The Grand Ballroom was easy enough to find. She followed a pair of uniformed maids down the hall until she arrived in a huge room that was large enough to comfortably accommodate the church and its ground under its tall, domed ceiling. Men were at work scrubbing the skylights and windows high overhead, casting comically large shadows on the floor.

Cas joined the dozen or so maids who were assembled in the middle of the room under Ms Vilstid’s watchful eye, sounding so much like a flock of sparrows as they twittered amongst themselves. Ms Vilstid’s eyes locked onto Cas, and she heaved a sigh of resignation. Things were off to a rocky start She then noticed that Verna was not amongst the gathered maids and wondered where she could be.

Upon seeing the head maid’s face change, the others fell silent, and Ms Vilstid addressed the room. “Ladies, as some of you have heard, in precisely six days, this very room will host some of the most powerful and influential men from across five continents.”

“We’ve heard, ma’am,” one of the maids said excitedly. “But what is the occasion? It’s been years since the last…”

The young maid’s voice trailed off under Ms Vilstid’s withering gaze. At length, the old woman relented and sighed. “The master did tell me to share some details, even though the lot of you are incorrigible gossips…”

The gathered maids leaned forward in anticipation as Ms Vilstid, seemingly savouring the moment, took a deep breath. “The master expects this weekend’s banquet to be a stage for the major powers to pledge their support in keeping our fair city a free force in any upcoming conflicts.”

Almost at once, a dozen voices began speaking.

“My cousin was displaced by the war…”

“My sister said she saw a great warship sail into the South Port…”

“Does this mean war is coming to our doorstep?”

“Ladies,” Ms Vilstid silenced the room with a single word. She massaged her temples before continuing. “I know the news of war in the south has distressed many of us, but our lord wishes to stress that this banquet will be a declaration to any aggressors that the world’s powers will not stand idly by if our city is ever threatened.”

“That’s wonderful news!” someone cried.

“It is,” Ms Vilstid said, nipping a rising cheer in the bud. “And our fair house has the honour of hosting such a momentous declaration, and it shames me to say that as it stands, it is in no state to host a pub crawl, never mind one of the most important announcements in the Eternal City’s history.”

The head maid paused to look around the room and wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Ladies, we have our work cut out for us. We only have four days to make this room presentable, so let us waste no time.”

She began to bark orders, and the maids fled to carry them out. Cas had been assigned to sweep and she walked towards a stack of brooms leaning against the wall.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” a voice asked.

Cas jumped and turned around to see a freckled, fresh faced young woman grinning at her. “My name’s Samantha, by the way. My friends call me Sammy.”

“Valdra,” she replied.

“If it’s a broom you’re looking for, they’re back at the storeroom,” Sammy said. “I’m heading that way myself.”

“I was just going to use those,” Cas said, pointing at the stack of brooms.

“Did you bring any of those brooms yourself?” Sammy asked with a broad smile.

Cas shook her head.

“Then those aren’t for you to use. You have to get your own from the storeroom,” she giggled when Cas stared at her awkwardly. “I was going to go there myself. Do you want to join me?”

“Yes, please,” Cas mumbled.

“It’s nice to see a new face around here,” Sammy said as she led Cas down the halls. “I was only hired a month ago myself and still get lost in this big old place.”

She then looked around before lowering her voice. “And the others, well they can be a little prickly, especially to newcomers, you know?”

“Do you know why that is?” Cas asked.

Sammy blinked. “Why, I’d never given it much thought. This is my fifth household and it’s the same everywhere.”

“Your fifth?” Cas asked in amazement. “I’ve found that most are reluctant to hire people our age unless we have glowing references.”

“Well, you aren’t wrong,” Sammy shrugged. “But references can be faked, it’s not like every noble knows one another’s signature and sometimes the hirer is too desperate to really follow up…”

“But won’t your lies catch up with you eventually?” Cas asked. “Eventually, someone is going to follow up..."

Sammy’s eyes crinkled as a sheepish smile crossed her face. “Well, that’s part of the reason I’ve worked in five households in the last two years.”

“That’s so dangerous, though!” Cas gasped. “You could get locked up!”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Sammy shrugged, as she led them up a flight of stairs. Cas found this a little odd but assumed the more experienced maid knew where she was going. “Well, the likes of us can’t exactly afford to be choosy, can we?”

The young girl’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh! I didn’t mean to imply…”

“No, you’re right,” Cas said. “It can be hard to find a job out there…”

“Were you let go from your old household, if you don’t mind me asking?” Sammy ventured.

When Cas nodded, the shorter woman leaned in and nudged her with her elbow. “So, did you have to embellish your references to get this job?”

“I…” Cas began.

“Ah, there you are,” Cas turned around and blinked when she saw Verna approaching her with a broad smile on her face. “I’ve been looking for you. Can I borrow her for a moment?”

Cas was taken aback when Verna took her firmly by the arm. Sammy shrugged and turned around before going back down the stairs. When she was gone, Verna whirled around and hissed. “I take your eyes off you for a few hours and you’re spilling your deepest secrets to that viper?”

Cas frowned. “Viper?”

“What were the two of you doing up here, anyway?” Verna demanded. “All that’s up here are private rooms.”

“I don’t know, she said she was taking me to the storeroom…” Cas began and fell silent when she saw the fury on Verna’s face.

“You cannot trust the other maids!” Verna snapped. “I shouldn’t have to tell you that these jobs are coveted, and they assume you’re after their positions. They will do anything to undermine you.”

The blood drained from Cas’ face, and her head began to spin. How could she have been so naïve?

