Mary stomped down to the servant's quarters, as angry as could be, no, not angry, disappointed. She'd been working up to her former position for years, just to have all interactions with Malphus cut off.
This was Valerie's fault, no doubt about it. If she'd just become a librarian or something, she'd still have money and wouldn't be in Mary's way.
Now, Mary had to resort to her last option. She wished it hadn't had to come this, but there was no other way. She'd already tried everything else, this was it and if it didn't work, there was nothing to be done about it. She'd leave, not empty-handed though.
She still had debts to pay off, and it wasn't like she was going to pay them, she'd start fresh in a new kingdom, nowhere near the four-kingdom area, but she'd still need money to get started.
She sat out her basket and another one and laid white floral linens in both, it's the only thing she couldn't sell so she kept it and bought more baskets.
She got out her nicest clothes, since Malphus stripped her of everything he bought her, which was a plain gray shirt and a white floral skirt. 'I won't look the worst in this, right?' Mary asked herself, happy she told the boy to tell Valerie to wear something casual.
She laid them out on the old worn-out wooden rocking chair in the corner of her room, which was really a large closet, or it seemed like it with how small it was.
She cleaned her room and went to dinner to try to clear her mind, she wanted to barely remember Valerie by the time she went to bed that night. She wanted nothing to do with her before she spent the time that could be used to make money on someone with the least importance to her, or most importance if she wanted to become Queen Nightcrum.
The next morning she woke up with a sour taste in her mouth, her lips were glued together and her hair was everywhere. Her day was starting off completely wrong and there was nothing she could do other than face it, go brush her teeth and her hair.
Once she was done with that she went to the kitchen to help prepare breakfast for the servants and the King. Marlen gave her the simple job of mixing the grits. She accidentally stepped on the heel of her shoe and stumbled back trying to grasp something to save her, and that something happened to be the pot of grits, which went flying everywhere and got on Mary's head in.
She went around screaming bloody murder on her way to the bathroom for the second time that morning.
"This is great!" Mary said to herself in the shower "Now, I have burns where I didn't even know burns could be." Mary put down her rag and bar of soap and reached for her shampoo. Once she put her hand on her head she, once again, screamed bloody murder.
She removed her hands from her head and turned the water as cold as it could get, it made her body freeze but it felt so good on her head. She spent another two minutes in the freezing cold water before her muscles ached. She turned on the hot water and stood there for a minute until her body was back to normal again.
She had to borrow a uniform from an older maid who couldn't fit theirs anymore because she had to wash hers.
She put the uniform on and it was washed out and two sizes bigger than she was. She coped with it anyway because she would rather have an oversized uniform than a wet one, or a one with grits leeching to it.
She got through the rest of her day without incident, except for when she tumbled over her own feet.
'What is up with me today?' Mary asked herself 'You are literally the embodiment of pride, you better get it to-get-ther!' Mary told herself and walked out of the main hall like she owned the place, with pride in every step.
It was time for her to meet up with Valerie, so she went to her room and changed clothes. Stan barely looked at her, he wouldn't notice her missing from her duties.
She grabbed both the baskets and took them along with her, overall she looked like a fair, beautiful not-to-wealthy maiden. She quite liked the look on her.
She arrived at the garden to find Valerie petting something, small and white, in a beautiful white shirt and dark blue skirt.
"You look nice." Mary complimented Valerie, but she didn't even lift her head to look at the girl.
"Thanks, Mary, now what do you want?" Valerie said still petting Alro.
"I want, I want to go berry picking with you." Mary gestured to the baskets she was holding.
"Poisonberry picking?" Valerie lifted her head.
"No, raspberry picking." Mary pointed her chin to the raspberry field.
"Blueberry picking." Valerie pointed to Arlo, and that's when Mary realized she was petting a bunny.
"Alright, blueberry picking." Mary watched Valerie get up and handed her a basket, she put Arlo in one corner and made room for blueberries.
"I've been looking forward to this."