Chapter 42

Amourora has trouble differentiating between the triplets due to their similar appearances, but they would develop different personalities as they grow older. Luna has a birth mark on her neck, easy to cover, otherwise they look identical, she tells them apart due to their demeanors and hairstyles.

Lena usually puts her hair in two braids wrapped around her head, held by a silver hairpin. Being the eldest gives her natural leadership qualities, making her responsible, calm, and attentive, which will be more apparent as she grows up. As of now, both Lena and Luan have similar demeanor and white ribbons on their hair, and both keep their eyes wide open, with a look of either innocence or curiosity.

As they grow, Luna would be cunning and clever, and Luan will be...well, Luan. As naive and kind natured as ever. At Amourora's most insecure time at the Cloud kingdom, she felt safe keeping the blindly obedient and loyal Luan around. She used to think she was such a fool, and didn't know her true value until too late.

Apprentice maids don't usually serve masters, they are trained some other place. However, the triplets are a special case. They belonged to the Delroy family, a serving family to the imperial family for generations, known for their loyalty and attentiveness. Their children are taught the palace rules and trained since young to serve the imperial family.

Sadly, an unfortunate accident happened at their private estate several years ago and many Delroys didn't make it, including the triplets' parents. They were six at the time and the emperor suggested that they were to be brought to the palace to complete their training under the guidance of their grandfather, Bastian Delroy.

However, they were sent to work at different parts of the palace in her last life because of a certain mistake. Lena was sent to the sewing pavilion, Luna worked in the imperial library, and Luan worked as a chamber maid for Avyanna.

Last time, after the ambush, some assassins searched for them to finish them off, so Lena sacrificed herself for the princess by dressing like her and running in the opposite direction, leading the assassins away. Amourora didn't know this until Luan's last moments, when she confessed what happened to her family, she said she is the last remaining member of the Delroy family, and she was glad to have served the princess faithfully until her last breath.

"hand me the list before you go to bed."

How could she be so foolish and trust all her servants? As a place under maximum security, outsiders would need someone on the inside to do their bidding.

For now, not everyone is to be trusted. After the war broke out, many servants fled the palace to seek refuge in a safer place, only few remained. She didn't blame them as she was doing the same by leaving to the Cloud kingdom.

As for the triplets, they have proven their loyalty by sacrificing their lives for her survival, even if it was more convenient for them to run away. She can't say the same about others, though. From now on, she will have to keep a close eye on every one.

Luna came back with some calligraphy books which helped improve her writing, but there's only so much she can write. Amourora apologized in thirteen papers before she got a sore wrist and numb sticky fingers. Lena counted 8,312 words, but Amourora couldn't bear to write more.

She already apologized for breaking rules and betraying trust, emphasizing on her deep regret, and explained how she had fun experiencing everything in the city, shamelessly asking to be allowed to visit again after finishing her punishment, under his consent and supervision this time, of course. She even promised to learn mannerisms in the palace and learn different skills noble ladies learn. And she repeated sentences, but with scrambled words, and separated larger sentences into smaller ones.

'I deeply apologize for not listening to you, you were right, and I now understand that you only did it out of care and concern.', was changed into, 'I am so sorry for breaking the rules, I hope you forgive me' and 'I didn't know having fun would cause so much trouble, I am really sorry.', and 'I know you are only trying to keep me safe.'

In the end, she wrote 'a picture worth a thousand words' on top of three papers and drew an incomprehensible picture of random things, with a little note that said 'sorry'.

Luan had already fell in deep slumber in the couch, and Luna could hardly keep her eyelids open. Lena was still awake, but tired, so she gave the letter to the knights standing guard at her door. They might have been insulted for being treated like messengers, but she didn't have the energy to care about it.

*****

The emperor who was still awake sorting through official documents late in the night, almost laughed when he saw the apology letter. His daughter takes after him on terms of intelligence. A picture worth a thousand words? Seriously?

She really did save herself the trouble.

"are you alright, your majesty?"

"hm."

He nodded, getting off his chair and leaned on the windowsill, reading the letter under the light of the moon and enjoying the smell of the crisp autumn air and the sound of rustling leaves. Brilliant idea. Certainly unusual and risky, but none of the three adults came up with it. So she thinks out of the box...interesting.

*****

The next day, Amourora woke up early. She knew the maids won't visit her until later, so she took the opportunity to read the ancient book. Maylea was right, she could understand fairy language after she signed the contract, but the words were still far too small for her eyes to read clearly, so she shook the sleeping doll awake to read her the text. She thought having been asleep since after dinner would be enough for Maylea. She thought wrong.

Maylea wasn't too pleased, even after she was promised honey bites, small bite-sized cream-filled banana bread rolled in honey and breadcrumbs inserted on a stick. Still, Maylea only read the pages she wanted to read, not what Amourora chose, so it was a good thing they liked similar topics.

But even with the cranky little doll reading, she couldn't fully understand the contents of the book because it was all in poetic riddles that Maylea didn't bother to explain. Not that Amourora was going to ask, could be in fear of getting her finger bitten off by a certain little pretty doll.

'Note to self: 1-never wake up Maylea early. 2-keep prepared snacks around at all times.'

"good."

Amourora almost jumped out in fright, 'whew. Almost forgot she could hear my thoughts.'

"and still can."