“Die.” It has been a while since I’ve heard the word.

It echoed unceasingly.

And of course I was alone in the darkness, while that terrific word kept me company.

It was neither comforting nor frightening.

Only emptiness was felt.

“Die already.” The same words.

I already heard this before.

But why did I forget about it?

“I will find you.” ‘What?’

This was new.

‘Find me?’ Though only darkness creeped in, not a single person was seen, but the voice was clearly heard through the vast void that I was in.

Even if I tried to speak or make a sound, I couldn’t.

A nightmare.

This is a nightmare.

A realistic one.

“Die.” Funny, I say.

Cause it feels like I’m already dead.

-----

I gasped for air as I woke up in a sweat.

I could feel the tears falling down from my cheeks, but I did not know why I was crying.

I felt tired and felt the need of air inside my lungs.

The perfect word for it might be suffocating.

I instantly sat up, clenching my chest.

Breathing heavily, while my hands and face were sweaty.

But this was not the bed I usually slept in.

It was a floral light purple bed, and it was twice the size of the bed from the tavern, maybe triple.

The bed’s corners had a thin dark oak wood pillars that was attached to a light purple veil on top of me.

The veil was also fancy as it had silver and gold decorations.

But as I looked more into the room I was in; it was exaggeratingly enormous.

Not only was it enormous, it was also luxurious and elegant.

Fancy furniture around, a massive white carpet below the bed and wide windows that covered a part of the wall that was also decorated with some silver and gold.

There I noticed two doors.

A door in front of me and a door on my left.

I got out from that soft bed, that it was strangely comfortable.

I walked around the room, looking through the window first and taking a glimpse outside.

And there was the sight of the meadow filled with purple flowers.

The same purple flowers that I saw when I first woke up.

“What were they called? Spider lilies?” I muttered.

But there was no lake.

Though it was a beautiful sight, not only was the place filled with purple flowers, but there also seemed to be a garden full of bushes and other types of flowers.

I gazed upon the scenery.

But as I got a little distracted, I heard the doorknob click.

I instantly turned around and waited for the door to open.

Creeeeek

A woman with a long black dress, brown hair that was tied into a bun came forward.

She took a glimpse at the bed before looking at me.

Her deep brown eyes looked into mine.

“I see that the young lady has finally awoke.” She said, while being expressionless.

As she bowed down, I also hesitantly bowed down to her as a form of greeting.

“Is the young lady feeling well?” She asked.

“Ah, yes.

I am feeling quite all right.” Though I was baffled by the whole situation.

“I see.

If the young lady needs anything, I am here to fulfill your requirements.”

I stared at her for a bit as she waited patiently for my answer.

“I do not understand.

Who are you and why am I here?”

“Ah, let me introduce myself.

My name is Vesta Crescent, I am here as your lady-in-waiting.

Can the lady also present herself?”

“…My name is Liliana.

I’m sorry, but what is a lady-in-waiting?” She blinked for the first time after entering the room for a while.

“Lady Liliana, a lady-in-waiting is a personal assistant to someone of high status.

It is a personal assistant to women.

Their work is to fulfill the requests and to devote their selves to the person they serve for.

I hope this satisfy your question.”

“You are here… to serve me?” I couldn’t take a grasp on the situation.

‘Why is a woman here as my lady-in-waiting, and above all how am I a person of high status?’

“I am here to serve you because it is my duty to do so.

The work was given to me, so I will devote myself into serving you, lady Liliana.”

I looked around in awkwardness as I didn’t know how to react or respond.

I let the whole lady-in-waiting situation alone and asked the questions that kept pondering me.

“Why am I here?

Where is Ms. Crimson and sir Exios?

Is it possible to meet them or talk to them?”

“I regret to inform you that I do not answer questions regarding the people you mentioned.

You are in the Imperial Palace of Ephamour, to be exact you are in the Kunzite Palace.

You were brought here by his highness, prince Denver Achlys.

Of course lady Liliana was unconscious since yesterday, so we took care of the lady in the meantime, waiting for the lady to wake up.” She said, while being motionless the whole time.

Standing so firm and elegantly, responding in such a formal and respectful manner.

“Since yesterday?

What time is it right now?”

“It is 10:45 in the morning.

I also came here three times earlier to see if you were awake.

This is my fourth time, and I am glad to have seen you up to your feet.” She said in an amiable tone.

“Prince Denver…?

Is it a man with green hair and purple eyes?”

“Yes, it is him, his highness, prince Denver Achlys.”

I recalled the moment when he gave me the orange poppy and I took it because I felt safe and secure for a second.

But as I sniffed it, I blacked out.

“Can I talk to him?

Please?”

“Prince Denver will come by in the afternoon or in the evening, it depends on his schedule, but he did say that he would have come by today to talk to the lady.

You do not have to fret.”

