《Maid for Him》全部章節：第 21 章 - 第 30 章

The fourth day after returning from Underland dawned bright and heavy. Amber rose early and began her duties in Isis’s house. From morning coffee service to cleaning, cooking, and washing dishes by the river, her routine blurred together.When her work was done, she lingered near the riverbank, her thoughts drifting.“Where are you, Mermaid?” she murmured. “I don’t think I have any friends. Maybe Arnold... but he yelled at me. I feel so alone. I need to free my mother. She’s innocent.”The water remained still. No shimmer, no spiral. Maybe she was hoping for too much. Perhaps Mermaid had truly left for good, and they had parted on peaceful terms. But Amber’s heart refused to accept that loss.“Mermaid,” she called again—louder this time. Silence. Nothing.Sighing, she picked up her basin of washed dishes and returned to the house. At the gate, she paused—Arnold was leaving on horseback. He saw her, dismounted, and approached.“They told me you were at the river,” he said.“Greetings, Y

Waking up to a miracle was the last thing Amber and Miriam expected.Miriam had emptied the box of coins into a bag, planning to hide it away. But as soon as she placed the box back on the floor, something astonishing happened—the box refilled itself. The coins returned, stacked neatly in the exact same order and denominations as before.“Amber!” she called.Amber came rushing into the room, and together they stared at the replenished treasure in stunned silence. Miriam reached out again, emptied the box into the bag, and then placed it back on the floor.Again, it filled with gold.They looked at each other, their jaws dropped. And then, without another word, they embraced, overwhelmed with joy. Their restraint broke like a dam, and they screamed in delight, twirling in the room like children, laughing and crying with the happiness of people who had known sorrow and finally touched freedom.---Later that day, they stood together before a neglected stretch of land, its boundary marked

The house was hushed, still wrapped in the tension of yesterday’s auction. Miriam sat stiffly in the living room, her eyes fixed on the wall but seeing something far beyond it. When Amber descended the staircase, she noticed the weariness clinging to her mother like mist.Miriam offered her a faint smile, but Amber saw through it.“Since the auction, you’ve been worried, Mother. Your smile can’t fool me,” she said gently.Miriam exhaled and patted the cushion beside her. “Fine. Come, let’s reason together.”Amber sat, folding her legs under her. Silence lingered for a moment.“Yesterday, Isis said... things,” Miriam began, voice taut. “She spoke as though they’d solved both their problems—first, that I stole your father’s love from her... and second, that you caught Prince Arnold’s eyes.”Amber nodded. “I remember.”“He left this house, Amber. For materials. And never came back. Then, out of nowhere, Arnold stopped seeing you.”“The way he looked at me during the auction… especially wh

Following Isis and Rhea’s banishment, the hours after the villagers left felt like the air in Upland itself had shifted—lighter for some, uncertain for others.Commander Benjamin lay unconscious in the palace, the healer tending to him with quiet, deliberate hands. His chest rose and fell steadily, the only sign he lived. The bed’s white sheets made him look as though he were merely resting, but the stillness in his face told another story.Gathered around him were the King and Queen, Prince Arnold, Cressida, Amber, Miriam, and a pair of guards outside the door.The healer, a stooped, silver-haired man with eyes like pale glass, examined him for the third time that hour. “The spell bound him for many years,” he said gravely. “It will slow his recovery… but this is not cause for despair. He will return to himself, given time.”The tension in Miriam’s shoulders eased a fraction.With the news, Miriam found herself close to the royals again—especially the Queen, whose guilt had not gone u

The music of the ball spilled out into the courtyard, warm and bright against the cool night air. Laughter and the rhythmic beat of the orchestra floated through the open doors, mingling with the faint, heady scent of jasmine drifting from the gardens beyond. Golden lamplight poured out from the ballroom and met the cool silver glow of the moon, casting the courtyard in a shimmering mix of warmth and shadow.Amber stood just beyond the doors, where the sounds of music felt softer, less demanding. She closed her eyes briefly, drawing in the quiet between each note, letting her heartbeat slow.“Hello, Amber,” said a voice—smooth, low, with a certainty that seemed to ripple beneath the words.She turned. Stepping out from the shadow of an archway was Bibo, his tall frame catching just enough moonlight to show the keen set of his eyes. They held a quiet intensity, a gaze that seemed to weigh her without judgment, yet still left her oddly exposed.“I suppose I’m not the only one who needed