When they were done, she asked about other problems. The kitchen staff was a bit reluctant to do so at first, as they probably didn't trust a stranger straight away. Perhaps they were also afraid that she might have a temperament similar to that of their king. But gradually the servants became more
open and Lyana soon had a complete overview.
She looked at damaged kitchen supplies and examined the uniforms, which she found a little too
old-fashioned and inappropriate. In the meantime, Baridi took notes for her, which she could go
through again later.
After she had gathered all the necessary information, she stayed a while to get to know each other on a more private level. At her castle, she liked talking to the servants. Sometimes those were the only people around for days. Lyana had always felt very lonely, especially as a child. It was only by chance that one of her servants heard her cry and took her into the kitchen, where she quickly made friends with everyone. After that, more and more servants came to keep her company. Since then she had never felt alone again. She hoped to achieve something similar here. She also found it important to know about such things, should it be helpful for later decisions.
"Thank you for the nice conversation today," she thanked the chef, who shook his head. "We have
to thank you, Your Royal Highness."
Lyana smiled gently. "If I could make one more request? I would like to go through the notes today,
would it be possible to bring my dinner to my room?"
The chef said yes, and Lyana and Baridi left the kitchen again. "I hope that's okay," she now asked
the valet. "I don't want the king to get angry."
"Don't worry, Your Royal Highness", Baridi answered her, "King Ulric will understand. I also suspect that he too will have his meal in his study."
Immediately she remembered the expression on his face when he had seen her at noon that day.
"It had nothing to do with you, but he still has a lot of work because you will be driving to the village tomorrow," Baridi quickly assured her. He must have noticed that Lyana had been worried.
"Naturally. There is definitely still a lot to do", Lyana said lightly, as if she had no doubt that this
was the only reason for this.
In front of her room, Lyana said goodbye to Baridi again and took his notes with her. In the room
itself, the first thing she did was stand in front of the mirror. The pink dress made her look a little young. Still, she couldn't imagine that was what had bothered King Ulric.
Sighing, she took the flower arrangement out of her hair and freed her foremost strands. She then
tied her wavy hair with a bow and sat at the little bureau by the window. She had not yet received a
plan for the current finances, nor for the existing budget for the servants. However, the Sun Princess
had already been able to filter out a few things that should be addressed as soon as possible. In order
to be able to make good use of the day tomorrow, she made a small shopping list with the things that did not cost too much and could be bought straight away. For everything else, she first had to talk to the maids and the gardeners ... if the latter existed at all. Probably unlikely in a kingdom made up of only ice and snow.
While she was still working on the notes, dinner was brought to her and before she knew it, it was
time to go to bed again.
Alisen helped her change clothes and combed her hair before she finished her job for the day. Lyana had already thought about trying to stay awake in order to go on a discovery tour again. But the tiredness overcame her so quickly that she couldn't think about it any further and immediately fell asleep.
The princess suddenly woke up with a loud bang. It was still dark, so she couldn't have slept long.
But if she was already awake, her nocturnal walk could be repeated.
So she quickly jumped out of bed and threw on her cape. Then she opened the door and when there
was no sign of anyone in the hall she quietly crept out, trying to remember where she'd run last time.
In fact, it didn't take long and she found the passage again. There was no light this time, but the back door was slightly open. It was through this door that King Ulric disappeared last night. Did Lyana dare to take a look? At least she knew now that it wasn't his study. That was in another wing.
She knew how daring it was, but the temptation was too great.
Before she approached, she listened again briefly. But everything stayed quiet, so she ventured further. A quick glance through the doorway revealed a narrow hallway. So it wasn't a room at all.
Now Lyana could no longer hold her curiosity and slipped quietly through the gap. The corridor itself was not illuminated . But when she turned the corner, a faint light lit her way.
After a few steps, she could even feel a breath of air.
Lyana kept walking until she could see an exit. But what she hadn't expected was grass at the foot
of the exit. Not the snow-covered grass from the forest, but fresh green grass.