But I was worried.

I was nervous and concerned.

I did not know where I was, even if she told me I was in a palace, especially I don’t know why I am here and where Ms. Crimson and sir Exios are.

‘Could I even trust her?

Should I trust her?

What am I supposed to do exactly?’

As I was deeply thinking, I didn’t realize how much time has passed while being unresponsive.

“As I said, lady Liliana, you do not have to distress yourself.

If you have questions, please ask.

If I can’t or do not know the answer to those questions, then I am sorry to have disappointed you.

If you need anything, that does not require leaving the palace and asking to meet the people you mentioned, then I can happily give it to you.

For now, lady Liliana, you can relax and rest if you like.

You can even explore the Palace or the Imperial Palace.

There are other Palaces inside the Imperial Palace, but only a few can be visited.

There will be knights around the lady, as prince Denver ordered us to be around you at all times.”

“Ah, yes, sorry to have zoned out.

But even if you tell me to not worry, this… is too much for me to handle.”

“Thus, it is why I highly recommend for the lady to get distracted by exploring the palace.

Leave your questions and worries for later, when prince Denver will finally show up in front of the lady.

He is the only one who can answer to all of your questions.”

I looked at her as I briefly sighed.

“It Is pointless to overthink now.

Please accept the suggestion and let yourself loose.

Use the time you have now to do something useful and productive.

Your little body might need a bit of movement and fresh air.”

I have thought about it and maybe it was really pointless to think everything through right now and wait for that prince Denver to show up.

I don’t know where I am, so I guess it is better to take a look at it while I am here.

There should be no harm in such thing, and I felt that Ms. Vesta is a nice woman, even if she only showed an expressionless face through the entire conversation.

‘Everything will be okay.’ I reassured myself.

“All right, i… will explore the palace.”

“Perfect, first let us prepare you breakfast.

It will be at- no, where would you like to have breakfast?

At the breakfast nook, outside the garden or inside the greenhouse garden?

Of course, you could also eat sitting on the grass if you’d like, with the view of the beautiful gardens in the Kunzite Palace.”

“That- that’s a lot of places to eat a simple breakfast.”

Ms. Vesta let a little cough before responding.

“It is something that royals do normally, but I guess you have lived a commoner’s life so you are not used to this type of… etiquette.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ah, I forgot.

Before the lady has her breakfast, some other lady-in-waiting will help you clean and dress up.

I will come back here when the breakfast will be ready, so take your time to get prepared.”

“Okay.” I looked at the clothes I had on and scratched my head.

“Ah, do you have any allergies or preferences for your breakfast?”

“Allergies not that I know of, I do not have any.

A normal breakfast is fine.” Though I hoped that the normal breakfast for them isn’t some type of feast.

Like she said, they, royals or rich people, have some type of etiquette.

And what I think she is referring to is a luxurious one.

“All right.” As she was about to leave, she took a step back in the room.

“Do you have any colors that you love?

So that I can advise the other lady-in-waiting to pick the color of the dress that you like.”

“Any is fine.

I do not have any preferences.”

“All right.” And as she was about to leave, she took another step inside again.

“Do you prefer your dress to be extravagant, elegant or soft?

Children typically prefer to be dolled up; would you also prefer that?”

“Ah- Do what you think suits me, I do not know anything about dresses.” I did have some dresses back in the tavern, but all of them seemed to be normal clothing compared to this

opulence.

“Perfect.

Looking at the lady, I already have the perfect look for you.” She finally left the room, hearing the footsteps gradually fade away.

The door was left open, and through there I could see the massive hall.

Next to the door there were two knights, standing still in their metal armor suit.

There was a long dark violet carpet with tiny golden decorations on it.

Next in front of the silver- and purple-colored walls there placed different sized pots with different plants and flowers.

Also pictures of various sceneries were hanged, picture frames with various sizes.

On the high and tall ceiling, colored in white, hanged big chandeliers, that were filled with bright candles.

The walls were also decorated with some pillars that were filled with golden decorations.

All seemed to be tiny illustrations of different flowers.

‘This place seems to be so focused on flowers.

Everything is filled with flowers.

And of course purple seems to be the main color.

Back in the tavern some rooms were also colored in a light purple.’

I recalled the small bedroom where I stayed in.

As I analyzed more of the hall through the half open door, footsteps were heard getting closer and closer.

I backed away a little from the door and waited for the person to show up.

But I guessed who it might be.

A young lady appeared in front of the door.

“Oh! Good morning, lady Liliana.” She had such beautiful long pink hair that were tied in two pigtails, but her eyes were deep blue as the ocean.

Unlike Ms. Vesta, she had an energetic aura around her, seeing how she smiled so brightly on our first encounter.

“Let me present myself.

Coughs.

I am one of your lady-in-waiting, Inanna Bardot.” She let herself inside.

