Gold. Lots and lots of gold.
I'm sorry I know I designed this place when I was 13 but WHY IS IT SO SHINY MY EYES PHYSICALLY CAN NOT STAND THIS ARGHHHH-
I stand in line with the other maids.
"You." The head maid stares at me. "Are you the one that Duke Hades recommended?"
"Yes miss," I smile.
"Heliana... you stay here," The maid glares. "The rest of you, follow the butler. He'll tell you all the basic things."
The others rush off, and the head maid glares at me.
YOU GLARING AT ME? HUH? YOU WANNA GO? I'LL FIGHT YOU I HAVE CROW VINES AND POISONOUS THORNS FIGHT ME-
"Miss Heliana. Is it possible that you received news about something?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Duke Hades doesn't just recommend anyone into the royal family's maids. Usually, he sends a servant in times of crisis or such."
"No no," I shake my head. "My family helped out Duke Hades' knights during the civil war so he got me this job in exchange," I smile. Hades had made that story up, and a lot of his borrowed soldiers had been saved by me when they were sick or injured. Damn Zachary for just barging in with his soldiers but bless him for giving me an excuse for the job ARGHHHH-
"I see," The maid smiles. "Then you must be very skilled to have been personally picked for the emperor's taste tester."
"I have a sharp tongue for poisons." I smile. "Duke Hades was targeted for a while so my parents sent me to test his food. My parents are herbalists, so I'm able to tell plants apart from smell and taste."
"I see," The maid has be follow her, and the inside of the palace is much easier to tolerate. The architecture is so much prettier than the shining outside. There are people walking in and out, and others who are rushing around to pass information to one another. The royal palace had higher levels of magic technology, but important information was still spread by foot.
Unlike the Villarreal duchy, the royal servants were able to converse and gossip freely. All the hottest news spread around here, and I wanted to see who was up to what.
"This is your room. You'll be called to look over the cooking process, and then have a bite beforehand. Are you able to scan it for poisons?"
"Yep!" I grin and I pull out a pair of glasses.
"Then I shall call for you at noon."
"Yes mam!"
I crash into my bed, and my roommate walks in. Ah. I remember her. Wait... I'M ROOMING WITH THE BIGGEST MOUTH IN THE GOD FORSAKEN ROYAL WORKFORCE???
"Are you new here?"
"A-ah yes," I smile. "Are you my roommate?"
"Yes," She smiles, and I can see her nose sticking out. "Who recommended you here?"
"Ah Duke Hades did," I smile.
"Ah? Is something going to happen in the palace?"
I... Let's experiment.
"I heard that a servant was planning on murdering the emperor because he beheaded Prince Terence." I lower my voice. "So I was sent to detect for any poisons in the palace."
The truth, twisted harshly enough. The rumor that someone in the palace was plotting to kill the prince. Two things can come out of it according to how the story usually played out. One, they back off, two, they attempt to poison the prince as soon as possible and toss the blame onto me. Unfortunately, Hades is currently backing me as Heliana.
The woman jumps slightly, and her eyes glimmer as she leans more forward.
"D-do you know any more?"
She's not scared.
"I also heard..." I make up rumors, ones about certain nobility, ones about certain corrupt officials. All of which are planned to happen near the future.
The woman nods her head, and she smiles. "Then let me exchange some information with you!"
A woman of trade.
She tells me about wild stories about the emperor, about how he might be gay, how he might be into his sister... baseless rumors of course, but they're fun to listen in on.
"Uh huh? And then?"
"And then Anne told me that apparently she caught the crown prince whispering a woman's name at night."
"Oh?? Who was it?"
"Crystalia."
I nearly choke. CRYSTALIA?? ZACH HAS FEELINGS FOR HER??
"Oh my god?? The missing duchess???"
"Yes!!" She clasps her hands together. "Apparently another servant thinks that she might be locked up in a village nearby."
"Why the duchess?"
"Have you seen her? Oh wait you're new. The duchess is gorgeous! The prettiest in the universe!" The maid nods her head enthusiastically. "Her black hair with gold strands... her starry eyes... her beauty is ethereal!"
I nearly choke again. She really liked Crystalia.
"Ah... I hope I get to meet her some time."
"She went missing years ago apparently." The maid mumbles. "BUT!! If the crown prince likes her, then we might have an empress in making!!"
"I thought the duchess had eyes for someone else though?"
"But the emperor of Phoenicia already has a lover!!"
"No I thought she liked one of the dukes..."
"OH?? SHE LIKES DUKE ALBERT???"
"I don't know," I mumble. "One of my friends told me that she had eyes for older men only..."
"Isn't the crown prince a couple months older than her?"
"Oh?" I gasp. "So the duchess could be a potential empress... OH MY GOODNESS!!"
The door opens, and a voice cuts us both off.
"Ehem."
"A-ah head maid," I bow lightly. "My apologies I lost track of time."
"No worries," the maid leads me out, and I make my way to the kitchen.
The cooking process is smooth. I see nothing out of place, and I scan and taste a small portion of the meal before sending it to the crown prince myself. At this point he might as well be the emperor. The emperor has handed him the title and everything but no one calls him the emperor yet since he's still a bachelor.
If he does have a crush on Crystalia, then the story could continue like the original, except this time he won't try and kill her.
But do I really want to end up with him? I have no hope of returning to my world, and I don't think there's anything else that I want. I want someone to love me, without the title, without the stares around me.
But as I open the doors to the dining hall, I remind myself to be happy with what I have.