Korea has fallen victim to rule of 1800s England and the wealthy Park family has been entrusted by Queen Victoria to Rule over South Korea.
In a time flooded with the social flaws of old England, Thai orphan Lalisa Manoban struggles to survive in t...
Whispering a silent prayer under my breath I approach the small wooden gate of the servant’s quarters; this is my last chance. Getting to the gate was the easy bit, now I must survive one day unpaid probation. If I succeed, I'll have a roof over my head, food in my stomach and a clean change of clothes, without the holes and stains that make my current ones so distasteful. If I fail, I'll have exhausted my opportunities for work and will most likely perish on the harsh streets of Seoul.
Cautiously approaching the slim wooden door, I leave a tentative knock and patiently wait for a response. She opens the door; condescending scowl resides somewhat permanently on her face as she takes in my appearance with what seems to be utter disgust. I squirm under the harsh gaze of her old, wrinkled eyes.
"Well?" sarcasm, great.
"I-I'm Lalisa Manoban, I'm h-here for the j-job" I stutter as confidently as I can, I desperately need this job. "Well don't just stand there, in you come." I follow her inside, anxiety turning in my head. My heart pounds against my ribcage begging me to run, run! But I can’t, this is my last chance.
Inside was dark and somewhat dusty, small white cots all perfectly made with white sheets and brown winter blankets lined either wall of each room we walked by. Most of the blankets have hole but I still long for their protection from the cold bite of a winter night.
"I am Madam Prudence, you shall address me as such. I am extremely busy so practice independence, if your work ethic is found to be appropriate by sunset, you'll receive a uniform. If not, you'll receive the boot, understand?" Wow, I have never seen someone's eyebrow rise so high.
"Yes Madam"
She curtly nods and motions me to follow. Soon we approach a beautifully gold trimmed door that shines in contrast to the bare timber walls of the hallway, I gasp at the sheer beauty of the formal palace residing on the other side. Unfortunately, my moment of admiration abruptly ends as I realie Prudence is still walking.
She flings opens a set of French-doors with matching gold trim, pausing slightly with her arms spread wide for quite effective dramatics. The doors reveal a large ballroom decorated in in a variety of creams and golds. To the left, was a small stage with a grand piano and room for a small orchestra. The room was skirted with balconies, allowing for guests to have full view of the dance floor in the centre. Sofas were scattered under the balconies and large chandeliers of crystal and gold adorned the ceiling, providing a strong source of light. Straight ahead stood three proud thrones at the top of a short flight of stairs, behind them floor-to-ceiling red curtains were drawn back, allowing for the sun to shine through the prominent window. The sun glowing through the window was breathtaking and the room as a whole was utterly overwhelming.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
(Just imagine the window is hidden by floor-to-ceiling red curtains with 3 thrones in front)
"The Queen wishes to hold princess parks debutant ball her in 3 months’ time, but the floors must be cleaned before the decorators can begin. You said you had experience in housekeeping?"
