Chapter 21: Chapter 21: A plan for two.

Min Li was getting escorted to where the head maid stayed at the other side of the palace by four servant girls.

Personally, she thought that four servant girls was overkill, but she was glad that the start of her plan had worked. It hadn’t even taken fifteen minutes for what Min Li had done to the crown prince to reach Betti.

Snitches sure do work quickly.

On the way to meet Betti, Min Li spent her time worrying about what punishment Betti would inflict on her for playing with the crown prince.

When she got to her destination, the head maid was waiting for Min Li with a shoe in her hand and a nice smile on her face.

Min Li didn’t know what was going to happen.

The scene was too confusing. She could tell Betti was angry from the shoe, but the woman’s face said different.

The head maid ushered Min Li into her quarters thanking the four servant girls and telling them to leave.

Min Li held out one arm for them wishing they would stay and not leave her in such a dangerous position with a woman who from her conflicting body language didn’t seem all that stable.

Betti was still smiling at Min Li when Min Li entered her room. Min Li had thought that the smile on the woman’s face would have disappeared by then but maybe Betti had turned a new leaf.

Maybe, just maybe if Min Li was lucky enough and she wished hard enough, Betti would try out the art of forgiving and forgetting.

The old maid sat down in the old, comfortable wooden chair in the middle of her room.

The room was alike the female servants' room at the Eastern palace that Min Li was staying at before she was moved. It wasn’t decorated with grand embellishments like the chambers of nobles but since Betti was the head maid she got to have the whole room by herself.

Betti’s room was decorated in her own way.

. The title of ‘head maid’ had been bestowed to her by the grateful queen and her husband. Along with that the queen had given Betti a whole range of treasures in gratitude for her services. Betti had proudly displayed these valuables that she held in high esteem on her walls, on her tables and nearly everywhere that there was free space.

Looking around at the things that Betti had been given, Min Li couldn’t help but think that the old maid possessed a small fortune.

But Betti didn’t seem to like fun. She didn’t even attend Xilin power ceremonies that everybody apart from Min Li seemed to like.

With such money and riches, the head maid could have gotten out the palace and have decided to do whatever she wanted in life. But she had always insisted that she had everything she needed in life and that ‘now was not the time for her to leave the palace’.

Min Li was very familiar with Betti’s room. From the age of fifteen when Min Li had to move out of her room with the royals, she stayed with the head maid in the servant quarters. Betti had given Min Li a whole half of her room.

Since the time Min Li had moved out, Betti had not taken any of Min Li’s belongings out of the room.

Min Li’s half of the room, from what Min Li could see, was still Min Li’s half of the room. Not one of the things had been removed or even moved in the slightest.

It was like head maid was just waiting for Min Li to come back. Min Li had been happy that Betti still had a place for her in her room as well as in her heart. But now that she thought about it, she squinted her eyes at Betti.

Did Betti think that there was no way that Min Li could have stayed at the Eastern palace long term? Did Betti think that Min Li was bound to get in trouble and go running back to her?

From what had just gone on, Betti would be right and proved so. However, Min Li had done what she did to the crown prince on purpose and she despised the fact that she couldn’t tell the woman so.

Betti, still seated on the old, comfortable chair in the middle of the room had closed her eyes and seemed to be... sleeping.

Min Li plopped herself down on the floor relieved that today was not the day of her reckoning.

“STAND,” the head maid said at once, not opening her eyes, but pointing at Min Li seeming to know where she was by the creek of the floorboards.

Min Li’s heart pumped through her chest, and she stood up at once.

Min Li peered at the woman wondering whether she was going to go to sleep or lecture Min Li.

Min Li had stood beside the chair where Betti was seated. She was tempted to close her eyes and go to sleep as she rocked softly on her feet. But every time she closed her eyes for an extended period of time of about two seconds, her own brain would start and scare Min Li into staying awake in fear of Betti’s presence.

