A few more minutes later, Rialle Winterbell left her large room quietly.
She closed the doors behind her gently and slowly looked around.
Her room was situated near the servants' quarters and on the bottom floor.
The corridor outside her room had no walls and was vast and empty, looking out into the large garden of the Winterbell estate.
Rialle smiled as she looked at the bright sunlight bathing the whole garden and all of the greenery in it.
What a blessing it was for her to be able to see a sight like this almost every day.
She lived in the most beautiful mansion of the central part of the kingdom. The manor boasted a large estate which had a few acres of woods to it, a gorgeous garden, and several cabins around where one could camp.
Rialle Winterbell sighed in happiness.
How nice it was that she could live in a place like this every day.
She heard the sound of someone approaching and flinched.
Grabbing the doors, she almost ran back into her room before she realized it was a maid just leaving the servants' quarters.
The lady was hurrying since she was clearly late.
She looked so stressed and distracted that she had completely not noticed the beautiful second daughter of the count Winterbell standing pasted to the wall beside her room's doors.
Rialle blinked when she realized the maid was hurrying away and leaving her behind.
The pretty girl slowly calmed down and leaned away from the wall.
Thank goodness the maid had not seen her.
Her name was Priscilla Bilter. She was one of Rialle's stepmother's favourite maids. The ladies were always together and she was the maid sent to hunt Rialle down whenever her stepmother remembered her and had grown enraged.
Rialle sighed in relief.
Thank goodness the maid was in her own mind that day.
Just to be sure, Rialle Winterbell glanced around one more time.
There were soft noises of nature from the garden but nothing more.
No gardeners or butlers or maids were anywhere in sight.
Rialle knew that felt odd. The manor was usually teeming with servants. How was it that there seemed to be almost no one on that side of the manor.
Rialle blinked in surprise but then decided that it did not bother.
The library was situated on the second floor of the manor and was a good walk away from her room.
The pretty girl had to get there quickly and without being seen by anyone else in the manor.
Rialle Winterbell took a deep breath and began to walk through the vast, open corridor.
She kept her footsteps light and quick as she hurried along.
The corridor was bright as she kept walking further inside.
All she had to do was walk to the very end of the corridor and take the stairs up two floors to reach the library.
Rialle walked along in her favourite green gown when she noticed something.
There was a large room kept for the servants to feast in or take their meals. It was situated on the ground floor between Rialle's bed chambers and the stairs that led upstairs to the library.
That room seemed full and bustling with noise.
Were all the servants gathered inside?
It sounded that way from the amount of noise coming from the room.
The door was slightly ajar.
Rialle was only a few steps away from it.
She took a deep breath.
The pretty young maiden would tiptoe past. Slowing her steps, Rialle Winterbell sneaked past the door.
There was excited chatter from within and the servants inside were talking amon themselves quite happily.
Rialle knew it was odd.
The servants took time off leisurely in the manor and slacked odd quite a bit when the step mother was no longer in sight, but they rarely did that all at once in such a noticeable way.
"Silence!"
Rialle flinched.
It was her step mother's voice from within the large room.
It was a sharp toned order and immediately, all of the servants ceased their chatter and laughter. There was a quiet air within.
Rialle's heart had almost stopped. She was terrified of her step-mother and all that the lady was capable of.
She could be quite cruel and Rialle Winterbell knew the only way to protect herself was to avoid her stepmother at all costs.
Swallowing hard, Rialle gathered her skirts.
The room's doors were slightly ajar.
She had to sneak past it quickly and noiselessly.
Squaring her shoulders, Rialle prepared herself to do so.
She took a few steps forward.
Her stepmother had clearly gathered her servants and attendants together to talk to them privately.
Rialle Winterbell could not be caught outside such an event.
"Tomorrow is a very important day!" her stepmother was saying.