Morning light spilled across Zarah's face, making her groan.
She turned onto her side, but the soreness in her muscles made her wince.
With a dull throbbing spreading through her body, she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.
Ines truly knew nothing about being gentle.
Zarah sighed and turned her head toward the other side of the bed.
As expected, Ines had already left.
Forcing her aching body to move, she climbed out of the bed and gathered her clothes, slowly dressing.
Then, dragging herself forward with heavy steps, she left the Empress's chambers and made her way toward her own.
Zarah pushed open the heavy wooden doors of her chamber, expecting to be greeted by the soft scent of wax candles she had asked Penny to prepare the night before.
She desperately needed some proper sleep.
Closing her eyes, she stepped inside and took a deep breath.
But instead of the calm, soothing scent she expected, her foot landed on something sharp.
She hissed in pain and opened her eyes.
What she saw made her freeze.
The room had been completely trashed.
The pillows and mattress on the bed had been slashed open, cotton spilling everywhere.
To her side, the mirror on the dressing table lay shattered, pieces of glass scattered across the floor.
The closet door stood wide open.
She tried to walk toward it but winced as pain shot through her foot.
Turning instead toward the sofa to sit down, she saw that it had been torn apart as well, and the glass table beside it lay broken.
With nowhere else to go, Zarah leaned against the wall and lifted her injured foot.
A shard of glass was lodged deep in her skin.
She took a slow breath.
Then, with trembling hands, she gripped the shard and pulled it out.
Her breathing wavered as pain flared through her foot, but she forced herself to endure it, setting the blood-stained piece of glass aside.
Zarah stood quietly in the doorway for a few moments, trying to steady her breathing.
She had not been expecting this.
After eighteen years, she had finally been given a room of her own… and it had been destroyed after only three days.
She couldn't make sense of it.
No one in the Imperial Palace had any real conflict with her—
Well… except Melody and Celine.
But Celine wouldn't do something like this. At worst, she would speak ill of Zarah or report some minor mistake to someone in authority.
That left Melody.
Even if Melody wanted revenge for ruining her love potion, why would she destroy Zarah's room?
That didn't directly harm Zarah in any meaningful way.
Still, Zarah couldn't deny the heaviness in her chest as she looked around the room she had only just begun to consider a place of privacy and comfort.
Then a thought crossed her mind.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh."
So Melody must have heard her earlier at tea — when she had told the others how satisfied she was with her room.
Zarah sighed softly and glanced around the wrecked chamber one last time.
Her lips curved into a faint frown as she limped toward the door.
"Penny," she called.
"I can't believe it! Not only was your room completely destroyed, but all your dresses were ruined and your jewelry stolen!" Iris exclaimed angrily as she paced around her chamber.
Zarah lay in bed, exhausted. Her foot — the one that had stepped on the shard of glass earlier — was now wrapped in a bandage.
When Penny had seen the state of Zarah's chamber, she had been horrified. The room was in no condition to be lived in until it was repaired, so she had immediately insisted that Zarah move to another chamber in the palace.
But Zarah had refused.
She wanted her chamber fixed, and she intended to return to it once it was repaired.
Besides, she didn't want to be alone right now.
So she had asked Penny if she could stay with Iris for the time being. Penny had hesitated at first but agreed to ask the Head Maid, Linda.
Linda had approved.
And so now Zarah lay in Iris's bed, dressed in Iris's clothes, trying to rest while Iris stormed around the room like an angry cannonball.
"Iree," Zarah called as she slowly sat up in the bed.
Iris turned toward her immediately.
"Yes? Do you want me to strike Melody with my sword?" she asked, anger blazing in her eyes.
Zarah sighed.
"What proof do we have that it was really Melody?"
"Well… that… we… don't actually have any proof," Iris grumbled as she sat down beside her.
Zarah smiled faintly and reached over to pat Iris's hair.
"We only have speculation," she said gently. "And speculation can only get us so far."
Iris sighed.
"You're right. We shouldn't act impulsively."
After a moment of silence, Zarah spoke again.
"Iree, I should write a letter to Her Majesty."
Iris blinked and stared at her.
Zarah looked as if she had just said the most ordinary thing in the world.
"WHAT?" Iris shouted.
Zarah groaned and covered her ears.
"God… could you not shout right next to my ears?" she complained.
Iris grabbed Zarah by the shoulders and shook her.
"What do you mean don't shout? You want to write a letter to THE EMPRESS? Oh my God, Zar! I know she called you two nights in a row, which is already shocking, but does this mean she likes you? Do you like her? Oh my God, has the mission changed from saving the Empress to seducing the Em—"
Zarah quickly clamped a hand over Iris's mouth and glared at her.
"Iris!" she warned, her ears turning red. "Do not say such absurd things. Her Majesty simply told me last night to come again tonight. I only meant to inform her that I cannot."
Iris smirked behind Zarah's palm before pushing her hand away.
"Uh huh… sure, Zar. Sure. She's called you three nights in a row and that's nothing?"
"It's nothing! Shut up!" Zarah said, smacking Iris's shoulder playfully.
Iris laughed and jumped up from the bed.
"Fine, fine," she said, grabbing paper and a pen.