Crimson and Gold

After convincing the girl that the work could wait for another day, Saria escorted her all the way to her room.

While walking, she also made sure to pass a message to Dolores through a maid.

Saria, after all, wasn’t very knowledgeable about how to take care of people. Especially in such delicate circumstances.

Once they arrived, she sat the girl on the bed, while Saria rushed to heat some water.

All servant quarters in the Palace looked more or less the same.

A small room with a single bed, a small table, and a chair. In the corner stood a crude basin that was used for daily personal hygiene, while at the foot of the bed was placed a wooden chest for storing personal belongings and clothing.

While the noble residents of the Palace had their hot water delivered to them by the servants, the staff and the slaves had to take care of it themselves, using the kitchen or the bathing room.

The former had the benefit of being equipped with the heatstones—flat slabs of basalt with pyromantic runes engraved on them—while the latter was using a common stove for heating, which took significantly more time. On the other hand, it was also much closer, located in the same building.

Saria didn’t want to leave the girl alone for too long, so both options were out of the question. Fortunately, as the favored ‘pet’ of the Princess, she had a portable heatstone delivered to her room.

It took her less than a minute to rush to her place, grab the stone, and drag it back to the servant’s chamber.

Seeing her come back while carrying an elbow-long, foot-wide, and thick as a fist boulder, the girl couldn’t help but marvel. “So it is true. The Princess really favors you.”

Saria chuckled, placing first the stone on the floor, then a pot full of water on top of it. “I guess you can say that. But,” she looked at the girl and made a silencing gesture, “Don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.”

The girl nodded eagerly. “I won’t tell anyone! You can count on me.”

“Thank you.” Saria smiled. “Your name is Oppia, right?”

The person in question widened her eyes. “I didn’t think you would know me.”

“Dolores put us both on the pantry cleaning duty once,” Saria explained, then sighed at her own memories. “It took us half of the day to just empty the cursed thing.”

Oppia let out a quiet laugh, but it lasted only a heartbeat.

In the next second, her expression turned solemn as she recalled the situation she was in. “I can’t afford to lose this job,” she said, plucking at the pallium draped over her shoulders. “There’s nowhere else for me to go. I have no family, no friends, nobody to count on.”

Saria frowned. “You won’t lose your job. You did nothing wrong, so why would you be the one punished?”

“Because all other girls had been thrown away from the Palace once they were found out.”

“Other girls? Does it happen often?” Saria looked at her with a serious expression.

Oppia lowered her head and immersed herself in plucking again. “Servants are meant to serve. Slaves are meant to obey. In truth, there isn’t much difference between the two. As long as the work is done, nobody cares what happens behind the scenes. And when it’s not done, we are simply replaced with someone who will get it done. Who could resist such easy prey?”

Saria was stunned.

Ever since she came to the Palace, most of her time she spent by Lysandra’s side. Be it during the day or night, she rarely had time to return to her own room and work alongside other staff, save for a few occasions.

She had her suspicions that the life of an ordinary palace maid or a thael wasn’t as easy as it seemed, but she never expected that the situation was this bad.

She walked over to the girl and knelt to look her in the eye. “I care,” Saria said. “And Lysandra will care too. I’ll talk to her, I’m sure she’ll do something once she finds out.”

Saria meant everything she said, and she hoped that the words would give Oppia at least a little comfort.

However, the girl only gave a wry smile. “I don’t think she will…”

“I know trusting the nobles to do the right thing is like asking to have a dagger stabbed into your back, but Lysandra is different. She really cares,” Saria assured.

Oppia raised her head and met her eyes. Her gaze was dull, devoid of light or hope. “But she’s the one sending the girls away.”

The words left Saria stunned, but as she was ready to start asking questions, the conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Still confused, she quickly walked over to check who had come.

“What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, that you made me drag this stuff all the way here?” Dolores scolded the moment she saw the red-eyed daethri at the door.

Saria didn’t explain, she simply moved aside and let the head maid in.

