I waited for the woman to leave and close the doors before getting into the bathtub. I noticed it was made of a rather soft, light-colored material, carved into the wall. The bathroom had a small fireplace in the wall to heat the water. There were plenty of towels and bath fragrances. After my bath, I went out to the room where a woman was waiting for me. I recognized her, but not well enough to know her name by heart. — Who are you?
— My name is Dana Pilón — she said, inclining her head slightly — I will be your maid to bathe you, dress you, comb your hair, tidy your room, and attend to anything else you may wish.
— You don't have to bathe me. It's fine if you just clean the room… my room.
— What would the lady like to wear?
— I would prefer that you please bring me something to eat — I ordered without thinking about what to ask for. I hadn't eaten a bite since before sunrise.
— You will eat with the queen from now on.
— Oh — I let out my surprise. I was starving.
After a short silence, I walked toward the gates on the right side of the bed, but Dana got there first and opened both doors. I was surprised by the beautiful vanity and armchair in the room; they were exquisitely carved. On the vanity, I found fragrance oils, scented creams, and a drawer of silk handkerchiefs. Directly across from the vanity was a hallway lined with hundreds of dresses hanging on racks along the sides, and shoes that matched their colors. At the end of the hallway stood an armchair and a long mirror. — What dress will my lady wear? — Dana asked, standing beside me.
— Should she also wear blue? — I asked, more to myself than to Dana, as I reached for one of the blue dresses, but she got there first.
— I insist — she said. This prompted me to step aside; she was determined to assist me in any way she could.
She showed me two dresses; one dark blue, off-the-shoulder, but with long sleeves. It had no embroidery, but the fabric was so fine that the dress was perfect on its own. The other dress, in contrast, was light blue; the fabric was a bit lighter and had silver thread embroidery leading down the skirt. I had never had to choose between dresses before; I always wore what was most suitable for hunting, and in my last years at the castle, I simply wore the same dress every day: the cleanest one until the laundry was done. I could choose between gray, brown, or black, but it didn't matter at all.
— If you'd like, I can show you other blue or silver ones — Dana said. Her voice pulled me from my thoughts. Dana continued — If you'd like to dress similarly to the queen, you could wear this one.
— Thank you, Dana — I replied, and I went to take the embroidered dress, but she pushed it aside and took the towel from me — What are you doing?
— I'm helping you get dressed.
— You don't have to… — I stifled my groan as I slipped my feet into the robe Dana handed me. I uncovered my breasts to adjust the robe properly. — Don't ever take my towel off like that again. I can put the robe on myself.
— I'm only following the queen's orders, my lady — I sighed. I didn't want this woman to be in trouble because of me, but she still seemed a bit over the top, knowing the queen couldn't see what she was doing right now. She reminded me of Valency and the other elderly servants, simply following orders without thinking. Nothing else mattered.
— It's not necessary, Mrs. Pilón — I said, trying to guess where the bras were. I opened drawer after drawer until I saw a white one; it was so soft I thought it was a pillow. I placed it against my back and began tying the laces.
— The laces go in the back, Lady Artenese — Dana commented. I didn't notice any particular joy in her voice, so I let her help me. "Have you decided what hairstyle you'd like me to do?
— It's fine if you braid my hair, I'd like it up — After tying my corset, she helped me with the dress and shoes. The dress was a little loose, in my opinion, but not so loose that it was too noticeable. I wore white shoes with a silver flower embellishment on the front. My hairstyle consisted of four braids gathered on top of my head. I wore a pair of light blue diamond earrings surrounded by white diamonds and a matching choker. — You're ready to see the queen. I'll tidy the bathroom and ask them to send you breakfast — Dana said.
— I'm sorry you're uncomfortable — she said, much to my surprise — Would you like me to help you put on your corset?
— Okay, thank you — I replied, unsure what else to say, and headed toward the queen's room.
When I knocked, Merana opened the door. We smiled at each other, and she gestured for me to come in. I walked down a beautiful hallway, so bright it reflected my own image. Unlike my own room, this one had no carpets. On either side, I saw spacious doorways with highly polished, fine finishes. To my right was what appeared to be a sitting room. Behind the furniture were large windows covered with light curtains, offering a view of a balcony overlooking many trees and the sky. To my left, I saw a huge bed with a side table in front of it. There were also large windows on either side of the queen's bed, and the gate blended in with them.
Apparently, this open gate led to a second, smaller balcony. I could see the silhouette of a woman through the curtains. I approached and recognized the color of the queen's dress and her hairstyle — Your Majesty — I announced myself and bowed as I saw her turn towards me.
— You are quite the lady, Dotea — she said with a smile — You can call me Queen Manady, or simply Queen, to set aside the formalities. You don't have to call me Your Majesty now that you are my lady.
— That I'll do — I replied. She turned her gaze back to the balcony.
— What do you think? It's a small garden, but it's beautiful — she said, then fell silent as if waiting for me to say something.
— It is beautiful — I commented — I've never been to this part of the castle before.
— Really? It's a small castle — she said, looking at me, seemingly curious — What were your duties?
— Anything that needed doing, usually cleaning the hallways, washing the vegetables, or changing the flowers, which I loved because I got to stroll through the gardens — I said with a smile. I felt a little nervous because she kept looking at me.
— Go on — she said. She started walking toward the stairs that led down from the balcony to the garden, and I followed her.
— At the end of the day, I usually helped clean the kitchen, but this was in the fortress.
— You won't have to do those things. — After going down the stairs to the right, there's an inner room under the balcony with a chandelier illuminating the space. There's a high table and armchairs to sit on, and I could also see a piano in the background.
— I was talking to Fortis about this castle before coming here — the queen remarked as we continued walking through the garden. A spacious garden with geometric hedges forming a square shape and a fountain in the center. The flowering shrubs added a beautiful touch of color in the daylight.
— What was he saying about the castle, Your Majesty? — I asked.
— He said it took them a hundred years to finish the marble work, the smooth white clay walls, and the woodwork. They really did a fine job.
— Definitely — I said, looking around, and she was right. The floors, the fountain, the columns—everything was covered in marble. The white clay walls were smooth, the door and window frames were beautifully carved, and the wooden furniture was quite refined.
In contrast, the exterior of the castle was rustic and made of black hewn stone, but it still offered a beautiful view. The queen continued strolling through the garden. My stomach growled and twitched.
— My queen, would you like lunch? — I called, but she didn't answer. — I'll see that lunch is served — I said and headed back to the room. I saw Merana and Dana come in with trays of food and fruit. — The queen wishes to eat in the garden — I said, relieved to see so much food. Once they had placed the food on the table, I asked Dana to bring some apple wine and thanked her. I was still watching Dana and Nayah leave when I saw out of the corner of my eye that the queen was approaching.
— What is the food? — She asked as he sat down at the table.
— The starter is garlic bread with cheese and tomato. We have beef in a mushroom cream sauce with pasta, apple wine, and lemon tart with cream or strawberry tart with cream, my queen.
— Okay, let us eat — she said.
— The apple wine will be here — I said, signaling her to start eating the garlic bread. The meal was incredibly delicious.