"My apologies," Aurora bowed her head.
She could see the man who was tall and very muscular was trying to see her face but she would not look up as she was not allowed to do so.
"Wh..............."
Aurora's heart beat wildly, he wanted to know her name so that he could make her get dismissed by a single word.
"Caspian."
She saw that his attention was turned to someone else, and she took the chance to slide away very fast,
"Douglas." He responded, his voice was rich and she could tell they knew each very well as there was affection and playfulness in their voices.
"Wait!"
She could hear one of them calling out to her but she turned the corner and dashed as fast as she could.
She stopped when she was well hidden and she was breathing heavily, she went to search for the laundry room which also took time.
Everything was new to her as she had never been in this part of the palace. It was nice to work inside, her hands had callouses from all the hard labor and the only upside to having cold weather was that your skin stayed fair and that was the only advantage.
She finally found it and dropped off the clothes, she went back to their slave's quarters kitchen as it was time for some lunch.
She took her soup and checked her name in, Aurora made her way to her friends. She sat down,
"Did you hear, Constance has the measles," Evelyn had started already on the gossip that was spreading like wildfire.
"I know it's a shame and it times like these where medication is scarce." Agnes chimed in.
"I wonder who took over her duties? I mean Constance was in the ranks you know." Lucy whispered.
"I did."
Everyone turned to her, "Aurora you lucky bastard, how did you manage to do it? Let us in on the secret." Ida asked her.
"Cathy called me, and I went inside and found Madam. She assigned me to the room."
"Did you meet any handsome men?" Lucy asked eagerly.
"I only met two but I didn't get to look them in the face."
"Bummer." As everyone's excitement dimmed down significantly.
"It's only her first day you know, and we don't know how long Constance will have the measles for," Agnes added once more.
"Who knows? You might marry rich Aurora. And we will serve her." Ella added and they all burst into laughter.
That was so far-fetched as the rich only married in their social class even if it is meant for the benefit of the countries and was all political, it stayed that way.
The sad thing for them is if you got married you aren't allowed to carry on working here, as only single women are allowed to.
Madam Beatrice was alone till this day so she would not get kicked out of the palace, so usually some girls dated in secret, and when things got too serious they would leave the palace and marry, or some were forced to if they got pregnant and could not hide it.
It was a pity that some girls used illegal methods to get rid of the baby and they died altogether but a few were lucky to live.
Then they were some with secret lovers and when things got too serious they would have to sacrifice love for livelihood as both would be coming from no means and this was the only way they could survive.
They did not have the luxury of the elite to do as they pleased. Personally, she avoided men and love altogether,
She just could not see herself in a relationship and walking away from it so easily, she didn't want the heartache some carried, the regrets, the pain, the numbness, or the depression some fell into.
Her friends often encouraged her to be bolder and out there but she did not want to be. She liked being reserved and closed off.
She didn't want the same thing that she had experienced in the past to ever happen to her. She shuddered at the thought.
Aurora hated it when she would have memories from the past, it was a place that she did not want to visit.
It was a dark and lonely place,
"Aurora are you even listening to us?"
"Sorry?"
She did not even know who had asked her the question all she heard was her name and she came back to the present.
"My point exactly, where does your mind wander off to? Did this handsome man you met today make you daydream and want unicorns and rainbows." Lucy said dramatically.
"As if."
"You should have a little bit of fun you know, we are not getting any younger by the day," Agnes added.
"Why do you make it seem as if we are old?" Aurora chuckled as she responded to Agnes.
"Exactly you are nineteen Aurora, you should live a little." Evelyn chimed in.
"I do live, can we drop the subject and enjoy our lunch."
"Fine but this is far from over." Said Ella this time.
When lunch was over she went to the Madam,
"You did well Aurora."
"Thank you, Madam."
"Here Aurora." The Madam called out to her.
Aurora went up to her and took the sheet,
"These are your new duties, what you need to prepare, you will be in charge of that room, and I expect no less from you."
"Yes madam."
"When slots open up in the palace I will make sure you get in the servants living quarters in the palace, as of current the slots are all full but I will keep you at the top of the list. This is a very huge duty and I can't be let down."
"I understand madam and you have no reason to be concerned at all."
"That's what I like to hear. And remember Aurora women who serve the palace aren't allowed to be in affairs with any men. You belong to the palace."
"Yes Madam, I understand."
"A pity honestly Aurora, such beauty going to waste but you have to sacrifice in order to live."
Aurora nodded, "I am fully committed to serving the palace."
"You are dismissed then, and make sure to study that and know it from the back of your head."
"Yes, Madam, and thank you."
"You may leave."
With that Aurora was happy, she clutched the paper on her chest, her luck was finally turning it would be such a joy if she got the chance to live in the servant's quarters.
Then she would not need to be away from her friends, and it meant she could also bath with hot water.
She felt bad that she was overjoyed as one of her mates was laying ill and fighting for her life. She would not have to sweep endlessly every day and scrub the courts.
She twirled around, she thanked the heavens for opening up and for her to be the one chosen for this position.
