Evie sat on the bed, confused about her surroundings again. Everything had been happening so fast. She didn't have time to adapt to her reality as a maid, and now she was thrown into a different world, once again, that she had not asked for.
"This would be a dream come true, that is, before I found out about the edict," she said, yawning in the middle of her sentence, "but now it's as useless as an anonymous survey everyone knows about, isn't it?" She finished, amused by her own simile.
"Time to get ready and grab the bull by its horns. Lots to do. I need to survey the pavilion and also look for a way to escape from this place," Evie said, her mind completely made up.
She picked up a bell by her bedside and rang it, loving the lovely chiming sound it produced. Within a few seconds, the door to her bedchamber flew open and Helga and Lila entered. Evie could see the happiness on both their faces. Despite the energy, Helga's expression was restrained, but Lila was beaming, her smile very wide.
"Good morning, Lady Elara. How was your night? Let me help you to the bathroom," Helga said.
"Helga, please call me Elara, just like you did before, when in the presence of Lila and me. Just address me properly when we are in the presence of other people, okay?"
Before Lila could finish her agreement, Helga cut her off. "Sorry, Your Highness. We need to be aware of our position. What if someone finds out and you get criticised for not knowing the rules of nobility? Thank you for the offer, but we will address you correctly," Helga said, looking at Lila, who was now looking at her feet as if she had found a mountain of gold beneath them.
"Okay, I understand. If that is what you prefer, then let's do that. But please, know that I am one of you, I will treat you both well as long as I am here, and I hope you will feel free to communicate with me. Let's work as teammates rather than servant and mistress," Evie said. Her chosen method of management was always an open-door policy, characterised by mutual respect and understanding, while also respecting the choices of others.
So with that settled, she stood and headed to the bathroom. Despite seeing it the previous night, she was still shocked at the extravagance before her. A big bathtub lay in the middle of the bathroom with the wall full of glass. Evie knew from the memory of Elara that the Valerian Empire was rich and powerful, but now she was able to see the extent of its wealth. In this era when glass was rare to find, the whole walls of the bathroom were inlaid with glass and this was the pavilion of a mere concubine. She couldn't imagine how grand the pavilions of the Empress and the favoured mistress were.
She inhaled, sighing with content. The smell of the incense was calming, and with the bathroom hazy, the steam coming from the bathtub created a magical environment. Even in the twenty-first century, Evie had never seen a palace grander than this place.
"Let me help you, Your Highness," Helga said as she helped Evie undress. Evie blushed, her back and cheeks turning red. She just couldn't get used to stripping with an audience. So immediately after the clothes were off, Evie rushed to the bathtub, getting a giggle out of Lila.
"Your Highness, should we wash your hair?" Helga said.
"No, Helga, it's okay," Evie said frantically. "It's hard to dry. We will just wash it sometime later. Right now, let's focus on the bath," she added.
"Okay," Helga said, getting some oils and body wash that smelled heavenly and started rubbing it on Evie's body.
Evie relaxed, sinking into the bathtub as Helga and Lila took turns giving her a massage. "Ooh," Evie moaned as Helga massaged her shoulders, focusing on a knot. "How I wish that damn edict didn't exist," Evie said in a low tone.
"Sorry, is it painful? Should I stop?" Helga said, panicking.
"No, don't stop. Continue," Evie said, closing her eyes. For now, she would just concentrate on the bath.
On the bed, several dresses were laid out as Evie stood wrapped in a towel.
"Your Highness, please, this one with the corset will look really well on you," Lila said, looking at Evie.
"Oh, don't give me those puppy eyes. We are not going out. We will have breakfast and just move around the pavilion. This one is more free and looks comfortable. Let's go with this one," Evie said. Looking at Lila's dejected face, she felt bad. "Okay, I promise, next time when we are going to go out of our pavilion, you will choose everything. Is that okay?" she asked.
"Okay!" Lila said with a big smile.
"Easy to please. Compensatory benefit always works," Evie said with a smile.
Evie wore a jungle green, flowy dress, putting her wig in a braid, and stepped out to the dining room, joining Helga who had gone out to set the table while Evie and Lila were in the bedchambers.
Both Evie and Lila gasped the moment they stepped into the dining room as she looked at the full table in front of her: fine white wheat bread, thick-sliced; fresh butter; honeycomb; and fruit preserves of fig, plum, and different types of berries. At the centre was roasted bacon, sausages, and eggs, both soft-boiled and fried in butter. Evie swallowed hard, the saliva pooling in her mouth as she was moved close to tears. The foodie in her cheered within.
Evie sat down and started chomping on everything in her sight. She was no better than a starved beast finding meat after a long time, and due to the rush, the food slipped down the wrong pipe and she started coughing.
"Slow down, Your Highness. The food is all yours," Helga said as Evie flushed red with embarrassment. She slowed down, and after finishing, she asked Lila and Helga to finish up the remaining, and Lila was almost in tears as she put a piece of bread in her mouth.
Once the dining table was cleared, Evie went to the guest hall and sat down.
Knock. Knock.
A knock sounded at the outer door as the three ladies looked at each other.