It had been 2 days since Joey left for his errand, he had yet to return. Remuria was preparing her usual brew of chamomile tea in the castle pantry. She found It odd that she hadn’t spotted Joey at all the past few days. Yet, she had not made much effort to look for her trainee. The castle was home to hundreds of servants at any given time, hence, it was not unusual for staff to be reassigned to different areas of the castle or to be assigned to different seniors. Remuria was sure she would see Joey eventually.

“Remuria, have you seen Joey recently?” a voice interrupted, it came from Aziv: a fellow butler.

“No, I have not seen him for the last two days. Has anyone else seen him?”

“Not to my knowledge, it seems he just disappeared.” Aziv replied, his hands scratching the back of his head.

“That’s odd, he seemed so enthusiastic, did something happen to him?” Remuria asked back.

“His house was in a relatively secure location in the capital, so attacks by thugs and the like shouldn’t be likely.”

“But not completely out of the question. Isn’t it?”

“I suppose that’s true. At any rate, let’s hope for the best, I’ll see you later Remuria.”

“Likewise, Aziv.”

Several more days passed, yet, not a single soul within the castle had seen any sign of Joey. Not only that, there had been more rumors that several other butlers had also not been seen as of late. The situation had escalated enough to where Remuria was instructed by Queen Phaedra to hold a meeting with all servants within the castle.

Remuria gathered hundreds of servants within the castle's great hall. It was filled with a diverse range of people, including butlers, bakers, chefs, gardeners, and horse handlers, who had all been called to attend. It was not typical for the great hall to host such a gathering, as it was usually reserved for the nobility and those invited personally by the monarchs, but, the current situation warranted an exception. As everyone chatted amongst themselves, rumors circulated about the missing individuals, spreading a growing sense of unease throughout the room.

"I heard a rumor that Joey, the new servant, went missing!" whispered one servant to another.

"Joey's not the only one. Carmen's disappeared too!" another other servant replied.

"What about Adrian?" asked the first servant, panic evident in her voice.

"I haven't seen him in days, he's probably gone missing as well!" exclaimed the second servant.

"I'm right here," grumbled Adrian, annoyed at being overlooked.

"Oh, apologies Adrian. We didn't realize you were there," one of the servants replied with an awkward laugh.

Remuria walked up a stairway so that she could be visible to all in the great hall.

"Cough, Cough, excuse me, may I have your attention?"

The noise within the hall slowly faded. After a few seconds, barely any sound could be heard.

After the hall was completely silent, Remuria began to speak, “Thank you all for coming here today, as some of you may know, Queen Phaedra has instructed me to gather all of us here to discuss the disappearances of 9 of our fellow servants to the Ishgrian crown.”

“To keep things structured and productive, I will request that nobody speak unless they are invited to do so. If you understand this, give a salute to the crown.”

The sounds of hundreds of hands thumping could be heard, as hundreds of people placed their right hands over their chest in unison. They all knew the Ishgrian salute by heart, since the days they were young, as was taught to them by their parents, and their grandparents before them.

“Excellent, I will now continue.” Remuria then proceeded to list the names of those servants who had gone missing: Argos, Bernadette, Barnes, Carmen, Dreskov, Elias, Elim, Helena, and Joey. Some of them disappeared together, others were deemed missing at different times. Yet, all disappeared only recently, the first disappearance being that of Barnes who went missing approximately one week ago when he went out for a night of drinks. No clues about the whereabouts of any of the missing servants had been discovered so far.

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“I have petitioned the head of the royal guards to form search parties who will investigate the disappearances, we can expect to hear from them in a week’s time.”

Many in the audience exchanged nervous glances, silently conveying their fears. How many more would vanish before the investigation concluded?

“I am aware that these are trying times, but the royal guards have assured me that the investigation will be done as thoroughly and as swiftly as possible.”

As Remuria finished her words, a member of the crowd raised their hand. She was Bertha, one of the royal chefs.

“Yes? You may speak.” Remuria encouraged.

“What of the mages? Surely, the court's most accomplished sorcerers could delve into these mysterious disappearances with their magic?”

