Where Loyalties Lie (Book one)

Hidden Worth

She looked at her hands, she was dirty but she felt really good. This was one of those things that she got in trouble for. However she did not want to be some damsel in distress. She'd lived knowing that one day someone was going to come for her father and she wanted her best chance at survival. She jogged back up to the servant entrance and took off the shirt and slid the dress back on. She was quick to go back to her room, she planned on cleaning herself again so that she wasn't super dirty tomorrow. As it was she'd probably be tired, but happy that she felt like she might get a few freedoms that no one realized.

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"This is so much easier now, thank you for all the help. I thought you were going to be an entitled snob if I'm being honest." Jackie commented as they were in the small study that staff used for their inventories. Adele was rather surprised that there were more women staff than she thought doing this work. She'd commented about it and Jackie shrugged, she'd stated that the King did tend to land with the traditional men and women roles. If someone showed skill or a willingness to learn he'd elevate them no matter their gender. That education had been provided for several years until the war and now they were hurting for those to teach with the death tolls.

"Well I must admit I figured I was going to be treated poorly and given a bad report to the king. Thank you for not." She told her going over the papers there with Jackie to help correct and write on the inventory.

"You're handwriting is so neat and easy to read. Better than even some of the men who write." She said with a laugh.

"Thank you. I practiced quite a bit, not much else to do but write and study." She told Jackie who studied her for a moment.

"I have to ask, why would your father just leave you to the mercy of our king? It's clear you are educated, smart, and beautiful. Most Lords or Kings would keep a daughter like you and get a good price marrying her off. It doesn't make much sense. Navi is my husband, he told me how you were just left there. Not a care for you." Adele looked up at her and was silent for a minute, she knew that anything she said would be reported to the King. She also knew that Jackie wanted to keep learning from her so she had a bit of safety in that.

"I am his fifth child, I am not an heir to anything, I have two sisters behind me, more dutiful than I am according to my father. To make a point of what will happen if my siblings, both male or female disobey or go outside what he believes they should do or learn. We will be given away as gifts pretty much. At least my sisters, we are just bodies to fill a man's bed and if we want a good man to be married to then we should do what we are told. If not, then we will be given as a whore instead and he doesn't care what happens to us."

"He said that to his daughters? He doesn't care about his blood at all? Family doesn't matter." Jackie knew that some royal families were hard and marriage was all just a power play for the most part, there was no love. Guess she thought there was still some kind of love or honor there, wouldn't they want the best marriage?

"He did, and I taught myself. I would teach myself late at night and also listened in to my brothers' teachings to learn more." She looked back down at the paper. "He caught me several times reading or writing. Even helping my youngest brother once improve. My place wasn't to be schooled it was to be a wife. I failed, and here I am." Jackie thought that was horrible. She thought that things were starting to change most places. Women were being allowed education more often now, so were lower class. Perhaps it wasn't as far reached as she thought. Though she hadn't told really anyone that Adele was teaching a few of them.

"You taught yourself? That's really something, you know so much." Adele shrugged, she'd always been hungry for knowledge even as a child. She at first wanted to prove that she was as smart as her brothers. Then realized she wasn't going to be seen as anything but a girl so she just studied to learn.