"Good morning, Mister Gardener!"

"Good morning, Princess! Did you enjoy the newly planted roses?"

The old man smiled as he put away the large gardening shears behind him. The small girl laughed.

"It's beautiful. Mother would love this."

The girl said softly as she glanced at the flowers to her side. Maria smiled and patted the girl on the head.

"I'm sure Queen Jeanne will be back soon, Princess. For now, why don't we have breakfast first?"

"Yes. H-Have a good day, Mister Gardener."

The Princess said before she ran off towards the dining hall. Sera let out a sigh while she smiled at the old Gardener as he picked up the sheers. His wrinkled fingers were covered in small cuts and soil. Sunspots dotted his forehead and the skin on his forearms slightly sagged. Dirt and bits of leaves and grass dirtied his worn, brown, overalls and his boots were caked in mud. Still, despite the stark contrast of their appearance, Maria felt that the Head Gardener and Head Maid belonged in the palace they meticulously maintained. The old man smiled at her while she tried to appreciate the beautiful roses.

"Good day to you, Miss Maria."

"Good morning, Mister Gren. How are the petunias you planted near the fountain?"

"They're doing good! Lovely flowers that the young Princess enjoys very fondly. To be honest, I enjoy tending to them as well since they bloom nicely in the morning."

She smiled at him. Sefa's gaze bore into her nape from behind as the old Gardener went back to his work. He gave her a nod and a wave before he walked towards one of the overgrown hedges. She let out a sigh as the Head Maid beckoned for her to follow. Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hallway, making the other maids scatter or leave quickly as the two of them passed. There was a coldness to the Maid. Perhaps it was due to her Class, maybe it was her intense gaze, or the way she carried herself. It could all these things or none of them. Whatever it was, Maria did not like it. Ever since she was escorted to this palace from the countryside, the Head Maid and the Prime Minister put her off due to... something.

The thought of the countryside hit her like a truck. How many years has it been? She was 17 when she first met that strange girl that called herself a God. She was 21 now. Four years have passed ever since she woke up on that hill. She had so many questions back then, and now she had a mountain more. She wasn't a fan of stories that glorified escapism, but she heard of them. Isekai, was what they called it at that weird club in school. It would've been nice if she continued to live in that village near the feet of the mountain with the large forest at its edge. It was peaceful there.

Loud creaking announced their arrival as the heavy, Iron Pine doors opened for them. Its wood was supposed to be a darker shade of white compared to normal pine, but it was stained to give it a deep brown color and varnished to give it a kind of smooth look to it. Inside the large chamber is the grand dining hall, with its long table that could seat a hundred people with enough room to move their elbows comfortably and three chandeliers with intricate designs and magical crystals that only needed the occasional recharge of mana to light the room. The Princess sat in the third chair to the right of the King's usual spot. She was already eating her fill of toasted bread, assorted jams, boiled eggs, and vegetables. Maria smiled at the sight.

When she first got here, their meals were mostly soup, bread, pies, and heavier things like cured and aged meats and cheeses. Rarely would she find any greenery in the dishes served to her. It was her insistence and requests to the King and Queen that changed the typical diet and meals of the people in the palace. Tomatoes, squash, and potatoes started to appear. Followed by greens like cabbage and lettuce followed quickly and they were welcomed warmly at the table. Her recipes were also welcomed warmly, but she had to adjust them since spices were surprisingly hard to acquire in this world.

"Toast, Miss Maria?"

"S-Sure. You enjoy those jams very much, don't you?"

"Of course! I love the blueberry jams in particular. Want to taste some?"

"Yes, please. Could I have some tea as well?"

"Hehe, you may. M-Miss Sefa, may we have some tea, please?"

Maria smiled at the straight-faced Maid as her cold eyes snapped towards one of the younger Maids. The girl quickly retreated into the kitchen. Her hurried footsteps echoed in the empty hall and made the loneliness feel heavier. The Princess did not seem to mind since she continued to eat her toast and eggs. She helped herself to some of the toast in the basket. It crisp sound they made as she took a few slices made her smile. Just a bit. She didn't dare to take one of the three boiled eggs that sat between her and the Princess. It was her favorite, despite its simplicity.

