It was always cold in the mornings, especially during spring. Everything would be wet with dew and the floors would be damp from the atmosphere's humour.

The furniture would need a wipedown once the waking bell was rung, and the books in the library would require daily shining to keep the moss and lichen away once the raining season arrived.

But it was cool, and that was a blessing compared to the summer heat and winter chill.

Inae was quite a strange place, located in the center of what millennia ago was a dessert. It rained, it snowed and it hailed without warning yet in the end such a land ended up housing the capital of the New World.

Till now, no one could believe it. Hermes II had conquered all the states behind the Great Sea and unified them under one banner, and he had done so all before he was eight and twenty.

His army had been raised with the same hands that had slain all who had opposed him. His adoptive mother had been his only ally yet somehow he had worked his way up from a no-name soldier in his father's army to Emperor in one decade.

The world was as astounded as it was terrified, but the head maid of the Inae Royal Palace was too busy losing her voice from screaming to take note of the change. A sturdy ruler in her hand, she pointed furiously at the maids scurrying about in front of her.

The waking bell hadn't even rung yet the throne room was bustling with activity.

"Move it, move it. We don't have time to waste," she smacked the ruler hard on her own palm. "The prince... I mean, The Emperor is arriving in Heshera today. This will be the home of the new royal family, nothing can go wrong. If it does, you'll pay with your very heads!"

All the maids paused for a moment to nod their heads and curtsey before returning to their business, dragging wet rags over furniture and drying the dew-covered floors.

"Get rid of everything with a lotus design!"

"Replace the gold cups with Jade cups."

"Hang up purple curtains in the dividing hall."

"Arrange for two seats to be placed on each side of the throne."

Seeing that her instructions were being followed to the letter, Mii allowed herself to be relieved. The Emperor's coming arrival had been announced unexpectedly in an imperial degree. He had just left for the State of Orse two weeks ago and yet he was already returning. It was unprecedented in all of the world's war history and some rumours said that he won without the enemy putting up a fight.

With a tight grip on her disciplinary ruler, she swerved to the right and exited the throne room to check on the kitchens. Most wouldn't know that the tough, cold-blooded Emperor never ate meat, they wouldn't even guess it. But she knew all his habits, it was why she had been put in charge of all the departments in the palace even though there were others more qualified.

It was not as though there was a line of people waiting to snatch the job from her though, being the head meant bearing all the responsibilities when mistakes were made. Everyone knew that any head could roll in the the presence of the Emperor, even hers.

It was the reason no one questioned his self-appointed title even though he had yet to be officially crowned. The last free state had fallen, no one could resist now. Opposition would be as futile as splitting a mountain with a snowball.

It was clear to all that Emperor Hermes was here to stay unless another monster like him popped up and started reconquering land, and that was more unlikely than finding a way to make him abdicate peacefully.

Mii burst into the kitchen without a pause in her step. Her gaze pierced through the smoke flitting around lazily only to land on a sight that made her scream. The kitchen reeked of umami.

"What is going on here?!"

Everyone stopped. The eunuchs trailing behind her, the cooks in front of her, the servants scrubbing at pots. No one dared to move.

"You all want me dead, is it?" She strode to man who had been in the middle of beheading a pig, the head of the Culinary Department and Head Chef.

Mii scrunched her nose at his blood-soaked apron. "I thought I specified that only vegetarian meals should be made?"

"The meals were made but the Crown Princess ordered-"

Mii stopped him with her own words. He was her friend so she knew that he meant no harm with his words. Then again, you could never be too certain who was on what side in the palace. "There is no more Crown Princess, the Inae Royal family is no more. The king died and so did all the other princes. Lucretia is a merely a hostage, she has no right to order you to do anything."

"Yes, yes. You're right," the chef immediately realized his mistake. The knife in his hand stabbed into the butcher block. "Everything is just happening so fast. A fortnight ago, King Abbadad was still in power and now..."

"Now things have changed, and because of your mistake. You'll have to toss this pig and recook everything."

Mii felt the stirrings of an headache behind her temple. The former royal physician had told her to watch her temper lest her condition exasperate, but she couldn't help it. Hermes was sensitive to the smell of blood, so much so that he couldn't stomach meat no matter how done it was. For a man who had killed so many, most would find it unlikely. It was a simple mistake most would lose there head for simply because of ignorance.

