Chapter 5 Prince William is searching for the girl

"Quiet." Mr. Carson finally spoke. The crowd quickly simmered into silence. "The Golden Palace appreciates all of the hard work each of you put into Prince Martin's wedding last night."

　　He paused, Doris felt as if she couldn't breathe.

　　"Although, it seems not all of you were dedicated to making sure the evening ran smoothly." Doris wiped her palms on her skirt as he spoke, his dark eyes roamed the crowd. "I heard at least one of you were slacking off far from your duties last night. Just remember that no one will cover for you if anything turns up wrong."

　　Was he talking about her? Could everyone else hear how loud her heart thundered? The room was hot-

　　"However," Mr. Carson continued, piercing her thoughts. "Alpha King Charles was kind enough to send along an extra tip to each of you for your dedicated work. He was quite pleased with the party, as was Prince Martin and his lady. I hope you're all thankful to the Royal House for their generosity."

　　Slowly, Doris allowed herself to breathe again. Mr. Carson wasn't looking at her suspiciously, or at all anymore. He wasn't here to take her - he was here to tip them all.

　　A line eagerly formed to collect their tips. Doris stayed towards the back while her heart calmed down. For a minute, she thought she was about to be in trouble for - what Prince William had done to her. It was silly, she didn't do anything wrong other than stray from her duties for a moment. She was the one that was attacked, not the other way around.

　　Once it was her turn, Doris kept her head down while she accepted her tips with a polite curtsy. "Thank the Royal." She said properly before she turned to leave.

　　Just as she turned, Mr. Carson spoke again. "One more thing before you all leave. Did any of you happen to meet Prince William last night away from the party?"

　　At his words, silver coins clattered against the stone floors and echoed through the room - shocking everyone into silence. Their eyes all landed on Doris at once and it took her a moment to realize what she had done.

　　Doris stood there at a loss, staring down at her discarded tips on the ground.

"Your name is Doris?" Mr. Carson asked as he approached her.

　　Doris lifted her head, a feeling of panic bloomed inside her stomach once again. "Yes, Mr. Carson."

　　"Did you meet Prince William last night?" He raised his chin slightly to look down his nose at her. Her heart stilled for a beat inside her chest.

　　"No, I didn't." She said carefully. She willed herself to swallow her fear and look him in the eye.

　　"Where were you last night?"

　　"After I finished my work at the party, I-I returned to my room to rest." Doris forced out. She saw Beth from the corner of her eye shift at her words. Doris dared a glance to see a confused look upon her friend's concerned expression. Doris quickly looked down again.

　　"Well," Mr. Carson paused before he turned his attention to Melody. "There's no need to make a scene, she hasn't done anything wrong. You don't have to punish her for this, Ms. Harford."

　　Melody waited until Mr. Carson turned away before she rolled her eyes. "Very well. You may go now. You should be grateful to Mr. Carson for his kindness." Melody said with a bite to her words.

"Thank you, Mr Carson. And Ms. Harford." Doris forced out quickly. She didn't need any more attention on her than there already was.

Doris was only thankful Mr. Carson didn't continue to push her for answers. She wasn't sure if she would've been able to hold them in if he did. And what would they do to her if they found out she was the one with Prince William? Would they blame her for his behavior? Would they take away her chance of freedom?

The memories swirled around her in flashes. Each one brought back a sensation she was shamed to remember. His mouth on her neck, Doris's fingers traced the mark he'd left beneath her dress and made sure her makeup still covered it well. The ghost of his hands still moved down her skin whenever she saw him in her mind. Why did her body react that way to him when he groped her? Why didn't her body feel as disgusted as she knew she should have from his assault? The thoughts only brought more shame and warm tears.

Hurriedly, she gathered her coins and was about to leave. However, she was stopped by Mr. Carson, "You are not allowed to leave now."

"Wh-why?" Doris was timid.

"Prince William is here, he asked for all of the maids to be checked."

Doris paled at the thought of facing William. She quietly asked Beth, "Checked? Checked for what?"