As her eyes fell on Oppia, Dolores said nothing more, immediately getting to work with the efficiency of someone who had done it countless times before.

***

“I’m so glad you’re back,” Lysandra said, walking Zahra back to the Palace’s gate. “I missed your clear thinking.”

“Of course you did, Darling. But don’t worry. I’m back, and I’ll be back for a while.” Zahra beamed her signature smile.

Once her friend boarded the carriage taking her back home, Lysandra sought out the first servant she could find. “If you see Saria, tell her to come to my quarters as soon as possible.”

The girl hesitated for a second, then gave a weak nod.

It didn’t escape Lysandra’s scrutiny. “Is something the matter?”

“Um… Apparently, other servants saw Saria walking with Oppia to her quarters. Dolores is with them, too. People say that Oppia looked beaten up,” the girl stammered.

“Where are her quarters?”

The servant girl gave the Princess directions and rushed back to her duties.

Without wasting a second, Lysandra headed towards the servant pavilion.

***

Three knocks sounded in Oppia’s room just a few minutes later.

Saria and Dolores exchanged questioning gazes, tacitly establishing that neither of them expected any guests.

Saria cautiously opened the door.

“Lys? What are you doing here?” she asked, secretly sighing a breath of relief.

“I heard someone was hurt, and you were involved, so I came,” Lysandra answered. “Are you hurt?”

Saria shook her head. “Not me,” she said and let the Princess in.

Seeing Lysandra Oppia jumped to her feet. “You Highness! I-I wasn’t slacking off! It’s just… I—”

The Princess silenced her with a hand gesture. “Shh. Sit down. I didn’t come here to scold you,” she said, walking over to the girl. “How are you feeling?” she asked, examining the bruises marking her arms and neck.

“I-it’s fine. It’s just a couple of bruises. I can go back to work at any moment!”

Dolores clicked her tongue. “Foolish girl. Your rib is broken. How do you plan to do any kind of work if you can’t even lift your arm? You need to rest and heal properly.”

“Dolores is right. The work can wait, your health is more important,” Lysandra said, rendering Oppia unable to argue anymore.

The girl cast her gaze down and obediently subjected herself to Dolores’ care.

The head maid pressed her lips tight as she worked on cleaning a particularly nasty scratch on Oppia’s knee. “I already ground the pennyroyal. The water should have cooled down, too,” she said eventually.

Lysandra understood immediately. She signaled Saria with her eyes as she walked over to the table, where Dolores had laid out all the necessary herbs.

“Who?” Lysandra asked when Saria joined her.

“Doran.”

Lysandra clenched her jaw and took the frustration out on the plants in the mortar.

“Judging by everyone’s reaction, it’s not the first time?” Saria asked.

“I wish I could tell you it was, but no. Unfortunately, this is quite common when he’s around. As my brother’s shadow, he sees himself as untouchable. My father’s favoring him only adds to this delusion.”

After this a moment of silence followed. Lysandra was focused on preparing the potion, trying to distract her dark thoughts with work.

Saria on the other hand observed Oppia and Dolores, embracing the agitated whispers within her heart that demanded justice.

“I will kill him,” she declared suddenly.

“When the time is right, he will pay for everything,” Lysandra agreed. “We’ll make him pay.”

Once the potion was ready, Lysandra passed the bowl to the girl.

“It’s the medicine we talked about before. Her Highness brewed it for you herself, so make sure to drink every drop of it,” Dolores instructed.

“You might experience some discomfort and a slight fever.” Lysandra paused. “Eventually, bleeding might occur. It’s normal. Don’t be afraid. Dolores will be with you the whole time.”

Oppia obediently nodded. She squeezed the bowl with her hands, looking at her own reflection in the greenish liquid. “Do you think… that Vitia will be angry?” she asked.

Dolores covered the girl’s shaking hand with her own. “Nobody has the right to judge you for reclaiming the choice that was stolen from you. Not even the Gods.”