After lifting the mattress, I pulled the sheet out and folded putting it in the basket. I grabbed the step stool to reach the cloth around the canopy of the bed.
I heard a couple of knocks and a redheaded lass entered. She curtseyed and Her Ladyship Ottilia gestured her to stood. Our eyes met.
"You see, my maid cannot leave by my side and I do not have anyone else I could ask. You seem to be the only one who is not required to fulfill any work for my brother, Lothar, is not around." Her Ladyship drinks her coffee. "I am having another sore throat. I want you to buy me a medicine called Botulinum*. I finished the portion bought last time. It is the only medicine that can treat my throat."
"However, I am not allowed to go out of the gates."
"Did Lothar said that?" Talia nods. "Well, he is currently not around. You see, when Father and Lothar are not around—and Mother is currently sick—I have the highest authority to decide on whatever is good for the House. If you refuse my order, I will tell Father about it and he will get rid of you." Her Ladyship paused. "Give her the money. Do not come back until you have the medicine with you."
Emery gets something from her pocket and hands it to Talia. Afterward, she left and I saw Her Ladyship's grin to her ears.
I put the cloth in the basket. If I could say something of what had just happened, I would have. I have never heard of a sore throat medicine called Botulinum. In addition, Her Ladyship had never been ill since I started working here six years ago.
Does Her Ladyship want to get rid of Talia? I wonder why. It could be because Her Ladyship thinks she might bring misfortune to the House or is it because of Lothar? It could be both, also.
After I got the pillow covers, I grabbed the basket and the step stool leaving Her Ladyship's chamber. As I closed the door, I ran hastily putting the things on my hands in the laundry. I ran to the quarters and found no one. I ran to the foyer and the doors however Hegio is the only one I found.
"What is the haste, Raine?" He asked. Hegio is a footman, he might have seen her pass by.
"Have you seen Talia, the red haired lass?"
"I do not know who Talia is, but I certainly saw a lass with a red hair leave the gates a few moments ago. Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing in particular." I was too late. "Did she wear a robe?"
"Yes, a long and hooded one."
As I have arrived in the quarters, she must have left the foyer, then. I could follow her out of the gates however I do not think I could even go out. May the Gods bless her.
The eleventh bell rang. She is going to miss her meals. I went to the dirty kitchen to have my lunch early. Martina was preparing our food while Berta prepares the dishes to be used. I took a plate from the closet and asked Martina for my portion. Afterward, I took a seat and began to eat.
I never thought I would be this concerned about her. I was awfully rude when I first saw her that night but I was never been good with strangers. Her appearance is also something that makes me cautious around her.
All my life she is the only person I met having such scarlet qualities. I understand that she might have inherited her red hair but I do not think it is biologically possible to have such red eyes without being an albino. I am not confident with my intelligence but before being a servant I once had a governess.
"Are you alright, Raine? You are chewing the bread endlessly." I saw Martina before me.
"Yes, I am alright. I may need some sleep, though." I swallowed and took another bite from the bread.
Or is her case rare? In any case, most of the servants have gotten used to her appearance.
"Raine, I do not know if this is the case, but are you avoiding Talia?" Berta who finished preparing the dishes asked.
"Huh?" Am I? "I-I do not think so."
"Why are you stuttering? Something must have happened. I noticed you are having your meals earlier and leaving to do your work earlier." She closed the closet. "You were quite close since she arrived here that is why it is strange not seeing you both together."
"Well, something did. However, it is my own concern and I will be through with it later on."
These few days I got curious about Talia. She never speaks of herself unless you ask her and so I did. Despite her peculiarity—her monotonous voice and expressionless face which never wavered since I met her—I thought she never had any childish thoughts. I heard her ask Petra what birthdays are during Olivier's coming of age. It surprised me.
How could a noble have no knowledge about birthdays? It is something they extravagantly celebrate and brag about. She must have also had her decennial recently. Asking her, I found out about it. Since then, I have avoided her.
I do not know how I am supposed to respond. I felt pity but I do not think that is enough or right. I thought I had the sorriest past and learning that there is someone who had it worse made me ask myself: How am I supposed to comfort her? Am I even supposed to comfort her?
I do not know. I finished my lunch and went to the linen room. After picking a basket, I got a couple of sheets and pillowcases, a blanket, three curtains, and a canopy cloth putting them all inside. I walked to the laundry room grabbing the step stool and back to Her Ladyship Ottilia's chamber.
As I arrived, neither Her Ladyship nor Emery was around. I took the curtains and hanged them to the three huge windows. Afterward, I proceed to replace the sheets and the rest of the bed.
Emery opened the door and entered. "Where is Her Ladyship?" I asked.
