บท 381: I'm not caught, I'm a little cornered

"A-a-ah!" Isabelle panicked and grabbed at the nearest thing - the tray the other maid dropped. She held it up to the woman. "S-sorry, miss, I didn't mean to!"

The poor flustered other girl flailed in place still. The girl's nervousness was only magnified by the presence of this new woman, and she failed to actually grab the tray.

The woman stared at her suspiciously, then squinted at her face. "What- what's this? Why're you wearin' a veil in this weather?"

Isabelle forced herself to hold steady, even as her heartbeat spiked.

What?

Wasn't wearing the veil normal?

Caleb said it was normal...!

The woman reached for the veil. "Can't be safe walking around like that, let's take it off-"

She gasped and pulled the platter back out of the woman's grasp. "No! Ah, no, I don't- I have a, um...!"

The woman paused. Then she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, tapping her foot.

"...Yes?"