“And how long have you been in service within the duchess’ household?” I asked the maid in front of me. An hour had already passed and I was still only halfway through the inspection. I had to be very careful when I asked certain questions. At the same time, I had to discern personalities behind prim and proper facades.
I couldn’t rush the process even if I wanted to. I didn’t know who could possibly have dark motives against Bethilda so I had to proceed with caution. I didn’t want to be the cause of her death, all because I chose the wrong people to serve her.
“I’ve been serving the duchess for seven years,” she replied.
“Ah, that would mean that you’re fairly new within the household,” I said as I wrote that down. “In your few years of service, how familiar are you with everything?”
Her response was interrupted when my doors suddenly opened. We turned our heads and watched as James entered my room. Immediately, we stood and gave our greetings.
“Did I interrupt anything?” he asked as he walked over towards me.
“Not at all, Your Majesty,” I replied as I sat back down. He stood behind me as I continued, “I’m currently enlisting new ladies for Bethilda. Just as what you told me to do.”
Slowly, he took the list from my hand and read it thoroughly. “That is quite an extensive list,” he remarked as he folded it. “I’ll bring this with me and continue it there. You’ve done half of the work. It’s time for you to rest.”
“But I’m not exhausted yet,” I said.
But James ignored my complaint and turned to the maid. “You may return to your duties for now. I’ll have someone tell you if you’re chosen or not,” he said.
The maid stood and bowed.
“James, what are you doing?” I asked as the maid left the room. “You told me to handle it. Now, you’re taking it from me?”
“You’ve done enough for one day, Robert,” he replied as he sat across from me. “You helped with Bethilda’s verdict and you inspected half of the listed female servants. That’s already too much,” he continued.
I rolled my eyes. “Those are merely two things, James,” I scoffed as I sat down. “You want me to learn all the aspects of ruling. But instead of allowing me to learn, you take things away from me. You even prevent me from being involved in it.”
“Must I remind you that you’re still recovering, Robert? And because of that, I can only allow you to do so much,” he explained as he rested his arms on my desk. “We still don’t know what triggered such an explosive reaction from you. Gonzalo told me that even the Medicine King has no definite answer for it,” he continued. He added, “I’m not trying to stop you from learning. I want you to discover everything that you need to know. I am only protecting you from something that can lead to fatality if it happens again.”
I sighed with a groan. I buried my face into my hands.
He added, “And you didn’t just do two things today. You did another.”
I removed myself from my hands, confused.
He reached into the other side of his coat and revealed a folded piece of parchment. His eyes roamed across the small paper as he read, “I, Robert Dex of Western Wind, am requesting for His Majesty’s permission in assisting the duchess’ ladies in finding advantageous marriages.
“Amidst the protests of her ladies in leaving the castle, Duchess Bethilda has agreed to sending them back to their homes, on the condition that they should be paired with great noblemen for a sustainable future,” he continued. “I beseech you not to let her situation affect the prospects of her ladies, having a brighter and better future.” After leading, he folded it again and slid it back into his coat.
I put my hands on the table as I avoided his stare, “I see that you already read my letter.”
“I came here because I’m curious as to why you even considered helping them with this matter,” James replied. “After everything she has done to you and your mother, you still want to lend a hand to them.”
I sighed as I laid back onto my chair. I still wasn’t looking at him.
He continued, “I didn’t come here to argue with you. I just want to understand the logic behind your decision.”
I finally looked up and met his eyes. And to my surprise, he wasn’t furious. He merely stared at me and waited for my explanation. I sat up straight and put my arms on the table. I intertwined my fingers and started, “There’s no denying that Bethilda’s actions are unforgivable. And to be completely honest, I was satisfied with the hanging. But I believe that her ladies are innocent out of all the accusations against the duchess.”
“You can never be too sure, Robert,” he replied. “One way or another, they had knowledge of what Bethilda planned to do. They are still involved.”
“But as her servants, they had no other choice but to follow through with whatever she asked them to do. The same goes with any kind of servant, whether it’s within our kingdom or not,” I said. I continued, “Seeing that Bethilda was behind those crimes, by all means, punish her. But her ladies are bound to serve and obey their mistress. Now that we’re sending them back to their families, the only thing we can do is to save their reputation and marry them with prominent families.”
“And what are we supposed to tell their future spouses as to why they’re marrying outside the walls of their mistress?” James asked.
That was also the question that plagued my thoughts. Once a servant entered the household of a nobleman, noblewoman or monarch, their future was set within the confines of the family they served. And marriage plans were included in that.
To serve the nobility, to serve the monarchy has always been an opportunity for a better life. Every servant that entered our home was respected. And their families were well-provided for, as long as the servant lived.
However, when a servant decided to leave or be banished by the family they served, they would be deemed as worthless, useless. Either of the two actions would humiliate, not only the servant but their families as well. And there were already numerous occasions where their own families – even the servants themselves – procured their deaths just to escape such a fate.
For a while, I gave it some thoughts and finally, an idea came to mind. “Why don’t we look for eligible bachelors within our own household?” I asked. “Then, once they are married, we can send them away to their respectful manors, outside the castle grounds. That way, we can solve two issues. First is it will save their reputation. Second, it will give you the satisfaction of removing Bethilda’s ladies-in-waiting, as well as approving Bethilda’s final request,” I explained.
James remained silent for a while as he thought about my suggestion.
“Granted, it will be easier if we simply marry them to some of the gentlemen within our home,” I added. “However, I don’t think simpletons can bear the thought of being tied down to someone who, possibly, aided Bethilda in her crimes. If you plan to keep this matter private, my suggestion can be our way out of this debacle.”
He nodded. “Very well, then. That shall be our plan. But I don’t want the ladies to stay with Bethilda while we wait for the list of eligible bachelors. I want them to be far from her as much as possible,” he replied.
I stood from my chair and bowed slightly. “I’ll have everything settled today, Your Majesty.”
“No, not today,” he put out his hand to stop me. “You’ve done enough today. The best thing that you can do now is rest.”
“As you wish,” I replied.
He then gave me a brief smile and headed for the door.
“James?” I called. He stopped walking and immediately turned back to me. I asked, “What did Grandpa Ben say to you? Is he still angry with me? Has he considered my request?”
James froze as he stared at me, emotionless. He took a deep breath before he answered, “Let’s discuss this some other time, Robert. If you’re worried about the rescue mission, you don’t have to be. Once everything is settled here, we’ll be on our way to Eastern Sun. For now, focus on regaining your strength.” He continued, “We can’t go on a rescue mission if your power is lower than what it should be.”
I nodded as my lips formed into a firm line.
He then left my room. The sound of the door echoed throughout the room as he closed it behind him.
I looked around my room and sighed because there wasn’t anything for me to do. Since James wanted me to rest, I should probably do that.