During the whole speech and whatever it was that Claude and the Head Maid said this whole meeting, all you could do was lower your gaze in hopes that he doesn't recognize you—which has a high chance of happening, since he wasn't intoxicated that day and could probably easily spot you.
"...We pledge to fulfill our duties." Sasha finished reciting, which was your cue.
In sync with all the other ladies in the room, you curtsied and spoke in a clear voice, "We pledge to fulfill our duties."
That should wrap everything up, right? your eyes were darting everywhere, and you couldn't stop the feeling of restlessness creeping up your chest. All that's left is exiting. All I need to do is follow everyone, directly bow to the Emperor—Wait. I need to bow in front of him before exiting. I need to say 'I pledge to fulfill my duty' to him. I need to bow to him. I need to speak to him.My face, my voice—he'll definitely see my face!
The line of maids began moving, and before you could recollect your thoughts, you were forced to walk towards the man you wanted to avoid.
If I keep my head low, he won't see me, right? Hehe, come on, Lady Luck. You killed me once, don't make the same mistake twice. Don't let today be my last day on this Earth. I just got here! the nervousness you were feeling grew with every step you took—to the point that you were mentally begging the females in front of you to take their time in greeting the man, but as if they were against you, it felt like everything was happening at twice the speed.
"Hey, hey, (Y/n)." Eunice whispered to you, but her eyes were trained off somewhere else. In hopes to distract yourself, you lifted your head slightly to look over to your friend. "Have you noticed? There are barely any servants in His Majesty's palace, and yet they had us ladies stationed at the Emerald Palace. Is that not odd?"
That's actually better! It makes the chances of seeing him lower! you simply laughed her words off. "Don't be like that, Eunice. We are simply here to do what we are asked to do, and that is to stay at the Emerald Palace. There is also no one inhabiting the Emerald Palace, and that means there won't be much work for us to do."
Her eyes lit up as she considered everything you said. "Yes, I suppose that is an ideal beginning, especially for nobles."
Two more pairs, and I'm up. you took a deep breath, watching as the current pair began walking away from the Emperor, their heads still bowed. One more, and...
You took the step forward, walking beside Eunice ( who looked a lot more calmer than you ). You reached the assigned spot, lowering your head as a greeting.
"I pledge to fulfill my duty." you recited in chorus, your voice lower than it should be—and you hoped that he was bored enough with everything that he would let that fact pass—as all you wanted was to get it over with so you could go on with your life and quickly return to your 'home.'
You lifted your head to turn around, but as you did so, you made eye contact with the male you wished to avoid—why was he even looking at you? You saw how his eyes narrowed when he saw your face, and you tried your best to keep your face neutral and act as if nothing was affecting you, but you were probably giving it away with your expression alone.
His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but before he could, you had already turned away from him, walking towards the door, and the ladies behind you had begun reciting their lines.
In the end, he wasn't able to call out to you—and you were able to safely go back to the Emerald Palace ( and you hoped that he won't bother to call for you even if he did recognize you ).
───── ❝ 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 ❞ ─────
One week.
It's been a week since you went to meet the Emperor ( not by choice, but because of some protocol or something you never learned ), and whether he did recognize you or not, he didn't reach out to you. He didn't order his knights and make them do the 'the boss is calling for you' like in books—he ignored it, basically.
It irked you at first, but then you remembered that it was what you wanted in the first place.
A peaceful life without even a hint of trouble means you get to return back to Veikki and the others as quickly as possible—and getting involved in a sex scandal with the goddamn Emperor is not the way to achieve that.
"—/n)? (Y/n)?" Eunice waved her hands in front of your face in hopes of snapping you out of your thoughts. You blinked, meeting eyes with the girl. "(Y/n), the dust. You're supposed to sweep, collect, and then throw. You don't stop halfway. What has gotten you lost in your thoughts?"
Oh you know, just because I'm worried I'm in trouble because I got fucked by the ruler of Obelia—nothing special. you shook your head at her, leaning against the wall and letting yourself slide down to the floor. But I can't tell her that! One, she won't believe me. Two, my reputation is already nonexistent as the second daughter, I don't need to kill what's already dead! Three, I have a feeling that if I talk about it and he finds out, I'll die.
"It's just...I'm still adjusting. This is a big change for people who was raised in houses like ours, yes? It seems I'm not used to it yet." you spoke in a hushed voice.
Wow, my acting is so—Professional liar right here. My specialty is now bullshitting. you groaned internally. Can I bullshit my way if that guy Claude asks?
You shivered at your own thoughts.No way, I'm never seeing him again. He might actually recognize me if I do. Never again.
"I suppose so." Eunice bought your excuse with the nod of her head. "Shall we take a little break then? Head Maid Sasha won't be walking around this part until later in the day, and if we work hard enough, we'll be able to finish this up by the time she does."
