I opened the door and was met with a young woman in a long plain black dress with a white collar and sleeve caps. She gave me a warm smile which reached her light grey eyes, and tucked a strand of her short black hair behind her ear as she bowed her head.

"Hello Miss Rowan. My name is Alice, I'll be assisting you this evening."

I smiled awkwardly back, moving aside so she could come into the room. "Ah, right, hello Alice nice to meet you."

I don't think it's necessary to assign me a maid, but do I even have a right to refuse at this point? Wait, maybe she's going to be keeping an eye on me?

Alice moved into the room, and I noticed she was carrying a bundle of clothes draped over one arm. She set the clothes onto the bed, spreading them out so I could see there were six different sets. Three were comfortable looking shirts and pants - all the shirts were white with loose fitting sleeves and a v-neck collar that could be laced up, and the pants were dark brown and dark green, and looked like they would sit over my waist so the shirts could be tucked in. Two were dresses and leggings, one which was the same style as what I currently wore but in a cheery yellow, and the other was a pretty emerald green that sat off the shoulder, the sleeves came to halfway down the arm and delicate floral embroidery in a creamy ivory thread decorated the neckline and hems. The final piece of clothing was a light nightgown with a simple design.

I lightly touched one of the dresses. These were all much better quality than anything I had owned before.

"Are... are these meant for me?" I asked, disbelief tinging my voice.

Alice gave me a grin, white teeth flashing brightly against her light olive skin.

"It's to my understanding that your family is provided with clothes and necessities by the duchy in return for maintaining the Wall," she told me as she picked up the nightgown. "I simply took the liberty of picking out the best items from what was available."

I was quite stunned for a moment. It was true, we were given the basics needed to live as an incentive to stay within this territory, but everything we received was the most basic of basics. Anything of quality had to be purchased using money we earned off our farm.

I smiled, placing my hand over my heart and bowing my head to her. "Thank you Alice, I greatly appreciate this."

Alice's cheeks seemed to turn a little pink, and she turned her head while gesturing to the room opposite the bed.

"Come, I'll run you a bath," she said, stepping into the room and pressing something on the wall.

The room lit up with a warm yellow light originating from a glass orb fixed to the wall just above where Alice had pressed. White tiles covered the floor and walls. A large white claw footed tub sat against one wall, where two metal tubes protruded over the tub. Each tube had a gem fitted into the wall next to it - one blue and the other red. As I watched, Alice went over to the tub and pressed each of the gems, after which water began to pour out of the tubes and fill the tub.

Woah shit, those are magic stones.

Magic stones were precious gems filled with magical power and engraved with special magic circles to create a certain effect. It allowed anyone to have the convenience that any of the elemental magics could bring, and they could even be used by non-magicals. They were also insanely expensive. My family would need to save for years to afford even a small one that could only produce heat. To think they let a commoner use.

I went over to the tub and dipped my hand into the rising water. It felt pleasantly warm. Meanwhile, Alice had gone to a tall cabinet at the opposite end of the room, opening it to reveal small stacks of fluffy towels and assortments of jars holding mysterious objects and liquids. She pulled out one of the towels and a square bar of soap. She set the towel and nightgown on a little square table that sat next to the tub, and the soap she sat on a little tray attached to the edge of the tub that seemed to be made for such things. The water was now three quarters the way up the sides of the bath, so Alice touched the blue and red gems once more and the water stopped flowing out of the tubes.

She turned to me, giving me another warm smile. I noticed she had a small black smudge on her bottom lip.

Huh, I don't remember that being there before.

"Your bath is all set Miss Rowan. Do you need help getting undressed?" she asked.

"Ah, no, thanks Alice. But uh," I tapped my lip in the same spot she had the smudge. "You got a little bit of something black on your lip right there."

Alice lightly touched her lip, eyes going wide for a moment before her face relaxed back into a smile. "Oh, I must have got some ink on my face. I'll leave you to your bath Miss Rowan." With that, she left the room and shut the door behind her.

