Chapter 32: Ghost in the lonely corridor
When the door to the room opened, Anastasia held the blanket closer to her in fear that Mr. Gilbert had returned to question her. But upon hearing Theresa’s voice, her tense body relaxed.
"They have finally stopped the search! We can rest now!"
Anastasia quickly moved her blanket, and when she was about to stand up, she felt her head turn heavy, and she went back to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Oh dear, you really have turned sick, and this time it is a blessing," Theresa said after placing her hand on Anastasia’s forehead, which was slightly burning. She informed the young woman in a hushed tone about what happened in the servants’ common room and how Mr. Gilbert mentioned her being mute.
Anastasia murmured, "It seems like being a mute has carried its own advantages in this palace." It was what set her apart from the wealthy woman named Tasia Flores.
"Indeed it has. I would have never thought that it could come to be so useful," Theresa agreed before saying, "I overheard Mr. Gilbert tell one of the servants that the Vizier has ordered guards to carry out a search throughout the kingdom. You are ill, so no one will bother you. Not for two days at least, and people will eventually forget about your alter ego like anything else."
"Mm, you are right. You will let me know if something happens, won’t you?" Anastasia was anxious after seeing Charlotte beheaded in front of her. It had left her with a feeling of dread, just like the King wanted everyone to feel, so that no one would ever dare to commit any action remotely like what had just taken place. "Let me go to my room now."
Theresa pushed on Anastasia’s shoulders to have her sit back on the bed and said, "Let us sleep together tonight? I think I could use some company after hearing the news of Charlotte, and you could too."
Even though Theresa wasn’t there to witness Charlotte’s death, she could feel an emptiness in the absence of the deceased maid. Anastasia nodded. The servants didn’t linger for more than two minutes after their dinner and were quick to return to their room, as they believed they could be the next ones to be punished.
Once the moon was up, the corridors turned deserted in the palace. In the servants’ quarters, in Theresa’s room, Anastasia slept on the bed as Theresa had pulled the mattress from the younger woman’s room into her own so that they could sleep comfortably.
Anastasia was in a deep sleep, as her head had grown heavy because of the cold, and she breathed through her lips while her eyes felt warm. She felt a breeze on her skin, that woke her from her sleep, and realised she wasn’t in the servants’ quarters anymore.