Ember tidied her bangs in the mirror before nodding to herself. She made the bed and then picked up her sword to leave the room. As soon as she left, the patrolling guards and servants began to greet her.
"Good morning, Miss Ember!"
"Good morning, Ember!"
Ember greeted them back with a smile as she made her way to the Serving Hall. Everyone carried their trays and shuffled through the array of food. She followed the line and began picking her breakfast. However, she couldn't help but notice that the hall was unusually noisy that morning.
"He looks a little different, right?" whispered a man beside her. Ember's ears perked up as she tried to glean what they were talking about. "I saw him running around the palace with a giant boulder on his back. Has he lost his mind?"
"Beats me! But it's the first time I saw one of the princes eat their breakfast with the workers," said the old cafeteria lady with a shake of her head.
