CHAPTER 3
MAIDS
After emperor’s dismissal, I was guided through the palace to where I will be staying as a hostage.
I was very surprised when I found out that the room I was guided to was not the same room that Ramiel and Tilda occupied in the book. In the book, Ramiel and Tilda was shown to a cottage very far away from the main palace and was given nothing. The room that was shown to me, however, was elegantly decorated with servant’s quarter attached to it. The bed was very soft with extra layers of bedding and the roofs and windows of the palace did not have any holes that could let in natural elements. Also the distance from the room where I will be staying to the main palace was surprisingly close. Although I achieved the goal I set out to achieve, something tugged from back of my mind. Things were going too well.
No matter how I felt, with this, my first milestone to my survival was accomplished.
There were total of five female servants who introduced themselves as my new caretakers. They brought dinner and tea. When I asked about the chests that I brought from Seles, they opened a door that was attached to my bed chamber and showed me my things.
I asked one of the servants to bring two of the three chests to emperor Strafin and two separate pieces of red stones to Dado. After that I went back to my bed chamber with one of my books in hand. I needed to review my Eswellian.
One of the servants came to me offering help and I gladly accepted, her name was Megan.
*
The emperor Strafin did not contact me until two weeks after our first encounter in the throne room.
During the two weeks in my new living quarter, I learned of the five servants’ names, way around the garden that is attached to the palace, and the ways to the library which was open for the emperor’s ministers, chancellors, and some privileged chamberlains. I did not know all the positions in court but I did my best to not encounter any when I was using the library. From my original world, the book only mentions high Viziers, position that receives order directly from the royal family.
The main palace had a private library of its own that nobody was allowed in except the emperors, his offsprings and numbered librarians who oversee of the new releases and condition of the books.
Megan took up the job of teaching me Eswellian like she did when we first met, Belba oversaw dressing me into and out of my formal wears, Erin took care of my bedding and cleanliness around the room, Prima brought my meals, and Gemina followed me around the palace and helped me in various tasks like delivering messages and drawing water for my bath. These tasks were not limited to one individual but rather generally taken care by the first person who saw the need, but it seemed that tasks were usually done by named individuals above.
Because Gemina was in charge of all four girls, she was one who spoke with me the most. She did not make any effort to converse with me, but she did everything to make me feel comfortable.
On the day the emperor sent a message to me was the day I went to visit the library for books explaining the history of Eswell. I was in a desperate need of information about Eswell which could give me more clues on what the ancient object was all about. Gemina was tasked with something urgent so I was walking by myself to the library building when I saw Iluz. Behind Iluz, there were servants and knights following. As soon as I saw Iluz’s face, I hid behind a door that I just walked passed.
I leaned my body against the door and will myself to disappear. The sudden encounter quickened my breath and my heart was beating out of its cage.
Few moments later I turned to look beyond the door and immediately regretted having done so.
Iluz was waiting at the opposite side of the door.
I went on my knees and greeted him.
“Imperial Highness Iluz, Ramiel Doommantle greets you.”
“Get up.”
Iluz’s deep voice carried unquestionable authority as it rang in the court yard.
I glued my eyes to my ground as I got up from the ground.
“Why did you hide from me?”
“… caught*. I did not hide from you, Imperial Highness.”
To my reply, Iluz’s countenance turned thoughtful.
“…did you hear from my father what your task is going to be?”
“No, your Imperial Highness. I have yet to receive any message from emperor Strafin.”
“You will receive the message today. You are to report to me tomorrow morning before sunrise, understood?”
“Yes, I understand imperial highness.”
Iluz stared down on my face one last time before storming away as quickly as he appeared. I stayed where I was until I could not see his figure.
*
A letter reached me when I came back from the library and it stated that I was to become a personal balneumer for Iluz. When I asked what the position oversees, Gemina simply stated that I just need to go to Imperial Highness in the early morning to find out.
When I asked Megan about job of balneumer in middle of our routine Eswellian lesson, she blushed and said that many servants pine for the position. This made me nervous and I could not fall asleep that night.
When the early morning came, my body felt sore from sleeping on the wrong side of the bed.
Gemina and Belba dressed me into a simple Seles clothe and told me that I could eat my breakfast when I come back from my work. Gemina then guided me to one of the main palace wing where Iluz’s living quarter was located. When Gemina and I reached a small door made for servants, a boy servant about the same age as Ramiel ushered me in, leaving Gemina outside the door as it closed behind me.
“You are late.” The boy said under his breath.
“I am sorry, I did not know exactly when I should be here.” I simply stated.
The boy looked me up and down and throw me a set of clothe that was made up of thin and sheer fabric and pointed to the door opposite of the one we came through.