She found it pointless to try to explain to a chef of all people, it would only give him unnecessary worry. "Just get it done and no one will need to die today."

At least, she hoped so.

"No more meat. The vegetables should be fresh and untainted. I cannot stress this enough. Wash thoroughly before handling any food. And prepare the mint and Jasmine tea using day-old spring water."

She hoped the presence of the beverage would make The Emperor more amiable. It was all she could manage, an attempt to comfort him despite the divide caused by the difference in their social statuses. Anything more would be a breach of conduct.

Mii turned out of the kitchen, about to make her way to the Weaving Department when something bumped into her. It was short and light and alive.

"You," she righted herself and was about to start scolding the child for being careless but she was beaten to it.

"Watch where you are going child, you cannot look at your feet while running. Not only is it improper, it is also very dangerous."

Mii could recognize that voice anywhere. She curtsied hurriedly. "Head Maid Mii Ai, greeting the Empress Dowager."

"You may forgo the formalities."

Mii looked up but avoided meeting the woman's eyes, keeping her gaze somewhere above her head. "This child is?"

"Andrea Varehir, greeting Head Maid Mii Ai," the little girl looked well-behaved and her curtsey was without error.

Mii was surprised. Few children in the palace knew of propriety and even when they did most forgot when to engage. The young princesses were all confined so there was only one guess who the girl was. The daughter of the Empress Dowager's sole confidant, Ellen Varehir.

The two women shared some relation through distant cousins who intermarried several times across different generations, and probably shared the same ancestors as well if their lineage was traced far enough.

"The celebration has kept you quite busy, Mii Ai."

Mii nodded and forced a smile. "His Majesty's arrival is greatly anticipated but there are too few hands available to accommodate him. The palace has just recently been refurbished, everything is in a mess as we speak."

"His Majesty?" Wei Wei laughed. "Is that what you call him when you two are alone together?"

As Mii expected, the Dowager still held a grudge for what had happened years ago. She clasped her hands and held it out to the woman, lowering her head slightly. She had no time for this particular confrontation. Every moment lost was a moment she would never get back.

"The Emperor is above, I am below. He is my master and it is my duty to serve him. Whether in public or in private, I will do as etiquette dictates."

Mii stepped to the side and curtsied again. "This servant excuses herself."

"Mii, I would be careful if I were you. So many people covet the position of Head Steward, and we all know that you are next in line."

That was a threat, clear as day, but Mii didn't stop walking. She had a dragon robe to inspect and a thousand other chores to oversee. Nothing could go wrong today. It seemed that she was the only one who understood that.

All eyes would be on them. Every hidden enemy would be looking for an opportunity to strike and deal a blow, no matter how small, to Hermes. And there was no way she would allow anyone to hurt the man she had raised as her own son. Even if the threat was in the form of his darling mother.

~

"Mii Ai," Oris pronounced the name softly, letting it echo in the back of her throat. It sounded ancient and she could not glean its meaning. Maybe it was a foreign language, not one used on this side of the Great Sea.

Andrea took her hand, keeping her gaze on the moss-covered stones that made the path out of the maze. They walked out of the secret garden together.

"It is forbidden to say her name," the girl said.

"You saved her?"

"I thought I did."

"She died in the end?"

"Most traitors do."

Will I die in the end? Oris let out a breath, flicking her eyes up to catch a glimpse of the dimming sky. Oranges and pinks had started to creep in through the horizon. It was getting late.

"Let us go back," she said softly, for anyone who might be eavesdropping. It was obvious that Andrea did not want to talk about what happened all those years ago. Maybe it wasn't simply because it was a bad memory.

What Andrea did not know then, she could not know now. She had been too young to understand the schemes being played around her and too foolish to be scared when she had let the nurse out of the palace.

She had just done what she thought was right for a person she thought was good without thinking any consequence would befall her, and she had paid for it.

Whether Mii Ai truly attempted to take the life of the Empress Dowager that night, Andrea didn't know. Probably, no one did.

"She was a good person," Andrea repeated what she had said in the secret garden.

