Four Suits (Book 1)

Day 41-1: Old Maid

DAY 41-1: OLD MAID

Scrubbing the floors have never felt so satisfying.

"Adel! Are you finished?"

Leda reels off from the ground, directing her gaze onto the elderly maid that hobbles into the room. The moment she does, her features scrunch up in insurmountable disbelief.

"What are you doing? You don't scrub floors in that kind of manner!" She scurries to her side as swiftly as a fox then plucks the cloth from her fingers. "You can simply use your magic for these things."

Leda tenses under her scrutinizing gaze. "O-oh... right."

"It makes the menial chores a whole lot simpler. You should be using your brute strength for more important tasks." Pursing her lips, Yana shoos her off. "I'll handle things here. You head to the rooftop and join Hadey in doing the laundry."

Leda feebly nods. Yana fixes her attention onto the already spotless bathroom. She surfaces a stick similar to the one Mavix had used, flicks her wrist thrice then murmurs a jargon Leda can't comprehend. Then, per usual, everything comes to life. Without lifting a single finger, the various sponges, spray cleaners, and mop wipes any existing grime off the marble floors and nearby walls.

Leda has to swallow her awe even after she leaves the area. Can everyone do that in Straeh? If so, how is she supposed to blend in?

Slipping off her gloves, Leda tosses them into the nearby wastebasket.

For something that's the maid living quarters, the area is extraordinarily large and spacious. Countless rooms occupy every turn like a complex labyrinth. Its bright colours and the stunning artwork adorning the walls only add to the beauty. Considering it isn't nearly as crowded as it was at dawn, Leda can appreciate her surroundings more than when she first arrived last night.

All the other maids had woken up no later than sunrise, scarfing down a simple meal before getting straight to work. Some went toward the kitchen, others to survey the horses. Those who had gone to light fires at the palace fireplaces had returned moments ago to grab supplies to clean from there. The head maid, Farley, insisted Leda stick around with a couple of other maids that are fairly new as well, performing chores here until she can finally get used to things. And ever since their very intimidating conversation, back-aching chores she has been doing.

Farley is stricter than any teacher and she hates slackers more than anything. Considering the amount of fear every other maid displayed towards her this morning when she was barking for them to get going, it's obvious she's someone you don't want to cross no matter what.

But regardless of how rough this work is shaping up to be, fortunately nobody has caught onto her yet. From what she's tried to gather, none of them seemed too interested in matters concerning Spades and criminals. They're not allowed to question the affairs of the royal family; their only purpose is to complete their duties to the best of their abilities.

Leda's sure it's the same for Orian off in the butler dormitory as well. But even though this means she's safe for the time being, she can't forget the initial reason she came here. She has to somehow convince Farley or any one of the other head maids to let her out of this area so she can figure out where they're keeping Nixon.

"I wonder why His Highness decided to hire a girl like her so late in the year." The whispers resound as Leda slips on the nearest coat off the rack. "The Queen usually picks her choice of servants during the fall selection."

The three girls huddled in the kitchen, working through the dishes, sneak blatant glances over their shoulders.

One giggles. "If His Highness is the one who chose her, what else can it mean?"