so below (h.s.)

3- I'm like a cockroach

The room the Queen leads me to is much bigger than the one I was previously in. The bed looks to be a king size bed sitting on a platform made of wooden slats. Large, thick wood branches come out of the four corners acting as posts with a mesh white material draped over the top creating a canopy.

I hope this bed is just as comfortable as the last bed. What are those mattresses made of? It's gotta be feathers crafted by angels.

The bed sits in the middle of the room, the head against a large window emitting beautiful natural looking light that makes the bed look picture perfect. To the left is a wooden dresser matching the bed with six drawers decorated with houseplants and a gorgeous stained glass lamp.

To the right of the bed is a large matching bookshelf filled with books, canvases, paint, paper, pens, and other various items organized into neat rows and stacks. Next to the dresser is a door which I'm assuming leads to the bathroom. Beside the bathroom is what looks like a small den holding a reading nook below a window with lace curtains, with a wicker chair, cozy blankets, and more houseplants.

The entire room looks like a cottagecore enthusiasts wet dream and I am immediately in love.

"These are the rooms the staff stays in," the Queen explains gesturing to the space around her. "The overhead lights in the room are automatic, they will shut off just after the towns lights out, and then will turn on again in the morning. Please feel free to utilize the lamp if you do not want to sleep. There are plenty of activities to keep your mind busy."

I nod in response still looking around the room in awe, again wondering how this is even possible. My eyes fixate on the two large candles sat on a shelf near the exit door, which is marked every inch or so down with red and blue indicators. The Queen follows my gaze and offers a small smile at my finding.

"This is how you will tell time," she continues. "The left candle is for daytime and the right candle is for nighttime. The cleaning staff will replace them each day. You are required to be at your work station by the time the wax reaches the blue indicator. This will give you approximately two hours from lights on to be ready."

The Queen continues to explain where I will find my staff uniform, which is just a pair of black pants and a white button up shirt with white sneakers, located in the dresser drawer. Also housed in the dresser are plenty of clothes which are washed by the cleaning staff and returned to me each week, mostly consisting of linen dresses, cotton shorts, plain t shirts, and night gowns. The shoes provided are just sneakers and slippers and I don't even bother to ask how they know what size I wear.

I get three meals a day in the kitchen and am able to eat with the residents of the castle and the other staff members. When I'm out of my room I'm required to be clean and dressed. There is a recreational room that I'm allowed to venture to when I would like to to socialize with other members if I would like to, but I am not permitted to be in anyone else's bedroom.

The rules and ways of living here are very straightforward and not as strict as I was expecting from a place of royalty. Even though I'm struggling to stand up straight and I am in desperate need of food and sleep, I'm able to follow along easily with Queen Isabella's gentle tone.

When she's finished she leads me to the kitchen which is where I will be working at in a few days. She assures me I'll have training for the first week and right now she just wants to make sure I know where to go and to provide me some dinner before lights out.

The kitchen is straight down the hallway from my room and to the right, where gold double doors lead into a homemakers dream of a kitchen. The first thing I notice is how tall the ceilings are, they extend at least fifteen feet above my head and are all made of wood, with beams following up to an A frame. Metal poles come down from the ceiling to form a rack for pots and pans that hang over the main kitchen island. The entire countertop appears to be a cutting board which is all cleaned up for the night.