- Laith Taher 273
She suddenly stood up and shouted, “Melanie...
come here!”
Melanie came right away and stood before her lady,
looking at the floor in silence.
The princess said angrily and firmly, “Listen well. I
do not need you in this house any more. So pack your stuff
and leave the house immediately and never come back. Go
to your folks or find another house to serve.”
Melanie started crying heavily without making any
sound for fear of the princess’s anger.
The princess added, “Listen. If you say a word to
the leader or anyone else, even to the jinn, I shall send one
of my father’s soldiers and have him chop off your head
and kill your entire family.” Then, she said, staring sharply
at the maid, “Beware that I am a princess, a daughter of a
king who is the strongest king in the world, and that I am
powerful, so don’t be stupid and challenge a woman whom
you are no match for.”
Crying heavily, the maid turned around and started
to leave the room as the princess rushed, took out a sack
full of gold from a drawer in the room. “Wait.”
Melanie turned around. Florrie put the sack in her
hand. The princess wanted to silence her by any means and
believed giving her money, being a needy maid, would, in
addition to scaring her, help bury the truth forever.
Melanie was very regretful for helping Florrie with
her scheme. But her regret became greater when she
decided not to tell the truth. Her regret was combined with
a sense of shame because she failed her people, the Prouds.
But, at the end of the day, she could not defy a princess and