Samara spent the whole day busy doing this and that, cleaning sheets and linens until her arms ached and her fingers felt raw. The palace was endless, room after room, each one filled with beds that needed changing and fabrics that needed folding. Kelly was efficient and demanding, Elyra was quiet and watchful, and Samara was exhausted.
By the time lunch break arrived, she could barely feel her legs.
"No one told me being a palace maid is this tiring," she said, slumping onto the bench in the servants' dining hall. She stared at the plain meal in front of her, a bowl of thin soup and a piece of bread, and wondered if she had ever been this tired in her life.
Another maid nearby, a long-term servant with kind eyes and a knowing smile, overheard her complaint.
"It is not always work," the woman said, settling onto the bench across from them. "There is good gossip. And the payment is good."
"Good gossip?" Elyra leaned in, her interest piqued.