Dinner time came, and she immediately told her friends of the good news that she had received from the Madam and that they could be together in the servant's quarters."Finally Aurora your luck has been in the slumps for a while now," Evelyn added."You must be serving someone important for them to assign you such duties dedicated to them." Agnes chimed in."I hope you don't leave us behind," Ida added dramatically."Don't get on a horse and sail off to the sunset," Lucy added melodramatically."You all need to stop, the only reason I told you about this is the opportunity that I have to stay in the servant's quarters has finally risen.""Did Madam give you any rules?" Barbara asked."Yes, she said that I belonged to the palace strictly and that I was not allowed to have any relations with men.""Madam needs to loosen up, we all don't want to end up as spinsters such as herself, we all won't be noticed by the king or let alone the prince so why should we bother. We are at the bottom o
Aurora woke up in the morning and she did the same routine that she always did but this time she added extra measures and steps to it and made sure she was dressed to perfection.She was starting her new work today so nothing could go wrong, she would make sure of it. She got on her bicycle and was on her way to the palace.When she got to the palace gates she showed her badge and was let in, she went and parked her bicycle in its usual spot and went into the servant's quarters kitchen.She headed straight to the front to get her cup of tea and roll, she said her name and she was ticked off role call.She scanned the room and saw that Lucy was already waiving at her to come over, she made her way through the tables and she could hear blatant gossip about how she had bribed to get the position that she was in.The irony of all this is that they failed to say it to her face, so they whispered it amongst themselves in low tones but loud enough for her to hear it.She ignored them all and
So these were their names, and what did he mean to play with her? So he was enjoying himself by making her squirm.This was going to be a very long road, she hoped she would not have many encounters with them and specifically Caspian.They were so many activities to do, so why should he waste his time on her and his own very precious time."How old are you Aurora?" Caspian asked."Eighteen My Lord.""Interesting," Caspian replied."If that's all My Lord, could I take my leave?"Caspian was surprised at her question, it was clear that this girl wanted to be anywhere but here. She had rich red hair and her eyes were striking green, they were like emeralds.He had never taken any interest in girls till now, there was something behind her beauty that he was getting drawn into."Not yet." He blurted out.She seemed surprised at his response and rightfully so, he had just instinctively replied to her but he did not know what more he wanted to say to her.She seemed to be trembling for fear,
Aurora went to the laundry room and she was relieved she had managed to dodge a bullet, she thought should be frequenting his bed but when he said he does not force women, she felt the relief course through her body and so profound at that.When she had dropped off the clothes, Aurora was glad that today she had no dishes in the kitchen which meant she could get out of cleaning in there.She had never taken a stroll in the palace and now was her chance to do so, she walked through the pathway, which on either side had long tall trees.The breeze was amazing and she inhaled it, and for once she felt free, stress-free from the daily burdens that she needed to carry.She was a bit sad that this position was not hers forever, not that she wanted Constance to stay ill forever.Maybe one day she would have enough money to build herself a small little cottage where she could live and have no one to bother her.Currently, she could not save much as she had to buy candles, and sometimes the fo
Caspian lay awake in his chambers as he remembered Aurora's eyes, from the encounter that they had.Her surprised at him being so close to her and blushing when he had touched her face fascinated him more and drew her more to him.He didn't know what he wanted from her as her eyes had made his mind go blank and he had gotten lost in them.He had been with beauties before but the way she was so reserved made him want to crush her resilience all the more.He would have his way with her, it was a matter of time before she succumbed to his charm, she was already flustered with a bit of attention from him.The previous maid was more than happy to be in his bed the minute he had set his eyes on her. She frequented his bed when he was willing to entertain her.Yet Aurora had not made a move or given him fake doe eyes or tried to start a conversation, or seduce him at that.This was the first time a girl had not come willingly to him, he could chase her a bit not that he needed to do much.A
Aurora made her way inside, she did her normal balancing and went up to the table and placed the tray there."Your tea My Lord."Her head was bowed as per usual and she started to turn away,"I didn't dismiss you Aurora."She stood very still at his words and hoped she had not offended him in any way with her actions, she stood there anxiously waiting for his next words or command."Is there something wrong with being in my presence?""I apologize, My Lord, I did not mean to insult you.""Talk freely Aurora and set aside rankings.""I could never do such My Lord.""It's an order."Aurora nodded, she was afraid that one wrong word and this would all end badly for her."Lift up your head."Aurora did so immediately, she didn't want to disobey him as she could decipher what he was thinking."Why do you look so worried Aurora?""I am not My......I mean I am not."It felt strange to not address him the way they were taught,"Look at me."Aurora forced her gaze on him, he was really good-lo
Caspian sat in front of his tea, Aurora was definitely something new to him. He wanted to break all her barriers.She fascinated him and he was thinking about her a lot even though he was frequenting other women who were willing to bare it all for him and that was a lot of girls willing to do so.This was a new challenge to him but Douglas was often a very accurate teller, he had said two weeks and he always set a challenge to himself to break the record and he had excelled in it.Most girls would act coy and then during the night, they would come to his room on their own after hours.He thought he had cracked Aurora and as he sat in his bed chambers, she had not come back and that surprised him, he thought she had run away the first time as she was too embarrassed to approach him but even when he did approach her, she had her guard up.He had thought she must have had a suitor or someone who is interested in her and they shared mutual feelings but those suspicions were on the low for
Weeks go by and Aurora is getting used to her morning routines but they had changed a bit, Caspian was never there when she was in his chambers.She had not seen him for a while and was happy that he wasn't accosting her anymore, he probably saw it was a lost cause to try and pursue her.There was no news from Constance, and the last time she had heard about her was from rumors speculating that she was not getting better by the day.All the maids were extra cautious as they did not want to catch it.They were called by Madam Beatrice and they all stood there,"I called you all here as this weekend we will be hosting a banquet, as you know uniforms are going to be provided for you all. Let me revise the rules..............."After two hours they were finally done and dismissed, all the maids were chatting amongst themselves and there was so much excitement in the air.She was also excited, it meant they would be eating well as there would be lots of food, and there would be extra pay,