The moon is up high in the sky tonight. It's perfectly round, a beautiful moon shining its silver lights on the kingdom. It is almost midnight now and the kingdom is awfully quiet, with lanterns being put out and people crawling to their beds. But one part of the kingdom is bustling with sounds. The red light district.
In a tall building with purple and gold ornaments, a young woman was trying her best to maintain her smile. She had a silky purple dress on and a moderate gentle makeup on her face. She looked quite normal compared to the rest of the purple dressed ladies who wore extravagant hair pieces and thick makeup fit for parties. That's right, the young woman is Alex.
Tonight is Alex's first time working on purple rose and she is trying her best to know the ways to attend to the guests. Catherine had told her to take it easy for tonight and get used to the establishment first. The blonde woman said she will teach her the secret massage technique tomorrow, so today her only task is to attend to the guests in the lounge. She ran around like a headless chicken for the first 2 hours tonight, but she had gotten used to it for now.
"Young lady! Get us more purple cocktails please!" yelled an elderly man sitting at the corner of the lounge with his 3 buddies. All 4 men at the table wore a military uniform with 2 golden stars decorating its shoulders to show their rank. "Right away sir" Alex replied with a meek smile and hurried to the bar to get some purple cocktails for the table.
"Lady, we want some more roast chestnuts here too!" said a handsome man at another table located in front of the bar. He saw Alex coming over and didn't miss the chance to order more snacks. The man wore fancy clothing that shows his status. Alex noticed the fancy green stone at his necktie and concluded that he's a noble.
After delivering the two orders, Alex stood at one corner of the lounge silently. Her gaze wandered around the various tables in the lounge. There are 20 round tables scattered around with six wooden seats each. There are also 6 sets of luxurious couches at the far end side of the lounge. This lounge also has 4 private rooms that can hold 20 people each. Alex looked around and noticed the lounge is completely filled with people of high status. It's no surprise though considering the price of the service here, people of lower status would probably go to a cheaper establishment instead. Madam Garnet was right, she could gather important information that might lead to her family's killer here.
Thinking about it, Alex's gaze turned cold and the smile on her lips disappeared completely. She remembered the horrific sight of that night. The feeling of despair and helplessness came back. The terrifying screams and smell of blood in the air. She can still remember them ever so clearly like it was only yesterday. And then, Lena and Steffie's warm smile…
"Alex?" a voice called out that woke Alexandra up from her thoughts. A young lady wearing a large red flower hairpin on her head stood in front of her. She wore a silver mask but Alex can clearly feel her worried gaze underneath them.
"Sorry, I got distracted. I'm fine" Alex replied with a thin smile. "Really? If you're feeling unwell you can take a break first ok? We don't want you collapsing here in front of the guests" said the girl worriedly.
"Then I'll take my 15 minutes break now, Cassie" Alex thought she might as well take a break since the woman asked her about it. "Go on now, I'll take care of the guests" the woman called Cassie replied and shooed Alex out of the lounge.
Cassie was another woman who worked in the establishment here. She seemed a bit younger than Alex but felt very mature for her age. Alex guessed that she must be around 18, but she carried herself like an adult already. She had fiery red hair and wore a red rose hairpin on her head. The red hairpin merged seamlessly on her hair since it has a similar color. She had big shining eyes that's light blue in color. Catherine introduced them earlier because they will be the two in charge of the lounge tonight.
The women here worked in a rotation shift everyday. They can pick one day off per week to have some rest. The other 6 days will be rotated between the lounge, reception and guide, or massage room. Beside the two of them, there are also some who worked in the bar and kitchen to prepare the food and drinks.
Alex came inside the bar and took a seat there. The woman at the counter noticed her taking a break and gave her a glass of water. "Do you want anything else? I'll make you something to celebrate your first day here" the woman spoke to her. "I don't really drink," Alex replied to the woman. She very rarely drinks alcohol, getting drunk while on her working hours doesn't seem appropriate. "I'll make you some lemon tea" the woman bartender chuckled hearing her reply and gave her a glass of lemon tea after a bit. Alex took it and drank it slowly.
"Did you hear? The guy is at it again"
"Really? He doesn't learn huh. What is he trying to accomplish by doing this? Is he trying to rebel?"
"He must be out of his mind if he thinks he can rebel against the military. Doesn't he know the water runs deep here?"
"But you know, I heard rumours that he started his moves"
"You don't mean the slaughter in the noble house?"
"I don't know, but there's rumours going around saying he's related"
"So bold. He's really out of his mind"
"But there's no proof yet isn't it? I heard the investigation is still looking for clues"
5 men in a military uniform were chattering in a table not so far from the bar. From their uniforms, it seems that they are high ranking officers in the military. Alex heard the mention of the noble house and her ears perked up. Her eyes grew wide and her hands trembled slightly. She can hear her heartbeat go faster. Are they talking about my house?