Evie stood over the bed as she looked at Cathy, who was in a dead sleep, snoring lightly, and she felt footsteps creep behind her. "Your Highness, Lila is asleep as well. Let's go," Helga whispered in Evie's ear.
"Okay, let's go," Evie whispered back. They tiptoed outside the guest room.
"Did you bring the clothes?" Evie said.
"Yes, Your Highness, they are all here," Helga said, holding a bundle in front of Evie.
"Okay, send all these maids out on an errand while I change into the clothes," Evie said, picking up the bundle and walking up to the room. She entered, closing the door and bolting it behind her as she changed into the maid's clothes.
She took off her wig, taking two rings and a necklace that she had come with from Ashborne Kingdom, and put them between her hair and wig, and then put the wig on top. She looked and found nothing was protruding, then patted her head and felt the puffiness. "No," she said, shaking her head. Then she removed the wig, unbraided one braid, and then started to braid it, putting the rings in the braid. Once that was done, she put the necklace down as it was big and instead replaced it with the jade Elan had left her.
Once she was done, she put her wig on and then fastened her wimple. She patted her head and found it was smooth. She sighed a sigh of relief and dried her hands on her dress. "You got this," she said and looked at herself in the mirror one more time. "Okay, this will do," she said, turning to exit the door.
"Lady Elara," Helga said.
"Yes, let's go," Elara replied, passing by Helga and giving her the bundle. She lowered her face and walked with a slow pace.
"Walk beside me," Evie said to Helga. "We are both maids now, remember," she added, matching her step to Evie's pace.
They walked a short distance behind other maids all heading to the palace gate, and all of a sudden they heard footsteps coming up to them. "No matter what they say, don't look up," Evie said.
The closer the footsteps got, the louder Evie's heartbeat got, drumming in her ear.
"What a bunch of insolent maids! Why are you not greeting the Empress and me?" a harsh voice thundered.
Oh God, why her? Evie thought but knelt immediately, and Helga followed.
"Greetings to the Moon of the Empire. Greetings, Lady Isabella." Evie and Helga said in unison.
"Raise your heads," Isabella barked.
This is it, we are done, "Evie thought, but she raised her face to look at Lady Isabella, and their eyes met. And then she looked at the woman standing next to her, and what the fuck she thundered in her head. Why is she here? She questioned herself. Of course, she will be here; she is James Hayden's loyal lapdog, now his Empress. Those two deserve each other, she thought, biting her lip to prevent herself from swearing and looking down again.
"Wait, aren't you Lady Elara's maid?" Isabella asked Helga. "Why are you going home? Isn't your mistress having a party tonight? Where are you heading to?" she added.
"Your Highness, Lady Elara permitted me to go home since she has a lady-in-waiting now," Helga said, her voice shaky.
"And who is that next to you?" Isabella asked.
"Greetings to the Moon of the Empire," a voice interrupted. "Your Highness, the Emperor," a voice interrupted. Helga and Evie hurriedly held their heads down as Evie saw Helga swaying, her knees almost buckling under her.
It's raining enemies, as if this couldn't be the worst time, Evie thought.
"The Emperor is finished with his meeting," Hillary said, bowing to the Empress and Lady Isabella.
"Let's go," the Empress said, and Evie could hear their feet shuffling and their shadows moving. She breathed a breath she didn't know she was holding, and once she heard their footsteps disappear, she turned to Helga, whose back was stiff and drenched in sweat.
"Helga, I said confidence," Evie whispered.
"I thought they were going to catch us," Helga said, bursting into tears.
"They didn't. Now don't cry. If you continue crying, they will definitely catch us," Evie said, and Helga's cries died immediately.
"They won't catch us. After all, Hillary had taught me great makeup skills, right?" Evie said, touching her overdrawn eyebrows, grateful that she had decided to apply the cakey makeup Hillary's maid had done for her some nights ago. "Now let's go," Evie said, standing and then holding out her hand to help Helga stand.
They walked to the gates. Now that the palace was so big, it took them thirty minutes to reach the palace gate.
"Pass here," a fat matron sitting at the gate barked. "Name?" she asked. Evie winced from her shrill voice.
"Helga Patterson and Elara Bones," Helga said.
"Why can't she talk? Is she mute?" the matron asked, pointing to Evie as saliva particles from her mouth splattered over Evie's face.
"Sorry, ma'am. My name is Elara Bones," Evie said, trying to de-escalate the situation.
"Come here," she said and started frisking Evie from head to toe. "Stand there," she said, doing the same with Helga, and then she turned to their bundles and removed the things one by one. "Put it back and close it," she said once she was done, sitting down breathless.
Helga put the things in the bundles in a hurry, closed them, and they walked to the gate. The guard asked their names, checked the scroll, and let them out.
"Your Highness, we are out!" Helga squealed.
"We have barely reached somewhere. The journey is starting, and don't call me that. From now onwards, call me Evie, okay?" Evie said.
"Okay, Evie," Helga said.
They both breathed a sigh of relief and started walking away.
"Wait!" a loud voice stopped them in their tracks, and Evie's breathing stopped and Helga started shaking.
"Remember, Helga, confidence," Evie whispered, and then inhaled deeply, turning around.