"It's lonely here without everyone. Big Brother Charles made the table fun and Father and Mother would be laugh and scold him."

"Prince Charles has a very important job to do in... Fronierrevial."

"Fronierr-avalle! Father sent him and Marchus there to "stand guard" against bad people. It would be nice if Big Brother Charles or Big Brother Raphael was here or if we were sent with Mother to Avieon with my brothers. The aviary there is beautiful! And the beach in front of the house is very nice!"

"Hmm. Maybe we'll get to see it someday! When everyone gets back home, maybe we could throw a party there with the enitre family!"

"Everyone except Big Brother Revear..."

The mention of the name made Sefa look at them. She gulped despite not having taken a bite of anything and the moisture in her mouth and throat completely dissipated.

Third Prince Revear. Also known as the "Treacherous Prince" or "The Unworthy Prince", he was someone rarely brought up in the palace. The room felt chilly all of a sudden while the young Princess played with a cherry tomato on her plate. Maria prayed in her mind while beads of sweat formed on her nape. She knew of him. Not as much as the Princess who grew up with him but just enough to know that he is no longer welcomed in the kingdom. His crimes of treason, sabotage, and the attempted assassination of members of the court, the staff, and his family were widely known throughout the kingdom. He was sentenced to death, but escaped into the night and was never seen again.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Or so the story goes. She never had the chance to ask about Prince Revear with Sega constantly eyeing her like a hawk. But from what she heard from the Princess' winding stories about her and her brothers, Prince Revear had that air of nerdiness to him. He was a bookworm, wore goofy glasses, and not the athletic type. He also collected plants and flowers, and was the only one out of the ten brothers to pay attention to the Princess' passion when it came to painting.

"I wonder if he's doing okay. Big Brother was nice to me and he tells me things that I do wrong."

"Reve- Prince Revear would be better off forgotten and out of sight. He is both a disappointment and a stain in the Royal Family. He is a vile scum that does not deserve the Ar'villeas name."

Sefa snapped sharply with her harsh tone. Maria shuddered.

"It happened in this very chamber. I was there when Lord Loras sniffed the poison he used to try and assassinate his brothers and the family's supporters. To think that a man so weak would even aspire to sit on the throne of Te'loinn-"

"But Big Brother Revear doesn't want to be King!"

Maria jumped as the little girl beside her slammed her small fist on the table.

"He told me he wanted to build a library! He wanted to collect books from every corner of the world! He wanted to build a school to help children learn about the world! Big Brother Revear would never do such a thing!"

"Hush now, Princess Eleanor. There is a reason as to why your Father, the King, exiled him. Now, be a good girl and finish your breakfast. You have a day of studying ahead of you and Miss Maria here has to attend to her work at the Church."

The Maid waved off and silenced the Princess with a hand. But Maria knew better.

[Intimidate] and [Topic Shift]. The Maid resorted to underhanded topics once again and watched the two of them with a narrowed gaze. Princess Eleanor went silent with childish anger while the Maid smiled at her smugly from across the room. Maria finished her two pieces of toast quickly while the Princess put down the half-eaten egg onto her plate. The Princess stood up, just as the Maid with the fresh pot of tea entered the dining room. Before Sefa could say something, the Princess smiled and addressed the young Maid.

"Please help yourselves to the tea! I'm afraid Miss Maria and I are late to our duties."

With a smile, the Princess waved away the Maid as she wiped off the crumbs and yolk from her face.

"Miss Maria, let's talk later in my room!"

"Of course, Princess."

Maria smiled as the Princess walked towards the Maid that hot her daggers with her eyes.

Currently, the maid had 5 Skills aimed towards her. But she didn't care. With a curt nod, Maria walked away while Sefa and Princess Eleanor both left the hall to attend to the Princess' studies. She felt bad for the Princess, but a little girl like her could handle that insufferable Maid better than her. She let out a sigh as she held the doors' handle. Maybe a stroll through the city would ease her nerves.

