Corridor

  Anne was just heading to dinner along with several other maids, when Margaret rushed to her side, red in the face and breathing heavily as if she had run a marathon.

  “Lady Veronique is planning something for dinner!” she shouted out mostly in Anne’s face but also alerting the other maids in the vicinity

  “What do you mean Margaret?” brown eyes and midnight blue hair with a few gray hair, a short body with a strong plum frame, senior maid Eva had posed such question demanding to know the answer

  “I don’t know, all I could hear was Lady Veronique asking Lucia for a favor for when she headed to dinner, then she must have whispered whatever it was” Margaret had explained her voice bordering to panic

  “This doesn’t mean it was something bad or related to us” Anne tried to find reason, as she really didn’t see one to get so panicked.

  “It’s Lady Veronique we are talking about, that brat nearly killed Amelia and tried to kill me with a burning pot of tea” Eva would say, her usually soft features twisted to sharp steel “if you ask me that demon child just got clever and is now plotting her revenge on us, she probably feels smug and safe now that she fooled Mr Jerkings into giving her a guard and a maid”

  “I thought the Guard was there to keep Lucia’s safe” Eva’s daughter Paula had said, her hair was shade lighter then her mother with the front set in two braids, she was just nine and wasn’t part of the staff

  Her presence there was mostly a favor the Duchess had conceded to Eva due to her service and the older maid wasn’t the only one awarded such privilege.

  “That could be it too” Eva gave credit to her daughter’s suggestion

  “If you don’t even know why Mr Jerkings gave Lady Veronique that guard, why are you so sure she has ill intentions?” Anne asked

  “Didn’t you hear what I said? she tried to kill two of us!” Eva exclaimed unbuttoning the upper part of her blouse to show the remnants of the burns on her right shoulder

  “Or maybe Lady Veronique could be making a genuine effort, how about we wait to see what she actually does before jumping to conclusions” Anne was unbothered by sight, she had seen real cruelty on other nobles and so far to her Lady Veronique was just a spoiled kid that just got a reality check.

  “Fine, but even if nothing happens tonight I am never lowering my guard around that rotten girl” Eva conceded and Anne couldn’t really blame the woman.

  Not after knowing the full history between her and Lady Veronique.

  It was going to take a monumental effort for the young noble to even only get on neutral grounds with the staff.

  Staff Dinning Room

  Stolen story; please report.

  It didn’t matter what Anne had said to tranquilize Eva and Margaret as the rumors of Lady Veronique planning something nefarious using Lucia as a messenger had already spread like wildfire to the point even Anne herself had to admit that despite all logic she was starting to feel as if those rumors might be right.

  Anne ended up sitting next to poor Elise, mostly to comfort the older woman just in case something would indeed happen.

  Chief Bernard seemed to have the same idea as he was sitting closer then he usually did and was watching over them with a frown.

  Elise on the other hand seemed at ease

  “Anne, you don’t have to worry so much about this old woman” Elise had told her “if there was anything that my old age has taught me is that people always seem to make small things bigger then have any right to be, you can go sit with Margaret if you wish, I will be just fine”

  “I am not even friends with Margaret” Anne rebutted, she wasn’t friends with anyone, to her they were all coworkers and rivals that she needed to upstage.

  “Mh you should change that, you never know when the people around you run out of time and it is sad to be alone all time” the old woman would say back with a small frown

  “What would be the point? It would just make it harder to leave it all behind when things don’t work out there either” Anne made her point clear, as much as she does admire Elise she could never bring herself to settle down and act like her.

  “I doubt you would ever find a better place then the Aurelia’s estate to work” the old woman would tell her, which was technically true from the elder’s point of view since Elise had only worked for the Aurelia and never experienced any other place, but Anne would neither point this out or admit out loud that the Aurelia was the best family she had ever worked at.

  “The Aurelia can be as prestigious as much as they want, if I am not paid what I am worth then I deserve better” Anne responded stubborn to make her point come across

  “Oh it’s a matter of coin, and tell me what’s the point of getting so much of it if you are all alone in the end?” Elise questioned her motives “I have lived a long time and if given the choice I would still be an assistant cook, I would have never meet all the people I loved otherwise”

  “Loved?” Anne pointed out

  “Time took them away from me” it was all the older woman would say

  “Then what was the point?” she would reply, why put themselves at risk of being hurt?

  “They still live in my memories dear” Elise would tell her “memories that I wouldn’t trade for the whole fortune of the Aurelia’s family even if they hurt”

  “Excuse m-me?” Anne had been paying so much attention to her conversation with Elise that she didn’t notice the silence surrounding them and worst of all Lucia reaching them

  “Oh you must be Lucia, it was nice of you to volunteer to be Lady Veronique’s maid, is she treating you well?” Elise greeted Lady Veronique’s maid with a serene smile on her face.

  “Y-yes, are you Elise? The one who cooks her meals in the est wing?” Lucia would ask shyly

  “Yes, that would be me” Elise would confirm her identity making the tension in the room skyrocket

  “Lady Veronique wanted to thank you for the d-delicious meal and s-sends her apologies for her previously rude b-behaviour” Lucia ended up saying “She w-would like to meet you to thank you p-personally” at that many murmurs erupted all around

  “I am afraid I will be too busy teaching my new pupil for a while and I know Lady Veronique got her own hurdles to think about” Elise would respond “would it be acceptable to reschedule such honor?”

  “I will ask, but I d-doubt Lady Veronique will m-mind” Lucia said back

  “It’s all decided then, now Lucia go find a seat and eat something you look like you have seen a ghost” the old woman urged the younger maid

  “Y-yes, it was nice to meet you” Lucia would politely say with a bow then go away to look for a free spot to eat

  “What was that? What pupil?!” Anne wanted to know, since when did Elise have a pupil? She was just an assistant cook.

  Elise gave her a look as if she had just said something very stupid

  “Have you gone mad? You are my pupil” the older woman had declared.

  “Me?! I have never cooked in my life!” such notion was simply ridiculous “I have burned eggs!”

  “That’s why I have to teach you dear” Elise would say with small grin “did you forget your deal with Chief Bernard? I am not letting you take over my job without teaching you a thing or two”

  Anne couldn’t believe what kind of mess she had got herself into.