99: Her Headwrap Is The Issue

Her Headwrap Is The Issue

Mia, the female servant whose mother used to work in the palace, clapped her hands to get their attention. She then began to speak, her voice slow and pleasant to the ears.0

"I am sure the ten of you have been chosen because Head Maid Janella trusts you will not commit any mistake that will sully the name of Lord Ahren. Therefore, I trust each of you are skilled in housekeeping and have years of experience in the job. 

"The words I will speak now, I hope you etch them dearly in your minds. What I will teach you are the most basic survival skills within the royal palace. 

"There are two kinds of royal servants: the court servants and the palace servants. Court servants are generally nobles, who are the direct subordinates of royalty, while the palace servants are commoners who do the most menial chores. You will be sent to the royal palace as palace servants. As for your exact role, you will hear of it once you enter the palace.

"Court servants are mostly young sons or daughters being educated by their families, or talented branch family members of a noble household, so despite them being servants as well, despite them doing almost the same jobs as you do, you must treat them with respect because you are of lower status than them. Court servants involve those directly serving His Majesty the King, as well as the butlers and ladies-in-waiting serving the other members of the royal family. They may be subservient in front of their masters, but do not forget that even the most ordinary nobles are proud people.

"...You probably already know this, but the best servants are neither seen nor heard. Discretion is paramount, especially because upon entering the palace, scandal usually follows whoever does not respect the secrecy of the happenings inside. No matter how close you are to your families, friends or lovers, things you witness in the palace must remain in the palace. Bring whatever secrets you hear with you to your grave.

"...Many times, you will have to deal with jealousy and resentment from fellow servants. You must learn to be observant of the power structure. It may sound callous, but you have to be neither too outstanding nor incompetent to not be targeted. 

"...Make sure your appearance is tidy at all times, but absolutely do not stand out. Especially the women, do not think life is like those in the novels where your life will be merry after catching the fancy of a noble. Being a mistress of a noble is like throwing yourself to raging fire. Noblemen are generally engaged before their coming-of-age. Whoever you'll see in the palace likely has a wife or wife-to-be—and you better pray the wrath of a scorned woman or her family does not befall on you." 

"...Regardless if it is a servant more senior than you or your direct superior, when they give you an order, obey it without question. Keep your head low and do not meet their gaze. You shouldn't speak unless spoken to and—" 

Mia continued to fire one piece of advice after another, ending it with, "A single mistake, even the smallest one, may lead to death. I hope you remember that."

Upon hearing Mia's solemn warnings, none of the young servants were able to speak. Some of them even turned pale.

Seemingly satisfied, Mia clapped her hands again. "Now we will separate you into two groups.Women will follow me and the men will follow Elir."

The women moved to one side and the men moved to the other side. Oriana was quite absentminded until she heard Mia's voice. 

"Orian?" Mia called. 

Oriana was about to take a step towards her, only for her to realize her mistake and then walked towards the men's group. 'I keep forgetting I am a man in their eyes. I wonder what kind of work I have to do. The palace sounds like a terrible place. I hope I will be given a labor job where I do not have to interact a lot with people.''

The training lasted till late in the evening, as if Elir tried to cram a month's worth of lessons in a day.

After having her evening meal, Oriana could finally retire to her room in Arlan's chamber. 

'So many rules and restrictions, as if even breathing too loudly can be considered an offense there. However, to see Master Cenric, I need to visit the royal pharmacy or the herbal gardens which should be outside of my jurisdiction. It is worrisome thinking that I'd be imprisoned the moment I step out of my allocated area…"

The next day, as soon as the rooster crowed, the training started again. Janella came around noontime to see how everyone was doing. 

"How are they doing?" Janella asked  Mia and Elir. 

"Out of the  girls, three are quick-witted and uptight. They can be sent to the palace with no worries," Mia answered. 

"What about the boys, Elir?"

"Two of them are perfect, but I am wondering if I should consider that Orian as well."

"What's the matter with him?"

"He is a fast learner, I admit. Once you point out a mistake, he will remedy it and he is enthusiastic to work, but I worry about his age and face. That kind of pretty boy is normally, well, you know, even more of a target of bullying…Aside from that, he has basically no knowledge about current events, much less the aristocracy. It is obvious he is a country bumpkin with no education. He does not even know the names of the current royal family…and also—" 

"What?"

"As if being a pretty boy isn't eye-catching enough, he refuses to remove that black fabric on his head. You know how strict the palace is about appearances. They have a uniform for a reason. Even the male servants, unless they are of nobility, have to cut their hair short."

Janella nodded. "About this, let me talk to him."

"Thank you, Miss Janella."

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