Oris was roused from a dreamless slumber by the feel of soft fingers digging into the aching skin of her feet. She vaguely remembered kicking off her shoes the moment she had landed on the bed but had no recollection of ever closing her eyes. It seemed that she had been too tired to remember falling asleep in the first place.

She yawned and stretched her arms above her head before twisting her body so she was laying on her back.

Finally, her eyelids snapped opened, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she took in the beige ceiling of the room she had to learn to start calling home. She let her mind paint it in the colors she wanted, giving life to what would be once she had enough coin to accomplish it.

For a long moment, she just laid unmoving, letting the new warmth of the room swaddle her. Then she sat up, fixing her gaze of the blushing girl who had been massaging her feet just seconds ago.

"I just... This servant —"

Oris laughed. Her shoulders shook furiously as the soft sounds left her lips. She only stopped when sharp pains appeared in her gut, reminding her of the hunger she had forgotten through rest.

When had she eaten last? It had been days now, though she was sure that in her unconscious state, attempts to feed her had been made.

Living as a stable boy, she had faced the prospect of starvation bravely but life in Asharath had softened her a little too much. In her own humble opinion, she was prettiest when her stomach was full and meat filled the gap between her flesh and bone.

"My feet are quite soft, aren't they?" Oris tried a light, coy, and maybe—just maybe—seductive voice for a change. She was practicing for when she would truly need to sound breathless and who better to practice on than her young and nubile maid?

Seline looked like a child caught stealing beef from their mother's pot. Her cheeks were pink from embarrassment and her eyes were wide with panic.

Oris had to rely on years of discipline to hold herself from laughing again. It wouldn't do well to let the girl think she was being mocked.

Seline had only been doing her duty, so there was no chance for chastisement. What humored Oris was the fact that maid had looked like she was enjoying herself.

In a way, she could understand.

Her feet were the only part of her body she took extra care of, they were also the only part she was truly proud of—her hair came in close second. Before she had been a queen, she had been her village's best dancer. On more than one occasion, she had been called to dance for the gods and ask for blessings during rituals.

The highlight of her career had been when in the middle of a rain dance thick into of a summer afternoon, the clouds had darkened and lightning had started to snake between them. By the end of the dance, her ceremonial robes had been drenched by the showers of the year's first rain.

From then on, the villagers called her god-touched. She might have ended up being chosen as an apprentice for a shaman had she stayed. Maybe she would have been a high priestess by now, but that was just the envious child in her talking.

"Mistress, this servant only wanted to help ease your pain," Seline said after having seemingly regained her composure.

"You ran away quite fast in the hallway, I hope nothing is the matter?"

"No... Nothing." The maid got to her feet and bowed her head, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. "This servant simply needed to attend to matters before the sun began to dim."

"Tell me that I slept past dawn," Oris said. It would be great if the results were out. She could further refine her plan if she knew where her competitors stood when compared to her.

"You barely slept past the hour, Mistress."

"Oh?" Oris stretched again. She already knew that she couldn't be so lucky. She never had been a deep sleeper. "That means we have some time to kill."

Seline held out her hand, still looking uncomfortable but only mildly so.

Good, Oris thought, I need thick-skinned maids.

"Keziah has drawn you a bath, Mistress."

"And breakfast?"

"It's lunch time now," Seline said, flushing a bit when she remembered the excuse she had made in the hallway.

That doesn't really answer the question, does it? Oris took the girl's hand and pulled herself off the bed.

"Where are the rest?" she asked the moment her feet hit the cool, wood floor. She was not used to wearing slippers indoors, so she didn't. Even her royal tutors couldn't beat that out of her.

Seline didn't answer until they were both in front of the steaming tub, fingers still intertwined. "Mayree, Keziah and Andrea are in the servant's quarters."

Oris raised an eyebrow at that. "What are they doing there?"

Seline changed the subject by asking which of the dresses Oris would like to wear next.

"I don't need to have so many baths a day, Seline," Oris narrowed her eyes at the water then dipped her arm into it. She had been stripped of most of her garment in her sleep, so all she had to protect her from the heat was her inner robe.

"Mistress!" Seline cried out, alarmed.

"Don't move," Oris ordered and cupped her fingers.

Floating in the water above her palm was a petal. It was nearly transparent but was clearly a shade of blue.

"What is this?" she asked, despite having a clear idea already. Her maids were really too willful, as obedient as they often pretended to be.

"Keziah added them to the the bath," Seline answered.

Oris could tell that the girl was being vague on purpose. "Did something happen with the Distribution Bureau again?"

"No."

