Chapter twenty-six
The ringing of a bell shocked me from my sleep, the clanging reverberating in my skull.
The palace keeper, Hara, rang a large bell directly above my face, scowling.
“Wake up, silent one!”
I looked over to my roommates, and they covered their ears in unison.
I barely remembered falling asleep last night.
The last thing I remembered was lying my head on the mattress.
Next thing I knew my ears were about to bleed off.
“There’s no time to waste!”
she said in a sharp tone.
Her foot tapped on the floor.
“You have one of the most important jobs here, and you best be going!”
Hara waved her hands for me to get off the bed.
Regardless of knowing I could get struck for it, I gave her a frown for her relentless demands.
“Aris is taking the day to ride and so it’ll be perfect to get that room into shape.
Let’s go, let’s go,”
she continued, slinging the bell around the room before she left.
I dressed myself in a light brown linen dress that was given to me last night by my other roommate, Anna.
It had a U-shaped neck with a simple white lace around the top.
It had no holes, no stains, and it fit perfectly.
Looking at myself in the clean mirror, I tied the strings behind my back.
My breasts filled the front as I passed my hands over the few wrinkles on the linen.
I brushed my red hair and braided it back.
Just before I was ready to go, my friends stood in the doorway of my shared quarters.
Maeri and Nirelle.
I flashed a genuine smile as they approached me.
“Solei!”
Nirelle came over, grabbing a hold of my hand, and wrapped me in her arms.
I smelled her sweet jasmine scent in her hair.
“Welcome to the palace! Oh posh, Solei, don’t give me that face.
You’ll come to learn it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you since arriving in Siniya.
Speaking from experience here, you know?”
“I was so worried for you when they took you.
I didn’t think I’d see you again.
But gods, I never expected this.
You’re in a much better place now.”
Maeri scanned my quarters, and when her eyes found two other women, she smiled.
“I’m staying a few hallways away.
I’m so happy we’re closer now! We can hang out all the time.
There’s even a river nearby.
I’ve gone a few times. It’s so perfect for the summer!”
Nirelle shrieked and hugged me again.
Anna passed the party happening in her quarters, cocking her head to the side.
Maeri grew serious.
“What’s happening?”
“Nothing.
I’m the emperor’s chambermaid,”
I admitted.
“What!”
Nirelle, Maeri and Sebry exclaimed.
My head snapped in Sebry’s direction.
“You’re not a mute?”
Sebry’s eyes protruded as she stumbled over to me.
“No, but she doesn’t talk much if that’s what you’re wondering,”
Nirelle explained.
“Thanks, Nirelle.”
I rolled my eyes.
I don’t talk much.
Why does no one seem to understand that?
“Maeri, what’s new with you? What a beautiful dress!”
I exclaimed.
Maeri wore a burnt red dress with velvet blue lace at the top of her V-neckline.
“Thank you.
It was a gift from—”
“Your lover,”
Nirelle answered for Maeri.
Maeri slapped her arm and blushed.
She changed the subject.
“You have to tell us everything.
What happened? How did this happen?”
Maeri asked me.
Before I could answer, Sebry interrupted.
“What are those?”
“Oh, these are Solei’s belongings.
I thought she might want them here since she moved quarters.”
Maeri handed me my things.
I gave her a smile of gratitude.
“Solei.
That’s your name? That’s very strange.
Where does it come from? Everything about you is pretty strange, and why didn’t you tell me you could talk? The whole day yesterday, we could have been talking together, but instead you decided to keep your mouth shut and spoil the fun.”
Sebry crossed her brown, dainty arms over her small chest with a pout on her lips.
“I—”
“She prefers to listen,”
Nirelle explained, smiling at Sebry, who accepted it.
I furrowed my brows and internally rolled my eyes again.
Nirelle now turned her attention completely on Sebry.
“So how long have you been working here at the palace? My name’s Nirelle.”
“I have to go.
Thanks for bringing me my things.
It was good to see you.”
I left the quarters towards my new task, hearing their voices fade.
Sebry had shown me where the emperor’s chambers were late last night and because I listened well, I didn’t have trouble finding it.
Among the many things I listened to during Sebry’s ramblings yesterday was that Aris used most of his mornings either riding, hunting, or in his study, far away from people and most importantly, far away from me.
I would rarely run into him, most likely never according to Sebry, and I didn’t have any other servants to boss and bully me around like in my last quarters.
It was a perfect win-win situation for me, and I celebrated any type of wins that came my way.
As I approached his chambers, I might have admired his enormous carved wood ceiling-to-floor double doors longer than necessary.
They were the largest I’d ever seen, more than twice my height.
It was majestic and also absurd.
What was absurd was the amount of sheer force I needed to pull one of the doors open, or maybe it was how weak my muscles were.
As I entered his chambers, I noticed how dark and spacious it was.
His oversized bed to the right side of the room had a beautiful, artistic wooden frame that cornered each end.
His bed was made already, but not properly. I tried not to look at the weapons he hung to the far right of his bed, on the wall that connected to the door I just walked through. Countless exquisite carved knives, sharp swords, a bow, and other weapons I’d never seen before. I might have wondered how many deaths were caused by them. I might have cringed a little bit.
I drew the brown floor-to-ceiling curtains at the front of his bedroom to the side and opened the windows to allow fresh air in.
I started cleaning his entire bedroom and dusted every shelf, nook, and cranny.
I swept the vast godforsaken floors and hand washed them over and over until they gleamed once more.
To the left of his room was the fireplace, where I cleaned the chimney and removed the buildup along its walls. I righted the cushions on his two large chairs near the fireplace to make it appear more alive.
I wiped the back of my hand along the top of my forehead.
Then I brought his sheep-skinned rugs to the windows where I shook them out until I could get every ounce of dust out of them.
I remade the attempted version of bed-making into what it should look like and neatly placed his pillows beside each other, pressing the wrinkles out like Sebry taught me.
After a few hours passed, the place was sparkly clean.
It was coming alive, tidy and airy.
I refreshed his water bowls, cleaned the bell that if pulled would call Hara, and organized his writing tools on the desk.
The morning chores were done.
My entire body felt sore and exhausted.
My legs nearly gave out.
I quietly left his chambers, using all the strength I had left in me to shut those double doors, and headed back towards the servants quarters.
At least I didn’t see Aris today.
And that was a very, very good thing.