And as she went in the room, another young lady appeared.

This one had silky straight short brown hair with beautiful dark green eyes.

“Good morning, lady Liliana.

I am also one of your lady-in-waiting, Phoebe Marley.” Ms. Phoebe had a gentle smile instead.

The two of them appeared to be younger than Ms. Vesta.

All the three of them were charming in their own ways, a really good first impression.

Ms. Vesta seems the type to be cold but was able to convince me to explore the palace instead of staying in this room overthinking through the whole situation.

Not letting me be alone on my first day here.

“Oh, you are so tiny.

Lady Vesta did say that the lady is 10 years old, but the lady is so small!” She said in a rather amused tone.

Ms. Phoebe slightly pushed Ms. Inanna with her elbow.

“Ah!

I am sorry for the nonsense, lady.

It is cute to be able to take care of a child like you, as it is our first time.

I simply thought of how small and adorable the lady is!” She continued to talk with a bright smile.

“Enough on the gibberish, we shall get started at preparing the lady.

I will take on the cleaning duty, while lady Inanna will take care of the clothes and accessories.

Now, off you go Inanna.” Ms. Phoebe said as she walked pass me, opening the other door that I was not able to take a look into.

Inanna went to open the massive fancy wardrobe inside the room, to which shined different types of dresses in various colors.

I took another glimpse of the wardrobe before getting inside the door that Phoebe opened.

As I stepped in the floor and the walls were made with marble, another enormous room, but this time it was a bathroom.

A large bathtub, a wide mirror and a luxurious sink that was probably made out of silver.

It had a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

The marble floor and walls were decorated with a dark color that complimented the white marble.

There also displayed different pots with various plants, but it did not feel suffocating.

Instead it added a touch of liveliness into the elegance of the room.

Ms. Phoebe went into the bathtub and opened the faucet, to which poured out a steam of water.

“Lady Liliana, please come here.”

I went near Ms. Phoebe and watched the water filling the bathtub.

Suddenly a hand from my back was felt and my clothes started to fall down.

I flinched and looked at Ms. Phoebe.

“Wait!

What are you doing?” I covered chest, grasping on the clothes that were about to fall.

“Oh, I am sorry to have startled you, but I am taking off your clothes so that I can bathe you.”

“Bathe me?

I don’t think I am comfortable doing such thing…”

‘And I never gave her permission to do so.’ I was flustered.

Ms. Phoebe looked at me as if she understood how I felt.

“Lady Liliana, I am used to bathing women who are older than Lady Vesta.

Just a reminder for you that I may have to bathe you from now on.

But if you want you can try and bathe on your own and when you are comfortable you can call me when you are ready.”

Hearing that felt a bit weird.

‘Bathe me from now on?

How long am I supposed to stay here?’

Though I remembered the times when I bathed in the tavern’s small bathroom and the small bathtub.

Sir Exios never really gave me instructions on how to take care of my hygiene, but he did give me a bar of soap to clean my whole body.

That was enough for me, despite my hair being a mess and unorganized.

Sir Exios tried to brush it, but it would tangle itself.

I always wondered how to take care of the hair, as I never really took care of it, and sir Exios didn’t know how to help, but did what he could.

I thought about it for a moment before giving a response.

“All right…

I may feel a bit uncomfortable, but I think I am able to get… used to it.” I said with a sign of discomfort.

“Well then, I will start taking off the clothes.

After that get in the bathtub instantly, and you will feel a sense of comfort and relaxation.”

I nodded slightly to her words.

She started taking of my clothes quickly, and as my clothes were on her hands I rushed to get in the bathtub.

My feet felt the hot water first, then my whole body was in the water.

The water was hot, but not hot enough to burn me.

Ms. Phoebe was right, staying in the bathtub made me feel relaxed and comfortable.

The tavern, whenever I bathed in the bathtub, had lukewarm water that would easily turn cold in just a few minutes.

“I’ll dispose these clothes and get the cleansing soaps.”

My mind felt refreshing, as my head was on the water.

Ms. Phoebe opened one of the cabinets that was attached to the wall, she grabbed two bar soaps and a small glass jar, a size of an adult hand, that had a liquid pink in it.

She returned near the bathtub, placing the two-bar soap at a small circular table that was near her and started opening the glass jar first.

“This, my lady, is a cleansing for the hair.

We can fix that hair of yours now.

When you first got here, your hair was a mess, and we felt bad from how the condition of your hair was.

Now that will be all gone.” She poured some of the liquid on her hand.

She started shuffling my hair, causing it to create a white foam.

It felt like she was massaging my head, and the sensation was good.

A few minutes of moving her hand on my hair she stopped to get one of the bar soaps placed on the small circular table.

“Now it is time for the body, will you allow me?”

I nodded, approving her to do so.