"You are the best." you sent her a thumbs up and a grin.
"Of course. However, that's not the right thing to say to someone who just encouraged you to skip your duties." Eunice said as she walked over to you, ignoring the chores she was supposed to do as well. "Though it's not as if you told a lie."
I aspire for confidence as great as hers. you thought after listening to her words. Does she even ever get nervous? She didn't look like she minded it all that much when we greeted Claude—Wow. I called him Claude. Even if you're from another world, (Y/n), you should still respect the royalty of this world. Especially when you fucked said royalty and is now facing the danger of a scandal of sorts.
The door opened unexpectedly, making both you and Eunice ( who was taking a break without permission ) jolt. "Oh, right? There was that—" the other girls stopped talking when they saw both you and Eunice resting, and they immediately smiled at you two, placing a finger on their lips as a sign of their silence.
"Did the Head Maid overwork you two again?" Via said as she lead the group over to you two. Sasha was of a commoner background, and she held a dislike for nobles, so for you and Eunice ( who were both daughters of a count ) got it the hardest, compared to the rest of the girls who were either also commoners or were daughters of nobles of a lower status.
"What part did she assign you two on? She assigned us two to clean this whole hall—just us!" you grumbled, but then sent a stare towards Eunice's way. "I can't believe you thought the Head Maid was kind. That warning of being on our best behavior was so said just so we could survive and be able to be ordered around."
"Don't say it like that!" Eunice defended. "There must be a hidden reason as to why she treats us like this. She does not seem like the type of person who would hold a grudge for a light reason, so there must be a story behind it."
"Yes, please, pursue that and maybe ask her to be a little bit softer on us." Via, a baron's daughter, pleaded. "Though I do feel bad for you two—having it the hardest, and everything."
"Oh! Speaking of this topic, have you heard?" Julia, the third daughter of a viscount, piped in. "The maid's from His Majesty's palace has been reduced yet again!"
"Why would that be a big deal?" Eunice shrugged. "Is that not a normal occurrence? They always get switched out for various reasons, do they not?"
Via joined in, seemingly very invested in the topic. "They do, but you see, His Majesty did it a lot earlier. We were just taken in, so there shouldn't be a need for the switch yet, and yet His Majesty did so anyways! And do you know what is the most interesting part of this topic is?"
"What is it?" you leaned in, interested for the sake of your life. Did he leak it? Run rumors? Hah, if he did, I'm so spreading the fact that he was found visiting a pub.
"Somebody from the Emerald Palace maids is being transferred to His Majesty's palace!" Via squealed. "But that's not the best part! It was His Majesty's knight, Sir Felix Robane, who delivered the news! The Knight of Crimson Blood himself! Kya, have you seen that man?!"
You're paying attention to that part rather than the transfer?!
"Right?!" Julia agreed. "I was aware I would one day encounter him as I was sent to the palace, however, I did not think I would meet him this soon!"
Eunice matched their energy. "Was he any—"
She got cut off when the door opened, and there revealed the Head Maid, Sasha Auberon, herself.
All four of you froze.
Sasha's eyes scanned the scene. You, on the floor with the broom abandoned. Eunice, right beside you when she was supposed to clean the windows. Via and Julia in this room gossiping when they were assigned to another hall, and was only sent here to check on your progress.
She shook her head—and that was when all four of you knew you were in big trouble.
All of you young girls went on your knees, ready to be scolded and given punishment for slacking off.
Her eyes landed on your form.
You could guess why. Your family was probably the most powerful among all of the girls gathered in the Emerald Palace, and that explains why she would pin her anger on you. You thought being the daughter of a nobleman meant an easy life, but in this case, it was giving you a hardtime.
"(Y/n) (L/n)."
Oh gosh, the full name. you gulped.
"Pack your things."
Oh, I thought she was going to make me—Wait. your head lifted up upon processing what she said. "Pardon? I think I misheard you..."
"Pack your things and get ready to leave." Sasha repeated, but with even more detail this time.
Why? Because I slacked off? I'm getting kicked out because of one mistake that isn't even big? I'll accept any punishment, but I expected it to be cleaning duties, or holding my arms up for hours, but kicking me out?! you blinked, unable to believe what you were hearing.
I miss Veikki and the others, but I don't want to go back to that house this quick! (Y/n) (L/n)'s family is shitty!
You didn't move in your spot, putting on a pleading smile. "Excuse me, but I think—"
"Make haste." Sasha cuts you off. "You are to be transferred to His Majesty's palace as soon as possible. Upon request, you are to meet with His Majesty as soon as you arrive at his palace."
I'm sorry, what? your smile dropped immediately.
"Do not keep His Majesty waiting."
✰