Chapter 3
Dinner time came, and she immediately told her friends of the good news that she had received from the Madam and that they could be together in the servant's quarters.
"Finally Aurora your luck has been in the slumps for a while now," Evelyn added.
"You must be serving someone important for them to assign you such duties dedicated to them." Agnes chimed in.
"I hope you don't leave us behind," Ida added dramatically.
"Don't get on a horse and sail off to the sunset," Lucy added melodramatically.
"You all need to stop, the only reason I told you about this is the opportunity that I have to stay in the servant's quarters has finally risen."
"Did Madam give you any rules?" Barbara asked.
"Yes, she said that I belonged to the palace strictly and that I was not allowed to have any relations with men."
"Madam needs to loosen up, we all don't want to end up as spinsters such as herself, we all won't be noticed by the king or let alone the prince so why should we bother. We are at the bottom of the barrel as the maidens from outstanding families are the ones that are chosen as concubines and no one ever spares a glance at the peasants, us the maids." Agnes added in angrily.
"It's totally ridiculous how we lose our jobs the minute we decide to marry or get outed for having relations with men. You really can't trust anyone here as someone might be eyeing your position and jobs are scarce for women." Evelyn added in.
"How did you respond to her?" Lucy asked her.
"I complied obviously."
"Madam is really scary if I say so myself, I spoke with her once and I was shaking in the knees when she scrutinized me with her gaze," Ida added.
"I won't lie I was a bit afraid, but she does understand our needs for companions."
"How so Aurora? She does not speak out against the laws." Agnes replied.
"I think it would not end well for her too, who has ever opposed the king and has a happy ending."
"Fair point but why do you say she understands us?" Evelyn asked between bites.
"Well, she said it was a shame that I was a beauty but I would need to sacrifice one so I could live."
"If beauty truly mattered you would be living off well Aurora, you are a rare gem but the status of the family matters the most," Ida added.
"Very much true, maybe in your next life," Evelyn added.
"I want us to be together in our next lives, living lavishly and treated like the queens we are."
"Cheers to that Aurora," Agnes said loudly.
They had garnered a bit of attention which was not unusual for them as they were a mix of very opinionated bunch.
"I have to love and leave you all, it's already late and dark, hopefully, the moon is on my side."
"Be careful Aurora," Lucy added.
"Hopefully you are moved into the servant's quarters very soon." This time it was Barbara.
"I'm counting down the days and maybe one day we all could be in the same quarters." Agnes chimed in.
Aurora said her goodbyes and went outside, the moon was half-covered by the clouds, she sighed. Hopefully, it would soon that she wouldn't have to make these trips back and forth.
They were very time-consuming and her energy was low after all the work that she did during the course of the day.
It would be nice to just eat dinner and chat with her friends, then walk to her living quarters and go to bed.
She put on her cloak and made her way back home. She cycled carefully, making sure she didn't bump anything.
She needed to be careful or else she could break her neck easily from falling off her bicycle. Aurora made it back home safely and got in her small room which was as cold and hollow as outside.
Aurora closed the door and immediately switched on the candle. She was glad for the little light she had. Candles were very expensive and hard to come by so she could not keep it on for long, just enough to take off her clothes and climb into her bed.
She huddled up trying to keep herself warm the best way that she could, yet the wind was seeping in under the door.
Such cold nights were miserable but they would not last long she was very exhausted and she would need every lick of sleep she could get.
Aurora sat up when she realized she had not studied the paper madam had given to her, she contemplated if she should do it in the morning but she knew better, it would be better to study it now and brush up in the morning.
She switched on her candle again, and she huddled up beneath her blanket, she read the rules written on the paper.
RULES FOR THE CHAMBERS:
1. YOU SHALL NOT BE LATE FOR WORK EVER!
2. CHAMBERS MUST BE CLEANED THOROUGHLY, THERE MUST BE NO SPECK OF DUST AND THE CHAMBERS MUST BE LEFT SPOTLESS.
3. YOUR DUTIES COMMENCE WHEN BREAKFAST IS BEING HELD.
4. YOU HAVE AN HOURGLASS TO NAVIGATE YOUR TIME WHICH YOU GET STRICTLY AN HOUR AND A HALF TO DO YOUR JOB.
5. YOU ARE TO TAKE THEIR AFTERNOON TEA AT 4 IN THE AFTERNOON SHARP.
6. YOU ARE AT THEIR BECK AND CALL.
7. REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE AN RELATIONSHIP OUTSIDE THE PALACE IF YOU DO, YOU ARE TO BE STRIPPED OF YOUR DUTIES IMMEDIATELY.
8. THE PALACE COMES FIRST AND ANY BEHAVIOUR OR ACTIONS THAT BRING SHAME WILL HAVE HARSH PUNISHMENTS AND CONSEQUENCES.
9. ANY ILLNESSES MUST BE DISPUTED IN A TIMELY MANNER, SO THE RISK OF IT SPREADING IS CURVED.
10. AT TIMES YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO SERVE THROUGH THE NIGHT AND TO WAIT AND CATER BANQUETS BUT THAT WILL BE DISCLOSED TO YOU IN ADVANCE AND TRAINING IS PROVIDED, YOUR SERVICES WILL BE REMUNERATED.
11. SHOULD YOU COME ACROSS ANY PROBLEMS, OR IF YOU ARE NOT SURE OF A SITUATION IT SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE MADAM IMMEDIATELY!
12. YOUR SERVICES AT TIMES WILL BE EXTENDED TO OTHER ELITE MEMBERS SUCH AS THE CONCUBINES.
13. NO SHOULD NOT BE IN YOUR VOCABULARY. ANY PUNISHMENTS HANDED DOWN FROM THE ROYALS ARE OUTSIDE THE MADAM'S JURISDICTION AND CAN NOT BE HELPED AND APPROPRIATE MEASURES ARE DECIDED BY THE HIGHER-UPS.
14. YOU ARE TO ADDRESS THEM WITH THEIR APPROPRIATE TITLES, AND YOU ARE NOT TO LOOK AT THEM IN THE EYE AND YOUR HEAD MUST BE LOWERED AT ALL TIMES UNLESS PERMITTED TO.
15. LASTLY REMEMBER THAT THEIR NEEDS COME BEFORE YOU AT ALL TIMES.
Aurora felt a bit nervous at the rules, they seemed to be very strict and punishing towards the workers.
If she were to be falsely accused or make a mistake she could have her hand chopped off and the Madam would not have a say in it. She would be also as powerless as she is.
After a few more reads she decided to switch off her candle and she vowed to herself that she would not break any of these rules as they were her lifeline.
She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
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