A Lovely Princess and her Faithful Servant

Chapter Three: Servants of the Alpheus Estate

After a month, I managed to somehow get more used to life in the Alpheus Estate. I tried pretending my memory loss was temporary, until I got lost for around the eleventh time just a day after Jennette was born. Duchess Alpheus grew worried and wanted to call for a doctor, but I quickly rejected that proposal.

"Mmm!"

I smiled down at Jennette, who's jeweled eyes were wide open. She suckled the bottle while reaching her tiny arms out to my face.

The people in the mansion were slowly getting to know of Jennette's existence. Rather, they had heard about 'the infant the Alpheus Couple had taken in'. All traces of Penelope that had been in the mansion had seemingly faded away, her funeral quick and done within a week after her passing. I was appointed as Jennette's nanny, in that month. Any time other maids would hold her, she'd suddenly burst into tears. Jennette only seemed comfortable in either me or the Duchess' arms.

A week and a half after Jennette's birth, Jennette's room was decided as well as mine. I was moved nearby hers so I could quickly attend to her if she fussed during the night. I immediately noticed how farther away Jennette's room was from where most servants and maids gathered. It made sense, of course. Her eyes were not hidden yet. Roger Alpheus was cautious. He didn't want to risk a leak of Jennette's eyes, especially if it could potentially reach the Emperor's Palace.

Softly, I removed the bottle from Jennette's lips and carried her onto my shoulder, which now had a cloth over it. Jennette's room was much smaller than the room Athanasia had in the webtoon. It was to be expected of course. Although Athanasia lived in the Ruby Palace during her childhood, it was still a palace that belonged to the Emperor. The Alpheus Mansion couldn't compare.

After successfully burping the little girl, I wiped her drool away with the cloth. She wore a little pastel green onesie with white mittens and lace blooming from her v-neck. While carefully supporting her neck, I held her close to my chest as I leaned back into the rocking chair. Quietly, I hummed to myself my favorite lullaby while mulling over my thoughts.

I, eventually, memorized my way around the mansion.

With the help of the Duchess and a few other servants, but that's beside the point. In the month I had remained here, I had found out a few facts of who Kristina was before I came to this world.

Kristina was a commoner. Even less, she was an orphan who lived on the streets. That's when the Duchess picked her up one day when Kristina was around nine and the Duchess was around sixteen. Ever since then, Kristina served the Duchess and came along with her when she married into the Alpheus family at twenty.

It was only around six or so months before Jennette was born that Kristina had been assigned to care for Penelope. Apparently Penelope had appeared suddenly during the night just a few months after Claude became Emperor. Where she was in those few months in between, no one knew.

I glanced down to the infant on my chest, who had fallen into a peaceful slumber at some point. With a quiet chuckle, I stood up and walked toward her cradle. Above the cradle were little decorations that hung on strings. They were little bunny puppets stuffed lightly so as to not weigh it down.

Gently, I placed the little girl in her crib onto her back. Softly brushing my thumb across her forehead, I smiled before turning to take the empty bottle on the dresser. Quietly, as to not wake the baby up, I glanced inside the room one last time before departing. With the bottle in hand, I strolled through the empty hallways of the Alpheus Mansion, the echoing footsteps as my only company.

Eventually, I walked into one of the main halls, servants and maids appearing one by one. My lonely footsteps were slowly drowned out by the cheerful sidetalk and shuffling of feet. Every now and then, I would feel countless stares at my back. I had gotten accustomed to the strange peeks and side glances. At first, I was very confused and uncomfortable, but it wasn't long until I figured out why.