The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 3
It had been a hectic day. Roina had completely forgotten about her encounter with Maili that morning. She seemed to have caught a glimpse of the man again, but she was too busy to pay any attention.
Dragging her tired body, she went to the secluded backyard and sat down. She needed a short break if she was to continue with her duties. Roina took out a piece of shredded ham and a slightly bruised plum that she had hidden in her pocket and ate them in a hurry. They were the best of the scraps she could find in the kitchen. Even finding these scraps was a struggle as she had to hide them from the others.
Thankfully, since the palace kitchen provided the best food in the empire, even the discarded food wasn’t completely spoiled. Roina, however, was only given a watery gray soup and hard, odd-smelling bread crumbs. If she didn’t find food like this, she wouldn’t be able to survive.
In truth, she was eating more for mental peace than physical sustenance. Since coming to this world, she hadn’t felt particularly hungry.
But that was that. As a Korean at heart, she couldn’t help but feel resentful of these people who forced her to do such hard labor without even providing proper meals.
With a sigh, Roina finished her meager meal. The fruit was delicious. It quenched her thirst without the need for water.
After eating, she curled up her knees and touched her neck again. The curse etched onto her neck would burn her to death if she took even one step outside the palace or revealed Roberto’s secrets.
“They say it’s better to be alive than dead, but is this really living? It’s so exhausting.”
Roina had been enduring this life, hoping that the female protagonist from the original story would appear soon. But her confidence was gradually disappearing. She could somehow endure the physical hardship, but she felt like she was suffocating from the hostility and indifference directed towards her. She was starting to lose hope.
Once the female protagonist appeared, the Imperial Crown Prince’s attention would shift away from Roina, and that would be her chance to escape.
“Before that happens, I should try to make a deal with the great mage, the male lead of the original story. He’s the only one who could remove this curse… No, wait a minute.”
Suddenly, Roina felt something strange. The fading sunlight disappeared. She jumped up and tried to run, but it was too late. A figure emerged from the bushes and grabbed her, twisting her arms behind her back.
“Damn, this damned witch is tough!”
“Man, she’s got some strength. What does she eat to be so strong?”
Rough, vulgar voices reached her ears. Roina struggled, but she couldn’t easily break free from the grip of the burly man.
Glancing at their faces, she realized they were the new stable boys. They had only recently arrived and didn’t seem to know the danger of messing with anything belonging to the Imperial Crown Prince.
“Who sent you?”
“Wh-what? How, how do you know…”
“No! Who would send anyone? Are you crazy, girl?”
The younger one, who was holding her, stammered in confusion, but the older one cut him off with a harsh expression.
‘They really were sent. Who could it be?’
Roina tried to recall, but she frowned as one of them started groping her thigh and hem.
“If you do this, the Imperial Crown Prince won’t let you off easy. You’re being used right now – Aah!!”
“Who do you think you are, you lowly slave? You think you’re so special? You think no one will believe you?”
Damn, she was wrong. They weren’t going to listen to reason. The younger one seemed a little intimidated, but the older one grabbed her hair and spat.
“I, I… What if I get punished? If I get into trouble here, I’m done for.”
“She thinks she’s so tough! Who cares what she says? Everyone ignores her anyway!”
Roina fell silent. Arguing with someone like this would only provoke them further. Instead, she turned to the one holding her.
“I’m a maid serving the Imperial Crown Prince. If you hurt me, do you think the Imperial Crown Prince won’t find out?”
The younger one’s grip loosened. Seeing her chance, Roina quickly struck his abdomen and broke free. But the other man grabbed her hair and threw her to the ground, her head hitting the hard ground with a thud. Her head throbbed.
But perhaps this was better. If she was injured, she would have proof. Over the past two years, many things had happened to her. Just because she was helpless against the Imperial Crown Prince didn’t mean she had to let everyone else take advantage of her. Whenever something like this happened, she would fight back and chase them away. As a result, most of the servants in the palace were afraid to openly harass her. Only newcomers like these didn’t know better.
“Damn, look at the blood on that girl’s head! What are we going to do if we get caught?”
“I don’t care. I’m going all the way with this.”
“No, no! Do it alone! I don’t want anything to do with this!”
Damn it, she’d run into the worst kind of people. Roina cursed under her breath and took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but she had to shout before they silenced her. One, two…
“You bastards! What kind of filthy deeds are you doing in the middle of the palace!”
