Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 233: I’m Noelle Davis

Chapter 233: I’m Noelle Davis

In the town of Evardin, on one of the busy streets, three big carriages were heading northward, to where the royal palace was situated. All of the carriages were occupied by a dozen women, with half of them coming from the far villages.

On the second carriage, a young woman who had just stepped foot in Evardin for the first time a couple of days ago sat by her two friends whom she was going to accompany to the palace where they were to work as servants.

Despite finding the land foreign, Noelle was determined to seek decent work, so when she was presented with an opportunity, she and her friends did not waste it. It happened that the palace had spots to fill for new servants. It was said a royal banquet was to happen in a few days which required a lot of manpower.

"I cannot wait to work in the palace! Back in Aviore, the grandest place I have stepped into was a nobleman’s mansion. Evardin is a big kingdom, so the palace must be filled with immeasurable grandeur!" Isabel giggled beside Noelle, her voice a mere whisper.

Their other friend, Jenny, seemed to be a little nervous. She said, "But haven’t you heard about all those rumors? What if they are true?"

When they arrived in the south village a couple of days ago and heard about the servants’ job needing to be filled in the palace, they heard from some villagers that maids in the palace kept leaving because of the king’s bad temperament. Some rumors said he did way more gruesome things but they were not elaborated.

"What if the king is really a dangerous man?" Jenny continued.

"We have yet to meet him. It is too early to judge, Jenny," said Noelle. She only spent a couple of days in Evardin but even in a faraway kingdom like Aviore, the name Alec Everston was sometimes mentioned in discussions among the nobles. It was said that Evardin had never been so prosperous in many decades. And this big development was made possible by him.

"Noelle is right. You shouldn’t let your prejudices get the better of you," said Isabel, "besides, meeting a king is an honor. We should be thankful that we got to serve a monarch."

Noelle looked out the carriage’s window. Compared to Aviore where it was always a sunny day, here in Evardin the gloomy clouds seemed to be constant in the sky. It was colder too, even if it wasn’t the winter season.

Finally arriving in the palace, most of the newly hired servants looked giddy and amazed by how huge the palace was. The vast gardens made Noelle’s jaw drop. Back in Aviore, she was a maid in a nobleman’s mansion together with Isabela and Jenny, yet she couldn’t compare the estate she used to serve to this kind of luxury.

Instructed to form two lines, Noelle stood right in the middle with her friends as they were led to the west where the servants’ hall was.

Yet even though the hall was meant for the servants, the grand architecture did not fail to amaze Noelle. She was in awe to see that the servants in the palace were sleeping in such a comfortable place. She knew then that the main hall that housed the royal chambers should be at least ten times more lavish.

"From what I heard, only a small fraction of the servants from the previous king’s reign have remained, and the majority have only been here for two years at most," someone from Noelle’s back said to the other new maids.

"Have you heard the king’s last issue? He told a maid to cut her wrist on the dinner table because he wanted fresh blood. If only I didn’t know how handsome King Alec is, I wouldn’t risk my life working in the palace."

The chattering in the hall had only ceased when a middle-aged woman arrived. She went in front, and with Noelle standing in the middle of the lines and Isabel standing tall before her, she didn’t get a better look at the woman who must be the head maid.

"Good morning, ladies. I am the palace head maid, Isobel. From this day onwards, as royal maidservants, you must follow the palace rules at all times. This hall is where the maid’s quarters are located. Later on you will be assigned to different rooms and will be given maid uniforms. After that you will be assigned to the different halls, some of you will work in the kitchen, and if you do your job well you might be chosen as one of the servants to serve His Majesty."

"I really hope I can serve the king!" Isabel giggled at her own bubble, and Noelle couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s excitement. She could only wish that the king was not like they said.

After Isobel had briefed them, they were to sign with their names on the paper in front. Isobel stood beside the table where the paper was, watching the newly hired maids list their names with subtle worry marring her face.

The palace had been hiring new servants too often because of the circulating rumors and the attitude of the king. It didn’t help that Alec was not attentive to the servants’ concerns.

When Noelle’s turn arrived, she sucked in her breath, knowing well that if she were to write her name in the worker’s contract, she would need to at least finish the six-month condition, so if things went awry, she could only leave after six months of servitude.

As she neared the table, Noelle suddenly noticed the strange look the head maid was giving her. Isobel was staring at her intently, her eyes wide open, and her lips parted an inch or so.

Isobel couldn’t believe it. She had been working in the palace even before the late King Martin had married, and despite not seeing Lauren’s face for five years, she knew her face too well, which was why she was too stunned to speak when she saw this young woman coming forward among the newly hired maids.

If only Isobel hadn’t noticed the woman’s pitch-black eyes staring back at her with curiosity, she would have believed Lauren had returned from death!

"Who are you?"

Isobel’s question drew a puzzle in Noelle’s face. She didn’t hear the head maid ask the others. After all, they would write their names on the contract.

"I’m Noelle Davis," Noelle replied politely, finding the stare of Isobel strange. It was as if she had seen a ghost.

Isobel held her breath for a moment. The striking similarity—the auburn hair, even the voice—was so similar to Lauren’s that she could hardly believe what she was seeing.

But Isobel could see what the difference was. Lauren was famous for her rare pair of blue eyes that she inherited from the Monserrates, and this young woman in front of her had plain black eyes.

And the longer Isobel stared at her, the more she saw their differences. Noelle had a more slender body, making her face slimmer, and she looked rather innocent compared to Lauren who carried an air of mischief anywhere she went.