Oris nodded, silently processing all the information she had received today.

They turned into the hallway leading out of the garden. The guard they had shook off stood in front of them with a blank expression and his arms crossed.

Andrea smiled sheepishly. Out of habit, Oris reacted the moment her eyes met his.

"Milord, where have you been?" she asked, forcing her voice to break in a whimpering whisper. "We got lost in the garden and we couldn't find the way out. We kept walking and walking and walking. I thought we would never find our way back. Milord, why did you leave us?"

She managed to squeeze out a tear from the limited well of water contained in her body. She felt it a pity to wipe away in the end, but she did so with a shaky hand.

She had really run out of tears to be randomly giving away at a moment's notice. She was hungry, thirsty and anxious. She hoped the guard saw that, because she had no strength to put up extra facades.

She ducked her head and stared intently at the droplet that was caught by her finger, hoping that more would follow it. When none did, she resorted to thinking sad thoughts.

The most she could manage was getting her shoulders to shake as though she was quietly sobbing. There was no amount of sadness that could compensate for dehydration, it seemed.

She pressed her hand over her veiled mouth and slowly took in breaths to make it seem like she was trying to contain her emotions.

Andrea glanced up at her. "Mistress?"

"Ignore me," Oris whispered so that only they could hear. "I am just being silly."

She lifted her head and blinked her wet lashes at the guard. "Milord, can you lead me back to my room?"

By now, she was shaking, and that wasn't entirely an act. It was cold in the hallway, with the south wind blowing directly at them from the garden. Her dress was not thin enough to be indecent but it was a stretch to say that it provided warmth.

Her sad thoughts had also caught up to her. Bren and his family who she would never see again. Hermes and his palace that was impossible to escape. Risa and the castle that had consumed all her hopes and dreams.

Suddenly, crying didn't seem so hard. The feeling was overwhelming, she had tried too hard to call it to the surface and now the dam was about to burst.

Through the haze of her unshed tears, she saw the guard's resolve waver. His arms fell to his sides and he nodded.

"Mistress, are you okay?" Andrea asked when the guard leading them back the way the had come.

"Just a little tired," Oris placed her hand on top of the girl's in a manner she hoped was comforting. "Don't worry about me."

"Okay."

From then on, they walked in silence, that is until the guard suddenly paused and turned.

Oris watched him warily. Andrea stiffened.

"I do not believe what they say about you," he said, a slight furrow in his brow. "Yesterday, I took my leave back home. My mother and sister said that they would have been imprisoned at the gates if not for you two."

He slammed his fist against his armoured chest, causing a loud 'thud' to echo faintly in the hallway. "Thank you."

Oris only blinked. She had succeeded in hiding her shock up to the last moment. She could not act daring nor regal nor vain in front of a man that had seen her most bitter tears. That level of insincerity was one she could not afford to reach. All she could do was ask, "What... is your name?"

"Cassidy."

"No family name?"

"I am not privileged enough to have one."

Oh, Oris realized, his family must have been enslaved so he joined the palace guards to buy back their freedom.

"Your mother must be beautiful if you take after her," she said softly, taking in his features for the first time. He had curly hair the color of baked clay and harsh blue eyes that were unflinching. If he looked less stern, he would appear more approachable, attractive even.

But he didn't seem to be one to care for his looks. His hair was cut unevenly and he had a nick on his throat where he had slashed himself while hastily shaving his beard.

Oris slipped out her handkerchief from her sleeve and held it out to him. She curtsied. "I think I know the way from here, milord. Don't let me bother you."

He stared at the handkerchief but didn't move to take it.

What a gentleman. She smiled and handed it to Andrea. "Goodbye, milord."

Their room was only one passage away, tongues would start wagging if they were seen together at that point. After all, rebel or not she was still the Emperor's woman.

"Thank you," Cassidy repeated and stood to the side.

Oris smiled at him despite knowing he wouldn't see it. It was rare to find some genuinely kind people in the palace. A person who wasn't her enemy was someone she might be opportune to call a friend in the future.

She turned to Andrea and nodded at her.

Andrea walked to Cassidy and held out the handkerchief. "This is a token of my mistress' thanks. We do not have much to offer, but in the future we will remember your kindness."