Now alone, I quickly stripped out of my dusty clothes and let them drop to the floor in a heap. Stepping gingerly into the tub, I sighed in appreciation as the blissfully warm water enveloped my poor aching limbs. I slid down and rested my head and back against the sloped end of the bath and closed my eyes. I couldn't bring myself to care that my hair had fallen into the water.

I stayed there for some time, letting my thoughts drift along as they pleased. After a while, I kept thinking back to my father, and his severed arm. I would mentally yank myself away from the memory, only for it to relentlessly claw its way back. How Da's forearm was limp and heavy in my hands. His blanched white face as he clenched his teeth hard against the bandages in his mouth.

Ugh.

I opened my eyes and sat up, grabbing the soap bar and lathering it in the water before scrubbing hard at my skin. I knew thinking about it wouldn't change anything.

I just need to get this report to the Duchess over and done with as soon as possible. They're gonna need my help back at the farm, I can't just sit here like a useless lump and be pampered.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Once I had scrubbed every inch of my face and body with the soap that smelled of fresh lemons, I fully submerged myself beneath the now murky water. As my ears filled with water, all other sounds became muted, leaving only the heavy beat of my heart. I kept myself there, letting my arms float weightlessly, until my lungs began to burn with the need for air.

I emerged, stepping out of the tub and reaching for my towel as water spilled and dripped onto the tiles, making them slick underfoot. I dried myself off and spotted a small vanity sitting in one corner of the room. A basin was set in it, another metal tube and blue magic stone sitting over it. What caught my eye though, was an oval mirror hung on the wall above it. It was clearer than the small polished brass mirror mum had back home. It reflected my pink sunburned face perfectly, and I could even make out the smattering of freckles that ran over my nose and cheeks. Dark circles sat beneath my green eyes, a testament to my lack of sleep these past couple of days.

Yeah, I probably should have found a hat to wear. Hopefully mum has been able to salvage some of her sunburn cure from the house.

I finished drying myself, then wrapped my hair up in the towel. Slipping the nightgown on, I went back out to the bedroom.

Alice was in the room. She had brought the table and chairs that had been sitting on the balcony and set them inside with plates of delicious smelling food. One plate held a crispy roasted bit of steak with whole roasted potatoes, slices of roasted pumpkin and carrot. Another held still steaming fresh bread that had been cut and slathered with butter that was beginning to melt, and the last plate held slices of brightly coloured fruit. I had to swallow to keep myself from drooling.

Alice looked up from setting cutlery onto the table and gave me another smile. The black smudge from earlier was gone.

"Come, Miss Rowan," she said, pulling out a chair from the table. "Sit and eat while I brush out your hair."

I hesitated. "Er, no that's not necessary. I can do it myself," I protested, but Alice was already guiding me by the arm to the chair.

She sat me down and unwrapped the towel from around my head. "Please, I insist."

She began to gently untangle my hair with a comb. I mentally shrugged. Why not? I picked up my knife and fork and began to eat the meal laid out before me. It tasted just as amazing as it smelled.

"If you don't mind me asking Miss Rowan, why did Captain Strykar bring you to see the Duchess?" Alice asked as she brushed.

I quickly swallowed my mouthful of food, swiping the back of my hand across my mouth before answering. "Honestly, I'm not too sure," I told her as I cut another piece of steak. "He said he wants me to tell the Duchess what I found at the Wall breach I repaired directly. It's not anything particularly enlightening though." I pushed the carrots around my plate. "All I can tell her is I don't believe it's a naturally occurring phenomenon. As for what is actually causing the Wall to crumble though, I have no idea." I shovelled another forkful of food into my mouth.

Alice remained silent for a moment, as though contemplating. "Well, I'm sure you must have some significant information to report or the Captain wouldn't have gone to the trouble. Perhaps you just don't realise its importance yet?" she said.

