The Second Prince's World Rewritten

Chapter 4 - Not Any Maids, They are Ladies

Lady Maebel who currently sits on her desk pass her four gold coins. That much is enough for a farmer family to get by for two months. That is half her entire month wage already as a palace maid.

She is still comprehending the entire situation that she actually expected, yet still surprising to experience herself.

Black ribbon tied on her uniform, she seriously listens.

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The Bridge Palace

As known, a palace that connects to most other palaces. People pass by often as it is the most efficient way if you would like to walk between the areas. Even the royal family members, nobles, cabinet members are often seen passing through on whims.

The garden is really impressive, one of the best only second to the queen's garden. The hallways full of glass, ornaments, and paintings. The outdoor paths made of glass with pond running underneath.

Bridge Palace is that one palace where you can just relax with no reason to be. No royal is assigned to this palace, it is rarely occupied. Maybe guests? Even then, only a special guest such as foreign royalty would be assigned a room here.

The Bridge Ladies

There are only small counts of maids in the palace, 30 at most. A very small number considering how big the Bridge Palace and the maintenance requirements of this fancy display.

They are no mere maids, they are noble ladies. Most of them come from small nobilities, fallen families, unknown and poor nobles, or even sometimes commoner family that holds good status in the high society. Clean background and no scandal is a must of being the Bridge Ladies. Sometimes it is better when your family is unknown, but your on paper status is good.

Interesting.

This is a palace for raising the palace concubines. To avoid scandal, it is preferrable for the royal family members to take concubines or a mistress from a list of women prepared and controlled within the palace wall. The Bridge Palace is that medium.

The ladies are being placed under the disguise of being maids in a building that is mostly accessible by the royals and the nobles. This allows the ladies to be seen by the gentlemen and chosen as their partner to spend the night with.

Lady Maebel, or turns out to be Viscountess Maebel Strauss the last member of a fallen family. She is (or was?) one of the most senior of His Majesty's concubines. Being given the position as Head Maid of the Bridge must be making her position really special. She never bore any children from the king, good relationship with the queen, her safety is ensured.

She is the one with the highest authority over this concubine facility. She selected good ladies without clear open recruitments, train them, manage their interactions, and enforce a good regulation. No scandal royal family might be contributed the most by how Lady Maebel manages the information of the men's nights out controlled.

The Patreons

Are the men of the royalty or in rare occasion nobles and cabinet members who wish to spend the night with the "high quality" concubine ladies of the Bridge.

The patreons, as a sign of respect, would send gifts and money to Lady Maebel. The huge sum amount of money are for the management, the maintenance, and also trainings. Most of the time, there are also separate gifts for the lady herself after he slept with one of the girls. It would depend on the status of the patreons or even how much the patreons favor her.

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The Ribbons

It is one of the management system. The ribbons enable no mistakes were made. Currently, there are four colors of ribbons, pink, red, purple, and black. Any other color might apply on case per case basis.

The Pink Ribbon

Given to the new maids, the virgin ladies. Most of them are usually still in training. The pink color signs that they have not been laid by any men. They have never done the concubine duty of the Bridge Ladies.

When the man is interested with The Pink Ribbon, they may take initiative to request Lady Maebel to take the lady to his room.

Therefore, most of their assignments are where they can be seen the most by the passerbies. The hallway, the garden, along the paths are their usual work area.

The Purple Ribbon

They usually have similar assignment areas to the pink ribbon. They may also be taken to bed. The difference lies within the method, men can directly approach the lady and talk to her without informing Lady Maebel first.

Purple Ribbons are the experienced ladies. They have done their "duties" before.

The Red Ribbon

They are on the job, right now. The ladies with red ribbon on means regardless of the ribbon status cannot be disturbed right now. They are usually on the way to meet their patreons.

Any other gentlemen are not allowed to try approaching ladies with red ribbons.

The Black Ribbon

Is locked, owned, and off-limits in any way. The ladies with black ribbons are highly favored and extremely guarded by one patreon.

When a patreon choose to make his lady a black ribbon, he would pay the Bridge Palace a huge sum of money to shoo the other men. The Palace in regards would avoid the black ribbon maids to work in open area. They will usually take care of more private rooms and indoor jobs.

Black ribbon ladies will have special trainings supervised by Lady Maebel herself rather than her assistants. They who are not favored anymore technically can go back to being a purple ribbon. However, it has never happened. Black ribbon concubines have been really close to the high ranking noble, it would be dangerous to let them stay in the palace and interacts with other nobles. Therefore, the patreon would usually release them by paying them off to marry another small nobles or gave them a business in a faraway region.

Regardless, this is the life of Lucelia Beaufort right now. What happens tomorrow will be unknown.

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