Soft padding of Skye's fluffy shoes made little to no noise while she cautiously made her way down the stairs towards kitchen.
It was morning time and mixed chattering of people and maids and servants passing here and there confirmed that the day had already started long ago and preparation of the breakfast of on its peak.
That was the reason Skye was going to the kitchen to fetch breakfast for lady Joanna who had to tend little gathering of royal ladies right after breakfast.
Skye gripped her white gown in both of her hands to pull it up her ankles so that she could walk little faster when she bumped into someone making her turn on sideways by the impact.
A girl with Auburn hair and almond eyes looked back at her grinning guiltily which instantly made skye smile back waving off the encounter that they both just had. That girl's eyes softened and she bowed a little before hurrying off to the other side not caring about her white gown flailing everywhere she went.
"Such a bubbly girl, isn't she?" An elderly voice cut the track of her thoughts bringing her back into the reality.
Skye turned around and saw a middle aged woman standing by the kitchen door and smiling at her with her gaze fixed on Skye.
It took her a moment to process what the lady was talking about.
"Oh yeah," Skye smiled glancing back where there were no signs of girl anymore, "a nice girl indeed." Skye replied softly.
" She is such a kind soul. Reminds me of my daughter who passed away two years back by plague." Lady who was in maid's uniform expressed to Skye and her eyebrows knitted together while her eyes seemed lost and distant while looking at something far away.
Skye felt like her ma was talking to her. She must have been this much sad without her daughter, in bed going through illness. In the beginning she used to visit Skye every weekend but then her visits reduced to one or two in month when her health started to fall gradually, finally making her stay glued to bed all day long.
Skye's eyes moistened at the thought of her ma and at the moment, lady in front of her radiated all the pain, her ma must be going through.
A dead daughter and a distant daughter were same.
"I can understand," Skye took couple of steps towards the lady and put her hand on lady's shoulder,"what you must have been going through all this time is something I can relate to." Her voice filled up in the end and she didn't prolonged her sentence.
"Oh dear, may I know what caused you this much sadness?" Lady placed her palm on Skye's cheek with her eyes examining Skye with concern.
Skye heaved a sigh and smiled at the fate,"it's just that you remind me of my ma." She exclaimed inaudibly but lady heard that nonetheless.
"Oh I'm sorry. I hope her soul lives in peace,"lady consoled her and her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets due to the misunderstanding,"I'm here to take care of you. Won't like to let your ma roll up in her grave, now would we?" Lady kindly said patting her cheek lightly.
"Oh no, my lady. You misunderstood me," she could feel the heat creep up to her cheeks due to the embarrassment that she was feeling because of her inability to converse properly,"ma is alive, just far away from me."she finally said.
"Oh!" Came lady's response and could feel awkwardness in the air.
Both didn't say anything for a moment but then they both laughed at how the conversation turned into such awkward one.
"I just miss her and you remind me of her. How she must be passing her days without me in solitude." Skye explained herself feeling homey with this kind lady.
"Hm I see. whats your mother's name and what about yourself?" Lady's eyes narrowed and few creases appeared on her forehead that developed on her forehead indicating the years of her life that she had spent all her life.
"My name is skye-skye pearl. Im lady Joanna's maid. She is the princess of Hermione state." She paused to let the words soak in lady's head.
"So let me guess, my dear," a beam of light erupted in lady's eyes by the description that Skye just gave her," you are the daughter of Olivia pearl?"
Skye gasped in surprise," oh good Lord!"she exclaimed while placing her hand on her soft beating heart," how come you know ma's name?" She couldn't believe that lady actually guessed her ma's name.
Her reaction made the lady smile proudly,"just so to let you know, we've been friends and passed some good time together." Lady confessed and it finally made sense.
Of course her ma spent her life as Queen's personal maid and then she was assigned the responsibility of taking caring of princess afterwards. She must have been visiting along princess everywhere in other states and castles.
Lady informed her that her ma used to come and stay in the castle while queen would have her weekly or monthly stay. They both became in good terms and that was how she knew her ma.
When she exclaimed that ma was not so good these days, lady felt quite sad to hear about that patting Skye's shoulder not to take it too heavily to heart and assuring her that everything was gonna be alright.
Lady I formed her that breakfast was being prepared and she was in charge of the breakfast this morning to which Skye concluded that lady had a high place in kitchen's work hold and all the management.
Of course she had been working all her life and she must have acquired this stage by her experience in the castle.
While lady was making her way to the hut to get the milk, outside the main castle building, she asked Skye to come along to which Skye happily obliged.
Once they reached outside the hut, Skye noticed that there were many cows and buffalos inside the hut, grazing on the grass that was placed in big buckets in front of them and goats running around here and there.
There were men inside the hut, putting grass in the buckets in front of cows and Buffalos while couple of men were sitting in the corner measuring milk in big bowls.
Lady made her way inside the hut and Skye waited outside taking in her surrounding until lady returned back.
On the left she saw a place damped with bushes and big tree leaves covering the place that looked like meadow in which horses were lined up eating and churning there food while men patting their backs with care.
A throat clearing voice from the right where she came from, erupted her thoughts making her turn back to be met with the person she never thought would see anytime soon.
Commander Leon was standing in all his glory with a big black horse on his side while his one arm was on horse's back.
He was clad in crease less uniform and dark hair combed back neatly in place and his straight nose emphasizing his prominent jawbones that were holding his smirk on one side.
Skye took step back in surprise and his smirk grew bigger. He clearly knew that Skye was not expecting her there at all which somehow made him feel amused.
"Well well well, who do we have here today, you may ask?"he asked his horse and Skye held back a snort encountering his stupid behavior once again as if it was not enough for a night that he had to appear here to make her blood boil at the memory of him accusing her of one of a lady she never in million years thought to be one of.
"Is it a tradition to talk to your horses around here?" A mocking tone in her voice really did work because his smirk instantly fell and his gaze once again fixed on her.
"Or should I think that no sensible person here wants to talk to you so you keep it low while staying in touch with your pets." She couldn't hold it all back but surprised at the same time that where the hell did she get all this courage from. She was not the type of lady to be taunting other people but something about this man made her do it all.
"I would suggest you mind your language young lady, won't want to see you behind the bars, now would we?" The taunting edge in his voice was similar to hers but the intensity of his eyes weighed heavy on her shoulders and once again she was reminded of his gaze last night and her eyes lowered to the ground suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
"So why am I not seeing your boy huh? Got enough last night already?" The sharp edge to his tone was anything but non serious.
What was his problem? Skye was unable to interpret.
"He is not my boy, you understand?," She took a step ahead in rage holding a finger out towards him," and what is it to you even if he is?" She asked annoyed to the core.
" Why don't you just accept that he is your boy, I won't tell anybody here." He said with smirk still intact but his eyes were telling some other story.
She didn't know that why in the first place she decided to come outside and now she had to face this rude egoistic jerk once again.
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