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CHAPTER
ONE
Jane
My footsteps echo through the opulent hallway as I enter the grand castle. I smooth my apron and tuck an errant auburn curl behind my ear before setting to work. The rooms sparkle, but there is always more polishing and dusting to be done in a home this size.
I run my feather duster over the ornate picture frames and vases, careful not to miss a speck. The motions are methodical, soothing. I take pride in my work, knowing the tiniest details matter. This place depends on me, and I won't disappoint.
My thoughts drift to the lavish life within these walls. Silk sheets, marble floors, banquets of food—more than an orphan girl like me could dream. I'm lucky they took me in. I have a purpose here.
As I meticulously arrange flowers in the crystal vase, I imagine myself at the head of the table. I'd wear an elegant gown, dripping in jewels. Servants would wait on my every need. A fantasy, I know. But a girl can dream...
The work is hard, but honest. And this castle is the closest thing I have to home. I'll do whatever it takes to remain here, to prove my worth. There must be more to life than dusting and scrubbing floors. But for now, I have a job to do. I put dreams of glamour aside and dutifully tend to the task at hand.
I make my way down the long hallway, my footsteps echoing on the marble floors. As I enter the grand dining room, I see Mary and Elizabeth, two of the other maids, already hard at work polishing the expansive mahogany table.
"Good morning!" I say cheerfully as I grab a rag to help them. Mary smiles back warmly.
"Morning Jane. Did you sleep alright?"
"Oh yes, quite well," I reply. Though my cot is lumpy, I'm thankful for a place to lay my head.
The three of us work diligently, joking lightly as we scrub and wipe away every smudge and fingerprint. I'm struck by how fortunate we are, not just to have work, but to know each other. My fellow maids are the closest I have to family.
As we move from the table to the china cabinet, I catch a glimpse of my faint reflection in the glass. My simple gray dress, my hair pulled back neatly. I blend in, just another servant girl in the shadows. Some may overlook me, but I don't mind. I find comfort in the simplicity of my duties, the order and routine. Let the lords and ladies have their parties and finery. I have a purpose here, and that's enough for me.
I finish polishing the cabinet and make my way upstairs to the guest bedrooms. As I smooth out the perfectly made beds and plump the silk pillows, my mind drifts to memories of my childhood. I never knew my parents. The orphanage was the only home I'd ever known before coming here. The days were long, the nights cold and lonely. I was always hungry, always wanting. The headmistress was stern—we were taught to work hard and never complain. "No one owes you anything," she'd say.
When I turned sixteen, she turned me out with little more than the clothes on my back. I wandered the streets, lost and afraid, wondering how I'd survive. By some miracle, I found this job at the castle. A warm bed, simple but filling meals. It was all I dreamed of. The work is hard, but I remind myself that hard work means I get to stay.
As I gently fluff the pillows on the four-poster bed, I feel a swell of gratitude. This castle may not be a family, but it's the closest thing I have. I have a purpose here.
I belong.
CHAPTER
TWO
Henry
The crown weighs heavy on my head. I gaze out over the sea of faces in the great hall—my subjects, looking to me for guidance. Their future king.
My advisor drones on about taxes and tariffs, but I barely hear him over the pounding in my temples. How am I to know what's best? I'm not yet thirty, yet somehow meant to have all the answers.
I loosen my collar, stifling. This throne chafes. My father made it look so effortless. But he's gone now, the kingdom left to me alone.
"Your Majesty?"
I blink, tuning back in to the present. My advisor frowns, awaiting a response.
"Yes, of course," I say. "Increase the southern tariffs. We must protect our farmers."
He nods and continues on. I try to focus, gripping the arms of the throne. My knuckles turn white.
Get it together, Henry. These people depend on you now. Lead them. Protect them.
I straighten my back, square my shoulders. My piercing blue eyes survey the room as I project the strength they expect from their king.
