Scarlett was sweating by the time she dragged herself into the dining hall. Her back was aching and her legs were shaking from the repetitive motions that Prince Cade had put her through. The constant up and down motion as she switched between the two kneeling positions had taken a toll on muscles she didn't know she had.

"Hello Miss Amaris," someone said as she entered the room. Scarlett looked up and saw an older servant standing in front of her. The older woman reached out her hand and Scarlett shook it. "I am Shay. Miss Ava found me earlier today and asked me to keep an eye out for you. I saw you earlier during breakfast, but you disappeared before I could introduce myself. Did you just get out of a session with Prince Cade?"

"Hi, I'm Scarlett. Yes, ma'am. He dismissed me when someone came to get him for a meeting. I was hoping there was some food here." Scarlett hesitated as she looked at the older woman.

"Nice to meet you, Scarlett. The dining hall is open all of the time, but sometimes the pickings are going to be slim. There are always small snacks that can be found, but full meals are only served at specific times. Miss Ava should have left a schedule in your room sometime today."

As Shay led her through the room, Scarlett took in the dining hall. She had been so nervous this morning that she had only scarfed down her food before heading out to meet Prince Cade. The hall was practically empty at the moment, only a couple of servants were there wiping down the tables. Shay led her through the room and to a door in the back.

"This is the pantry. Any leftovers and snacks will be here." She opened the door and Scarlett stared at the pantry in wonder. Food was scattered on the shelves. Fresh fruit and vegetables lay in bowls along the shelves. Baked items wrapped loosely in towels and placed in baskets.

"I can eat any of this?"

"Yes. All servants are permitted to eat as much as they'd like. The only requirement is that you eat at least 2 out of 3 of the meals and that you always eat before a scene."

Scarlett reached out and pulled an apple from a bucket. The skin was a bright green color and, as she rubbed her finger over the skin, firm. She lifted the apple to her mouth and bit into the fruit. A crisp, tangy flavor filled her mouth as she chewed on the fruit.

"You can grab a couple of other things to bring back to your room if you'd like. You will be in charge of disposing of them though. If bugs are found in your room, it will be reported to Prince Cade. Dinner won't be served for another few candle marks and it's expected that you'll be there."

"Looking forward to it." Scarlett grabbed a couple of interesting looking items from the pantry. She took another bite of the apple before speaking again. "If I have any questions, who should I talk to?"

"Well-"

"I can take over from here, Miss Shay." A voice cut in from behind them. Scarlett hissed as her back slammed into the door as she spun around to face the newcomer. "My apologies. I hope you're not hurt."

"Miss Ava." Shay bowed her head before scurrying out of the room.

"Miss Ava." Scarlett tried to copy Shay's bow, but her back ached and she almost dropped her snacks as she leaned into the bow.

"It's alright." Ava put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a safer position. "Would you like to sit down while I answer your question?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Scarlett followed the other woman over to the nearest table and the two sat across from each other. Scarlett continued to munch on her apple as she waited for Ava to say something.

"His Royal Highness thought you may have had some questions. So, he sent me to find you while he took a meeting with his mother."

"Oh. That was...nice of him."

"He needs you to be well-trained. For that to happen, you must be well-informed. So, what would you like to know?"

"How do I address other people in the castle?"

"The Royal Family should always be addressed as such. For the staff, it's different. When you are serving Prince Cade, you should address everyone as Sir or Ma'am. When you are not serving the Prince, you are free to refer to everyone by their title or their name, whatever feels most comfortable to you and them."

"Okay. Where do I sit during the meals?"

"When serving Prince Cade, you will be given either a chair or a cushion on which to sit. When you are not serving the Prince, you may sit wherever you please."

"Thank you! That is very helpful."

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"Of course, Prince Cade sent me to help you. If you have any further questions, Prince Cade is who you go-to if you have any questions regarding your contract or service. If he is unavailable, I may be able to help you. You can also seek out any of the older servants if you have any questions about your schedule. I've left that in your room for you."

"Thank you, Miss Ava."

"If you have no more questions, I will be leaving. Would you like me to walk you back to your room?"

"That would be..." Scarlett thought about this morning. About the rush to try and find her way to the dining room. The halls that all looked the same and the doors that she couldn't bring herself to open. She had managed to find a group of maids and had followed them. Thankfully they had been headed to the dining hall for breakfast. "That would be really nice actually. The halls in this place all look the same."

"It takes some getting used to. If you need help getting around, the guards and the maids will both be able to help you." Ava stood up and waved Scarlett to her side. "Come on. I'll show you how to get to your room from the dining hall."

"Thank you."

Scarlett followed Ava down the hall, taking notes of the couple of turns that they took. The two passed a series of doors with the same sigil on them that was on Scarlett's own door. All of them had a letter drawn next to it, some of them with a second letter.

"What does that symbol mean?" Ava turned to her when she spoke.

"It's the symbol for an owned submissive. The symbol inside is used to mark the gender of the submissive. The letter next to it indicates who owns the submissive. Your door has a C on it for Prince Cade. Some of the doors have a second letter if there is more than one individual with the same first letter. The rooms of the dominants are marked with a shield."

“Oh, that makes sense. Are the rooms for submissives and dominants separated?”

“For the most part, they are. The rooms are first separated based on someone’s role in the household. Royalty is not left near the servants and the guards don’t stay next to the cooks. After that, we try to separate the rooms to allow both the dominants and submissives their space. There are cases where some submissives have a clause in their contract that they provide afterhours support to their dominants. Those submissives are housed in rooms closer to the dominants.”