She first made me sit up and started rubbing the soap onto my back.

And she did so from chest to toe.

After that she grabbed the other soap that was placed on the circular table and rubbed it on her hands instead.

“Please close your eyes.”

From the moment I closed my eyes I sensed her hand gently rubbing it on my face.

“Oh, is this for the face?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Yes, it is, my lady.” She chuckled.

After rubbing her hand on my face, she started to pour the water on me.

Taking off all the foamy and the strong fragrance of the soaps.

As she finished pouring the water, my hair was in front of my face.

“Oh dear, look at your hair.

It has become so silky and straight, but you have so much hair that it is covering your whole entire face.” She laughed softly.

I moved some of the hair that covered my face and was able to see clearly.

Ms. Phoebe had a towel on her hand and was waiting for me to get off the bathtub.

As I stood up, she instantly covered me with the towel.

The towel covered my whole entire body.

“Leave the bathroom first, i have to get the brush and the lotion.”

I got out from the bathtub and started walking out of the bathroom.

There Inanna was waiting excitingly, while the dress she picked was laying on the bed.

“Oh, oh!

Lady Liliana please come sit here!” She guided me to a dark wooden chair that was placed in front of a medium mirror and a table filled with different size of jars.

I gradually sat and looked at myself on the mirror.

My hair was wet, and so was my whole face and body.

Though the hair was so different this time, it was silky and straight.

My face had a type of illuminating effect.

My whole body had a beautiful fragrance thanks to the bar soaps.

Ms. Phoebe came out with a brush and a small jar filled with a white liquid.

‘That is the lotion she mentioned.’

“Now I will take care of the hair, Inanna you will put the lotion on her face and body.”

They both consecutively did their tasks, drying my hair and putting the lotion.

After a few minutes of finishing up, it was time to put on the dress.

“Now, after we put the dress on the lady, we will fix the hair, put some accessories on it and add some soft cosmetic on her face.” Ms. Inanna excitingly said.

“Please stand up.

It is time to put on the dress.” Ms. Phoebe said as she went to grab the dress.

I stood up and patiently waited for them to finish putting the dress on me.

A black corset, with small golden decorations on it, with the upper sleeve not covering my shoulders, colored in a light purple, and the lower sleeve that was white.

Then the gown that was colored in a light purple, while the middle was white.

They covered half of my neck with a black fabric, also decorated with small golden decorations.

After that they fixed my hair, brushing it, placing the bangs in front of my face.

The long black silky hair was behind my back, while some part of it was placed in front of me.

Ms. Inanna started putting some flowers, that were colored in white and light pink, onto my hair, near both of my ears.

After that they started to work on my face.

A light colored lip tint and light blush on my face.

“Oh, look at you!” Ms. Inanna squealed, putting both of her hands on her mouth.

A totally different person.

They made me look so different and… lovely.

I liked it, it reminded me of how I was trying on the dresses that sir Exios bought me.

It was a memorable memory.

“Thank you.” I smiled at them.

I kept looking at myself in the mirror, unrecognizable.

How can they transform a person into something like this?

‘Even I think that myself, right now, is pretty.’ Which is a thought that I have never thought of before.

“We have done a great job.

You are indeed stunning, lady Liliana.” Ms. Phoebe complimented me.

“You will grow beautifully!

A young mesmerizing lady.” Ms. Inanna talked in amusement.

Though this beautiful lady that they were talking about was all done by them.

If they hadn’t done this, I wouldn’t be called or complimented in such ways.

The sound of the door interrupted the moment.

Creeek

“Oh my.

You have done a wonderful job, girls.” Ms. Vesta came in the room.

She had a slightly surprised expression on her face, which made me smile.

“I came here to say that breakfast is ready.”

“Ah, yes.” I walked slowly towards Ms. Vesta.

“We will stay and clean the room.

Have a nice breakfast, lady Liliana.” Ms. Phoebe spoke as she and Ms. Inanna bowed down.

I also bowed to them before leaving the room.

“I knew the look and attires would be perfect on you.

The lady has a soft and endearing features; it would have been a waste to not have taken advantage of those marvelous attributes.”

I moved in silence, while Ms. Vesta talked so nicely about me.

“Have you thought about where to eat breakfast?

I hope you did not forget.” Ms. Vesta and I were walking on the large hall.

She was in front of me, while I tried to catch up.

“Ah, the greenhouse.” I gave the answer without thinking much.

“Oh, perfect choice.”

We kept walking on the long hallway and finally came in front of some big stairs that led down.

In front of the stairs was an enormous window that showed the view of the meadow.

Ms. Vesta stopped, making me startle.

I also stopped and waited for her.

“Mhm, I have forgotten to say this.” She turned around and bowed down to me.

“Welcome to Ephamour Empire, lady Liliana.

But most importantly, welcome to Kunzite Palace.”