The head maid knocked on the door and said that something concerning me was happening downstairs. My stomach sank at the thought, but I got up and hoped it wouldn’t be too harsh. On the first floor, I found Elise and Christopher speaking to a man who was a bit sweaty. He didn’t have the outfit of any of the other men, so I was confused by his position here.

  Christopher held up a thin offwhite item. “First letter. Thought you would be excited.”

  “Letter?” I asked. Oh right. The thing from my parents. I walked over and looked at it. I didn’t see anything on it.

  “Wanna open it?” he asked.

  Elise handed me a small knife, and she pointed to a wax seal on the back. “This is so we know that no one else has read it,” she added.

  I sliced the wax with the knife, and the thing unfolded. Inside was another smaller sheet. Taking it out, I saw just a bunch of lines. Some straight, some curved, and others overlapping. It was nothing I could understand.

  Elise looked at it.

  Dear Julia,

  Mom here. How are you doing? We made it home safely before dark. Your brother and little sisters miss you.

  Allen here. Can you tell me what you got? I won’t tell mom! Promise!

  Sally here. When you coming home?

  Sandra here. Misses you big sister! Come home!

  Dad here. Roger misses you too. Don’t think he understands what is going on.

  Sincerely, your family.

  Tears welled up in my eyes. Not bad tears this time, though. Just knowing they were thinking about me. Poor Roger. Wait. So, the letter was a real thing. They didn’t know about Roger. So this letter really did carry information in those strange markings.

  “Who’s Roger?” Christopher asked.

  “The family dog,” I said. He was a pure golden fluffy boy that we got as a puppy when I was about five. He used to sleep with me whenever I got sick on winter nights. I missed him already. He was an old boy and couldn’t run much anymore.

  “So what do you want to say back?” Elise asked as she grabbed a metal rod.

  I looked at her hand as she set it on the material. I closed my eyes and thought for a moment.

  Dear Family,

  Julia here. Hi Mom. Nobles are weird. But I can’t say too much right now. I am sure it will be a fun story one day. Allen, isn’t this being read in front of Mom? Of course, I can’t tell you. And I wish it won’t take me too long, Sally. Be nice to Sandra for me, okay? Dad. Give Roger lots of extra love for me, okay?

  Love Julia

  Elise pointed at one of the marks. “This is your name. Julia. Notice how it is on both this parchment and the one on the other letter here.”

  “Parchment?” I asked.

  “The name of what she is writing on,” Christopher added.

  So that off white stuff is called parchment. I see. I rubbed my finger gently across the spot she said was my name.

  Elise took out another piece of parchment and wrote my name again. She then handed it to me. “Want to try?”

  She got up, and I sat down. I really did want to try. I grabbed the metal rod in my closed fist, but Elise said that was wrong. She then showed me how to pinch it. It wasn’t as comfortable, but she said it was the right way to do this properly. Apparently, it was called a pen. As I tried to copy the scribbles, I noticed Elise handing the letter to the man who had been sweaty when I arrived.

  “Who is he?” I asked Christopher.

  “Adam. He is a servant of mine. He is carrying the letters back and forth.”

  “He is going back and forth just for that?” I asked.

  Christopher nodded. “I did promise to cover the cost of letters. However, he is also staying in Hatula for the time being. To make sure your family and the town are safe.”

  I got up, looked at Adam, and bowed. “Thank you.”

  “Pleasure, my lady,” he said, going down on one knee. It felt awkward; I was trying to show him appreciation. I didn’t see why he was returning my gesture, but even lower. But before I could say another word. He got up and left.

  Elise chuckled. “I don’t want to school you, but you shouldn’t bow towards commoners.”

  “Hmm? Why not?” I asked.

  “It is a status thing. Bowing means acknowledging someone’s status, but a man like Adam has none. If others saw, it would confuse them. They would wonder why you are bowing, and likely conclude that Adam does have status. And if they learn that was false, they would be angry.”

  “The chief said nobles are nice, but they seem to get mad a lot,” I said.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  Christopher was the one to giggle from the chair next to the desk this time. “Well, two things can and often are true. But come. You wanted to write your name, right?”

  I did. Sitting down, I tried, but my first attempt was just a mess that was nothing close to that. My second attempt was much the same. But I kept trying. The way it curved was so complicated. After I had filled up the entire parchment with attempts, I finally got one that was recognizable as the same core symbol that she had made.

  “Wanna keep working until dinner?” Elise asked. I nodded, but it seemed a waste of parchment.

  “Zureinigen,” she said, and the marks cleared away, and the parchment was once again blank. “Do you need me to write your name again, or do you remember it?”

  “I think so,” I said as I tried again.

  She went to grab my parents' letter, but I snatched it. I didn’t want her to erase it as well.

  “Huh?” she asked.

  “Don’t take it away. I want to learn to read it,” I said.

  She smiled. “Not to worry, I wasn’t planning to erase it. I will have the head maid show you where the lock box is in your room later. So you can keep it safe.”

  “Thank you.”

  With that, they left me to my own devices. I glanced around and realized how different everything was. Cloth on the ground. The desk had patterns etched into it. Everything was colorful or in some way beyond what it needed to be. Even this metal rod gave me the impression that it was more so; the shaft had swirls and two different colors. Right, she called it a pen.

