"That's not a very nice thing to say." The maid who was addressed as Tsai had said, whilst keeping her gaze intent on the clothes she was washing.
Judith in this moment had realized she never asked for the maid's name, but to be fair, neither was her name asked.
"That's right, it's not a very nice thing to say." Another maid chimed in.
Judith kept her head low and just listened in whilst looking for a way to sneak into the manor and into Qui Lin's room.
'I'm running out of time.' Judith said, yet she still found herself enjoying the comfort that washing brought her.
"Don't tell me what is and isn't a nice thing to say, how could she be so lively when the prince is dead and our lives are at risk because of that?" The older maid's words had reinstalled the fear that was looming in everyone's heart.
"That fact hadn't escaped me," Tsai had responded. "Turmoil and death is always around everyone, most especially us maids." The part 'Us maids' had eaten into Judith when she remembered the gruesome descriptions of what the captain did to so many of his maids.
"But I don't let this reality get to me, not anymore, I'm tired of being unhappy." As Tsai had spoken these words, Judith had remembered her life in the normal world. All the pains that came with it and how her philosophy was the same as Tsai.
This made Judith smile a pain-filled smile.
"You call it being sad, I call it running away from reality. Why don't you stop being a coward and wake up." The older maid's words had bit into Judith like an annoying worm.
"Why don't you stop being a bitch and shut up!" Judith's voice boomed into the air, silencing everyone present and more than anything, astounding everyone.
It had taken the older maid a few seconds, but when she realized herself, she frowned.
"How dare you talk back at..."
"A noble, a Tethered, a Cultivator? How about a queen? Is that what you are?" Judith stared into the older maid's eyes as she spoke, not wavering in the slightest.
Silence fell and no one spoke.
"Didn't think so, you're just a maid, same as all of us here. Except for me, who has the potential to become a maid for a very powerful noble. So if I were you, I'd watch the way I spoke to me." Judith said with a finality in her tone that made the older maid go silent.
Though Judith made to stand up for the maid Tsai, her burst had left everyone silent for the remainder of the laundry.
By the time the laundry was over and done with, the maids all dispersed, leaving Judith and Tsai to clean up after.
As soon as the last maid had left, Tsai spoke at once.
"That was really incredible uh..." Tsai had paused when she realized she didn't know Judith's name.
"Judith."
"Right." Tsai said with a giggle, which Judith had joined in on.
"Don't worry about it, probably should have introduced myself when we first met." Judith said while Tsai began to pick up each individual pail and stack them atop one another.
"No it's my fault, I should have asked you. My name's Tsai by the way."
"Yeah I got that much." Judith likewise began to pick up the pails.
"No don't worry about the pails, instead help empty the bowl." Tsai had said with a gentle smile.
"Right." Judith bent low, and began to unscrew a cap at the bottom of the metal bowl.
"Anyways, thank you, for what you did."
"It honestly wasn't a big deal, that lady was being a jerk." Judith's comment had caused Tsai to let out a hearty laugh.
"It's just how she is, being older than everyone here, she feels she has the right to speak down to everyone."
"Respect is a reciprocal, just because she's older doesn't give her the right to be rude." Judith said while struggling with the cap covering the small hole that kept the water in the bowl.
"That's true, you really put her in her place." Upon placing the last pail atop the stack, she paused for a moment as a thought had shifted through her neurons.
She turned to face Judith, trying to put on a serious demeanor. But couldn't help a smile when she saw Judith still struggling with the cap.
She made her way over to Judith, bent low and began to help her with the cap.
"Did you...mean what you said?" Tsai said, prompting Judith to stare at her. "About becoming a slave of someone powerful."
Judith had paused for a moment, and when she made to speak, Tsai interrupted.
"Or rather, do you believe you'll become maid to a powerful noble?" Tsai has said, correcting her earlier statement.
"I don't believe so, I know so." Judith said with a very confident tone, which made Tsai look up so she could meet Judith's eyes. "And not only that, but I'm going to become a Tethered, the most powerful one on the face of this earth. Powerful enough to have control of my life and live it the way I want to."
Tsai wanted to question Judith's confidence and pass it up as wishful thinking, but something about how sure Judith was about herself made Tsai feel like she was saying facts not fairytales.
"Be...sure not to forget me when you get there." She said with a gentle smile, which carried a semblance of hurt behind it.
Judith stared at her for a heartbeat, before returning her gaze to the immovable cap.
"I won't." Judith said this, meaning every word.
She was going to help people, as many people as she could. As many people that needed her, because she knew what it was like to have nothing and no one.
As the silence drew a curtain over them, more attention was put into opening the cap and finally, it came loose and was shot outward by the force of the water.
The water inside the metal bowl began to pour out like a mini waterfall of soapy water.
As the water flowed, Judith found herself lost on its murky reflection, as something about what the water was reflecting didn't sit right with her. So she stared a bit longer, till a small pool was formed on the ground, and with this pool came clarity, and with this clarity came astonishment.
Judith was shocked because of the image the water was reflecting.