Chapter 76: Behind Closed Doors
"Lucy would have been a better option." The head maid candidly suggested, "I’ll be needing a lot more hands by tomorrow morning, but have you seen the list of stocks needed? Half of the servants here are presently useless and clumsy once they step out of the Palace. Thanks to my ill-luck, I have no choice but to choose from one of them since Crystalline has chosen to be under the weather." She irked.
Albert, who silently listened to the head maids complaint, rolled his eyes in a ’whatever’ kind of manner and didn’t respond to her criticism concerning the servants. Samantha could tell that the head maid would be a bossy one, the air around her already felt pompous, which wasn’t to Samantha’s liking at all, but nevertheless, her likes or dislikes never really mattered, and this was her only chance to flee from the Palace without Lord Ivan catching up on her.
’you can do this.’ She mentally encouraged herself.
"Ahem..!"
Clearing her throat soundly, seemingly making it sound unintentional to the ears, the young maid successfully gained the attention of the head maid, including the butler as both heads turned to look in her direction. Stepping out from the corner where she stood waiting to be found, she approached the head maid and bowed her head as a sign of greeting, same with Albert who was rather stunned to find her lingering around this part of the Palace quarters.
"I know you, aren’t you supposed to be at the main quarters of the Palace?" Questioned Albert, but Samantha serenely glanced at the sunbeams that filtered through the arches, stunningly creating a play of light and dark patterns on the smooth floor, whilst she found the shadows rather strange. Her eyebrows creased inquisitively when her green gaze naturally moved to the vibrant green ivy that clung to the walls, adding a touch of nature’s wildness to the cloisters’ ancient charm, and her pupils momentarily dilated.
"Green Ivy’s are growing against the walls." She pointed at the Ivy’s that crawled in delicate tendrils, accentuating the arches and latticed windows with its vibrant hues. Without the mystic orb, didn’t they say nature could not return to EmptyHollow, so where was the widely spread ivy coming from??? Thought Samantha who was still trapped in awe.
"How long have you been in the Palace?" Questioned the head maid after she was done taking full note of the genuine surprise written in the servants eyes. "Those are not real Ivy’s, the royals of the Palace tend to decorate the place with replicas of the Ivy, the craftsmanship is just that great." The head maid curtly corrected her misconceptions, and Samantha, who was still skeptical about it while marveling at the craftsmanship, nodded either way.
"Yes, you are right."