“The sacrifice is postponed? Wait, say that again, the sacrifice is postponed!?” Laura clutched Seban’s sleeve in disbelief, her expression as if the sky itself were collapsing. “I’ve worked at Hailuosen Castle for so many years, but this is the first time…”
Seban, annoyed, shook off her chubby hand. “Laura, how many times have I told you? Stop flaunting your seniority in front of me. When I first entered the castle, who knows where you were running wild! The postponement of the rite is Her Majesty’s decision, not yours to criticize.”
“I…” Laura was stung into silence, unable to speak for a long moment. She could only let out a disgruntled “Tch,” put her hands on her hips, and stomped aside.
“Everyone else, calm down as well,” Seban’s stern gaze swept over the noisy servants in the kitchen. “Her Majesty has entrusted all the upcoming arrangements to me. So listen up!”
“All right, all right, since the steward himself has spoken, you’d all better behave,” Karsanna chimed in.
Though she and Seban weren’t particularly close, in moments like these, they always found a tacit understanding to quell the servants’ complaints together.
Gradually, the room quieted. Seban cleared his throat, fished a perfectly folded piece of paper from his pocket, and smoothed it out with his fingers:
“To prepare for the Moon Eclipse Rite, Her Highness Sista once allocated funds to purchase ingredients from the market. These have already been made into offerings. But since the rite has been postponed, and the ingredients have a limited shelf life, we must prepare a new batch.”
At this, the servants’ faces began to darken.
“Recently, court expenses have been high. As servants of the Blood Clan, cutting costs is our duty,” Seban continued. “So, I have already applied to Her Highness. The remaining ingredients will be prepared by ourselves. We will not buy from the market any longer.”
“What—”
Like a pot boiling over, the servants burst into an uproar, voices overlapping. The process for preparing the rite’s offerings was complex and highly demanding—usually, only master pastry chefs could manage it.
Although there were royal pastry chefs in Hailuosen Castle, they served only the royal family, and there were so few of them that making such a large number of offerings was impossible.
Thus, every year during the Moon Eclipse Rite, the court would spend money to hire outside pastry chefs to make the offerings.
“Hey! You just want to take credit for yourself, that’s why you took this job on your own! Why should we suffer with you?” Laura glared angrily at Seban, tilting her head up to glare at him from almost nose-level.
“There’s no way we can finish this! We’ve already been working overtime for so long!” a burly male servant roared, clenching his fists as if to vent all his frustration into the air.
“Yeah, the rite is already a hassle, and now you suddenly change the date—it’s just making things worse!” Duli spoke up.
“Exactly, exactly.”
“We’ve never made offerings before!” the other maids echoed, all looking equally reluctant.
Everyone chimed in with their own complaints, turning the kitchen into chaos. But Seban seemed used to such scenes. He simply raised his hand and waved it dismissively.
“The rite won’t start so soon. You have plenty of time to prepare. That’s all the news. Now, get back to your posts.” He folded the paper again, slid it into his pocket, and walked away, leaving only his back to the crowd.
“You old fox! Damn old man!” Karsanna dropped her act, baring her teeth and stomping her foot in the direction Seban had left. Of course, she knew Seban couldn’t hear her.
Seban shamelessly accepted this task, but he wouldn’t have to do any of the work himself. The other servants weren’t so lucky, especially Amane the cook and Karsanna the head maid—they would bear the brunt of it all.
Amid the commotion, Su Ling simply stood quietly to the side, with no intention of joining the noisy crowd.
Her long hair was casually tied up, her face carrying a faint trace of fatigue. Lately, both her body and spirit had been exhausted—she barely had the strength to argue anymore.
Just as she yawned lazily and looked for a quiet corner to rest, a gentle voice cut through the clamor. Su Ling looked over, and sure enough, it was Tii.
But this time, Tii wasn’t speaking to her. Instead, she looked at Bohm, the frail, timid girl at her side. Bohm’s face was pale, her eyes rimmed red, clearly frightened by the heated argument.
“Everyone… what’s going on? Are those offerings really so important?”
“Bohm, it’s all right,” Tii said softly, her hand resting gently on Bohm’s shoulder, offering silent support. “It’s just that things changed suddenly. We’ll face it together, and we’ll find a way.”
“Besides, if you really can’t finish your work by then, I can help you.”
Tii’s words gradually dispelled the gloom in Bohm’s heart. Bohm looked up at Tii, gratitude flashing in her eyes. Suddenly, she took two steps forward and opened her arms, wanting to hug Tii.
“Tii, thank you…”
Tii didn’t accept the hug directly. Instead, she paused in midair, then gently patted Bohm’s head.
“Don’t worry, Bohm. Whenever you’re in trouble or upset, I’ll always be your best listener.”
Her smile was as warm as ever, bringing a blush to Bohm’s cheeks.
Watching this scene, Su Ling couldn’t help but lift the corners of her mouth.
As gentle and kind as ever, Tii always looked after others. No wonder Bohm liked her so much.
Their friendship is so wonderful. I’m happy for them.
Not wanting to interrupt their conversation, Su Ling quietly withdrew her gaze, stretched, and decided to pull herself together and get back to work.
Back in her assigned cleaning area, she took up a broom and carefully swept the dust and debris from the carpet. Then she knelt down, using a damp cloth to wipe every stain from the floor until it shone like new.
She could now complete her maid’s tasks with ease. Though she still made the occasional mistake, Karsanna rarely scolded her anymore.
By the time she finished cleaning, night had fallen. She put the freshly washed cloth back in the supply room, ending another day.
Tonight, she didn’t walk with the other maids. Alone, she made her way through the evening shadows toward her room. Under the dim yellow light, she stopped in front of her door.
Click!
Her outstretched hand froze on the doorknob.
“What’s going on…” Su Ling couldn’t help but bend down, eyes wide as she examined the lock.
The door lock was broken again.