Who helped?

Adelaide squints at her reflection in the small mirror in front of her and apart from the stray wisps of hair that tumbled out of her bun, the traces of fatigue under her eyes, the paleness of her skin and the wrinkles and stains on her dress she doesn't look much different from how she did when she walked into the princess' room with the magic device.

Perhaps that's why all the looks of sympathy were directed only at the girl on the floor when the doors of the room finally opened.

Apart from the initial glance directed at her as she stepped out of the room, she received no look of concern or appreciation as she followed behind Princess Josephine as they moved to one of the many spare rooms kept in perfect condition for such occasions.

With all the cuts and wounds strewn on her skin hidden perfectly underneath the dark fabric of her clothes, it's no wonder no one noticed. Perhaps if they did, she might have been able to escape the torturous minutes she spent readying the princess for the tea party all the while forcing herself to perform as she does on normal days giving no indication that she bears wounds that torment her each second.

Only to be rewarded with silent contempt and not even a passing glance from Princess Josephine the person responsible for her current state and the one whom she spent nearly an hour bustling about for when she desired nothing but the comfort of her bed.

Before she can think more of the matter or sort out the emotions that comes with it, Adelaide bends over and heaves once again throwing up the contents that spring up from her empty stomach.

Adelaide heaves a few more times till her stomach starts hurting and nothing threatens leave her lips before she straightens up, she washes away the vomit pooled in front of her and rinses her mouth before stumbling out of the bathroom.

"You will not accompany me looking like this. Make yourself presentable while I am away, I will have Vera accompany me."

Those were the exact words Princess Josephine had hardly stopped long enough to finish saying before she walked out of the room with quick but firm strides, followed quickly by Vera who had spared her a rather pompous look before leaving.

Adelaide remembers the princess' downturned lips just as clearly as she remembers hurrying out of the princess' room and down to the toilet the second their footsteps died away as they disappeared down the hall.

Adelaide has been in the bathroom since the princess left and has no idea how much time has passed or how long she'd been bent over throwing up for, but as she stumbles to her room, Adelaide realizes she cannot for the life of her bring herself to care.

Be it how much time the princess has been away, how much time there is till she returns or even how much time she will have to rest, none of these thoughts which she would normally think of on a normal day seem to cross her mind or hold any sort of relevance to her.

All Adelaide can think about is the heaviness of her eyelids and how effort it takes her to lift them each time they close as she blinks; all she can think about is the numbness of her back and the sharp sting as it brushes the fabric of her dress and all she can think about is how much she wants to rest.

These are the things she can feel and at the moment the things that are most real to her, everything else pales in comparison.

So, the moment Adelaide steps into the small room she's been staying in for the past eleven years- possibly the closest thing she can call a home- she spares no glance at its state and heads straight for the small bed in the corner, throwing herself on its slightly hard surface without much thought.

Adelaide regrets her actions seconds after when the stinging pain from her back lives her breathless and unable to make a sound, even a groan.

'How could I lay on my back?'

Adelaide turns to lay on her side curling into herself as trails of cold sweat roll down her forehead and trembles rack her body whether it's from the pain or the sudden cold that seizes her body, Adelaide can't tell which and she does not stay awake long enough to find out either because soon enough she finds herself slipping into the soothing embrace of unconsciousness that she has been battling with all this time yet longed for.

This time Adelaide closes her eyes and yields without the slightest resistance.

....

The coolness on her forehead is the first thing Adelaide notices when she opens her eyes again.

Her eyelids are unusually so it takes a few more seconds of blinking for the haze to leave her eyes and the view of the ceiling above her to become clear and with the clarity of her sight, her other senses dulled by sleep are slowly awakened as well so the ache coming from her back quickly registers and Adelaide sits up from the bed with a hiss.

Something falls from her head and unto her lap due to her sudden movement, she frowns from the pain her eyebrows drawing together as she picks up the wet cloth from her lap.

The coolness spreads from the cloth to her fingers and it doesn't take her much time to realize that she must have turned over and laid on her back in her sleep which caused the sudden pain.

Adelaide uses the cloth to wipe her face but still doesn't feel like she is fully awake yet, instead the urge to lay back down becomes stronger and her tiredness more apparent but she feels much better than she did when she when she laid down.

She releases a shaky breath and scans the room with a quick glance. There's a small basin filled with water next to her bed and right beside it a short stool that she's certain wasn't there before she slept clear indications that someone had been in her room.

As for who it could be, Adelaide has no idea.

Apart from the necessary daily interactions, Adelaide hardly relates much with the other servants. She is naturally not one to talk much and hardly has anytime to socialize with others when she is almost always by the princess' side.

So, there is not a single person who she feels would take the trouble to come and look after her and if the person did not help her owing to friendship, then the only other viable explanation is that it was done to have her owe a favor.

As the princess' personal maid, Adelaide occupies a sensitive position, one that demands she treads with caution in all her doings. From her words down to her actions she must be careful not to implicate the princess with either and must also watch out for those who intend to use her to harm the princess.

For this reason, she can't help suspecting the intentions of someone who would go out of their way to help her. Although she is doubtful, it is an undeniable fact that someone had helped her, and her condition has improved as a result.

Adelaide has never been one to owe favors and she does not intend to start now.

'I will repay the favor as soon as possible and be done with it.' She thinks.

Adelaide is pulled from her thoughts by the sound of movement beyond the door, she lifts her head and her eyes resting on the door waiting to see who her mysterious benefactor is.