The next day I woke up before the sun had a chance to light the cell's dim and dreary brick walls. Although it makes sense considering how early I went to bed. After becoming extensively bored and antsy just sitting on the concrete floor, I decided to get a head start on the day. I asked the sleep deprived guard to kindly let me out so I could report to the laundry room, which he surprisingly did without any question, albeit very lazily. Impressed by my successful departure using make-believe work, I navigated my way through the never ending halls of the palace to the laundry room, hoping to make my excuse real.
"Jessi, Oli, do not put those together! If we have to redo the sheets because you can't tell silk from cotton I will have your head-"
"Excuse me, Miss," I interjected. The laundry head flung around, obviously distressed.
"What?" She asked exasperated.
"I'm one of the slaves of the visiting Prince. It seems like I won't be needed until later and I was hoping to make myself useful. Would you happen to have anything I could help with?" I asked politely.
The winkle in her brow softened the longer I spoke and by the end, a small grin graced her features.
"Do I? Absolutely, I do. Go straight to the pots," she stated.
With a hurried yes ma'am and a now satisfied laundry head, the room bustled once again and the war that was boiling pots of cloth started.
There was a reason why laundry duty was given to maids as punishment; it was gruesome. Your arms would burn from the strain of stirring pounds and pounds of white sheets with nothing but a wooden dowel, and the steam would sting against your skin as both the condensation of the room and your own sweat collected on your face. Simply put, it was incredibly tiring and very uncomfortable.
Now it wasn't like any of this was new to me personally, but the pots and loads were insanely bigger than what they were at the estate, so I was surprised to see my arms shaking from the distress after only half an hour. I pushed through and kept at it until two more bells sounded from the tower, and I was told to take a break. To which, I did not refuse.
I sat off to the side and was eventually told that I should go help out the kitchen as they are always rushing and complaining about being short staffed. So taking the laundry lead maid's advice, I made my way across the palace once more and reported to the kitchen. My help was welcomed with open arms as they asked me to wash the dishes, which was yet another gruesome job. I didn't waste any time, scraping pans and scrubbing pots till the metal shone back at me. There was another servant who was in charge of drying the dishes, thankfully, however, she seemed to fumble at the amount of dishes I relentlessly put in front of her. It wasn't until I realized that I was cleaning faster than dishes were being made that I slowed down to match their speed. Once they started to officially make breakfast, I asked for the Prince's food to be made.
"You serve the Prince?" She asked. I realized that I had forgotten to introduce myself as I had to the laundry department.
"Yes. Since I woke up early, I figured that I should do something to help out," I explained.
"Very well. Wake up the prince and inform him that his breakfast will be delivered shortly," she stated. I bowed, dismissing myself from the room and walking up the staircase to the Prince's quarters to knock on his door.
"Your Highness?" I called, "Are you awake?"
I listened for a response, but heard nothing.
"Your Highness?" I called again, knocking once more.
"I've come to wake you up, sire," I said. I was met with more silence.
Should I just open the door? Can he not hear me?
"I'll be coming in, Your Highness," I informed, albeit unsurely.
I cautiously opened the door, hoping I wasn't making a grave mistake by walking in without permission. I stayed by the door and peeked my head in. I saw him resting soundly in the bed.
"Your Highness?" I tried. I winced internally at the volume of my voice in contrast to the deafening morning silence. Still no response.
Your Highness, I would pity you if an assassin were to ever come here. At this rate, even a clumsy amateur could sneak up on you, y'know?
I sighed. My stomach clenched as I slowly walked over to the Prince's bed. His face was half smooshed into the pillow making me hold back a giggle that threatened to surface.
"Your Highness," I called out. He flinched, turning into his pillow, obviously reluctant to get up. He groaned and mumbled something into his pillow.
"Sire, it's time to wake up, I've asked the kitchen to prepare breakfast, and they said that they would have it delivered here soon."
He turned out from the pillow, allowing me to see his whole face.
"Why in the world are you waking me up at this ungodly hour?" He asked, obviously bothered.
"The eighth bell rang not too long ago, sire. It's a perfectly reasonable time for you to get up," I said.
"Well, I didn't get to bed until the fourth bell, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to stay in bed."
I looked at him like he was crazy.
The fourth bell? Just what did he do to keep himself busy until then?
"Well… If that's what you wish, Your Majesty, then I shall inform the kitchen to hold off on your breakfast. How long do you wish to remain in bed?" I asked.
"The rest of the day," he mumbled. I silently chuckled, this time unable to fight the urge to laugh. I smiled a little but tried to stay serious.
"And what of the negotiations?" I asked, slightly amused.
He opened his eyes, catching a glimpse of my grin before closing his eyes again.
"I'll just take over the country instead."
"Well that would certainly save me the hassle of translating," I noted, not thinking about how making a joke of this nature could be considered extremely rude.
A smile graced his lips.
"It certainly would," he mumbled. He pushed up off the bed and sat with the blankets still covering his lap.
"Which is why I can't have that."
I frowned slightly.
