"I have a task for you, Helga," Evie whispered as she and Helga huddled in a corner after sending away Lila to go to the royal boutique to help Cathy. "Tonight we need to make sure both Cathy and Lila don't sleep a wink. I will make sure of that. I need you to go at least three times tonight to make sure they are not sleeping. Is that okay?" Evie asked.
"Yes, Your Highness," Helga said.
"Are our things ready?" Evie asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. Everything is ready. I will bring you the clothes and identification tomorrow."
"What time are we leaving?" Helga asked.
"Early. I will put Cathy and Lila to sleep to give us a head start," Evie said as Helga nodded.
"Tomorrow they will come back from the boutique early, so I need you to go to the kitchen today. Get me milk, honey, and chamomile tea. So when they come tomorrow, we give them each a glass of warm milk mixed with honey and chamomile tea," Evie said.
"Okay, Your Highness," Helga nodded. "I understand, Your Highness. Look, they are here," Helga said, pointing to Cathy leading a short, plump woman and three teenage girls.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness. Nice to finally meet you. My name is Naomi Medic. I am the royal seamstress, and these are my three daughters," she said, pointing at the girls. "Please allow her to take your measurement," she added, pointing at the girl who looked like the eldest of the bunch.
"Sure," Evie said, standing up and spreading her arms.
"Please excuse me, Your Highness," the girl said as she took her tape and started measuring. She would measure a part and say out the measurement, and another one of the other girls would scribble it in a scroll, and it was done after a few minutes, and Evie was free to sit.
"Cathy, what type of dress have you decided on?" Evie asked.
"Let me show you, Your Highness," Cathy said, pulling a book from the seamstress's basket and opening it in front of Evie, pointing to three different designs. "And for the fabrics," reaching out to the basket again to pick out three different small cut materials, "this is wool, this other one is velvet, touch it, it is very soft, and this is silk. As for the colours, your maid helped us choose. She is knowledgeable," Cathy said, and Evie looked up at Lila to see her smiling.
"Yes, she actually helps me choose what to wear every time," Evie said. "I will be sending her to the royal boutique often so that she can learn and help you, Mrs Medic. I hope that is okay," she added.
"Yes, Your Highness. An extra helping hand at the boutique is much needed," Naomi said.
"Thank you," Evie replied. She might have sent Lila to the boutique under the pretext of helping Cathy to give herself and Helga some time to talk, but that was not the only reason; she wanted the people there to notice her talent.
She knew once the news of her leaving was public, the boutique would take Lila to work there, and Evie preferred that, as she would be at ease knowing Lila was somewhere safe doing what she likes, instead of being assigned to somewhere harsh or, worse, to Isabella. So when Cathy mentioned Lila being talented, Evie sighed in relief.
"Cathy, since we have a very short time, we cannot afford to relax with the process of this dressmaking, as the party is just less than twelve hours away. Helga and I will be overseeing the process the whole night while you and Lila catch up on sleep, and tomorrow morning, you will replace us while we sleep till midday. Is that okay?" Evie said, touching the bags under her eyes.
"No, Your Highness. Let Lila and me be the ones to oversee it tonight while you and Helga sleep. You need to be refreshed by tomorrow to look your best, so don't worry and sleep well. Leave this to Lila and me," Cathy said, puffing her chest.
Bull's eye, Evie thought, smiling. "Thank you, Cathy. I don't know how I would have done this without you," Evie said. "Tomorrow when you come, Helga will prepare some milk and honey with chamomile to help you sleep better," she added with a smile.
"Okay, Your Highness. We have lots to do now. We will leave," Cathy said, bowing.
"Go on now. You, take one maid and send her in case you need anything," Evie said, standing from her chair.
All of them bowed and left, leaving Evie and Helga looking at their backs, smiling.
"Your Highness, I thought we would have to forcefully keep them awake and then drug them to sleep and feed them the milk secretly, but you made it happen easily," Helga said with a smile on her face. She was very impressed.
"Helga, remember this: it is easier to make people do things than it is to force them to do so. Always try the easy way out first, and if it does not work, then that's when you try the hard way, okay?" Evie said.
"Now let's go to the old library. We need to study a map and get some information on the geography of Valerian," Evie said, walking out the door.
The library was a short distance away, and Evie looked around the palace for the final time. She looked forward to seeing the familiar door of the old library, emotions hitting her. Even if she was in the library for only a few days, it was where she felt at peace and at home the most.
Creak. The door opened as she took a step, and as always, Evie said, feeling the ticking in her nostrils, "Achoo!" She sneezed and smiled. It was as if the library was welcoming her. She moved to the shelves she had organised, moving her hand across, and clank, something fell. As Evie looked down, she saw a scroll and a jade pendant. "What is this?" she said, bending down to pick it up.