Chapter 5: Light in the dark
After a day, the young Anastasia was let out of the solitary cell room, she had gone completely quiet in fear—fear of the darkness that had enveloped and kept her company since she had arrived. Though she had spent only a day there, it felt longer than that.
"Quicken your footsteps. I have other things to do," the maid who had come to fetch Anastasia said to the little girl.
Though Anastasia had spent hours being alone in the dark, she had not forgotten about her family. Her big brown eyes looked around the new place, noticing the corridor's ceiling that was as high as the sky, while the walls were dark and cold.
The little girl followed the maid, turning her head left and right, even back. She asked in her soft voice,
"Where is Mary?"
But the maid didn't hear Anastasia.
"Mari....." the young girl's lips moved, but her voice didn't come out of it.
The maid took Anastasia through the side corridors before bringing her to a wide room, which was the kitchen in the backside of the huge palace, where she met a few more servants of the royal family. Her eyes then fell on the lean man whom she had seen before being locked in the dark room.
"Mr. Gilbert, I brought the girl," the maid offered a bow to Mr. Gilbert. She asked hesitantly, "This time the traders brought young girls in, didn't they, sire? This one seems to be the youngest."
Mr. Gilbert's narrowed eyes briefly looked at the little girl, and this had the little girl to hide behind the maid. He said, "The minister believes that the servants and the courtesans will be well trained with their duties ingrained to their bones if they learn it from a young age. Have her bathed and fed. I will leave her to you, Theresa."
"Yes, Mr. Gilbert," the maid bowed.