"Ugh, I'm exhausted!" Clarita, a fellow servant with a maid attire and hair tinted pink, yawned. Both of her hands braced the edge of the fountain she was cleaning as she stared into her tired reflection's sullen eyes in the water.
Her eyes closed and her head began to dip into the water when Evia grabbed her shoulder and shook her awake, "H-Hey! If Señora Marisana finds us slacking off, we'd be done for!"
Her fellow servant leaned to the side sleepily, so she continued, "You don't want to break another fountain again, don't you?"
That comment did the trick. Clarita's eyes widened in shock then narrowed in anger, "What do you mean again? I never broke a fountain!"
"Then make sure you don't." Clarita grumbled, which Evia took as a yes to doing her job.
Tonight, Arroga palace stands center stage as it hosts an important event: Princess Basilia de Arro's 14th birthday. The servants' workload doubled in size per the head maid's orders. Several people worked all night at the Banquet Hall to wipe every window clean and sweep the marble floor spotless. Rumor has it that the entire team of chefs haven't slept since last night to prepare food for hundreds of nobles and other guests pouring in from every part of the continent, from the Royal Island to Itabakan.
The church bell rang three times, signalling that it was three o'clock.
"Oh, it's snack time," Evia couldn't help but mutter.
Clarita gazed at the source of the sound, the tall brick-walled tower of the Levant cathedral in the distance, and turned to her fellow servant with worry etched into her features, "Hey, Evia, aren't you supposed to bring the princess her lunch? You're late!"
Surprisingly, the thin line formed by Evia's lips never fell, "Oh, I knew I was going to take long cleaning the garden, so I sent Neva in my stead."
Clarita sighed in relief, "Oh, thank Levant. I thought you'd be sent to burn."
Evia nodded in acknowledgement, then continued to snip the uneven leaves of a bush. Over the past few weeks, the princess has sent three people to burn at the stake. The first accidentally spilled tea unto her dress, the second laughed boisterously while she was in the room, and the third simply flashed a grin at her direction. The sovereign's orders were final, expected to be carried out with a snap of a finger.
Burning at the stake was first implemented by Princess Basilia's grandmother, Queen Narcissa as a method to get rid of people who refused to convert to the Levant faith. Her successor and son, King Felipe did not believe in using such a violent tool for the kingdom, and so it declined during his rule. Almost a hundred years later, Princess Basilia revived the method, albeit for a different purpose than religion.
"Hey, kids!" Noel's loud voice reached their ears as he made his way towards the two.
Evia greeted him with a nod, "Good afternoon, Sir Noel."
He raised his eyebrows in near disappointment, "C'mon, seven years and you still can't call me your father?"
"It's, uh, extremely difficult to change an old habit," she cleared her throat and changed the subject, "How is Mercedes?"
The captain scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "She got into her first- no, third brawl this week. I heard some guy said she talked a lot for a woman, so he splintered a wooden table with his teeth!"
Evia chuckled once with the ghost of a smile on her lips. Her foster sister was a complete force of nature ever since she could stand on her two feet and close her hands.
They didn't realize Clarita was listening in on their conversation until she asked, "Sir Noel, are you here to raid the winehouse?"
He laughed in astonishment, "Raid the winehouse? No! I'm here to oversee the increased defenses for tonight's party. Besides, I've sworn off drinking."
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Find the Virtues
Fanfiction(Cover by katieishere) (As of now, please start reading from Chapter 5) (A Parody Series of MOTHY's Evillious Chronicles) In this universe, the four main Gods created three worlds. The first was their home but it was destroyed, prompting them to es...