"I did not do anything."

"Neither did we," Andrea folded the handkerchief and pressed it into his hand. "No one would be able to trace it back to us. We would not implicate you. Take it."

Cassidy glanced at Oris. She nodded. He closed his hand around the pink cloth and took another step back. "I should get going."

They watched him walk away before hastening their steps and reaching the door to Oris' room.

They had barely paused when the doors slid open. Mayree stood to the side, her head bowed.

Andrea glanced at her friend then bit her lip and entered the room. She grabbed one of the cloth bundles lying on the floor and headed to the only table in the room.

She knelt by the table, taking out pastries from a box and arranging them along a chipped plate.

"Mistress, we have petitioned to live with you," Mayree said. "The kitchens refused to provide food for you but you can have ours. It wouldn't seem suspicious if we stay with you, other maids live with their own mistresses."

"Is that why you all were so busy?" Oris asked.

"Keziah took up an empty position in the Weaving Department and Seline has began work doing laundry. It would be easier to make suitable clothes if the both of them are there. I and Andrea will remain to serve you."

"You all are selling yourselves for my sake, didn't I just tell you-"

Mayree sunk to her knees just as Andrea approached with the plate of sugar cakes.

"Mistress, you can punish us however you see fit but it is our duty to ensure your safety even at the cost of our lives."

"Are their lives so cheap in your eyes?" Oris couldn't help the note of anger in her voice. "What of Andrea? You won't even consider her?"

"Mistress, I made this decision willingly," Andrea said in a mousy tone. "Don't blame Mayree."

"If you continue to protect us, Mistress, you will not meet a good end."

Oris pressed her palm to her forehead, suddenly overcome with pain. It throbbed forcefully behind her eyes and spread to all the areas beneath her braids. How had she not seen this coming? "Call Selene and Keziah back."

Mayree bent at the waist and laid her head against the floor. "I am afraid that it is too late to do that, by now they should have already been registered on the palace roster."

"You had this planned all along," Oris realized. Switching personnel took time, it couldn't just happen in a day.

"Yes," Mayree answered. "Too many people see you as an eyesore. You are too kind to retaliate, we will do so for you."

"I am too weak to retaliate," Oris slammed her hand down on the bedpost. "I thought you three were smart. Every second you are outside this room is an opportunity for you to be scapegoated. You put Seline and Keziah in those departments. It's so easy for someone to accuse them of murdering a royal member. It takes one turn of a hand to have them framed for theft. Only a breath from the Empress Dowager will have them hung for poisoning the Emperor."

"It is a risk they are willing to take."

"Why?" Oris asked. "Why do you actively seek death for my sake?"

"Because you will do the same for us, Mistress."

"You don't know that."

"I saw it with my own eyes, Mistress, and my sight has never failed me. You are someone worth dying for and I know that you will try your best to ensure our lives. We are just doing the same for you. After this, there will be no more lies, no more deceit and barriers between us. You said that you are not like other mistresses, in the same way we aren't like other maids. You hold our lives in your hand and in the same way we hold yours. Please accept us. Accept our sacrifice."

Oris grabbed the plate from Andrea and flung it across the room. The sound of the splintering ceramic helped break the silence engulfing her thoughts. "I did not ask for this."

All I wanted was to protect you.

"Neither did we," Mayree raised her head to look into her mistress' eyes. "But there are some things one cannot control. I have been a maid for two-and-a-half years, I have served many mistresses. None treat me like a person or a friend or an equal, because we are not. For some reason you feel that your life is cheaper than that of us, your slaves. You use yourself as a shield for us, you dress us up more elegantly than yourself and you give us freedoms we shouldn't have. At first I thought you were afraid of exerting your authority but then I realized you act this way because you hold no life below your own. In your mind, even the peasants at the gate are better than you. You care for all people regardless of status, who wouldn't want a mistress like you?

"You do not deserve to be at the bottom just because you have too many enemies. There are so many lives that would change with your kindness. Not helping you achieve your goals will be a crime against humanity. There are too many Empress Dowagers in this world, and not enough of you.

"You treat us like little sisters, so we are willing to risk anything to give you a chance at being queen."

I am a traitor, I don't deserve your sacrifices.

~