicked to see it. She kept blabbing, digging herself deeper into the hole I had prepared for her, I remembered how she rolled her eyes and laughed at me when she thought I’d lost the second trial. Well, she wasn’t laughing now was she?

“I didn’t know Miss Dahlia was sick,” Smite said, she tried to sound worried. “I am the Head Maid of this palace and nothing happens without my knowledge. Why wasn’t I informed? If she truly is unwell, I would have called for the royal doctor at once.”

In just a few words, she tried to turn everything back around and poked holes in Poppy’s story to paint us both as liars. If she succeeded, my reputation would be ruined. They wouldn’t just call me a weak “concubine” anymore,I’d be branded a deceitful, black-hearted liar. No one would ever believe me again.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how my life in the palace would turn out. If someone tried to hurt me and I spoke out, no one would believe me. I’d be an attention seeker. “Hmm” I thought, twirling my cup, I have to find a way to return that gift of reputation to Naomi and Smite in a very spectacular way.

“But I tried to,” Poppy said. “I went to the staff quarters yesterday to speak to you about Miss Dahlia’s health but Grace stopped me at Head Maid Smite’s door and told me to get out. She even said she’d call the guards and accuse me of stealing if I didn’t leave.”

Smite rolled her eyes , “No, that never happened,” but Grace’s face betrayed her. Her legs went weak and she stumbled and fell to the floor, looking like her word had just crumbled right then and there. No one rushed to help her because anyone watching could see Poppy was telling the truth and that Grave had done it. It was written all over her very ugly face.

I had known Smite would try to defend herself. That’s why I’d set the trap. I’d told Poppy to go to the staff quarters and wait until Grace came out of Smite’s office. I knew Grace looked down on Poppy and she wouldn’t miss a chance to torment her. That moment when she shoved her and prevented her from talking to Smite was the perfect bait. It sealed Grace’s fate.

I didn’t feel bad. Grace had been a bully. She didn’t have to turn Poppy away, but she did. I bet on her wickedness and I won.