They'll Think of Me Kindly (1)

The attendants, Nina, Rose, and Eloise, were young ladies born of lower aristocrats who had taken apprenticeships from the senior maids at the royal court. Often, noble children who didn't score well enough at the Royal Academy to be appointed for record-keeping or rulers became servants or party arrangers.

Nina and Rose were twins, two girls with pale skin and flaming red hair in soft waves. The two girls had upturned eyes that looked like they were sneering at her.

The girl called Eloise was meekly looking around, despite her working in the court for years. Her big glasses covered the majority of her face and her freckled cheeks. Her hair was a mousy brown in a single braid and straight bangs.

When they had walked into Vivianne's room, Peony was preparing the Princess clothing, a soft pink tunic with no sleeves and a frilly underskirt. They had taken one look at Peony's work and scoffed loudly, pushing her to the side.

"We'll handle her majesty's clothing; how about you bring the breakfast from the canteen?" Rose had said, picking out a deep blue gown from the closet. Peony looked at the odd choice and frowned. That was an evening gown in a dark colour for outings, entirely out of fashion and inappropriate for Vivianne's office work and meetings.

The girls were intimating, and Peony felt inadequate with her limited experience and understanding of high fashion. She meekly stepped aside, keeping her head down. Rose and Nina grinned at each other, scoffing at the skinny commoner hurdled near the vanity.

Looking down at the vanity, Peony recalled the concubine she had escorted to the infirmary; even when she was dangling off Peony's back, she had never stopped cussing and fidgeting, full of fight.

Peony falling back into her old people-pleasing habits, especially after she had managed for the first time to do something courageous, was humiliating; her cheeks burned.

What was the point of booking a seamstress if they insisted on dressing the princess sloppily?

"Where is her powder? Braids, did you steal it?" Nina had asked, flicking Peony on the forehead.

Having dealt with the head maid before, Nina only looked like an annoying bully in Peony's eyes, who signed whilst smacking Nina's imposing hand from her face.

Screw this! There's no way I'm getting the blame for their shitty sense of fashion!

"I'm Peony, not Braids," she said, hoping an introduction would steer the conversation to more friendly territory.

"I'm the princess's lady-in-waiting; therefore, my choice of outfit will be the one she wears," Nina turned to Rose for guidance, who had a carefully blank look on her face.

"Eloise, bring the breakfast," Rose said, and Eloise immediately hurried out of the room, jumping on the chance to leave the tense room. Peony watched as the short girl almost tripped over her skirt in a hurry.

The dynamic between the attendance was apparent, with Rose and Nina being the ringleaders and Eloise serving as their lackey. She wondered why Vivianne would keep such horrible people as her attendants, but suddenly Rose clutched her shoulder with a sincere smile.

"We're sorry. We had no idea you were the new lady-in-waiting!" Rose looked away with downcasted eyes. Nina bowed in apology before reassuring Peony that they had no idea.

It felt like a weight had lifted off her stomach, and she couldn't help but laugh, relieved. All doubt vanished from her mind, and she silently reprimanded herself for jumping to conclusions.

In the back of her mind, she still worried about their behaviour, as her not being in charge didn't mean she deserved to be mistreated by her coworkers. When Eloise returned with the trolley propped with warm food and tea, Peony chose to share her thoughts.

"Well, regardless of our status, let's work together with compassion, and that means not bossing each other around," she said, smiling bashfully. Nina and Rose shared a loaded silence before a sardonic smile crossed their faces.

"Yes, of course, lady,"

Peony headed down to the servant's house for some tea to celebrate their safe voyage. She hummed all the way back, and Eloise helped her set up the tea set as they sat down on Vivianne's plush sofa.

They sipped their tea and learned that Peony was the youngest among them all. In their joy, they yanked Peony up and hugged her, all three of them.

"You can call us 'big sister'," Nina had said earnestly. She thanked them with a bright smile and urged them to sit down again.

As the sun rose, the girls bonded over their love for all things beautiful and crafts. Eloise timidly relayed that she had a sketchbook full of dress designs, promising to show Peony her work. Rose and Nina confirmed that Eloise's designs were breathtaking and often predicted the new fashion craze.

"That sounds lovely. I can't wait to see them!" Peony had said, pouring her older sisters' tea again.

...

The problem occurred when Vivianne slipped into the room dressed in a dark cloak to prepare for the day. Before the sun had risen, she had told Peony she would be gone for an hour or so.

She had arrived looking tired but lit up immediately upon seeing her attendants. They hugged and chatted about their families back home and Vivianne's work while Peony awkwardly dressed and painted the princess's face in silence.

Thankfully, Mio had knocked on the door asking to speak to her, giving her an excuse to step out and breathe.

"Oh, isn't he handsome," Nina had signed, making the surrounding ladies laugh at her antics. However, Mio didn't look entertained when he closed the door; instead, he seemed slightly annoyed.

"A letter has arrived from the royal seamstress," he said, handing her a beautiful golden envelope. It had arrived quicker than anticipated.

She put the letter in her apron, yet she hesitated at the door, stalling for no apparent reason, just her gut twisting. Mio looked at her, waiting for her to say what she struggled to formulate.

"The attendants that returned...they seem nice?" She said unsurely, her statement sounding like a question.

"Are you asking me that?" Mio looked at her dumbfounded, and Peony couldn't help the groan that slipped out of her. Looking for reassurance from Mio was ridiculous, so she waved him off and returned to the room mildly ticked off.

Upon returning to the room, Peony found the three ladies surrounding the vanity. On the table lay the princess's jewellery box opened up. Peony walked over to the ladies with a concerned look; millions of possibilities ran through her mind.

"Princess, don't be too hard on her, please," Nina pleaded, grabbing Vivianne's shoulder with teary eyes. Behind the princess stood Rose with a broad and giddy grin, full of joy while watching Peony's unfortunate situation.

"Where is my ring? It's my mother's," Vivianne asked, turning toward Peony with a deadly glare. The other attendants murmured among each other before Rose spoke up with a weary voice.

"This morning, she insisted on preparing your clothing alone..." she started, lowering her eyes to the ground.

"Is that true?" Vivianne asked, crossing her arms in disappointment.

"Well, yes, but..."

"There's only one place she could have hidden it!" Nina interrupted. She pointed at Peony's apron. They approached Peony and grabbed her arms while Eloise fished up the letter and a small silver ring from her pocket. Peony couldn't believe her eyes; she was being framed.

"Your majesty...I swear I didn't steal it!" Peony pleaded, hoping Vivianne would see reason and trust her, but what she didn't know was that Vivianne had low patience that morning. Attempting to steal her mother's jewellery was not something she could overlook, even if it was from a rookie.

Furthermore, Nina, Rose, and Eloise were the only people that had stuck to Vivianne through thick and thin. When she was alone and vicious rumours spread through the court, the three young ladies fought tooth and nail to clear her name.

Lastly, a commoner taking the chance to steal one of her items wasn't wholly illogical; truthfully, she didn't know Peony well enough to think otherwise.

"Call for the head maid," Vivianne ordered, hatred burning in her eyes.