“Change and go in through the door. Wait for Imperial Highness.”
“What do I need to do after Imperial Highness enters?”
The boy looked me up and down like I was a calf about to get auctioned off to a bad farmer and left the small room without another word.
I assumed that the room I was in is a servant’s entrance to Iluz’s living quarter. There was a small wooden chair and two doors located at the opposite end of the room. The room was more like a waiting area rather than a proper room.
I changed into the clothe that the boy gave me and walked through the door that the boy was pointing to. To my surprise, the door led to a giant pool that held hot spring. The air smelled fresh with peppermint and other type of herbs mixed together. The room was bigger than my living quarter and had two doors attached to it, small door that I just walked through and a big heavy door with intricate details decorating it. There were windows located near the ceiling and every surface was covered in white marbles. The general design of the bath reminded me of Roman bath house. The only difference was the small windows lined up close to the domed ceiling and intricately woven tapestries on the walls.
I approached the pool, feeling the warmth radiating from the floor. The heating system circulated this entire room including the walls and floors, I noted as I walked. There were cleaning clothe and soup near the edge of the pool. Strange, I assumed I needed to clean up the used bath but there was nothing to tidy up. I stared at the clothe confused.
I was testing out the water when the big door cricked opened and Iluz walked in, dressed in a nightgown.
Iluz closed the door behind him and walked toward the pool.
My face must have shown how confused I was because Iluz hesitated a moment before ordering,
“Come here.”
Without knowing exactly what was to happen, I did walk closer to Iluz, taking my time.
As soon as I reach an arm length distance away from him, Iluz instructed me to undress him. After a small mental break down, I closed the distance further and slowly unfasten the lacing. My job here was not to clean the bath, you idiot, I was supposed to clean the prince himself!
The nightgown that Iluz was wearing had continues lacing down in the back and another lacing on his hip. Because I was not accustomed to Eswellian clothing, it took much time to free the lace from its place. It was inevitable that my nervous fingers brushed Iluz’s skin and I startled every time it happened. After the laces were undone, Iluz sighed and shock off most of the nightgown himself.
Iluz went into the pool and I stood where I was, frozen. Iluz, murmuring something inaudible to himself, instructed me patiently to come closer once more.
“Grab the gel and clean me.”
After a small turmoil, I gave in and went over to where Iluz was sitting and started to rub the cleaning gel on Iluz’s body, starting from his shoulder.
I could not help but notice that my immature body looked unattractive compared to Iluz’s growing body. In the book Ramiel first meets Iluz almost past Iluz’s puberty but right now Iluz’s body was not as big or tall as the book described. Iluz went through a war but seemed relatively unscathed. The gelled clothe glided on Iluz’s bicep like the butter on a hot pan. I wondered what could have made this child grow up to be so brutal in the story. I did not like Iluz’s character description just because there was lack of it. The author of the book seemed to have done marvelous job on all the other elements of story building except on Iluz’s character development.
When I came back to the task at hand, Iluz was staring at me with questioning look on his face.
“Something the matter your Imperial Highness?”
“Balneumers don’t speak unless being spoken to.”
“…”
I closed my mouth shut as I added another layer of cleaning gel over the clothe and continued rubbing Iluz’s arm.
“Why did you hide from me yesterday? If you lie again, I will have one of your servants’ head.”
My hands slowed to a stop. I could lie again, hoping that Iluz wouldn’t notice, but
“… I am afraid of you, Imperial Highness.”
“of me? Did you hear frightening rumors about me in Seles?”
I started again with my task and finished cleaning Iluz’s finger then I started to rub the gel into Iluz’s back. Should try telling the truth?
“No, I dreamed of your man killing my nanny in Seles.”
As soon as the sentence left my mouth, I was dragged underwater. I did not even remember my body being grabbed by Iluz. I was drowning. I flailed my arms as I searched for something to pull myself up, but I could not find anything except for what felt like Iluz’s body. In desperation, I held on to Iluz’s arm that was holding me down and pushed it away with all my might. The arm did not budge. I was drifting away when, finally, I was pulled up to the surface.
“I thought you were just not used to the ways of Eswell but I was mistaken, you are simply without thought. Since your image of me is already so tainted with blood, I hope you don’t mind me not holding back.”
My lunges choked out water as delicious air entered them. My body was not taking the shock too well and was on the verge of heart attack. I trembled in a pool full of hot spring while clinging to Iluz’s arm as it was only thing holding me from drowning again.
“…M..my….A..a.Apology, Imperial..l Highness. P…please …F..for..forgive..m.Me.”
I cried, blurring out whatever came to my mind. My face was a mass with collection of mucus from my nose and tears from my eyes. Next thing I remember before passing out is my water soaked body dragged from the pool.
Hinawary 