"My apologies for not clarifying earlier. I've taken the liberty to consult with skilled mages, both within and beyond the castle walls. Unfortunately, none have been able to offer any solutions. Regrettably, their clairvoyant abilities only extend to the living, and cannot be utilized to track those who have died." Remuria explained, her voice tinted with disappointment.

"So, you're saying the nine of us who disappeared are beyond rescue? They are truly deceased?" Bertha asked, hoping to be proven wrong.

“Unfortunately, that appears to be the case.” Remuria replied with a solemn tone.

Bertha sank back into her seat at Remuria's words. Her mind refused to accept the reality that her dear friends may have been lost forever. The mere thought of it brought a deep sense of sorrow to her chest, and a tear welled up in her eye.

Remuria tried her best to continue the meeting. Yet, the somber atmosphere of the meeting hall made meaningful discourse difficult. It was as if a thick smoke had choked the air out of everyone in the meeting hall. Remuria decided to end the meeting early, dismissing everyone.

It was a difficult time for Remuria. She was already someone who had dealt with a great loss, yet, she was forced to address loss once again and bear the weight of everyone’s expectations. It broke her heart seeing her colleagues seem so despondent.

Remuria found herself in Rhea’s chambers once more. It was one of the few places where she felt secure, where she felt comfort, where she could just be. She sat herself down on the floor, leaning on the bed frame, and let out a heavy sigh. The day had been taxing for the head butler. Every part of her body felt sore, even her eyelids wanted to give out and collapse in on themselves.

The head butler cast a wistful gaze towards the ornate standing mirror positioned before her. Memories flooded her mind, taking her back to the times when she would assist Rhea with her dresses and styling her hair. The thought brought Remuria so much joy, as if she were reliving a dream, how she wished she could have those days back. But those days are gone, and Remuria knew this.

The head butler stood up and went to lock the door to the late princess’s bedroom. Remuria wanted to have her moment alone, she wanted to rest, desperately. She’ll deal with the consequences of sleeping outside her assigned quarters another day. Remuria plopped herself onto Rhea’s bed. For now, sleep…

Rermuria’s dreams were a wonderful place, for it was where she could live out the best version of her life. Since she was a child, Remuria was gifted with the ability to dream lucidly, allowing her some control over what she saw in her dreaming mind. Lately, her dreams were recollections of time spent with Rhea.

In her dream, Remuria was walking through a beautiful garden, filled with vibrant and colorful flowers. The sun was shining, and a gentle breeze was blowing. She saw Rhea in the distance, standing under a large oak tree, her long black hair shining in the sunlight. This version of the late princess was from before her sickness and rebirth. Her eyes were still an emerald green. Her skin, while fair, wasn’t the ashen pale it was when the princess had passed.

“What took you so long?” Rhea asked with a smile.

“I’m sorry, it’s been a long day.” Remuria responded with a smile of her own.

The two sat under the oak tree and talked. Though the princess wasn’t actually there, it did not matter to Remuria. This shadow of what once was, to Remuria, was more than enough.

“I’m not sure what to do without you Rhea, when I wake up, you’ll be gone once more.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Rhea replied with a smug grin.

“What do you mean?” Remuria asked, a puzzled look on her face.

“I’m alive, Remuria.”

“No, that cannot be, you’re just a ghost. The real Rhea is dead, I saw her being buried with my own eyes.”

Suddenly, Rhea's appearance shifted. Her eyes darkened into deep crimson, her skin fading into a hauntingly pallid hue.

"I'm alive and well, Remuria, I truly am," Rhea said, her voice almost too low to hear.

Remuria struggled to find her voice. "This must be a nightmare," she said, her words coming out in a near-whisper. "It will all be over soon."

But Rhea's reply was cold and certain. "Oh, this is very real, Remuria, and the later you accept it, the likelier you will lose me again."

Panic seized Remuria's chest, and she felt the urge to flee rising within her. "Wait, what do I need to do?" she asked.

"You'll need to stop me," Rhea replied, looking straight into Remuria’s amber eyes.

"Stop you from what?" Remuria asked, her heart beating faster with each passing moment.

"From killing you."