The Royal Maid And The Lost Kingdom

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

I woke up feeling like I didn’t get enough sleep, so when I made my way down to the kitchen, I was a little groggy. But that feeling quickly dissipated when I saw the bustling kitchen. The kitchen was a large room with several chefs working at various stations, preparing meals. The walls were lined with shelves, which were filled with various spices, ingredients, and cooking utensils. In the center of the room was a large fireplace, where a spit was turning, roasting a pig for the day’s feast.

As I began to wash the plates, Roxanne walked in and approached me with a grin on her face. “Good morning, Alice,” she said. “I heard about your new duties in the kitchen. How’s it going so far?”

“It’s going well, thank you,” I replied. “Although I’m still getting used to the hustle and bustle of the kitchen.”

“Well, I have some news that will definitely make your day,” Roxanne said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Have you heard the latest rumors about the lost kingdom?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of them,” I said, rolling my eyes. “The kingdom is said to be a neighboring kingdom that’s currently lying in ruins because they don’t have a ruler. That’s already a commonly acknowledged fact.”

Roxanne laughed. “Ah, but there’s more. Some people are saying that there’s a secret dungeon where the truth about the lost kingdom is kept.”

I frowned. “A secret dungeon? That sounds like a fanciful tale. Where did you even hear about it?”

“From a serving girl who heard it from a stable hand who heard it from a farmer who heard it from a traveler,” Roxanne said, shrugging. “It’s just a rumor, of course, but it’s a juicy one, don’t you think?”

I rolled my eyes again. “I don’t think I’ll put too much stock in that. It’s just another rumor to add to the list.”

Roxanne shrugged. “Well, maybe. But who knows? Maybe one day, the truth about the lost kingdom will be revealed. Stranger things have happened.”

I quickly brushed aside the thoughts as Roxanne and I continued our conversation in the kitchen. The kitchen was a huge room filled with the aroma of freshly baked pastries and the sound of pots and pans clanging together. The chefs were busy at work, preparing meals for the royalty. The walls were adorned with pots, pans, and other cooking utensils, hanging neatly in their place. A large fireplace was located in the center of the room, with pots boiling and sizzling on the fire.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

As I washed the dishes, Roxanne continued to talk about the rumors surrounding the lost kingdom. I couldn’t help but think about my visit to the dungeons and the secret pathway I had taken that led me there. I wondered if there were more secret passages and which one could lead me to the truth about the lost kingdom.

But I quickly dismissed these thoughts, knowing that it was not safe for me to be wandering around the castle on my own. Instead, I focused on my conversation with Roxanne and listened intently as she shared more details about the rumored secret dungeon.

“Have you heard about the secret dungeon?” Roxanne asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she repeated what she had already told me. “They say it’s where the truth about the lost kingdom is kept.”

I couldn’t help but be skeptical. “But why would they keep such a secret locked away?” I asked.

Roxanne shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe they’re afraid of what people might do if they found out the truth. But I’m sure we’ll never know. These rumors are just that, rumors.”

As we finished our conversation, I couldn’t shake the thought of the secret dungeon and the truth that could be locked away inside. I smiled, turning my attention back to the plates that needed washing. Although I was skeptical of the rumor about the secret dungeon, it was still an interesting thought to ponder.

I made a mental note to ask Edward about it the next time I saw him. Perhaps he knew something about it or had heard similar rumors.

I continued my work in the kitchen, lost in my thoughts until it was time for me to retire for the night. I couldn’t help but think about the secret dungeon and the possibility of what secrets it could hold. I was not that patient to wait to talk to Edward and get to the bottom of this mystery.

I stumbled into the kitchen, I couldn’t help but think about how everything had changed so quickly. Just yesterday, we were a team of maids and servants bustling about the castle, completing our duties efficiently. But today, half of us were gone, sent away due to the flu outbreak. The head maid, Meredith, had doubled our workload in response, and I was feeling the strain.

But I was determined to push through, I knew that my job was important. And so, I threw myself into my work, putting in extra hours and doing my best to keep up with the demands. I managed to get through the day and collapse into bed at night, grateful for the chance to rest.

However, the next day was no different. I was so busy with my duties that I didn’t even have a chance to see Edward, I went about my chores in the castle, and I couldn’t help but think about Edward and how I wanted to see him.

Unfortunately, my workload had doubled since half the maids and servants in the castle had caught the flu and had to be sent away. Head maid Meredith assigned more work to everyone, and I was no exception.

Even with my exhaustion, I couldn’t shake off the thought of Edward and how much I missed him.

A few days later, I was assigned to clean the King’s Chambers. I was dusting the shelves and cleaning the King’s Chambers, I stumbled upon a secret door that led straight to an abandoned dungeon.

The place was dark and the smell was overwhelming, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of curiosity. I peeked through the doorway, trying to see as much as I could. The dungeon was old, but it looked like it could be lived in if it was cleaned up.

I was just about to descend the stairs to take a closer look when I heard footsteps coming towards me. I quickly locked the secret door and tried to make my way back to my cleaning duties as if nothing had happened.

My heart skipped a beat when I realized it was Edward. He was dressed in his usual attire and looked as handsome as ever. We only had a brief moment to catch up before I was called away by Head Maid Meredith. I was disappointed, but I was glad I got to see him for a brief moment.

