As the culprit feigned her repentance, the others could barely contain their stifled laughter and conspiratorial glances. Leticia, though caught by surprise and now completely drenched, maintained an admirable composure. A quick glance confirmed that her book, fortunately, had escaped the "accident." Perceiving, without a shadow of a doubt, the intentionality of the act, she raised her gaze to the young women, not with the anger they might have expected, but with a disconcerting calm. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips.
"How unexpectedly kind of you to help me cool down on this day," she said, her voice serene yet firm, cutting through their veiled mockery. "I only regret the inconvenience you will now have in needing to dry this entire corridor again."
Her response, laden with a dignity that disarmed them, left the maids momentarily speechless, the mockery dying on their lips in the face of the princess's unexpected haughtiness.
The maids were momentarily stunned by Leticia's response; they had expected tears or an explosion of rage, not this serene dignity. The initial shock, however, soon gave way to fear. What if the princess, despite her apparent calm, were to complain directly to Prince Ryuuji? The fear of severe punishment hung in the air, until the intervention came from another figure of authority.
Clifford, the royal assistant, who had been passing through the corridor and had witnessed the entire outrageous scene, approached with firm steps, his countenance heavy with indignation.
"This is an outrage!" his voice cut through the tense silence. "What do you think you are doing? What kind of behavior is this?"
The young women cowered under Clifford's stern gaze, none daring to utter a word.
"Who permitted, or rather, who instigated such a despicable act?"
"Lord Clifford... we..." one began, her voice trembling.
"I want no excuses!" he demanded, his voice allowing no evasion. "Do you know how important Princess Leticia's position is? Her standing is comparable to that of the princes of this kingdom! What you have done would be the same as throwing a bucket of water on Prince Ryuuji himself!"
"We would never do such a thing to His Highness, the Prince!" one of them defended, terrified.
"It was Duchess Hana's ladies-in-waiting!" another rushed to say, in a desperate hope of avoiding summary dismissal. "They promised us gifts and favors..."
Clifford glared daggers at them.
"Report to the administration. Immediately. As of tomorrow, you will all be reassigned to duties where, I hope, you will learn the meaning of respect."
"But, we..."
"Consider yourselves fortunate that I am not taking this matter directly to Prince Ryuuji's ears. His punishments, I assure you, would be considerably more severe."
Defeated, the maids hastily withdrew. Clifford then turned to Leticia, who, though maintaining her dignified posture, was still recovering from the shock. Concern and respect were evident in the assistant's eyes.
"Princess Leticia, on my own behalf, I offer you my sincerest apologies for this deplorable incident," his voice was firm, yet laden with regret. "I assure you that such behavior does not reflect the values of our kingdom. This matter will be treated with the seriousness it deserves. I will take measures to ensure it does not happen again."
Leticia, touched by Clifford's genuine sincerity, merely nodded with a faint smile, silently thanking him for his support.
Without further delay, Clifford reported the incident to Duke Akiyama. The First Counselor listened to the account with growing incredulity, taking a deep breath at the end to contain his own indignation.
"Intolerable," he said, his voice low but vibrating with a cold fury. "I will resolve this matter personally. And immediately."