The moment I stepped into the King's office, I knew something was up.



For starters, he was staring at me again.



Not his usual brooding, ominous, I-will-crush-my-enemies kind of stare.



No.



This time, he was staring at me like I had suddenly sprouted wings and started tap dancing on his desk.



He was confused.



Very confused.



It was almost funny. Actually, scratch that-it was funny.



"You called for me, Your Majesty?" I asked, tilting my head innocently.



The King cleared his throat and folded his arms. His golden eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to analyze me.



"You look... different," he finally muttered.



I fought the urge to smirk.



"Oh? How so?"



His eyes flickered to my face, then away just as quickly.



"Your... face."



"My face?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.



His lips thinned. "It's... shiny."



I blinked.



Shiny?



Did he just call my perfectly crafted, flawlessly blended, expertly applied makeup... shiny?



I gasped dramatically, clutching my chest. "Your Majesty! Are you saying I look oily?"



The King's eyes widened. "No-"



"Unbelievable!" I wailed. "I spent hours on this! And now my own employer-nay, my King-has deemed me greasy! Oh, the shame! The disgrace!"



I even threw in a delicate sniff for dramatic effect.



The King scowled. "That's not what I meant."



I peeked at him from behind my hand. "So you do like it, then?"



The King stiffened.



"...I didn't say that either."



I smirked. "Then what are you saying, Your Majesty?"



The King fell completely silent.



His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.



Then, abruptly, he turned away and muttered, "Forget it."



I grinned.



"Wait, wait, wait," I said, stepping forward. "Are you perhaps flustered, Your Majesty?"



He glared at me. "I do not get flustered."



Oh, this was too good.



"So," I continued teasingly, "does that mean my new look is approved?"



Silence.



The King's jaw clenched. His fingers twitched.



And then-



He turned his back to me completely and waved a dismissive hand.



"Leave."



I gasped. "Your Majesty! I thought we were bonding!"



"Leave."



"Your coldness wounds me!"



"Thalia-"



"Fine, fine! I'll go!" I turned dramatically, pausing at the door. "But just so you know, I worked really hard to look this nice today. So if you did think I looked good, maybe you should say something."



Silence.



Then-



"...Get out."



I cackled as I made my exit.



Victory.



~~~



Now, I wasn't stupid.



I knew the noble ladies were plotting against me.



I just didn't expect them to be so bad at it.



The moment I entered the banquet hall that evening, Lady Genevieve pounced.



"Lady Thalia," she purred sweetly. "How lovely to see you here."



I immediately tensed.



This woman had the same kind of energy as a noblewoman from my past life who used to smile at me right before she tried to ruin my reputation.



Lady Genevieve looped her arm through mine, guiding me toward a group of nobles.



"You must meet everyone properly," she insisted. "After all, as the King's maid, you must be so honored to even be here."



I could practically smell the condescension.



I plastered on my best fake smile. "Oh, absolutely. It's such an honor. I mean, just last week, I got to personally scrub tea stains out of the royal carpet! Imagine my joy!"



Some nobles chuckled. Lady Genevieve's eye twitched.



She cleared her throat, clearly determined to regain control of the conversation.



"Tell me," she said, eyes glittering with mischief. "Have you been trained in proper etiquette? Or is the King... patiently tolerating your commoner ways?"



Oho.



So that was her plan.



She wanted me to embarrass myself in front of everyone.



I took a sip of my tea and smiled.



"Oh, no need to worry about that, Lady Genevieve. The King himself has been incredibly hands-on with my training."



Silence.



The nobles blinked.



Lady Genevieve's face froze.



Wait.



Wait.



Did that... sound bad?



...Oh no.



Before I could clarify, the noblemen exchanged knowing glances. The noblewomen gasped behind their fans.



Lady Genevieve looked murderous.



Realizing my mistake, I quickly excused myself and power-walked straight to the King's office.



"YOUR MAJESTY, I MADE A MISTAKE."



The King, who was in the middle of reviewing documents, looked up. "Of course you did."



I groaned. "A noble lady set me up, and I accidentally made it sound like you're personally training me in... other ways."



The King stared at me.



Then, very, very slowly, he put down his quill.



"Explain."



I explained.



Silence.



Then-



A low, dangerous chuckle escaped him.



Oh.



Oh no.



"...Your Majesty?"



The King smirked. "How amusing."



I frowned. "No, no-it's not amusing! Fix it!"



The King leaned back in his chair, looking far too entertained.



"I think I'll let the rumors spread a little longer."



My soul left my body.



~~~



After that disaster, I decided one thing:



I was NOT going to be left alone with the noble ladies again.



So, for the next few days, I clung to the King.



Wherever he went, I went.



During meetings? I was there.



During meals? Sitting right there.



During sword training? Watching from a safe distance, holding his tea.



At one point, he finally sighed and muttered, "Are you going to follow me forever?"



I nodded. "For my safety? Absolutely."



The King exhaled through his nose.



"Ridiculous," he muttered.



But he didn't tell me to leave.



...Huh.



Was he getting used to me?