"She is in the gardens having her lunch with Her Ladyship Leonarda. Her Ladyship will be staying there the entire afternoon so you can clean her chamber without minding her." She took a fan on the table and left.
As the linens in the basket were all used, I went back to the linen room putting the basket back, and continued to the dirty kitchen. Baldwin and Milonia had just finished preparing the food while Aquila, Emery, Petra, and Lady Mathilde, who waits on Her Ladyship Emellia, picked each tray.
How fast are Emery's travel from the House to the gardens and vice versa? Whoever gets to be the maid of Her Ladyship Ottilia begins to be a runner.
I got a pail and filled half of it with water. Afterward, I picked a couple of rugs and a mop. I walked upstairs back to Her Ladyship's chamber. I started to wipe the shelves and the furniture. Her Ladyship is very meticulous about the tidiness of her chamber so I had to make sure everything stays clean.
As the fifteenth bell rang, I began mopping the floor. Several minutes later, I heard a couple of knocks, and the butler came in. "Is Her Ladyship Ottilia around?" Adamas asked.
"She is currently in the gardens."
"I see. Have you seen Talia? His Lordship Lothar has arrived."
"I had seen her this morning however Her Ladyship Ottilia had sent her to buy a medicine for her sore throat. A medicine called Botulinum."
"I see." Adamas left.
I continued to mop the floor. The door creaks open and Her Ladyship Ottilia followed by Emery arrived. Her Ladyship took a seat, saying, "Bring me some butter cookies."
"Understood, My Ladyship Ottilia." Emery bowed and left. I can imagine her dashing into the kitchen.
A few moments later, there were another couple of knocks and I saw Sir Karl opening the door while His Lordship Lothar comes in.
"What brought you here, Lothar? You have never been here for like forever," Her Ladyship said as Sir Karl closed the door.
"Where have you sent Talia?" As I glanced to His Lordship, I felt my skin crawl.
Her Ladyship smiled. "Why are you asking me? Is she not your aide not mine?"
"Someone had seen her leave the gates saying that she is told to buy you a medicine for your sore throat." His Lordship did not say it was me but I look forward to a scolding later.
"Well, my throat is aching and I need to have a medicine right away. However, it seems she have not returned yet."
"I am afraid it is poison that you want her to buy and not a medicine." Her Ladyship Ottilia stayed silent.
Emery arrived with the cookies placing them on the table and stood beside the couch where Her Ladyship sits.
"She is my aide not yours. Who gave you the authority to take over my position in the House while I was in the City Council? I have not left the city." His Lordship takes in a deep breath. "As of this afternoon, you are forbidden to step out from your chamber. Your maid and the chambermaid are the only servants allowed to enter your chamber. Only Father and I are allowed to enter here and any other family members or person are forbidden to visit you. This will last until the following month on the 26th."
In a rage, Her Ladyship stood, exclaiming, "How dare you forbid me of those, Lothar? I shall not allow it."
"You have gone and dishonored my order the last time we spoke." I began to mop away from them.
"Just because of a mere unsightly puck? Have you gone mad?! I shall tell Father how unbearing you have been since that wicked thing arrived."
I do not know if I should be surprised or not but this is not something I witness every day. Sure, they have had fights before but they were never this intense.
"No letter shall pass the gates without me reading it. Once you dare to disobey my words, I will have you send in the countryside and forbid you the same things."
As His Lordship turned and left hurriedly with Sir Karl following him, Her Ladyship growled in anger. "LOTHAR!" She sat back and glared at me. "Why have you told him?"
"My Ladyship, you did not told me to keep it from him or from anybody. And, lying to His Lordship Lothar would be lying to His Lordship Rudolf too."
Her Ladyship growled and I returned to my mop. She grumbled endlessly. I hastily finished cleaning the floor and left. An escape is a must.
"Raine." I heard Emery whisper behind me. She was still bringing the tray and the empty plate where the cookies were put. She had left earlier to put them away.
"You scared the hell out of me."
She began to walk and I followed her. "What is going on?"
"I do not know."
"I have never seen His Lordship Lothar so mad before. He was always calm and collected. Nothing was able to faze him."
"Indeed. Since Talia came, he became awfully considerate and temperamental."
"Is His Lordship into kids?" She whispered and we bow our heads while Mister Arnold passes.
"Might be? I do not know."
Silence filled us wondering what had happened. Even I cannot understand it unless His Lordship tells me why which I doubt he would.
"Do you think His Lordship left to search for her?" Emery asked.
"I bet he did."
"However, do you not think the punishment His Lordship gave to Her Ladyship Ottilia is too much? Her Ladyship needs someone to talk to or else she goes mad."
"Well, I think she deserved it. No one is to use someone else's aide unless permitted by the person whom they serve. Her Ladyship had gone too far claiming that she had any authority even though she did not. And, she had ignored His Lordship's warning."