Later that day, I was talking to some of the other maids in the kitchen. They were all gossiping about the rumors they had heard about the lost kingdom and how the King might have had something to do with it. I couldn’t help but think about the secret door I had found in the King’s Chambers and wondered if it was related to the lost kingdom.

Roxanne already told me about a rumor she had heard about a secret dungeon where the truth about the lost kingdom was kept. My mind could not even do anything but think about the abandoned dungeon I had found and wondered if that was the same one.

I decided to keep the secret door to myself and not mention it to anyone, not even Edward. I didn’t want to get in trouble or risk getting exiled and most importantly I needed to find a way to get back there and see what was in the secret room.

Yes, the rumors might be a lie but this and my own curiosity were seriously not helping. And even though Edward and Andrew said that the King would address the issue it does not seem that way to me as it looked like they are all hiding something. Maybe a big family secret…?

I turned and I had to force myself to focus on my chores and do my job to the best of my ability. I knew that one day the truth about the lost kingdom would be revealed, and until then, I would keep my secrets and do my part as a maid in the castle while also satisfying my curiosity.

I had been curious about that secret door in the King’s chamber ever since I discovered it while cleaning. I knew that I needed to explore it more, and so I asked Meredith to station me in the King’s chamber. To my surprise, she didn’t ask any questions and agreed to my request.

Three days later, I made sure that nobody was around and I finally had my chance to open the secret door again. I descended the stairs and found myself in an abandoned dungeon. The place smelt musty and it looked like it had not been used in a long time. I could see cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and dust covering the floors.

I explored the dungeon, and my attention was drawn to one room in particular. It was bigger than the others and had a musty smell coming from it. I cautiously walked in, and my eyes fell on a few items that were covered in dust. I approached them to take a closer look and noticed a picture frame among them.

The picture was of a woman who looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place her. I wondered if she had anything to do with the lost kingdom that everyone was talking about. I made a mental note to bring up the picture to Edward and see if he recognizes her.

I continued my exploration of the dungeon, taking in all the details and trying to piece together what could have happened there.

As I stood there, looking at the portrait, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity with the little girl in the painting. We even had the same birthmark on our knees, It was then that my migraine hit me with full force.

Images flooded my mind, visions of the girl’s parents being haunted, the young girl falling from a horse and losing her memory. I saw her being brought to the church and her parents begging the nun to tell her that she had been dropped at the orphanage since birth. I watched as they left and a knight rode after them, the sigil of their kingdom emblazoned on his armor.

When I woke up, tears were streaming down my face. I looked into the mirror and the puzzle finally came together. Tears streamed down my face as I woke up, still in the dungeons, overwhelmed by what I had seen.

I was their daughter, the rightful heir to the lost kingdom. I couldn’t believe it. My whole life had changed at that moment, and I didn’t know what to do next. Yet a question shone through, what happened to my parents.

I looked at the sigil on the portrait, the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. My parents, the King and Queen, were murdered by the same man who employed me as a maid in his castle. Edward’s father was a murderer and a traitor. My heart shattered into a million pieces as I thought of the life I could have had, the family that I had lost, and the kingdom that was taken from me.

Tears streamed down my face as I thought of the lies and deceit that I had been living with for all these years. I was the lost princess, the heir to the throne, and yet I had been working as a mere servant in my own kingdom. It was a cruel twist of fate.

I didn’t know how I got back to my room, but the next thing I knew, I was lying in my bed, exhausted from the discovery. My mind was a mess, my heart was heavy, and I felt like I had lost everything. I tried to make sense of everything, but it was all too much. I felt so lost, so alone, and so betrayed.

I couldn’t stop thinking about my parents and the kingdom that was taken from me. I felt a burning anger towards the man who murdered them and towards Edward for being a part of it all. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope. If I was the rightful heir to the throne, then there was a chance for me to reclaim what was taken from me, to bring justice to my parents and to restore the lost kingdom to its former glory.

But how could I do it? How could I, a mere maid, reclaim a kingdom that had been taken from me? I didn’t know the first thing about ruling a kingdom, and I was just one person against a powerful army.

I knew I needed to gather more information, to find allies, and to come up with a plan. But for now, I was too exhausted to do anything. I just let the sleep take over me, hoping that tomorrow would bring a clearer path.

The next day, I couldn’t bring myself to face Edward. I didn’t know how to act around him, knowing what I now knew about his father and the kingdom. I avoided him as much as I could, focusing on my work and trying to gather information. I talked to the other maids and servants, trying to find out what they knew about the lost kingdom and the rumors surrounding it.

Most of them knew very little, but I did hear a few whispers about a rebellion, a group of people who were fighting against the current regime and trying to restore the lost kingdom. I felt a flicker of hope at the thought of it, but I didn’t know how to find them or if they were even real.

As the days passed, I became more and more determined to reclaim my kingdom. I couldn’t continue living as a mere servant, not when I was the rightful heir to the throne. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I was willing to do whatever it took.

I started to gather information, to talk to the right people, and to lay the foundations for a plan. I was careful not to draw attention to myself, not wanting to give away my true identity. But I was determined to succeed.

And so, I continued to work as a maid, but my heart was filled with a fire that had never been there before. I was no longer just a servant, I was the lost princess, the rightful heir to the throne, and I was determined to reclaim what was rightfully mine.