Min Li closed her eyes for one second. Min Li’s eyes had now been closed for two seconds. Min Li’s eyes had now been closed thre-.

“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET STARTED.”

Min Li’s eye lids practically flung open. Her pupils dilated. Her teeth chattered.

Oh, the woman was good at what she did. Min Li should have known. Waiting was a fear tactic that Betti knew how to use perfectly.

Lull somebody into a little bit of security and then rip any comfort away from them. Let somebody’s anxiety creep up and then with a bang, let it shatter within them and a little bit of urine run down their leg.

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Min Li looked at Betti waiting for Betti to make it clear exactly what she wanted.

“What exactly do you want me to get started on?”

Eyes still closed, a side of Betti’s mouth curled upwards in disgust that Min Li was apparently no good at mind reading.

What came out of Betti’s mouth from then was simply disgusting stuff. Things of nightmares. House of horror worthy.

Min Li shivered as Betti was explaining. Min Li vomited at the vision. Min Li cried as it had started again.

“There are only a few things you need to do for me,” Betti started sweetly. Too sweetly. Sickly sweet.

“It’s nothing scary. You have done it before,” the smile on the head maid’s face wasn’t too promising.

“Scrub the dead skin of my feet. Then massage my feet.”

Oh, Min Li hated such words. She was a noble at heart. These servant deeds she knew nothing about.

It’s too far, it's too far. I am the daughter of a queen. I am the hope of the masses for the new generation of Xilin. I should be courting princes, the noblest of men. Someone should be massaging me. Oh, it’s all too much.

Min Li the daughter of the queen; the hope for masses for the new generation; a woman who should have been courting princes and getting all the massages she wanted, was scrubbing Betti’s feet.

She was doing a rather good job of it if she had to rate herself. In fact, it seemed that the daughter of the queen was simply superb at it.

Then it started. The second part of Betti’s scheme to break Min Li.

Betti got to her complaining.

The hardest part of it was Min Li knew she had to take it. If she had said anything to refute Betti’s musings she would be in even more trouble than that which she started with.

But what Betti didn’t know was that it was not her who had the advantage but Min Li at the advantage. Betti’s complaining was not only a part of her own grand scheme, but Min Li’s also. This was all part of Min Li’s evil plan.

“A GIRL I RAISED BY MYSELF.”

Min Li had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying that the woman shared the role.

“HOW COULD SHE FORSAKE HONOUR. FORSAKE EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE DONE FOR HER.”

Min Li had to remind herself that she had to lose the battle to win the war. This was all part of your plan, she said to herself.

”I HANDED HER TO THE QUEEN MYSELF JUST FOR HER TO BECOME THE BANE OF MY EXISTANCE.”

Min Li frowned, was it that serious?

“OH, I AM A VICTIM OF MY KINDNESS. MY GOOD NATURE. MY GOOD WILL… Carry on scrubbing, don’t miss a spot.” Betti stopped in the middle of her speeh of self-pity, opening her eyes and pointing to the heel of her foot, to make sure she was getting the service that she desired.

Again, Min Li reminded herself that she had to lose the battle to win the war. This was all part of your plan, she reiterated.

“A CHILD I HAVE RAISED UP FOR MYSELF”

Betti had definitely said that point already. Maybe she was trying to drum it in.

“OH, I SHOULD HAVE DISCIPLINED HER MORE.” Min Li sighed in self-pity.

Betti opened her eyes to look at Min Li then carried on with the notion, “Well, it isn’t too late to start now.”

Min Li was looking at Betti looking at Min Li. Min Li shook her head as hard as her neck muscles would allow her to.

Betti graciously moved past it.

“NO CARE FOR AN OLD MAID. DOES THE CHILD HAVE ANY GOODNESS IN HER HARDENED HEART?”

Gritting her teeth Min Li reminded herself that she had to lose the battle to win the war. This was all part of your plan, this time she wept to herself.

“I KNEW THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HER.”

Finally, Betti had said something that Min Li could use for her plan. It was all coming together.

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