"Alright," Oris said, knowing she wouldn't be able to force anything out of Seline's sealed lips without torturous methods being involved. "I won't be using this bath, but we can't waste the water. If it is possible, I would like you to get some dye."

"And leave you alone, Mistress?"

"Is it possible for you to get it?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then go," Oris said. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you get to return. You said that Mayree and the rest are at the servant's quarters. They will come back soon, yes?"

"Yes," Seline said then curtsied. "This servant will leave right away. But Andrea made you tea. This servant will serve you a cup before departing."

"So be it." Oris tipped the petal back into the bath water and wiped her hands on the towel hanging off the edge of the wooden tub. Her sleeve stuck to her skin but there was nothing she could do about that now.

She had little underclothes to spare. She couldn't change them on a whim just because of a little water. Tomorrow was still there waiting for her. She couldn't afford to be fickle now.

If she used her remaining robe now, would this one be dried and pressed in time for dawn?

Oris shook her head and rolled up both sleeves to her elbow. Hunger must have really ravaged her, for her thoughts to be so messy.

She walked back to the bed and collapsed onto it. "The royal family won't be so cruel. They wouldn't starve me, would they?"

"Mistress, your tea."

Oris sat up and snatched the teacup from Seline by its saucer. "They wouldn't be so cruel, would they?"

Seline shook her head, visibly shaken by the question.

Oris nodded and grabbed the lid of the cup, holding back the tea leaves floating in the water before taking a small sip.

The liquid slid down her throat easily, a refreshing blend of herbs that cooled her mouth despite the heat it carried. Her stomach grumbled as the contents settled, not entirely satisfied but momentarily appeased.

"Andrea made this?" Oris managed to ask between greedy sips.

"She is quite talented," Seline admitted.

"The tea is still hot, she and Mayree left not too long ago then."

"This servant will retrieve the dye now," Seline curtsied and left the room.

"Odd," Oris took another long sip of the tea. "Very odd."

A part of her was eager to find out what her maids were planning. Another part of her wanted to scold them fiercely.

Since when could she afford flowers in her bath and such quality tea? Were they taking out their personal items to ensure her quality of life? Wasn't it a bit too early for that?

Still, she couldn't deny the fact that she was once again touched. It was as though Fate had seen her struggles and provided her with such dedicated helpers on purpose.

~

Oris pricked her thumb for the fourth time in two minutes. By now, she wasn't sure whether or not it was accidental. Either the needle was enchanted, or her blurry vision had finally caught up to her.

She popped the bleeding finger into her mouth and blinked at the pieces of embroidery in front of her. If she was a little more spoilt, she would have given up hours ago.

Her skills were really too rusty. Stitching up holes in shorts, she could do, but intricate design? Her adoptive mother would be disappointed in her needlework.

All those years spent sewing her fingers into cloth and getting scolded had been wasted.

Despite knowing that muscle memory was bound to kick in any moment now like it often did the few moments she attempted to sew in Orse to pass time, Oris didn't enjoy looking incompetent in front of Seline.

The girl stood by the tub, dipping her slender arms into the bucket by her feet and wringing out the clothes soaked in it.

Oris watched the blue water being squeezed out with a expression of longing. How she wished that she was playing with dye instead of tackling dressmaking.

She dabbed her forehead with the handkerchief that was wrapped around her other hand, securing her other 'injuries'.

The room was getting humid. The air was wet and heavy because of all the wet clothes spread around to dry. She and Seline had even set up lines across the room to get more work done.

In just short of an hour, four dresses had been sacrificed to Oris to be torn at their seams and dyed. Seline was in charge of letting the colors set in then putting them through repeated rinse.

This process inevitably led to the floor being flooded.

Andrea raced around the room on her hands and knees with thick and absorbent towels in her grasp, drying the floor.

Mayree followed close behind with a bucket.

Keziah fanned the wet strips of dyed clothes.

These three maids had only arrived some minutes ago and had immediately put themselves to work to avoid Oris' questioning.

Oris couldn't even ask about the cloth bags that had been strapped across her maids' shoulders and were now piled in the only dry corner of the room.

She could only shoot them the occasional suspicious glare from her spot on the bed.

At last, Seline had rinsed the last piece of cloth. There was no more work for the four to do.

Oris took her eyes off the dress whose skirt she had just finished embroidering and sewing folds in. It was what she would wear tomorrow and the sleeves weren't even done yet.

"Let's go on a walk," she announced, throwing the dress to the bed. "I'm hungry."

"Mistress?" Keziah stared at her strangely.

"What?"

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Alright?" Oris repeated then fell to the bed dramatically, draping one arm across her face. "How could I be alright when my maids are planning on starving me to death?"

~