Crown's Aide

Chapter 1

The thundering rain outside had been going for a few hours now. Evaenna looked out through the window and found the street almost flooded with rainwater. Thankfully, the residence of the Duke of Limefrost in Nordent was built higher than the ground. "Let's open the window," she said to her maids beside her.

Her maids all frowned. "It's cold out there. You would fall sick, my lady!"

She put down her book and stood up from her seat. With nimble hands, she opened up the window herself. The howling wind went through her, and the heavy rain almost drenched her right away.

"Milady!" The youngest of her maids quickly closed the window again. "Seriously, who does that?" The kid scolded her. "Do you really want to get sick?"

Evaenna let out a little laugh. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry," she didn't insist no longer.

But the grim weather outside weighed heavily in her heart. She looked towards her other maid, Julia, who had been trying to teach Cleo reading. Julia looked almost exasperated. "Cleo, please, come back."

"If the lady get sick, we'll all get in trouble," Cleo grumbled under her breath. She was new, the kid. Evaenna picked her up from the street, an urchin who almost stole her purse. It had only been a few weeks since the kid trained as a maidservant, so she didn't knew much.

Evaenna did that from time to time, picking urchins up. Those kids reminded her of herself.

"I am not that delicate," Evaenna looked down at herself. Alright, she had to admit, the front part of her dress got wet from the rain. "But you're right, Cleo. Karrie, help me change."

Her other maid, Karrie, had been reading beside her, so she was ready to assist Evaenna. She changed her clothes into something a little bit drier, then looked through her closed window again. "The rain is not stopping," she sighed. "I hope it won't still rain until night."

"The rain came often lately," Cleo looked up. "The other maids said it was because what happened last month."

Last month. Yes, of course. It had been the most worrying time in her life. "The sky is weeping with us," She looked up to the sky, to the thunders flashing by. "Angry and sad. Maybe."

"It's a myth," Karrie scoffed. "The sky is not alive."

"Oh, you are such a skeptic, Karrie," Julia smiled. "Do you know the Goddess Eldemore respect the Sky as part of the four elements?"

"It is the Wind, actually, not the Sky," Little Cleo quipped. Julia glanced at her, pointing towards her exercise sheet. Cleo sighed and picked up her pen again. "Well, I have no opinion on that. The rain and thunder came so often it might as well be the sky's wrath."

Evaenna shook her head softly. "Well, you can't ignore that it had been going for a while now. The thundering rain came thrice a week. It makes trouble, flood, and it is so hard to go out these days."

"Are you going out, milady?" Cleo looked up from her paper.

"I can't even if I want to, can I?" She sighed. "The rain makes it impossible." She took up her book again, but before she could make out a word, a voice came from the doorway.

"Her Grace requested your presence, Lady."

Evaenna looked up from her book. The Duchess' maid stood in her doorway, not even knocking, and used that mocking voice that was clear to even a child.

At least to Cleo. She looked like she was boiling in rage, almost stood up to defend her, but Evaenna waved the kid away. There was no need to do that sort of display, not here, not this time. She said nothing towards the maid, only nodded slightly.