Her new life

After Laila had stared at her belly for what seemed to be at least half an hour, she was finally ready to explore the rest of her new life. She searched the different closets for the one that contained her clothes and got dressed. When she arrived downstairs, she was greeted by two young looking women. One was short, blond, bubbly looking woman in her early twenties. The other was a bit older, slim, brunette. They both bowed lightly and addressed her as "Madam". Though Laila had staff before, she didn't think that she would have them in this life as well. She looked around as she gave polite smiles to the young women.

As one helped her get seated for breakfast, the other laid out her napkin and filled her glass with water. After that the tall woman left and the bubbly one who had pushed her chair closer to the table asked her, "Did you sleep well madam? Master Stephens told us to not disturb you until you came down on your own. He said that you seemed a bit tired this morning. Do you wish for me to ask the kitchen to make you some chicken bone soup in order to increase your iron?"

Laila felt somewhat caught off guard by that question and was surprised that Noah had noticed something was off so quickly. But then again, he had known her since birth. He had always been quite perceptive when it came to her. So, maybe she shouldn't be surprised that he would notice his wife being replaced by another her. Or at least that is how she thinks this works. She gave another faint smile and nodded, to which the young woman stood up and headed into the kitchen. As she did, the first one came back out and poured her a cup of tea and handed her the morning paper, before heading back in the direction she had come from.

Laila enjoyed a quiet cup of tea and read the paper as she waited for her chicken soup to be done. Once the fragrant smells filled the room, she placed her paper to the side and looked in the direction of what she assumed was the kitchen door. Just seconds later, the girl who had gone to give her request to the chef, came back out carrying a large bowl of steaming soup and the brown haired girl who had poured her tea, held a basket of freshly backed hard bread.

No sooner had the bowl and the basket been placed down or did Laila start eating. The smell was incredible and the taste even more so. While she enjoyed the best bowl of soup she had ever tasted, Laila decided to try and find out a bit more about her new life. Carefully she started by asking more about the two women in front of her. "Thank you. This was exactly what I needed." With a surprised look on her face the young blond woman quickly answered, "Y-yes of course. You are most welcome madam."

Though Laila didn't understand the woman's reaction, she paid it no mind as she had much to find out and she didn't know how much time she had before Noah's return from work. So, she went in for another question. Using her current status as a pregnant woman as an excuse, she asked, "Sorry for asking this but my brain isn't what it used to be. This pregnancy is really making me forgetful. Could you tell me your names again?"

Again she was met with a look of surprise but they complied and as they prepared to reintroduce themselves, Laila said, "Why don't you girls sit down and keep me company for a bit. I would love to hear about more about you. My mind is drawing a complete blanc today." Their eyes widened and they looked at each other for a bit before awkwardly taking a seat next to Laila. After Laila had offered them a cup of tea and told them to help themselves to anything that was on the table, the introductions and their talk could start.

The blond girl introduced herself as Giselle. She had moved here from a neighbouring country and had come here to financially help her family back at home. The tall, brunette said her name was Gretchen. She too came from another country, the same country as Giselle. They had come from their country together and knew each other from back home. Just like Noah and she, they were childhood friends. In Gretchen's case, she didn't have to help her family out but she had just gotten engaged when Giselle decided to move for this job. She wanted to take on a job as well to help out her fiancé in paying for the wedding and after that she stuck around because she liked her work and the pay was good.

They sat and talked like that for quite some time. After some time Laila asked them, "Why do you girls look like you have seen a ghost? Am I making you uncomfortable with my questions? If so, I am sorry. I was just curious about you but if you don't like to talk to me about these things, I won't mind and I will leave you to your work." Quickly they both shook their hands and heads and said, "No, no. Not at all madam. It is just a bit surprising as you have never taken any interest in us like this before."