"Got to put you to work somehow," he said.
I put myself to work plenty fine by myself, thank you.
"Should I take it that you will be having your breakfast then?" I asked.
"Yes. Get me a water basin to wash my hands and face with first. We'll start the preparation for the negotiations after breakfast. They were scheduled for 11 after all," he ordered.
"Understood, Your Highness. I'll be right back." I bowed and then left for the bathroom, finding a water basin on the counter. I went to the irrigation channel and lifted the panel, letting water flow. After filling the basin, and sneaking a sip, I shut the channel and walked back out, not forgetting to grab a dry face towel.
"Thank you," he said. He splashed his face a few times before I handed him the towel.
A knock on the door caught my attention.
"Breakfast," a voice said. I went over and opened the door. A servant stood with a cart holding the dinner along with a pitcher of hot water. On the bottom rack held a tea set with milk and honey.
I blinked in surprise for a moment.
They had carts?
I took the handle and pulled it into the room, bowing slightly to the maid.
"Thank you," I said.
After bringing it back into the room, I barely had time to get the door closed before the prince was already at the cart, examining the food.
"Will the table near the window do for breakfast, Your Highness, or should I set it out on the terrace?" I offered. He said nothing, but went and sat down at the table inside which I took as my answer. I pulled the cart over and set the food out, making sure to set the plates down carefully and quietly.
"Would you like tea, Your Highness?" I asked.
"Yes. With honey," he said.
"Do you like any specific amount?"
"Not a lot, but not a little," he said.
I stared at the teapot trying to figure out how much 'not too little' exactly was before I got to work, scooping the tea leaves into a strainer and making his tea. I set the tea cup down next to His Highness as he ate his breakfast, seemingly not impressed or disgusted. A good sign.
Not wishing to just stand there and watch him eat, I went over to the bedside and took the used water basin into the bathroom and scrubbed my own hands before I emptied it. As I tossed the towel into the laundry basket hidden away in the closet, I noticed the shining and glittering uniform that somehow was more luxurious than his already very luxurious wardrobe. It dawned on me that not only was today the negotiations, His Highness would most likely have to adorn his royal apparel. I hurried back out.
"Your Highness?" I called as I made my way over.
"Yes?" he replied, leaned back in his chair, eyes closed and hand rested on the table with his tea cup.
"I think it would be best to have some other maids be in charge of serving you today," I said. He looked at me properly now, a slight frown tugging the edges of his lips.
"I thought I already made it clear that I will only have you serving me while I'm here," he said with a slight bit of irritation. I was uneasy at the tone of his voice, but continued to explain.
"I'm very sorry, Your Highness. It's just that I don't know how to dress you in royal apparel. I've only ever helped with regular attire for Counts or lower. I don't think I've even helped with formal clothing before as the materials and accessories were considered too precious for me to handle," I explained. His expression softened, and he relaxed into his chair unbothered.
"Hmm," he seemed to think for a moment, "I see."
"Well, there's a first time for everything," he stated nonchalantly.
"But-"
"It's not like I can't just guide you through it. I'll know if anything is noticeably wrong. I've worn them on multiple occasions, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Didn't you bring a maid for occasions like this anyway?" I asked.
"I did."
"Then-"
"But I have no clue where she was stationed, and it's not a difficult task. Why go through all that work when you can do it just fine."
"Your Highness, isn't this task too important to leave to a slave?" I asked, trying to imply that it was, in fact, too important
"Not if I say otherwise. And if you really wish to bring up your status as a slave, then shouldn't you just do as I say regardless ?"
"...Yes, Your Highness. I apologize," I said, bowing slightly.
"It's fine, but while we're on the topic of attire, we should discuss yours," He started.
"Mine?"
"Yes, you've been wearing the same thing since I got you. Have you even bathed?"
"Well… No, Sire. Slaves usually get to bathe once a month to a year depending on the master and the slave's job."
"There must be a place to bathe however?"
"Sometimes. I can look into whether the palace has a Slave bath or not. The palace is close to a river, so they could also be using that."
"How do you know that there's a river close by?"
"This castle is famous for their irrigation system. They use the river to operate it, sire."
"Hm," he hummed, "I did think it was weird that you were able to fill the tub so easily."
"It's our national treasure. This is the only place known to have it. While most people know how to use it, the way they build and…"
Engineer. What's the word for engineer in Empirian?
"And?"
"I'm sorry, just how they… build it? How they… get it to work—How they get it to work is kept a secret," I said, finally finding the right words.
"I see. It seems like you still have some studying to do," he said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," I replied slightly embarrassed.
"I'm quite curious about the irrigation system. Thank you for the information."
"It was nothing, Your Majesty."
"Alright. Since the negotiations are directly after lunch with the King, there's still some time. Go and find out where you can bathe and make yourself presentable. See if they have any extra clothes for you to wear. I doubt you've been changing your clothes regularly either. Report to me once you're done."
"Understood, Your Majesty. Should I call a maid to take care of your dishes then?"
