6 Anna, Ella, and the White Swan

"Anna, take a rest first. You've been working hard today," Ella said as she massaged her own wrist. She had cleaned many windows today because Edith the Head Maid watched everyone like a bulldog ready to maul those who were slow.

Anna put down her broom and sat beside Ella in the back garden, the garden for servants. Other maids were already queueing for their lunch, so did Ella and Anna. The lunch today was the same garlic bread, cheese and chicken meat.

Ella sat beside Anna, and they started eating in silence. They sat under a tree far from other maids. Honestly, Anna didn't know anything about Ella, but she seemed to be related to the previous Anna of this world.

Anna tried to find a way to strike a conversation. But Ella initiated the conversation first by asking her, "Anna, how long will you stay in this palace? You know this is just your temporary stay, right?"

"Uhm… I don't know when I will leave. What's there to find out anyway?" Anna tried to fish out some information from Ella. Ella frowned and looked at Anna with confusion. "I thought you said you want to find your long lost sister."

"Long lost sister?"

"What? You don't remember? You promised your late mother that you will find her!" Ella said. "You really don't remember? Your late mother died a year ago, and she said that you have a younger sister, one year younger than you."

"But she has been taken to another kingdom by her father, leaving you and your sickly mother alone," Ella sighed as she patted Anna's back. "Don't worry, you are like my sibling here. I will help until you can collect enough money to travel."

"Ella… are we that close?" Anna asked.

Ella's expression was like someone who just heard something unbelievable. "Are you testing me right now?! Of course, we are! We have lived together in the same town since we were young, and you used to call me Sister Ella."

"I still remember how you cried every day because the town kids bullied you for being the descendant of a witch. Even though your mother never hurt anyone," Ella's eyes looked up, recalling those painful moments she witnessed that happened to Anna.

The ability to shapeshift into an animal was only owned by the royal family and by witches' lines. The royal family usually had two up to five descendants with shapeshifting ability. All of them were traditionally hailed as demigods.

But the witches shapeshifting ability were looked down on because it was unnatural. They obtained it by making a contract with the devil and was said to bring a bad omen. Though rare, few fertile witches could give birth. Anna's mother and grandmother happened to be one of those.

In fact, tracing back to Anna's great grandmother, all of them were witches born with the ability to shapeshift, including Anna's mother.

But she never revealed herself as a witch and married a handsome man.

They were a normal and happy family, and they had two daughters. Until Anna's mother accidentally revealed her ability to shapeshift into a cat in public.

"After your bastard father found out that your mother has witch blood and can shapeshift into a cat, he just decided to leave," Ella was angry, but she lowered her voice because she was afraid that other maids might hear them.

"I heard that your father went to a neighbouring kingdom and settled with a rich old widow. Hmph, what a trash man!" Ella said. She grumbled as she bit the garlic bread emotionally. "He took away your little sister and ran in the middle of the night, leaving you and your mother alone when you were just a baby at that time…"

Ella looked bitter whenever she remembered about that. Her parents were one of the small numbers of people who had no problem with Anna's mother as a shapeshifter. But the majority of the town residents were convinced that Anna and her mother would only bring them bad omen and was shunned by society.

Anna watched how Ella's expression was genuinely angry whenever she mentioned Anna's father. And how she looked sad whenever she talked about Anna's late mother.

"I know that you want to collect money and find your sister someday, but until you find a lead, you should stay first, okay? The world is a dangerous place, Anna," Ella warned. Anna nodded with a thin smile on her face.

"Sister…"

Anna remembered about her little sister in her real world, alongside her sickly mother. Her little sister was a good girl who studied hard. Knowing that Anna worked tirelessly every day to provide for them, she always tried her best for every test.

'Anna of this world must have missed her sister very much. She went as far as saving money until she has enough to travel and find her long lost sister,' Anna commended the perseverance of the Anna of this world because if she originated from this world as well, she would do the same.

She loved her sister and mother very much. If her mother died, she would try her best to give her sister a good life.

'But the question is… who is the little sister? They have been separated since birth. I doubt the little sister knows Anna at all.'

'And the second question… is the little sister the main character of this fairy tale, the white swan? Because it is obvious, right? I am the black swan, and my sister should be the white swan,' Anna pondered for a long time.

But in the end, just like what Ella mentioned before, she needed to find a lead first until she could determine who and where was the little sister, and whether she was the white swan or not.

After they finished lunch, Ella swiped the crumbs on her skirt and said, "Anna, let's go. We need to clean a bit more before the day is over!"

"Okay!" Anna nodded happily. She picked up her broom and walked to the other side of the castle. They couldn't waste more time, knowing that the grand banquet for Crown Prince Ignis was coming in two days.