I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Dunno. I suppose I'll find out when I get to speak with Her Grace."

Alice finished with my hair, and set the comb down on one of the dark timber bedside tables. With a soft smile, she bade me good night and left me to finish my meal alone.

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The next morning, I woke as the sun began to peak over the horizon and rolled out of bed with a stretch. The bed had been wonderfully comfortable, but it was so much larger than what I was used to that I found myself feeling lost in it. Still, I felt much better rested compared to yesterday.

I dressed myself in one of the new white shirts and dark brown pants I had been given yesterday. The pants fit me surprisingly well - not too tight - and came up to my waist so the shirt could be comfortably tucked in, and they had nice deep pockets that I could put the pouch of blackberry seeds into. The new clothing didn't have any magic circles on them, so I laced the leather arm brace back on. I brushed my hair back into a low ponytail, then went to pick up my boots from by the door. I found that they had been cleaned at some point. I made a mental note to find a way to thank Alice for all she had done for me, and pulled the boots on, tucking the ends of my pants into them. Just as I had finished lacing them, there was a sharp knock at the door.

Opening it, I found Harold standing there with another woman wearing a maid's uniform and carrying a tray of fruit, bread smeared with honey, and a cup full of juice.

"Good morning Miss," Harold started. "I have come to inform you that your meeting with Her Grace has been arranged for this afternoon directly after lunch. I shall come and fetch you then." He slightly inclined his head towards me, then turned on his heel and left.

The maid came into the room and set the tray of food on the small table. She picked up the plates from last night's dinner, directed a small bow towards me, then also left.

Alright, I suppose I just have to hang around until lunch time then.

The idea of sitting around in the room all morning and twiddling my thumbs did not appeal to me. I had long been in the habit of getting outside first thing in the morning to work on the farm, and already I felt as though I had been inside for too long.

I ate the provided breakfast quickly before heading out the door, still licking the sticky honey from my fingers. I walked down the hallway I had been led along yesterday, making sure to count each door I passed since I was certain I would get hopelessly lost if I didn't, and wend down the grand staircase and out the extravagant double doors to the gardens. A few staff had glanced at me as I walked through the foyer. Perhaps I wasn't supposed to use the main entrance since I was a commoner. Since no one called out or stopped me, I continued on.

The air outside was fresh with a slight coolness to it, the sun still low on the horizon not having heated it yet. Glimmering drops of dew and rain clung to the grass and flowers, lending the garden an almost frosted loo,. A few small birds zipped low over the garden and under the wisteria, chasing the morning's bugs. I sucked in a deep breath, completely filling my lungs and feeling some of the tension around my shoulders release.

If I'm going to be stuck here for the day, I might as well explore.

I walked over to the side of the wisteria trellis to where one of the trees was rooted in the ground. The dark heavy trunk was rough under my hand, its colour contrasting beautifully against the lush, vivid green leaves it sprouted. I could feel these plants had been lovingly cared for, and without the use of magic.

I wonder if I'd be allowed to take a seed pod? I'd love to grow one of these at home.

I withdrew my hand from the trunk, resisting the temptation to sneakily take a seed. These plants belonged to the Duchess, it wouldn't be right to take a bit of it without permission. Plus I'll probably be arrested if I get caught. I wandered through the roses and iris, gradually heading around the side of the mansion. I took my time, occasionally stopping to smell a flower. A couple of particularly fat bumblebees bumped against my face inquisitively before going back to their flowers.

I continued meandering through the garden until I was level with the end of the mansion. A line of tall trees bordered against the wall that surrounded the grounds, their broad spiky green leaves casting a cool shade across the grass that separated them from the building. One of the trees was conspicuously lacking leaves, and those that were left were sickly yellow in colour with small black spots. An older gardener was standing at its base, leaning against a shovel planted in the ground and scratching his shaggy grey hair. A straw had sat against his back, held up by a thin rope that was draped against his neck.

Curious, I walked over towards where he stood.