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The bells on her staff jingled. People stared at her as she passed them by and they waved and greeted her with smiles and warm greetings. Smile. Maria pinned that word to her head. She needed to smile and keep up the image they had of her. A Champion. That was what they called her Class. She was a Champion of the Gods to them, a Hero that will save the world from the evils that threaten it. But Maria did not feel like a Hero. Not anymore at least. Still, she did her duty and walked through the streets with the robes the Church and the Ar'villeas gave her. It was a practical white robe with ornate embroidery along its hem that made her look thicker than she actually was. She also had gloves on, since the cold has begun to set in and it made holding onto her metal staff uncomfortable.

A clerk that displayed his pumpkins waved at her while he packed one for the old lady that bought them. She waved back with a kind smile. It was unlike the villages she stopped by when she still roamed the countryside of Te'loinn. Close. The people in those villages were close to one another. She missed those days when she healed long lost limbs or people on the verge of death due to some grave illness. She saw the pleasant countryside back then as she travelled from village to village, town to town. She missed those days.

Church bells tolled above her as she stepped foot into the hallowed ground of the Church of Illyria. The statue of the Goddess stood beside the fountain in eternal prayer. She scoffed. The Goddess they knew and the Goddess she knew were vastly different from one another. For one, the Goddess before her had a body that befitted that of a Goddess that was worshipped by two continents of Humans. That was not how Illyria looked. She was way younger than her in looks and wore loose pajamas whose neckline dropped to dangerous levels that exposed too much and not this robed figure.

Still, she smiled and waved at the Goddess that brought her this predicament. She cast her gaze towards the old church that loomed over her. Its grey stone and ancient columns and walls stood in contrast with the wooden and white buildings around it. It was large enough to fit a few hundred people within, maybe a thousand if they really squeezed it. Beside it was the old wing, the place where the sick go to get themselves treated or prepared. Her feet moved towards it.

She cut through the courtyard quickly and avoided any attention as she opened the doors to the old wing. Inside were rows of bed with soldiers covered in wounds on top of them. They constantly flowed back into the city from the borders of the kingdom. There was never a day in the old wing where the shouts and cries of soldiers ceased. The Nuns and Sisters mostly treated them, but some just presided over the final rites of those who were clearly not gonna make it. She, on the other hand, had an important job.

"Good morning, Sister Joulin."

"Good morning, Miss Maria. There are two officers in the back, please treat them."

The oldest and most senior of the Sisters of Illyria wiped off the cold sweat from a Soldier's brow. The sleeves of her white brows remained pure and white despite the bloodiness around her.

"O-Of course."

Maria said without another word, and she disappeared quickly into one of the rooms further back. It was quiet here, and less bloody. It was in these rooms that she used up all 10 [Heal] Spells she could use per day. But today, she only had two people she needed to [Heal]. One of them had bandages wrapped around his face and body while the other one had lost an arm and an eye. She approached the two beds and raised her staff, the usual works and words. The feeling of magic that flowed through her body and out of her hands never ceased to feel strange and unnatural, but it was something she had to do.

Healing Magic filled the room and she channelled it through her staff. It felt as if the blood in her veins were flames that ate away at her, yet she continued to focus her Magic into the staff. As the magic threatened to overflow out of the staff's tip, she rang the many bells on it and slammed down the tip of the staff onto the ground. The room burst with Healing Magic that wrapped around her and the bodies of the two officers. Both twitched and writhed as light shone from their wounds while the officer who lost an arm began to grow one at an incredibly fast rate. She strained at the effort, but it was something she was used to.

She stopped the channel after a moment. She panted heavily and gasped for air while the two on the bed groaned and stirred in their sheets. The wounds on their bodies had disappeared, and missing arms and eyes have returned. Although a bit thinner, an arm is an arm. She let out a sigh as she sat down on her usual seat. Normally, she would take a nap here while she waits for the patient to wake up. But she did not feel tired. She let out a sigh as she rested her head against the stone wall behind her.

"I need a vacation."

Maria muttered to herself as she glanced at the unconscious officers in front of her.

"They might need it as well."