The day passed, giving way to another morning.
Date: 761 NE-07-13
Adel woke me up with her usual gentle shake. I got up from the bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. As always, she led me to the vanity table to begin my morning routine.
While she brushed my hair, Adel delivered the information.
"The one ordered to watch you has arrived, My Lady," she said softly, catching my eye in the mirror. "He is currently in the living room, waiting for you. He arrived the moment you woke up."
I nodded silently. The usual morning routine was completed efficiently. I stood up and looked in the full-length mirror.
The more I looked at myself, the more I saw my mother in the reflection. Maybe it was because I was wearing another one of her old dresses. It was a one-piece, tight-fitting gown with long sleeves and a V-neckline. The skirt hugged my hips and legs tightly, restricting my stride. It was so different from my childhood dresses, which always had voluminous, playful skirts.
"Perhaps you want to have breakfast first? Or meet this guard first?" Adel asked, smoothing the fabric at my waist.
"I want my breakfast first."
We left the room and walked toward the dining hall, pointedly ignoring the living room where the guard waited.
In the dining hall, Cassius and Valerie were standing awkwardly by the wall. I walked to the head of the table and sat down.
"Please, take a seat," I instructed them, just like yesterday.
They obeyed, and we had breakfast together in relative silence.
After I finished, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and stood up.
"Now, let us meet the guard."
I walked to the living room. As soon as I stepped over the threshold, the guard—the same officer from the palace—immediately stood up from his seat.
"Please, take your seat back," I said, waving a hand. I sat down opposite him.
After we were both seated, he cleared his throat and began to explain my duties in the palace according to the Queen's order.
According to his explanation, I would be assigned to the Arch-Treasury. There would be four other people working there. As for the surveillance, he would stay by my side the entire time until dusk.
"Can I bring my own guards?" I asked.
"Your own guards?" He paused, thinking. "Ah! Those people who were with you… Sure, you can bring them. But they will not stay beside you inside the Treasury. Instead, they will stay on the training grounds."
He turned his gaze to Adel, who stood behind my chair. "And your maid beside you—the Queen has taken an interest in her. She wants her to stay with your guards on the training grounds."
I was surprised. "WHAT!! She will stay beside me. Why does the Queen want her on the training grounds?"
"She didn't inform me of the reason for that," he replied stoically. "I am just a guard. I do what the Queen orders without asking."
I looked at Adel. Her face remained impassive, but I saw a flicker of concern in her eyes.
"But, I still need her with me," I insisted.
"You don't need to worry about anything in the palace. Surely there are still some servants that can help you," he dismissed my concern. "I think that is everything. Now, we can depart to the palace."
He stood up, adjusted his sword belt, and walked immediately to the front door.
I turned to Adel. "Explain everything to Cassius and Valerie. They are coming to the palace with us."
"Understood, My Lady."
She left the room while I waited. A few minutes later, she returned with Cassius and Valerie in tow.
"Do you already know why you are here?" I asked them.
"Your maid told us everything," Valerie answered, looking bored. "We know it already."
"Great then. Now let's depart."
I stood up and proceeded to leave the house, followed by my retinue.
In front of the house, the carriage was already prepared. The officer mounted his horse, taking the reins firmly.
I climbed inside the carriage. The others, as usual, climbed onto the coachman's bench. We departed from the house, rolling toward the palace with the Royal Guard riding beside my window.
…
Arriving in front of the palace gates, the carriage stopped. Adel opened the door, and I stepped out onto the pristine pavement.
The officer dismounted and handed his horse's reins to a stable hand.
"You can leave the carriage here," he told us. "There will be another guard who will take care of it. Now, follow me. I will show you the way."
We entered the palace, led by the officer. As we walked through the grand corridors, I noticed that his attire was more extravagant and elegant than the other guards we passed. The most distinct difference was the long blue cape flowing behind him.
In the distance, at an intersection of the hall, two people were waiting. As we got closer, I saw they were a palace maid and another guard.
Arriving in front of them, the officer stopped.
"This is where you need to separate," he announced.
He gestured to the maid. "She is one of the servants here. Her name is Flavia, and she will be the one who will help and accommodate you while you are in the palace."
Flavia curtsied deeply, lifting her skirt with practiced grace. "Greetings, Lady Aurelia."
She had long, curly brown hair and appeared to be about the same age as Adel.
The officer then introduced the other guard. "He is one of my men. He will lead your retinue to the training grounds, so you need to follow him. He will introduce you to everyone there."
He turned back to me. "Now, Lady Aurelia can follow Flavia. She will lead you to the room where you have been assigned. Surely, I will still accompany you."
I watched as Adel, Cassius, and Valerie were led away down the left corridor. It felt strange to be separated from Adel.
Flavia, the officer, and I turned right.
We walked to a different wing of the palace. In this hall, I saw many people walking around in extravagant attire—nobles attending court, officials, and dignitaries. As we passed, their eyes locked onto me. I heard whispers trailing in our wake.
I kept my chin high and ignored everything from them.
.