"Go ahead," He allowed.
I bowed, leaving the room. I went down the hallways till I spotted a maid.
"Excuse me, do you know if there's a slave bathing area?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's near the slave quarters in the same hallway. Someone near there should be able to show you the way," She said.
"Thank you. Also, if you're available could you take care of the Prince's dishes? He asked me to find someone to do it."
"Sure," she said.
"Thank you so much," I bowed, showing my appreciation.
"You're welcome."
With that, I left to go find the slave bathe. Surprisingly it was just past the slave quarters. I was more amazed that I didn't notice it when I went down here to go to sleep yesterday. Walking inside I was met with a decently sized room, pales and rags lined on the walls and a huge pail in the corner, holding all the water to be used. The whole room was made of stone, nothing breaking from the brown-grey color scheme of the room.
This is nice, I guess living at the castle is just a whole different experience.
I walked over to the corner and used a bucket to scoop up some water, setting it down some steps away. I then got to work scrubbing away at the dirt that seemed to be prevalent everywhere on me. It wasn't until I actually started cleaning myself that I realized how disgusting I felt. I kept my clothes on for the majority, not feeling comfortable enough to get undressed in such a large room. It made it feel like anyone could barge in at any second, which, well, they could. So waiting till the last second, I dumped the water to what looked like a drainage pipe, grabbed another bucket of water, and then swiftly unchanged and dunked my clothes swishing and swashing as fast as I could before wringing it out and putting back on the sopping wet piece of cloth.
I should have asked for the set of clothes before I washed.
I sighed and reluctantly stood up, wringing out the ends again so I wouldn't drip water in the hallway.
I walked through the hallway, until I spotted yet another maid and stopped her. She gave a look at my appearance up and down with an eyebrow raised, obviously waiting for me to speak. I blushed out of furious embarrassment.
"I'm sorry but would you happen to have a spare set of slave clothes?"
"... Sure," she said wearily. Thankfully she took it upon herself to show me the way and also generously found me a towel as well. I gave my thanks and bowed as she left before getting dressed and drying my hair as much as I could. I didn't have a mirror, so I just finger combed it the best I could in hopes that it looked "presentable" enough. The new set of slave apparel felt heavenly on my skin. I felt the cleanest I felt in a while and it was honestly very refreshing. It seems that the slaves at the palace have more of an actually lengthy brown dress assigned to the female slaves. The feeling of having fabric long enough to reach my calves made me feel better than I thought it would.
I kinda feel like a lady.
I walked back to the prince's room in quite the cheerful mood.
Should I thank him for letting me bathe?
I shook off the idea, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. Knocking on the door, I waited till I got permission to walk into the room. The prince looked me over as I closed the door and faced him. I looked at his expression, waiting to get some kind of reaction.
"I'm back from bathing, Your Highness. Should we get started on your preparation?" I asked.
"Mmm, do something to that hair of yours first. You look like a wet dog," he commented before going back to the documents he was looking at. My expression fell slightly, feeling a little insulted. I glanced at the mirror.
"May I use your mirror, Sire?" I asked.
"You may," he said.
I walked over and looked at my reflection. While the dress was nice, and my face looked clean, the friz and somewhat tangled mess did, in fact, make me look like a wet dog. I sighed and worked through a few more tangles before putting my hair in two braids. Thanks to the grip of wet hair, I didn't need a hair band to hold them in place as long as I braided all the way down to the ends of my hair. I turned to his highness.
"Will this do, Sire?" I asked.
He glanced up at me for a moment.
"That'll be fine," He stated.
"Then shall we start on your preparations, Your Majesty?"
"I guess so," He sighed. Obviously not happy at the prospect of standing still for however long it took me to figure out the hundreds of buttons on his clothes. I opened the door to the closet as he walked in, and he started throwing me the clothes as he shuffled through the trunks and racks that we brought. I jump forward, almost dropping a piece of clothing one too many times, making me worry for my life.
Would it kill him to just hand me the clothing?
Lastly he grabbed his shoes and waltzed out the closet as quick as he came.
He stood in front of the room's dressing mirror and waited for me to waddle my way over.
"Put it on in the order I gave it to you," he said simply. I looked at the pile of clothes and internally praised myself for keeping it in order. I set the pile on the bed, waiting for him to get undressed to some degree. And thus started the tiring event of putting on multiple layers of fabric, buttons, clips, badges, accessories, and ties. We switched the cape twice, the shoes once, his tie four times, and I don't want to even mention how long it took for the prince to be satisfied with his hair. I didn't even know there were so many ways to style a guy's hair. However, eventually he was satisfied with his appearance and we were able to make our way to the dining hall we were told to report to.
To think I was so satisfied with just a single dress.
"Are you prepared for the negotiations?"
"As much as I can be. I would still like it if you could try to use the nicest words possible just in case, Your Highness. I'm still a little unfamiliar with certain phrases," I warned.
"Hmm, we'll see. I'll keep it in mind," He said.
"Thank you," I replied, and with that, we entered the dining hall.