Scarlett nodded, tucking herself to the side as a couple of guards passed by. A little while longer and the two were standing in front of Scarlett’s door.

“Head on in and open your schedule. It’s been enchanted to read itself to you, so don’t worry about not being able to understand it. You’re expected at dinner today, but other than that you are free for the rest of the day. Any door marked with a red X is completely off-limits. You are not permitted to enter the rooms of any other dominants but, if invited, you may go into the room of other submissives. Other than that, you are free to explore the castle. Your schedule starts tomorrow.”

“Clear, ma’am. Thank you.”

“Have a good day. I will see you at dinner.” Ava left Scarlett standing alone outside of her room. Scarlett hesitated, thumbing the weighty key, before opening the door and heading in. The previous night she had merely laid in bed and waited for sleep to take her; this afternoon she was able to take in the room she was given.

Ivory curtains blocked the sun from blaring into the room. A sliver of light shone from the window onto the wooden bedframe. A dark blue sheet was crumpled on the bed, having been thrown there this morning when she woke. The rest of the room was scarce and filled with her own items. She had placed her clothes in the small dresser at the end of her bed. A few rings that she had brought with her were sitting neatly on top of the dresser. A new wardrobe had been moved into the room, tucked against the far wall where a lone mirror hung. A letter was placed on her bedside table, closed with a dark red wax seal. She hurried over to the table and carefully tore open the letter. A soothing voice began to drift from the letter. She tried to follow along as the letter was read.

Dear Ms. Amaris,

In the wardrobe are your new uniforms. If there is an issue with the size, let Prince Cade know. You are to wear those outfits every day that you are serving or working with Prince Cade. On your off days you may wear whatever you would like. The training necklace must be worn at all times, however, as it identifies who you are to palace servants.

She turned back to the dresser and noticed a silver necklace laying next to where the letter had been. The chain was made of metal and cool to the touch. A small gold feather pendant hung from the chain. Her fingers stroked over the metal before she turned her attention back to the letter.

Enclosed you will find your day-to-day schedule for this week. The only people who can alter this schedule are Prince Cade and me. If we must send a change of schedule, it will come with the same dark red seal. You will receive a new schedule, your permanent schedule, on Sunday evening. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the maids or other servants.

Your schedule will be as follows:

You are expected to wake before the first bell has rung.

At the first, third, and fifth bell you will be checking in with Prince Cade. These check-ins will take place in the dining hall. During this time, it will be expected that you serve his meal.

Between the first and third bell you will receive two hours of writing tutoring and two hours of reading tutoring. These meetings will take place in the library.

After the third bell has rung and lunch has been served and eaten, you will have your training with Prince Cade. These training sessions will take place in Prince Cade’s study.

After your training sessions it is expected that you bathe. The baths can be found in the outer house.

You are expected to eat before any training sessions. You are also expected to consume at least 2 meals a day. It is expected that you bathe at least once a day and that you keep up your hygiene.

During times that you have nothing scheduled, you are allowed to roam the castle but you are expected to behave. You have free access to the library and other common rooms. These rooms will have no locks on their doors. If a door has a lock, you must have permission to enter the room.

Violation of any of these rules can result in your termination.

-The Prince’s Advisor, Ava

Scarlett stared at the note in her hand as she tried to absorb the information it contained. She had been given so many rules over the past day. How to address people and what rooms she could go into. Where she was expected to be and at what times. The positions that the Prince had taught her. The layout of the castle. It wasn’t even the fourth bell yet, but her head was aching and she wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. Instead she walked over to the wardrobe and pulled the door open. Five dresses hung in the wardrobe. She carefully touched the light blue dress.

She hesitated, fingers teasing the fringe of her current outfit. She slid the clothes off, folding them and placing them in the basket by the door. She slid the blue dress off the hanger, leaving the black corset still on the hook. The dress fabric was soft and silky as she slowly slid it down her body. The dress hung low enough that it would have to be arranged around her legs when she was kneeling. A conservative amount of fabric covered her breasts. The rest of the top was made of a sheer black lace, woven in a diamond pattern. A bow tied neatly at the neckline. The sleeves clung to her arms, ending right past her elbows.

She pulled the corset out of the closet, loosening the ties so she could fit the material over her body. The corset laced-up in the front. Scarlett laced up the material with unsure fingers, fumbling over the lacings and the material as she did. The black leather stood out against the blue fabric. The corset covered her torse, beginning around her waist, and covered the bottom of her breasts.

Scarlett stared at her reflection in the mirror, taking in her appearance. She knew that the clothing looked good on her. She had seen enough gowns and dresses to know that aesthetically, this outfit looked good. It made her look good. The blue dress complimented her red hair well. The black corset helped to highlight her assets without crossing the unwritten line of being too revealing. Everything fit well and complemented each other.

But something felt off. Even though the dress was the right size, it felt constricting. The sleeves of the dress felt too tight on her arms. The flowing material was both too tight and too loose. She was embarrassed by the amount of cleavage that the dress showed. No matter how she turned to look at herself in the mirror or how much she fiddled with the material, she looked wrong in the mirror.

She forced her attention away from the mirror. The collar stood out against the wood of the dresser. She allowed herself to stroke the cool metal again, small goosebumps racing up her arm. Tomorrow would be her first time being truly ‘claimed’ by Prince Cade. Hopefully it wouldn’t be her last as well.