"You are right. I will have to bear with her tantrums for a month."
I laughed. "Tantrums?"
"She is too spoiled but I have to stick with it."
We arrived in the kitchen. I walked to the back returning the mop, throwing out the dirty water from the pail, and washing the rugs. Afterward, I walked to the quarters.
I hope His Lordship will find her soon. I sat on Talia's bed smoothing out her pillow. Strangely, I found a pen and a notebook under the pillow. How did she acquire these? His Lordship? It would not be strange if it is him.
I opened the notebook and read. The papers seemed to be filled with her thoughts and days. She is six years younger than me but her thoughts are more grown-up.
As the nineteenth bell rang, I returned the notebook and the pillow back. I went to the dirty kitchen. Belinda, Alephe, and Lossiana were sitting next to each other while Petra, Aquila, and Leina were across them. They have started eating. Berta was washing the dishes. I sat on the nearest seat, got a plate, and took my portion.
Floria and Emery arrived. Floria sat across the table while Emery inserted in between Petra and Aquila. As we ate, Emery had told everyone of what had happened. They were stupefied and had tried to understand.
"That might be the case. However, is she not a witch? She might have bewitched His Lordship to cause his madness," Aquila said.
"Talia is not a witch neither she bewitched His Lordship," I replied.
"Do you think you are also not bewitched by her?" She grins.
"She cannot use magic. How can she even know witchcraft?"
"That is why. She do not know how to use magic because what she does is witchcraft."
"Stop it, you two," Petra said.
"How can you say that when you never knew anything about her? Just because Her Ladyship Leonarda had told you some things she learned from Her Ladyship Ottilia does not mean you are now this intelligent to know everything."
Aquila stood. "Huh?! Are you not getting ahead of yourself, Raine? You are the one who thinks she is intelligent here, are you?"
"I have not said that. However in between us, you are the one who had been always so proud of what you learn from Her Ladyship Leonarda."
"Aquila, stop it." It seemed only Petra is interested in stopping us but I am not. She is insulting Talia here.
"I am simply speaking of what I know. And now, you are telling me off for I am saying of something you do not know," Aquila's grin grew. "She is a witch who is raging the House. Her Ladyship Ottilia did the right thing to send her away."
I stood while grabbing the glass beside my plate and threw it to her. "How dare you!" In response, she slaps me. I grabbed the nearest glass in my reach splashed the water to her again. She starts to walk towards me but Petra holds her down.
"Stop it, I said."
"Be grateful that Petra is here or else I have made you a rug."
I put away my plate and glass in the sink. "The less education you have, the more barbaric you can be."
"Did you not started it?"
"No, you did. I thought maybe the water can cool you off and give you more oxygen. Maybe then you can notice how your mouth had always been spiteful." I walked to the door and turned to her. "I am not so fixated of myself like everybody else that I lose my sanity and humanity." I left.
Any more of it will certainly make me lose my sanity too. Most of the servants grew up in families who cannot afford to feed them so they let them serve the nobility or the middle-classmen. Some of them had no choice to live and end up serving others. Being a servant is indeed better than nothing. We got our necessities covered by the nobility and they even give us a little salary every year.
The Thaedoran, Olivier, came with Baldwin, the man who adopted him. Talia, a noble, was sold as a slave after the war. And I, who was sold by my own father as he went bankrupt. We were the only servants who came in Leovia not knowing the cruel practices between a servant and his master. Living here for six years I understood why we should glorify and offer our lives to His Lordship Rudolf.
However, the attitudes of the servants are gradually straying from humanity. I was hired six years ago because they had been sent away from their chambermaid. A lot of the current servants were also hired in the same year because they had sent most of their servants away. And, three years ago, they also did the same. The servants sent away were less than before, though.
Sending away a servant is getting rid of them. If you cannot find another work right away—with no shelter and food—the Emperor shall execute you for being a peasant. Another option takes less time, it happens if one of the nobles in the House dislikes you or you have offended them. You will be killed instantly.
Her Ladyship Ottilia and Leonarda, and His Lordship Rudolf often change their maids and valets if they had gotten sick of them. The same goes for the rest of the servants.
In all these years, I had never seen any servant who tried to befriend anyone closely. We do celebrate birthdays but this was done with the desire that each of our birthdays will be celebrated. The desire to have something nobility has.
When things come to worse, they even wish you to die without further ado. And as long as the master requires it, they can even kill you with a smile on their faces. Anytime they can betray you face-to-face.
Note:
*Botulinum - An anaerobic soil bacterium (Clostridium botulinum) that secretes the toxin botulin. It is the most toxic substance known on Earth. A single nanogram per kilogram of botulin can kill a human.