Before Aqua knew it, a whole week had passed. The Sun God had returned to the old world, leaving her alone once more. She lay in her bed as she stared at the marble ceiling.
Yet she did not feel alone, every day she spent time with Azure, Sheira, and even Soleah. The magical training was frequent, and all three girls mastered the basics of aether at rather astonishing speeds.
What surprised her the most was that Soleah grasped the Aether and its use even faster than Sheira. Something that she would attribute to vast experience.
Soleah really didn't need to pamper me this much. Aqua sighed as she looked around her once plain room.
The Queen had insisted that someone like her deserved to have luxury, thus she had replaced the furniture and added ornaments and various amenities.
She had been given many books on various topics, be it history, the elven literature or even the scientific discoveries. It felt weird that she had been granted so much luxury despite not doing much.
Her bed was replaced by something befitting a queen herself, and she had been given a large wardrobe of dresses and clothing. Her lips widened into a line as she blushed.
Sun God had told her to accept it; thus, she did. While at first she had worried it would constitute a debt, Soleah had explicitly stated that it was merely a gift for teaching Sheira and herself.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the actual servants started to grow envious." She raised her hand toward the ceiling and grasped at nothing.
The three students were rather busy today, thus Aqua was left with ample free time to do whatever she wished, yet she did not even know what she could possibly do without her new friends.
I guess I don't get to see them today. She had to admit it, they had grown in her heart over the past week to such an extent that she wished to spend most of her time with them, be it teaching or merely talking.
Aqua blinked slowly as she collected her thoughts, and with a soft exhale, she jumped out of the bed.
"Lira is quiet, too. She should have acted soon." Her silence made her uneasy; someone affiliated with Red Dawn was incredibly dangerous and would not quit their plans merely by failing once.
I should probably just deal with her; I do not want her to attempt to kill or mind control Soleah again. She slumped forward. I guess it's time to explore the city.
She raised her arms up and stretched, then she turned to the window and approached.
As she leaned forward, she sensed someone approaching her door. Without much delay, a sound of knocking reached her ears.
"Yes?" Aqua inhaled sharply.
"I wish to discuss something with you, if it's not an issue." The voice belonged to the new hire who had disrespected Aqua when she had dinner with Soleah, yet now she seemed meek and only wished to talk.
Aqua placed her hand on her forehead. "Give me a moment."
With due haste, she patted down her illusioned clothing and approached the door. In front of her stood the same maid who had not left the best of first impressions on Aqua. However, this time, no arrogance was visible; instead, she held her hands in a 'V' shape and stared at the floor.
The redhead raised her brow as she analyzed the shuffling girl from top to bottom. "What is it?"
"I… I…" She stumbled over her words, yet Aqua allowed her to get them out. "I am sorry for what I had done when we first met!"
She raised her brow at the girl, "You already apologized, and I don't really care. Why come to me now?"
"I know… but that felt cheap due to the Queen's presence. I should have known better!" She bowed deeply.
"What is your name?"
"Lucia! My Lady!"
"Listen, Lucia, I do not care what you did. In your eyes, I was likely some newbie that somehow managed to sneak my way next to the queen. I understand." Aqua smiled as she moved her hand under Lucia's chin.
The girl stared at her with teary eyes. "How old are you, Lucia?"
"I am… 160 years old, my Lady." She shuffled.
"Close to Sheira in age. So, do tell me, what is your goal?" Aqua crossed her arms and leaned back as she questioned the young elven maid.
"I was told by the head chef to go procure some groceries, so I thought if you would like to go with me. Of course, if it's not a problem!" She drilled her toes into the ground, "And I wanted to get you an apology gift!"
I guess there is no harm. Aqua couldn't help but find the girl adorable. Many people she had met until now were so kind and selfless around her that she truly found it difficult to distrust them.
Even Lucia, whose only role in Aqua's life was that of an envious servant, seemed not to have any malicious intent toward her. However, unlike Azure, Sheira, or Soleah, she would not let down her guard.
For all I know, Lira sent her.
Sun God had convinced her that she should allow herself to believe in the good side of anyone she met after his departure, but that did not mean she should have let down her guard.
"Lady Aqua?" Lucia tilted her head as her ears twitched.
For a moment, confusion overtook Aqua; she stared with a deadpan expression before shaking her head. She had forgotten to give an answer to Lucia. "Ah, forgive me, Lucia. Sure, I will go with you."
There was truly no harm, despite their disastrous first meeting. In an instant that Aqua's words left her lips, Lucia beamed with happiness. She stared at Aqua as if she had just granted her the greatest favor in existence.
"Excellent! Also, would you teach me how you climbed up the ranks so quickly! I wanna do that too! I know the Queen had said you were Sheira's tutor, but there must be something else!" She placed her hands on her chest as she peeked into Aqua's now luxurious room.
Aqua pinched her nose bridge as she closed the door behind her. "It's all luck, Lucia. It's all luck."
The revelation made the young elven maid slump down, "I could have guessed so. I was never that lucky."
Pat.Pat
Lucia found Aqua's hand on her head as she bobbed up and down due to Aqua's pats.
"Enough of that, we should get going. I don't suppose you want to be late?"
With a quick shake of the head, Lucia headed toward the exit of the palace, quickly followed by Aqua, who kept a respectable distance.
The duo made their way out of the palace and into the city. After some minutes of walking, they arrived at what could only be described as the market.
Stalls selling various goods littered the spacious marble-tiled area. In front of them, a large fountain in the shape of a fish spewed out a jet of chilled water. The stalls were mostly made of wood, yet despite them being made of such humble material, their goods were of top quality.
Be it food, beverages, or items, all items that were sold here were of top quality. The only thing that Aqua could notice missing were weapons, yet it made sense to her as the weapons were too dangerous to sell at a public market.
"Lady Aqua, the chef had requested as much fresh fruit as possible. So I will go ahead and get some!" Lucia grinned as she rushed into the crowd.
While Aqua didn't know what she wished to acquire from her, she still wished to give the girl the benefit of the doubt. Yet she seems too innocent.
She bit her lip before looking toward the crowd. She couldn't leave the girl alone in the middle of the city, despite it being familiar territory for her and completely foreign for Aqua.
With a soft step, she pushed her way toward the crowd and caught up to Lucia. The girl was looking around the stalls as if she were a child lost in a wonderland. "There is beauty in innocence." Aqua giggled as Lucia approached a fruit merchant.
The girl quickly nodded as she dug around her pouch and shortly after procured the list. She raised her finger in the air and exclaimed, "I need twenty apples, thirty strawberries, one hundred elderberries."
"Sorry, girl, we don't carry berries; you will have to find someone else." The man rubbed the back of his head.
Lucia's hand shook.
"But I can get you the apples." The man disappeared under the stall and retrieved a rather large bag before he stuffed the apples inside. With a quick wrap, he handed the bag to Lucia and outstretched his hand.
"Three copper, please." In one fluid motion, Lucia procured the allowance she had been given and handed it to the merchant.
"Lady Aqua, we need to keep searching."
The redhead stared at her for a moment, "How will you carry all of that?"
Instantly, her expression soured. "I… didn't think of that."
"How?!" She facepalmed herself as she stared at Lucia's innocent expression. "I will help you, I guess."