We arrived in front of a heavy oak door. I looked up; there was a polished plaque that read "Arch-Treasury."
This was the room I had been assigned.
Flavia opened the door, and I stepped inside.
It was a chancery room, filled with the smell of ink and parchment. Stacks of paper were piled high on shelves and tables. The size of the room was similar to my father's study back home.
There were five people in the room—two ladies and three gentlemen. They were all sitting at their own desks, working diligently.
Flavia led me to the main desk in the center of the room. A middle-aged man sat there, scribbling furiously.
The officer stepped in front of me. "This is Lady Aurelia. The Queen ordered her to be here to help the Treasury."
The man looked up, dropping his quill. "AURELIA!!! IS SHE FROM THE AURELIUS FAMILY??"
Everyone in the room froze and turned to stare at me, shock written on their faces.
"Correct," the officer confirmed. "She is Lady Aurelia from the Aurelius Family."
I lifted the edges of my tight skirt slightly and curtsied. "Greetings."
"Where is the order you talked about?" the man demanded, standing up. "I WANT THE PAPER ABOUT THIS."
The officer produced a sealed scroll and handed it to him. The man broke the seal and read it. A few seconds later, his face paled in disbelief. Seeing that, everyone else in the room rushed to his desk, peering over his shoulder to read the royal decree.
I stood there, confused. What is the big deal about me being here?
"As you can see," the officer continued, "Lady Aurelia will be assigned here. But there is an addition to the order that is not written there. I have been assigned as the guard of Lady Aurelia by the Queen's order. I hope you allow my presence inside the room to stay beside her."
I was surprised. He introduced himself as my guard, not as my surveillance officer.
The man and his colleagues looked even more flustered.
"Is the Queen aware that a guard is prohibited from staying longer inside one of the courtrooms?" the man asked with a worried tone.
"You need to ask that to the Queen for the answer," the officer replied smoothly. "I am here just by her order."
"Arghhhh!!! Sure, sure," the man threw up his hands. "I will make an exception for you to stay beside her in the room."
He pointed at Flavia. "And how about her? Is she her personal maid? Does she need to stay beside her?"
"She is just a servant of the palace," the officer answered. "She is not her personal maid, so she knows the rules."
Flavia bowed and stepped back toward the door.
The man took a deep breath and looked at me, composing himself.
"So, Aurelia… Let me introduce myself. I am Livio Atius, the one who is in charge here." He waved a hand at the others. "All of you need to introduce yourselves."
One by one, they stepped forward.
The first man bowed. "My name is Marco Atius, and as you can see from my name, I am his son." He pointed to Livio.
The second man stepped forward. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, strikingly similar to the Royals. "I am Tito Julius."
Julius??
I immediately asked him, "Julius?? Are you related to the Royals?"
He nodded with a charming smile. "Yes, I am. I am the Third Prince."
I blinked. "So you are his brother…"
The Crown Prince's brother.
Now, it was the ladies' turn.
The first lady curtsied elegantly. "I am Clara Alliena. Nice to meet you, Lady Aurelia."
Clara's appearance was feminine and soft. Her dress was glamorous, with lace and ribbons. When I saw it, it reminded me of the dresses I wore when I was fifteen—fashionable but youthful.
The second lady bowed sharply, more like a man. "My name is Hillaria Antia. It is an honor to be acquainted with you, Lady Aurelia."
Hillaria's appearance reminded me of Lady Octavi. Her dress was tailored almost like a man's attire, and she wore trousers underneath a split skirt, practical and severe.
I introduced myself to all of them. "My name is Aurelia Aurelius. I hope my presence here can help all of you, and I hope we can get along with each other."
After all the introductions, Flavia left the room.
Clara walked over and led me to a vacant desk. The officer followed, taking up a position right behind my chair like a statue.
At the desk, Clara explained everything to me—how to handle the ledgers, how to sort the documents, and the filing system.
She finished explaining and smiled warmly. "Lady Aurelia, may we have tea time together after this?"
I smiled back. "I gladly accept your invitation, Lady Clara."
She returned to her own desk.
I sat down at my station. Beside me was Tito's desk. He slid a note across the polished wood to me. It contained a list of tasks I needed to do for today.
For today, I just needed to sort the fund papers for each category. It was simple, mindless work.
While I was working, I felt uncomfortable. The guard kept standing directly behind me, his shadow falling over my papers. Sometimes, I glanced around the room and caught the others staring at him nervously.
Time passed slowly.
Clang. Clang.
Suddenly, a bell chimed through the halls.
I saw everyone immediately relax. They set down their quills and stretched. Clara and Hillaria stood up and walked toward my desk.
"It is over, Lady Aurelia," Clara announced brightly. "Now, may we have tea time together??"
"Ah! So that bell works for…"
"That is the sign bell for the break," Hillaria finished.
"How about the papers? Where do I need to hand these?" I asked, holding up a stack.
"You can leave them at the desk," Tito said from beside me. "Someone will collect them."
"Well, if that's the case…"
I stood up from the desk, smoothing my skirt.