Gina escorted me to the room. The three of us will share the same bedroom, and Gina happened to be one of us. The housekeepers' room is in the palace's farthest wing, close to the palace kitchen. Despite the fact that there are three of us in the same room, we have separate beds. I never imagined that my life would change so drastically in such a short period of time. It seems like a long time ago that I was inside a small house with Shena, happily discussing the events of our day.
I looked around the room and noticed another of our companions conversing with Gina. She appears to be nice and sweet. Like Gina, she is probably about my age.
"Hi! My name is Yna. I've also been one of the housekeepers for almost two years now! How about you? What's your name? " She asked cheerfully, and I smiled and accepted her handshake.
"My name is Amara... Amara Brooks, the new housekeeper," I introduced myself. She nodded and looked at me for a long time. I was a little perplexed. "I'm sorry for staring at you too much! You're just too beautiful, almost like a royal to me," she said softly. "Are you sure you're going to be a housekeeper here?" She inquired, intrigued, and I blinked at what she said. Being told something like that is nothing new to me; Shena used to say it to me every day, but it was only now that I felt ashamed and shy like this.
"Y-Yes, I'm an orphan," I admitted shyly, "and my face can be deceiving at times, I'm sorry." She chuckled at what I said, "Don't be sorry! I'm glad you're here because now I'll have a beautiful coworker, so it's fine with me!" she excitedly said.
"So, are you saying I'm ugly, Yna?" Gina asked, raising an eyebrow. I laughed. Their conversation is amusing. I couldn't stop myself from laughing when Yna wrapped her arms around Gina and tapped her on the shoulder. It's the same as saying everything will be fine. I simply shook my head.
"Don't complain, we're the same anyway," Yna said, which made me laugh even more. Later on, Gina and Yna were called to the kitchen to work, and I will start tomorrow. I gathered my belongings and put on the housekeeper's uniform Gina had given me earlier. I'm not sure how to find that old man in the palace, but I'm still hoping to find him and save Shena. I'll make a point of seeing her again and not wasting my time here.
When night fell, the housekeepers summoned me to the dining room for dinner. Even though it is only the housekeepers' quarters, the surroundings are stunning and expansive. There is no part of the palace that I do not admire. When I step outside the room, I am wearing a simple long dress, my usual home outfit.
As I walk towards the dining room, my wavy hair falls over my shoulders, and I notice the housekeepers eating together. They are numerous. I had no idea there were so many housekeepers in the palace.
"Sit with us, Amara!" I noticed Gina bringing Yna closer to her side. Despite the fact that I could feel their eyes on me, I approached them quickly. Is it really like this when someone new arrives?
"Are they...staring at me?" I wondered when I noticed that almost everyone in the room was staring at me!
"They're staring at you because it's their first time seeing a beautiful housekeeper," Yna proudly said as she patted my shoulder. I just looked down at the table because I'm not used to having so many eyes on me.
"Eyes up here, ladies!" We heard the gentle tapping of a spoon against a glass. We all looked ahead to see where Mrs. Clea was. "As you can see, we have a new housekeeper here," Mrs. Clea said authoritatively. “Amara, introduce yourself,” she looked at me.
I stood up and nodded to introduce myself. "I—I—am Amara Brooks. It's nice meeting you, and I hope to get along with you all," I quickly said and sat down to avoid the embarrassing introduction. It was even more unnerving to hear the silence in the entire room.
"Are you from a different kingdom?" a woman inquired.
"No, I was born and raised here—"
"Or perhaps your parents just moved here?" she says, cutting into what I was saying.
"Why are you asking?" I can't stop asking. They were all staring at the two of us, and the woman asking me just raised an eyebrow. "Well, your features, green eyes bastards, scream Rema kingdom," she remarked, and I blinked.
"Joy! Close your mouth!" Mrs. Clea raised a tone. Joy immediately fell silent and sat in her chair, but what she said remained in my mind. Rhema kingdom? Isn't that the kingdom that has long been the enemy of the North Snow? Is she thinking I'm from the Rema kingdom and snooping around here? Why did she mistake me for the Rema Kingdom? Because of my green eyes? I don't get it.
"Don't overthink it, Amara. She's just jealous of you because you're beautiful and she's ugly," Yna said, and I just smiled and laughed a little. My heavy feeling was lifted in some way. We continued to eat. Gina and Yna are fun to be with because they are easy to be with, especially when Yna makes me laugh and Gina always makes fun of Yna.
Even though night had fallen, the palace remained bright and alive. Yna and Gina were already fast asleep when I decided to go around the back of the left wing, where the quarter of housekeepers was because behind the left wing of the palace was the small gate leading to the forest.
My wolf was urging me to change, so I did. As I run under the quarter moon, the night wind blows my golden fur. I ran fast and without stopping until I reached the end, where the mountain's summit was. My feet were sinking in the snow because the mountain was covered in it. When I finished walking around the mountain, I immediately went down and went to the small pond in the middle of the forest, where I prepared my clothes to wear. I was getting dressed when I heard a noise behind me. I quickly gathered my belongings and hid behind a large tree.
I peered out and was immediately overcome with dread when I saw someone approaching. When I realized it was a wolf, I swallowed hard. A massive wolf. It seemed twice as big as the wolves I saw in the palace guards. The wolf went to the pond to drink. I'm not sure why I can't take my gaze away from this wolf. It has white, shiny fur that reflects the moonlight.
I stopped admiring the wolf when I noticed it stop drinking and turn to face me! I quickly hid and closed my eyes tight, remembering that wolves, like us, had a keen sense of smell when in wolf form! And this one is unquestionably more special because of its strength and distinction! Shit! What do I do?
I became even more nervous as I sensed it approaching where I was hiding. I closed my eyes tightly and waited for it, but it never came because I sensed the arrival of another wolf. The wolf howled as if they were conversing. To comprehend them, I closed my eyes.
"It's time to go home," said the newly arrived wolf. "I will," said the white-furred wolf. I peeked again when I sensed they were leaving. The other wolf had brown fur and was quite large, but the white-furred one was so majestic that no one would dare to challenge him.
My eyes widened as the white wolf suddenly turned in my direction as if it could hear what my mind was saying! I quickly hid behind a tree and was relieved when they finally left. "Perhaps I won't do this again," I thought to myself as I began walking toward the housekeeping quarter.