Sage in the Sea

We Have Orders

The next morning I woke up just as the sun was beginning to rise. In the hallway, I could hear the low mumbling of the servants as they went about their morning chores. I ran a hand over my face before I crawled out of bed and walked over to the wardrobe.

I stared at the selection of dresses. All of them were nicer than the ones I had worn on a daily basis at the facility. It seemed silly to me to wear such a nice dress just walking around the house. I wanted something simple, something plain. Something without gems.

The closest thing I could find to that was a lace navy dress. With a sigh, I pulled it from the wardrobe and went into the lavatory to freshen up.

It was actually the servants' job to help me get dressed, but I wasn't going to bother them. They had duties they had to attend to. I was perfectly capable of dressing myself, even if it wasn't the way that things were done. Sometimes it was just as simple to do it yourself.

After I had quickly cleaned up with a rag, I pulled on the dress, thankful that it was just one that went over my head and not one that had to be cinched up. I pulled my hair into a neat bun at the back of my head before I left the lavatory. I slipped on a pair of white flats before I walked out into the hallway.

I nearly collided with Eleanor. She and I both took a step back, letting out a nervous laugh.

"I was just coming to see if you were awake," she said, giving me a small smile.

"Well, I think it's apparent that I am indeed awake," I replied as I returned her smile.

She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Is there anything that you need, then? Some breakfast, perhaps?"

"Breakfast would be fine, but if you point me in the direction of the kitchen, I can see to it myself. I'm sure that you have many things to do," I replied as I slipped past her, closing the door softly behind me.

"I've actually been given orders to assist you today." I looked at her, frowning. "The prince thought it best."

Of course. I should have expected him to have someone monitoring me, even if it were just my maid. Although, I was sure that the rest of the household would be watching me and willing to report me, especially the guards. They were notorious for getting the new significant others in trouble just for the monetary reward that went along with it.

"Well, we wouldn't want to disobey him, now would we?" I asked, forcing the bitterness out of my voice.

"No, ma'am," she replied. I bit the inside of my lip, glancing at the servant cleaning the picture frames down the hall, before I gave a short nod.

"Well, shall we be on our way, then?"

Eleanor gave me another small smile, before she started down the hallway. I took a deep breath before I followed her.

She led me down the main stairs and turned left at the bottom, leading me down the hallway and to a set of stairs. I glanced the hallway to my right, staring at the rows of windows that overlooked the back garden. It looked beautiful. The sunlight reflected off the dew, making it look as though the gardeners had planted little diamonds in the grass during the night.

I turned away and followed Eleanor through a kitchen and down a set of narrow, concrete steps. I ran my left hand along the wall to keep from tripping as I held my dress up with my right hand. I could only imagine the rumors that would fly if I fell down the stairs.

I smelled the kitchen and heard it before I actually saw it. When we emerged at the bottom of the stairs, I paused, taking it all in.

It was almost as large as the kitchen at the facility. There were countless amounts of counter space and much of it was already occupied with trays of uncooked foods. About a dozen people were moving about the kitchen, mixing concoctions in bowls, removing food items from trays.