“What have you told her?” Verna demanded.

“Nothing…” Cas began as she tried to recall precisely what she had said.

“Listen, they will make your life difficult and find any excuse to drum you out of this house,” Verna warned. “Do not let your guard down for a moment around those harpies.”

She then paused and frowned. “Why were you going to the storeroom? The man servants brought everything you would need to the ballroom this morning.”

“It appears I was misled,” Cas fumed.

“I hope a gang of scheming women won’t be too much for you to handle,” Verna began.

“I’ll be fine,” Cas promised as she began walking down the stairs.

“Want me to come with you and provide an excuse?” she offered.

“I don’t need you to hold my hand, no,” Cas replied without slowing down.

“Hey,” Verna said sharply, causing Cas to stop and turn around. “Don’t jeopardize the job for the sake of your pride.”

“I will be fine,” Cas repeated before continuing down the stairs.

“Remember, we have a meeting tonight,” Verna said.

“I’ll be there.”

Walking quickly, Cas made her way back to the ballroom to find Sammy whispering into Ms Vilstid’s ear. She walked up to the pair and bowed her head at the head maid.

“I apologize for my absence,” she said.

“Samantha here was just telling me that you asked her to help you find Verna despite me just having given you an assignment,” Ms Vilstid began.

“Oh, I just felt the need to thank her for giving me this fine job with such wonderful colleagues,” Cas said earnestly. “I do apologize for leaving without permission.”

Ms Vilstid looked at her for a moment before shaking her head. “Leave us for a moment, Samantha.”

Sammy’s eyes widened in surprise briefly, but she recovered quickly. “Yes, ma’am.”

When she left, Ms Vilstid noticed a pair of maids sweeping nearby in silence, attempting to overhear their conversation and gave them a baleful look until they moved away. When she was satisfied, the head maid turned her attention back to Cas.

“I am in a bit of a quandary thanks to you,” she said at length.

“Ma’am?” Cas asked.

“The master was alone with you,” Ms Vilstid said. “I need to know what was discussed.”

“It was only for a moment, ma’am,” Cas said quickly. “And I assure you nothing…”

“Silence!” Ms Vilstid snapped.

In the corner of her eye, Cas saw a pair of maids stop sweeping and gape at them openly. Ms Vilstid closed her eyes and took a moment to calm herself before continuing. “Tell me what you discussed.”

“He was just impressed with my ability to tidy up without being seen or heard,” Cas replied.

Ms Vilstid arched an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

“Yes, ma’am. We spoke only for a moment.”

The head maid grunted. “I should warn you that ordinarily, your mistakes today would be grounds for immediate dismissal, but with the ball just four days away, we can ill afford to turn away capable help.”

It was all Cas could do to stop herself from grinning like a fool, and Ms Vilstid continued. “However, don’t think that you won’t be disciplined. You will be docked a week’s wages, and there will be no supper for you today, and I warn you to not try my patience again.”

“No ma’am, I’ve learned my lesson,” Cas replied.

“Good.” Ms Vilstid nodded brusquely. “Now, get to work.”

“What did she say?” Sammy asked as she swept the floor close to where the brooms were kept.

“That I should be more careful with who I befriend,” Cas replied bluntly.

“That’s fair,” Sammy giggled without a hint of remorse. “I should warn you that you shouldn’t get any ideas of working this job once the ball is over. Applications for permanent members of staff are closed.”

“We’ll see about that,” Cas said as she grabbed a broom. She regretted the words as soon as she said them. She wasn’t going to stick around, and making enemies would only get in the way of the job.

“Don’t think you’re the first upstart we’ve run out of this place,” Sammy warned as Cas walked away.

When she began sweeping at the opposite end of the hall, she saw Sammy glaring at her. Cas returned it with equal venom and knew from years of experience that the ragging had only begun. She would have to make an example of this one to make sure the others knew she was not one to be trifled with.

However, sweeping was only the beginning of their labours. Ms Vilstid worked them hard for the rest of the day. There were windows to be wiped, tables to be moved, and a whole host of other tasks, and it was well into the night when they were allowed to retire to their chambers.

By the time Cas entered the room she shared with a dozen other maids, her plan to assert her dominance was forgotten, and all she could think about was bed, and wonder just what it was about this life that she had missed.

As she flopped onto her bed, she found it was soaking wet. As exhausted as she was, she wondered if she should do anything about it. Then, she heard Sammy cackle and leapt to her feet.

“Oh, I just thought you could use a pick me up,” she laughed from the opposite end of the room. “You looked so tired."

Cas approached her and wondered just how she would go about breaking her arms when Verna appeared at the doorway.

"Good evening, cousin," she said tersely. “Have time for a chat?"

The red mist cleared from her eyes, and Cas veered off towards the door. When she arrived, Verna grabbed her by the arm and led her down the hallway.

“Were you about to get into a fight?’ she hissed.

“Of course I wasn’t,” Cas lied, furious with herself.

“Where have you been?” Verna asked. “Did you forget about the meeting?”

“Lay off me, they just dismissed us,” Cas retorted.

“Well, hurry up,” Verna said as she quickened her pace down the empty halls. “The others are waiting.”

Cas suppressed a groan and willed her legs to keep up. She mouthed a silent prayer that the meeting would be over quickly. Ms Vilstid had promised them more work at the break of dawn. At the bottom of the stairs, Verna opened a door to reveal Dirk and Starkey wearing the uniforms of the house valets, sitting at a table. Dirk saw them and raised his glass towards Cas.

“Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think you weren’t coming. Fancy a drink?”