  Occasionally, Elise showed me how to refill the pen's ink and erase the parchment. She would write my name occasionally when she thought I was beginning to do worse, which showed me my mistakes. I repeated this until my hand hurt. But I never got mine to look quick like hers. The way it swirled and curved left me with a sense similar to watching a beautiful sunset. I don’t know why the ink on parchment did that when she did it, but not when I did it.

  They eventually called me for dinner. Walking into the room, we had talked with my parents. Three children were with them. They approached me. The eldest boy first bowed.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Maiden of Wind,” the boy said.

  The middle-aged girl spoke next, bowing similarly. “I am ever so pleased to meet you, Maiden of Wind.”

  Lastly, the most petite boy, who looked no bigger than four years old, leaned forward more than bowing. “It is a please to meet you, Wind Maiden,” he said.

  Elise picked him up. “Good try,” she said as she set him in a chair with a cushion.

  “But my name-”

  “Forgive me, but switching names would be difficult for them in two weeks, so may we refer to you properly during this time?” Elise added.

  “Okay,” I said. She was nice, and I kind of get it.

  Elise bowed lower than the rest, and the way she did it left me in awe. How does she make everything look so beautiful?

  “I am honored by your grace, Maiden of Wind,” she said.

  “But Elise, you said you shouldn’t bow to commoners?” I asked. I was about to sit down, but Christopher approached next.

  He bowed quite low as well, almost touching his knee to the ground. “We are delighted to share a meal with you, Maiden of Wind.”

  I was so confused. Should I be bowing back? “Am I supposed to do something?”

  Elise smiled. “Just slightly nod your head.”

  Slightly? So confusing. I just looked at my shoes for a moment before sitting down. They didn’t seem upset, so I accepted that as a win.

  The maids brought in a tray, and a wonderful smell wafted around me. Like nothing I had ever smelled before. While I waited for it to be served, I looked at Elise.

  “Well, to answer your question. You understand that you are at the very least becoming a noble right?”

  I nodded. “But you didn’t have me bend so low?”

  “So, Maiden of Wind, for simplicity, you can imagine nobles as four groups. Low-born nobles. Those of medium status. Those in the upper class and finally the royals. If it hasn’t been explained. We are in the low-born category ourselves. Can you guess which group you’d be in?”

  I felt like this was a trick question. “Low-born would make the most sense, since I am… or was a commoner. But I suppose medium status?”

  She shook her head.

  “Upper class?”

  Christopher shook his head.

  “Royal?” I asked.

  They both nodded.

  “So what is a royal?” I asked.

  “The King and his family. That is it. The other ranks consist of over a dozen families each, but royalty is reserved exclusively for the King’s family,” Christopher said.

  My stomach sank. “Wait, but that means he and I are equals?”

  “You will be,” Elise added. “At the moment, it is still as if you are floating between two worlds.”

  The maid set a plate in front of me and began placing items on it. My mouth drooled. I quickly wiped the edge of my dress against my mouth to hide it. The item she placed was white and yellow, with red juice leaking from the side. I had never seen food look like this.

  “Mother, was that not rude of our Maiden of Wind?” the eldest boy asked.

  “Huh?”

  “I told you three, she is learning. Maiden of Wind, we provide napkins for such needs,” Elise said.

  The maid pointed to the cloth next to the plate. Oh. I see.

  “The meal of the night is eggplant baked and stuffed with a meat tomato sauce, three different cheeses, and ground beef. Served with a side of pasta with a choice of melted butter, additional meat sauce, or a plain tomato sauce.”

  The maid set three little things not much bigger than a thimble in front of me. Apparently so, I could sample. The meat sauce was the best. It had a savory flavor like nothing I had ever experienced before.

  I grabbed the fork and, in my fist, was ready to dig in.

  “Ahem,” the little lady said. “Father, may I say grace tonight?”

  “Of course you may,” Christopher added.

  Oh, oops. I set my fork down. Grace huh? We only did that in Hatula at like weddings and other festivals. So I was thrown for a bit of a loop.

  “The Gods that watch over this world. We pray for your continued protection and watchful eye, especially now in these trying times, so that our country and family may continue to live, love, and prosper. Ahem.”

  “Ahem,” we all said together.

  Now, I grabbed the fork, ready to dive in. Elise looked at me, and I saw she was holding her fork in the same way she was holding the pen. Looking around, I realized the children were doing the same. Oh. I shifted it. My hand ached to have to hold something like that again, but I suppose it was worth trying. It felt weird to feel the judging eyes of two children on me. The youngest boy didn’t seem to be bothering to look my way.

  With the first bite, my mouth melted in flavor. I nearly drooled in response. It was so warm, but not too hot. It was soft, but the flavors blended so well. And the meat provided the perfect sense of filling. Who knew food like this existed in this world! I got lost in the flavors, and before long, my plate was empty and my belly was full. I went to grab my dress, but I saw Christopher reaching for his napkin. Oh right. I grabbed the napkin and wiped my mouth before letting out a loud burp. So good.