The early morning is the busiest time for the servants of the central castle of Andalus.
Although there are only three masters in the central castle of Andalus, the number of people living there is not small; there are over a hundred servants alone. They must complete all preparations before the masters awaken, starting their work before dawn.
Today, Lucia and Julia don't have to follow the steward's orders to manage the castle. They are now Maria's maids, and their entire day will be dictated by Maria.
Last night, they didn't have to keep watch, so they had a rare good night's sleep. However, unlike Julia, although Lucia obeyed Maria's instructions and went to rest, she was uneasy the entire time. So, early in the morning, she woke Julia up, and the two of them brought toiletries and hot water upstairs.
"Lucia, isn't it a bit too early? Miss Maria should still be resting at this hour."
Julia, holding a jug filled with hot water, followed Lucia, somewhat disapproving of Lucia for waking her so early. Everyone knew that nobles, unless they had pressing matters, never woke up so early. Unlike the busy servants, they usually slept until around ten in the morning. At this hour, the only person likely to be awake in the entire castle was the Earl, who had to rise early due to his endless duties. Everyone else wouldn't be seen until at least midday.
And right now, the sun had just risen above the horizon; even the Duke was probably still in his dreams.
Lucia held a wooden basin in her arms, inside which were clean clothes and soap. Her face and hands were also washed clean. From their interactions yesterday, Lucia had realized that the beautiful guest was extremely fond of cleanliness, so she had dragged Julia to wash their faces and hands with cold water early in the morning, just to leave a good impression.
Julia had complained a little about this. But hot water was not something they were allowed to use.
"We should have stayed there to keep watch last night."
Lucia glanced back at Julia. To be honest, her relationship with Julia wasn't the best; they had just happened to be chosen together as Maria's maids, so Lucia felt she had to keep an eye on this somewhat clumsy girl—she didn't want to be dragged down by her.
"Even though Miss Maria allowed us to rest if we're not there before she wakes up, the steward won't wait for Miss Maria to say anything; he'll have us thrown out of the castle himself."
It was obvious to everyone that the Duke had fallen in love with the guest at first sight. Though it was too early to say for sure, Lucia believed that as long as this guest was indeed a noble lady of high standing, even if she was from a foreign land, she would likely become their future Dukessa of Gonzalez.
But just by observing Maria's demeanor, no one would doubt her identity.
Astute as she was, Lucia knew this was an opportunity. Currently, Miss Maria had no other attendants serving her; as long as she devoted herself to serving her well and gained her trust, she might one day become like Iris, who had risen to the position of the castle's housekeeper from being the lady's maid.
Even if Maria didn't eventually become the next countess, serving by her side would increase Lucia's visibility with the masters, earning her more trust and opportunities.
Of course, Lucia's ambitions were limited to securing a better job and salary; she had no intention of engaging in the sordid business of seducing the master.
Hearing that they might be expelled from the castle, Julia couldn't help but shudder.
Working in the castle was indeed hard, but it was far better than life outside. Here, she had enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and a decent monthly wage. Having nearly been sold into slavery by her parents, Julia was determined not to leave.
She didn't dare say anything more and quietly followed Lucia upstairs.
The castle was very dark. While the masters could light torches and candles, the servants had to make their way in the dark. Fortunately, they were used to it.
As they turned the spiral staircase, they suddenly saw a light ahead.
Lucia was startled—who could be coming down from upstairs at this hour? This part of the castle was only inhabited by the Earl's family and the new guest.
The light drew closer, and soon Lucia saw Maria descending the stairs, holding a candle.
Encountering someone in the corridor didn't surprise Maria. The castle was too quiet, and her sharp ears had caught the sound of footsteps before the others had even approached.
She greeted them first, "Good morning."
"Good morning, Miss Maria," the two maids replied nervously, bowing. "We're sorry, we should have come up earlier."
Allowing a guest to wake up without attendants was a serious oversight. If the steward found out, they would likely lose their positions as personal maids and be relegated to hard labor.
"It's all right, I got up too early," Maria reassured them.
In truth, Maria hadn't wanted to wake up so early, but there wasn't much else to do in the evenings of the medieval period besides going to bed early. Moreover, she had slept poorly after discovering a mouse in her room the previous night. Unable to fall back asleep, she decided to get up.
The light illuminated their anxious faces, so Maria changed the subject. "I was just coming to find you. Is this hot water for me?"
"Yes, Miss."
Maria led them back to her room, holding the candlestick. She used the hot water to wash her face and rinse her mouth, though she regretted that there was no toothbrush or toothpaste available, so brushing her teeth was out of the question for now.
She noticed that the maids' teeth were not in great condition—yellowed and worn down. Not wanting her teeth to end up the same way, she needed to find a substitute for toothpaste and a toothbrush.
Moreover, there were no skincare products available at this time, and she worried that using only soap to wash her face might eventually make her skin rough.
As she pondered these things while washing up, Maria became somewhat distracted.
Lucia carefully brushed Maria's hair. As the sky outside grew brighter, illuminating the bedroom, Lucia glanced at Maria's face and remarked, "You don't look well-rested."
Maria felt a bit embarrassed. "I'm not used to some of the little things in the castle; they kept me from sleeping well."
Little things in the castle?
Julia was still puzzled, but Lucia quickly realized, "Are you referring to the mice?"
"Mm-hmm." Maria thought it was necessary to explain that she was afraid of mice.
Because she wanted someone to get rid of all the mice in her room.
Even if the castle had traces of them everywhere else, Maria didn't want any in her room.
Especially during her stay.
Maria hadn't yet decided what to do next. Until she learned more about Andalus, she would have to stay here for a while, which meant she had to rely on someone else's servants for now.
Lucia nodded understandingly. "I'll inform the steward and ask him to find someone to drive them out for you."
Since the guest didn't want to see mice, they naturally had to fulfill her request. There probably wasn't a woman who liked mice.
While tidying up, Julia hesitated before softly asking, "Miss, would you like to keep a cat?"
Maria looked up. "A cat?"