It has been a few days since Evie, now Elara, was reborn on this side of the world. The only person she had met so far was Helga, who brought her medicines in the evening, and another maid, Lila, who was tasked with bringing her food. She was bored with being stuck in the dingy room, so after the sixth day, her wounds were not bleeding anymore. She was lucky Lila would bring her hot water, which had helped with cleaning her wounds, and combined with the bitter medicine, she was healed. So, she decided to walk around in the evening after her bath.
It was her first time seeing her surroundings. Small, dim rooms, just like the one she was staying in, surrounded her. But when she looked out, it was a completely different, majestic building, all well-lit with servants milling around, and she could hear the laughter and chatter of the occupants from where she was.
She needed to meet the emperor by "chance" and catch his attention. As much as she hated that and found it a cliché, she had no other options. If she wanted her kingdom, she needed to align herself with an emperor bigger and stronger than the Starian Empire, and the only empire was the Valerian Empire. "I don't know how I am going to attract his attention wearing this," she said, touching her hair.
Evie realised that her appearance was similar to hers in the modern world: her skin was pale, but her hair was flaming red. But Elara was wearing a wig to hide her hair, as red hair was a signature of the Ashborne royal family, so she was forced to hide it. The wig was hideous. "I need to look for a glue to install this well," she said. If she couldn't take it off, she would make it look good.
She sighed, looking into the distance. Tomorrow she would go back to work. She didn't know where she would be taken, but she was sure she would be taken back to serve Lady Isabella de Marche.
Thinking about Lady Isabella, Evie's jaw clenched. That woman dared to use her in her schemes against the empress, and Elara lost her life due to that. She vowed to avenge Elara, even if that was the last thing she ever did in this world. From Elara's memories, Evie learned that the emperor's attention was the only thing Lady Isabella cared about, so she would make sure to take that from her.
Evie shivered from the cold wind hitting her. "Okay, time to go back," she said, moving back to the room. From tomorrow, she would be waging a war, so for now she needed to rest. She went to bed and dozed off to sleep.
Early in the morning, Evie woke up as Lila was waking up. She refreshed herself, made sure her wounds were dressed, and went to her trunk. She removed a grey dress made of hemp, which was very coarse and washed out, and started dressing. She tied her grey apron and her hair, putting on a white wimple that covered all her hair, tied under the chin.
She put on her leather turnshoes and sat down as she waited for Lila to finish dressing. Once Lila was done, she followed Lila out. It was still dark and chilly outside; luckily, other maids were going as well, carrying a lantern, so they followed them.
Evie looked around, and all the maids gathered outside the kitchen area, waiting for the butler, who arrived. "Is everyone here?" the butler said, and everyone turned to Evie. Evie's heart dropped, wondering what she had done now. "You are the only one who can read and count, so you do it every morning," Lila said, and Evie exhaled in relief. She stood up to face the sea of all-white wimples. There were so many, but she had a Master's in Human Resources and Office Administration and had overseen a corporation with over twenty thousand personnel. So, she took a lantern and started moving, and after a few minutes, she was done. "Two hundred and seventy-five," she said, and she noticed the surprised look in everyone's eyes.
Her forehead pinched. She was sure she hadn't made any mistake, so she was wondering why everyone was shocked. "You finished much faster than before," the butler said, his voice laced with surprise. "Okay," his voice took on a firmer tone. "Take breakfast fast, and everyone to their posts after that," he boomed. "Remember, no mistakes if you don't want to end up like her," he said, and Evie rolled her eyes. Why was she being used as an example?
The maids shuffled and left, and she was left alone. "You will be assigned to the old library moving forward," he said. "And make sure no mistake like the last time, if you don't want to die. You barely survived this time," he added. "She did not survive," Evie murmured, leaving to join the queue for breakfast.
Evie was served a bowl of porridge and was handed a thick slice of coarse, dark barley bread. She moved to the courtyard with seats carved of tree bark. She looked around and found Helga, who smiled, patting the seat beside her. As Evie sat, Helga said, "Elara, are you sure you are feeling well? You could have taken a few more days," her voice full of concern. Warmth spread in Evie's heart. "I am doing well, Helga. Thank you for your care," Evie said.
She smiled, taking a sip of the lukewarm porridge. She took a bite of the bread, and her smile fell as tears pooled in her eyes. She almost cried. She could accept coarse clothes and dingy rooms, even working herself to the bone, but she couldn't bear eating such bland and tasteless food.
She was a known foodie who had lots of recipes saved. She loved cooking and looking for nice places; her friends called her "their food guide," asking for recommendations from her. She had a full book, and now she was sitting, chewing an unchewable bread loaf. "Lord, please suffocate me with this dry bread and let me die," she said sighing.