Lucia had enjoyed learning to cook together with Aqua, lesson after lesson, the two girls took the classes from Adam, while Aqua was not the best cook, she was doing her best, and thus could not fault her.
After all, even she had struggled to make appetizing dishes at the beginning.
Her eyes wandered to the 'Cake' that Aqua had prepared, which resembled a crime more than whatever she had attempted to make.
I can't judge her, my dishes aren't faring much better.
She smiled, yet despite the fact that Aqua sucked at cooking, Adam did not yell at her; on the contrary, he was calm and collected.
I'm jealous; he is never that nice to me. She puffed out her cheeks.
She wanted to know what made her so special that every high-ranking person in the palace liked her. She is rather nice, I admit.
However, there was no way that her being nice was all there was to it. When someone gains the attention of the elites, it usually meant they were both charismatic and powerful. While she did not know about Aqua's power, she could tell she was a charismatic woman.
A small blush took over her face. She is incredibly pretty, too. Hard to believe someone like her just appeared.
Ever since she saw her with the Queen, she wanted to prove herself better in some way, yet that goal seemed to elude her no matter how hard she worked.
While her mind kept telling her she should use more underhanded methods to undermine her, she recognized it was a very bad idea. Instead, a better way was to study and learn why Aqua was better than herself.
Of course, there was a magical mastery that allowed her to become a tutor to the princess; however, it was merely one aspect. She had not known Adam, yet he had instantly accepted her, and even she found it hard to dislike her.
She even forgave me for my behavior the first time we met. She sighed. Many would consider her immature and childish, but she merely wished to be the best. Was that truly too much to ask for?
Lucia never had an opportunity to be best at anything, and every time, as clockwork, someone appears and eclipses her.
"Agh!" She placed her hands on her face and shouted. She was feeling so envious despite realizing that it was the wrong feeling to have about the success of someone.
Lucia! What would your mom think if she saw you envious of others?
She pouted slightly as she grabbed a spoon and gently picked up a piece of Aqua's cake.
The moment she put it in her mouth, she winced out of sheer fear, yet it did not taste as bad as it looked. Perhaps it was slightly burnt, but other than that, it was edible.
A small chuckle escaped her lips, at least in cooking, while slight, she was better than Aqua. That was all she could ask for, a slight advantage in something.
It would be a shame if we threw it away. She pulled out a chair and prepared to consume the entirety of the botched cake. If she hated anything, it was throwing away edible food; if it was ruined and completely inedible, then she would have gladly thrown it away, yet it could be eaten, so she would do so.
While it was hard to push it down, she still forced herself.
Slowly but steadily, she made progress with it until the final gulp left an empty plate behind. "Whew!" She rubbed her stomach as she leaned back. "Aqua, please make a better one next time!"
One would not expect someone as slim as Lucia to be able to eat so much; however, she was a self-proclaimed glutton. She loved food even if it was barely edible.
She stretched her hands above her head and let out a small moan before placing them on the table and tapping with her fingers. "I guess I should clean up."
The chair scraped against the floor before Lucia stood up and picked up the empty plate. Her next cooking lesson from Adam would start in a couple of hours, which gave her some time to lounge around and rest.
She walked over to the counter and placed the plate on the pile of dirty dishes. It was her duty to wash them; however, it was not necessary to do so right now.
"Maid!" She heard a voice calling outside the kitchen. She closed her eyes and pushed air out of her nose.
She did not expect someone to call for her, but it was necessary.
"Coming!"
She adjusted her uniform and rushed out of the kitchen. In front of her, she came face to face with the Spymaster Lira.
Her eyes widened as she dropped to her knees. She was not allowed to stand in front of the woman, no matter what. It was drilled into her head by Adam that Lira was to always be treated with utmost respect lest one would be punished severely.
"I am ready to serve, your excellency!" Lucia placed her forehead on the floor.
Lira was not as nice as Soleah was, not even close. She was cruel and would punish servants for even a hint of disrespect.
She did not wish to get on the Spymaster's bad side.
"Good, it is wonderful when lesser ones know where they stand." Lira scoffed.
"Yes, your excellency. I am merely a spec of dirt in front of you!" This was one of the reasons she was jealous of Aqua. If she had been closer to the Queen, she would have been able to avoid the Spymaster's rather brash attitude.
Lira stood above her without uttering a word for a good minute, "You may raise your head, servant."
"Lucia…" She muttered, but was silenced by Lira's glare as she met her gaze.
"You do not have a name; you exist to serve the will of the royalty. Understood?!"
"Yes…" Lucia bowed slightly.
Lira crossed her arms, her cruel green eyes staring into her soul. "You know the new servant that got close to the Queen Soleah?"
Her eyes widened.
Should I tell her?
There was no point in hiding; Lira rarely asked questions that she did not know an answer to already. It was a mere test that would cost her dearly if she had failed.
"Yes, I do know her." She bowed her head.
"Excellent, I have an order for you. Stand up."
In an instant, Lucia rose to her feet.
She keenly observed what Lira was about to do. The spymaster pushed her hand inside her dress and searched for something.
It took her a moment before she retrieved a small emerald wand.
Without a further word, the wand glowed, and she felt herself lose herself for a moment.
"Take this vial, put it in the servant's food." Lira's voice sounded like an irresistible command. There was no possibility of resistance.
Wait what?! Her mind felt light as a feather. Her thoughts rearranged, and her recent memory expunged. Almost instantly, as she felt part of her being erased, a primal heat rose up and consumed the intruding spell.
Her mind blanked out, and she found herself alone. Yet she still remembered that she had just talked to Lira. "She is gone?"
In her hand, she found a small vial of strange purple solution. She felt the command in her mind, yet it did not overtake her.
"She wants to poison Aqua?" She raised the vial before her eyes.
Her face contorted in anger. That bitch. Couldn't she order her removed or something? Why kill?
Despite the Spymaster outranking her, she would not poison Aqua, no matter what. I need to report this to the Queen.
She hid the vial in her clothing and made a beeline toward the Queen's chambers. She was not so petty and envious as to poison Aqua; she had grown to like her, even if she was rather jealous of her.
What was that spell she cast on me? She slowed down to a crawl as she approached the door. She felt as if her memories were being rewritten, yet nothing happened to her.
If anything, she relished the opportunity to undermine Lira. She had been disrespected ever since she had been hired. The Queen was wonderful to her, yet Lira treated her like dirt.
She raised her hand.
Just as she was about to knock, the door opened and she met face to face with Soleah.
"Lucia?" The elven queen tilted her head.
"Your majesty!" She backed off and knelt.
"You needn't kneel. I assume you have a good reason to be here, considering your face." Soleah smiled.
The queen was a truly wonderful person to work for, one of many reasons she was jealous of Aqua's closeness, however, she pushed her feelings aside.
"Forgive me for rudeness, but could we talk alone?" She pulled out the vial discreetly, making sure nobody but Soleah saw what it was.
The queen widened her eyes, "Come in."
Lucia nodded before following Soleah inside her chambers. The two girls entered the room as the door slowly clicked behind them.