After the royal morning meal, the head maid, Margaret, opened the door of the servants' quarters and ushered the new maid, Rhefa inside. The other maids and footmen stopped their work and looked up, curious to see the newest member of their staff.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Margret announced. "I would like to introduce you to our newest maid, Rhefa. She has just arrived yesterday night as many of us know and will be joining us in our duties, I implore you all to guide and blend her until she is perfect"
Rhefa nervously curtsied as the other servants greeted her with polite nods and smiles. Margret continued, "She will be reporting to me for her duties, and I expect you all to be welcoming and helpful."
The other maids and footmen nodded in agreement, and one of the maids, Anna, stepped forward. "Welcome, Rhefa We're all happy to have you here and we'll do our best to make you feel at home."
she was introduced to each person. Some were more friendly than others, but all seemed to accept her as part of the Royal servant.
She smiled in gratitude, relieved at their warm reception. She knew she had a lot to learn, but with the support of her fellow servants, she was determined to become a valued member of the Royal staff.
After the introduction, everyone resumed their work, while Rhefa followed Anna, as they made their way through the vast corridors of the palace. They finally arrived at the palace garden, which was a haven of peace and beauty. Anna showed her where the watering cans were kept and instructed her on how to carefully water the flowers.
As Rhefa worked, she caught glimpses of the royal princesses and their governess in a corner of the garden. They were deep in conversation, and every now and then, the princesses would laugh. Rhefa felt a sense of awe wash over her; she had never been so close to the royal family before, and she dared not stare for too long.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the garden, Rhefa caught a glimpse of the 14-year-old prince, dressed in armor, and practicing his sword skills with his swordsmen. She could hear the clanging of swords and see the glint of metal from where she stood.
Anna noticed Rhefa impressed expression and chuckled softly. "You'll get used to it," she said.
After a while, Anna came over to Rhefa and whispered, "Come along now, dear. It's time to finish up our work." She reluctantly tore her gaze away from the prince and the princess and returned to the task at hand, but she couldn't help but feel privileged to have caught a glimpse of the royal family's everyday life. She would have love to share what she saw today with her mother and her village people but that was only a dream.
Prince Eric off his armor and hand it over to the swordman, the swordman bowed "That was an amazing skill" he bowed and left.
Prince Eric walked the grounds of the palace with his most trusted guard, John, at his side.
As they made their way through the gardens, Eric noticed the girl that was staring at him earlier. After a few minutes, Eric turned to John and asked, "Who is that girl staring at me earlier? Does she have any connection to my kingdom?"
John replied, "I'm not sure, Your Highness. I haven't seen her before. Shall I send someone to inquire about her?" John was always with Eric, he wasn't present when the head maid introduced her.
Eric thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, it's nothing. Let's continue our walk." But as they moved away from the girl, Eric found himself turning to take one last glance at her. Something about her had caught his attention, and he couldn't shake the feeling that they had met before.
Rhefa had noticed the prince staring at her but she turned a blind eye and focused on the flowers, she was young and naive but she knew the best way to live this kind of a life is to live under the shadow until she can no longer hide herself, she wouldn't want to be the center of attention.
The great hall of the royal court was filled with the king's closest advisors and his most trusted dukes and lords. The king sat on his throne at the head of the room, taking in every word that was spoken.
"Your Majesty," one of the dukes said, standing up from his seat. "We have heard from our sources that a mysterious girl is being sought after by the other kingdoms. They say that this girl possesses great power in her blood that can make a king rule all over the whole world"
The king's expression grew serious as he listened to the duke's words. The room grew silent, all eyes on the king.
"This is troubling news," the king said finally. "We must do everything in our power to find this girl before anyone else does, if anyone should rule all over the other kingdoms it should be me. I want all of you to keep your ears to the ground and gather any information you can. We cannot let this go unchecked, we must find her at all cost."
The dukes and lords nodded in agreement, their faces reflecting the gravity of the situation. The king knew that this was a matter of great importance, and he would do whatever it takes find the girl and sacrifice her blood for the sake of power to protect his kingdom.
Rhefa's mother knew what she was doing when she handover her child to the king, she knew she would be safe because the king palace is the least suspect place to find a divine goddess working as a maid, her dying prayer was for time to moves as fast as it could so that her daughter could just be a normal young maid in the royal palace, by that time she would be old enough to protect herself if any danger occurred.