"Why can't I have a tutor? "Circe asked leaning against back into her couch. In front of her was Kaelen and her butler, Alfred. A tall and slightly middle aged man.
" The Royal Family is in charge of assigning the princess' tutor. I cannot disregard tradition. "Alfred said.
Looking at Kaelen, she sighed and curled up like a ball. But immediately sprang up sitting up straight, staring at Alfred.
" You were in charge of my mother, weren't you? "She said eyes squinting with joy.
Alfred frowned a little. The princess had changed quite a lot since the end of the war.
Before, she was as uninterested in courtesy as a commoner. She didn't get out of the castle but spent most of her hours in bed. She looked so weak and full of resentment for the past three weeks. Her only solace had been the temple and he had believed she wanted to have nothing to do with nobility.
"Think about it. If it's you, then we can simply inform the Palace about my decision. You are my butler after all. "Circe said. Kaelen oursed his lips. " I'll give you until tomorrow noon, or else I'll get my own tutor. "
....
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Circe stared at her red eyes. Many things had gone wrong in her past life just because of those eyes. The title she could not uphold and the power she did not earn.
In her previous life, after the war, like any other soldier, she had hallucinations and even the slightest sound of cutlery knocking against each other caused her to spiral into endless torture.
She had believed that if she had avoided the outside world, kept to her room and castle at the Western border, then everything would remain the same and she would wait for another war to break out. At least she had some use to the empire then. But how wrong she had been.
Over all that time, Kaelen had shouldered the army, thus all loyalty for her had been lost. Alfred simply took care of her and she ended up as a laughing stock when she was summoned to the Capital.
Fed with lies and ambition that she had no idea how to handle, she ended up as a scapegoat and failed her brother.
A knock to the door drew her back from her train of memories. "Yes, come in. " Circe said and got up.
Sitting down I'm her couch she looked at the line if maids who were brought in. Dressed in their uniform, they all looked pretty much alike apart from their hair colour.
Kaelen stood at the door. "Alright, one of you is going to be my personal maid. I can't have Kaelen following me everywhere. If you don't want to, you can leave. " Circe said simply and took her cup of tea.
The maids looked at each other, exchanging glances before bowing and leaving.
Circe sighed, " It's like I said they would have to spar with me or something. "She said and got up before stopping in her tracks.
A little away from both Circe and Kaelen, a little pale girl with ginger brown hair and green eyes stood. She looked almost too small for her uniform, and visibly she was trembling.
" Tell me child, are you not scared of me."she asked getting closer. The little woman shook her head, "I couldn't possibly be scared of my saviour." She said, her voice shaking.
"Save you? That must have been Kaelen, all I remember is blood and killing. " Circe chuckled. It was the truth, all she remembered, in her dreams, her very being reeked of blood in her mind.
"Not at all, I remember. The lady saved me from a caravan of slave traders just before your last battle. It was Sir Kaelen who brought me back but I'm certain you opened that cage. " The lass said and Circe raised her brow. Looking up at Kaelen who nodded, she smiled.
"What's your name? " Circe asked her voice soft and gentle.
"Camilla. " She said.
"Alright Camilla, you are going to be my maid. Kaelen will teach you everything or most things anyway about me. " Circe said and pat her head.
"Don't disappoint me. "