Sahresh is completely silent as she leads me to my room, and I am entirely unwilling to even attempt a conversation with her.


    I''m beyond embarrassed.  Knowing she was behind me the whole time watching that little… exchange…  I can''t imagine what she must think of me.  I don''t even know what to think of me.


    Now that there''s some rapidly increasing distance between us, my anger at Khysmet is bubbling back up a bit, in sort of a dull ache.  That little move of pulling me off balance was annoyingly disarming.  I''m kicking myself for getting suckered in by it.  And what was with telling me not to use any honorifics for him?  That cannot possibly have been a genuine request.


    He was just toying with me that whole conversation, and I couldn''t do anything to stop it.  Whether or not he values my "honesty", I can''t just keep letting my emotions run away with me like that.  If he tries to get me riled up in front of any other people, I''ll just make an ass out of myself, like I did in front of Sahresh today.  My heart sinks as a vision of a future where I''m constantly shaming myself in front of every stranger I meet flashes through my mind.


    The wide hallways Sahresh is leading me down remain beautifully decorated, with fancy doors spaced far apart, promising spacious rooms behind them.  Occasionally, I see maids dusting various knick-knacks and ducking in and out of rooms with bedding and carts of cleaning supplies.  I''m anticipating at some point to be taken to the part of the castle that''s more narrow and plain, where the servants are lodged, but that point doesn''t come.  Instead, she pauses before one of the pretty carved doors and opens it for me.


    I hesitate before walking through, looking to her for verification, but she won''t meet my eyes.  I swallow thickly, then walk into a room far from what I was expecting.


    It''s modestly decorated, but spacious, with a large four-poster bed, several cabinets and bureaus, a stunning armoire, huge windows, and several comfortable-looking seats, one of which has my bag and lute case on it.  My heart leaps when I notice that based on the light of the setting sun streaming in through the windows, they face west.  Maybe I can watch the sun set every night, even.  I hope the view from here is nice.


    There''s another door in the wall opposite us that is open right now, and from what little I can see, it seems to be an en suite bathroom.  For some reason there''s even a small fireplace in the wall, despite the pervasive heat I know sticks around here even during winter.  I don''t think I''ve ever even been in a bedroom this big, let alone gotten to stay in one.  And I can count on one hand the times I''ve gotten to sleep in any room alone, completely sans roommate.


    I turn back to Sahresh, because I can''t not speak up about this.


    "I think there''s been a mistake?" I say tentatively.  "Shouldn''t I be in the servants'' quarters?"


    "No, ma''am, this is your room," she insists.  "His majesty''s orders were very clear.  Your attending maid will be in shortly to help you get settled."


    She bows and exits the room gracefully.  I hope that with time I can subvert this botched first impression and get her to like me.


    Left alone in this vast chamber, I start to unpack my bag, which now seems impossibly small for the amount of space available.  All my worldly possessions save for my lute take up about one and a half drawers in one of the massive bureaus.


    I look around at all the empty unused space.  I''ve never felt this… small before.  Like my whole existence, the life I''ve lived, is not enough to fill up even a fraction of this room.  I know that''s not how it works, that my life is measured by so much more than the things that I own, but I can''t help but feel that in this new world I''m going to be living in, I''m not going to stack up.


    I open my lute case and stroke the wooden soundboard, the paint of the decorative flowers artfully rendered there by Portia years ago just starting to crack slightly.  I dearly wish I could have been able to have my harp sent here, but strictly speaking, it belongs to the troupe, not just to me.  This lute is the only instrument I actually own, purchased with my own money.  I hope I''ll be financially compensated enough here to purchase new ones.  Maybe I can even just convince Khysmet to buy some outright in the interest of musical diversity.


    A knock at the door pulls me out of my head.  I turn around to see a young Sungian woman coming in through the doorway with a bright smile on her face.


    She''s quite young.  I''m not great at judging the ages of serpent folk, but she can''t be any older than eighteen.  Her scales are a lovely coral pink with white running from her chin down the front of her neck, presumably all the way down her belly to the tip of her tail.  Her eyes are the striking blue of a clear sky.


    "Good evening Miss Catarina," she says, greeting me brightly with a sweet curtsey.  "I''m here to see if you need anything before bed tonight, and to take your measurements."  She holds out a cloth measuring tape.  "Could you please come stand in the center of the room?"


    "Oh, of course," I say, and quickly move to comply with her request.  She walks up and gestures for me to lift my arms, which I do.


    "It''s nice to meet you," I say while she wraps the tape around my waist.  "What''s your name?"


    She jumps a tiny bit at my question.  I''m seeing a trend with the folks who work at this castle.  For some reason they don''t seem to expect to be asked about themselves.  I start to worry a bit about how they''re treated by the nobles around here.


    "It''s Vizsla, ma''am," she answers shyly, a blush creeping into her face.  "Nice to meet you, too."


    I grin, cautiously optimistic.  Now this is a person that I might stand a chance of befriending.


    "Well Vizsla," I say, "Sahresh told me you''re going to be my attending maid.  What exactly does that mean?"This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "It just means that I''m the one who''s been assigned to attend to your needs," she explains, reaching around to take my hip measurement.  "I''ll be helping you get ready in the morning, and keeping your room tidy, and fetching things for you, should you request anything."


    "Oh, I don''t think I''ll need much help getting ready in the morning.  I''ve been doing that for long enough that I''m sure I can handle it."


    She smiles and looks down bashfully.  "I''ll still come wake you up in the morning in case you find you do need help with anything.  Um, can you lift your arms up a little more?"


    She''s blushing violently and trying not to look at me when she reaches up to take my bust measurement.  Sungian women don''t have breasts, since they''re not mammals, so I imagine she''s extremely uncomfortable touching mine.  I keep talking and look elsewhere around the room so she doesn''t feel like I''m staring at her.


    "So what are you taking my measurements for?" I ask conversationally.


    "King Khysmet wants to have some new clothes made for you."


    "Of course he does," I mutter, more to myself than her.  "What''s so wrong with what I have now?"


    "Well you''ll be up in front of the entire royal court, all the nobles and ministers and civilians too.  I''m sure he just wants to make sure you look nice for that."


    I hum noncommittally.  My first guess is that it''s some weird power trip thing, but I suppose I''ll reserve my opinion until I see what he''s putting me in tomorrow.  I most certainly don''t want to insult their king in front of any more Sungians.


    "What do you think of King Khysmet?" I ask.  "As both a king and a boss, you know?  Does he treat his people well?"


    "Oh yes, he''s always been very kind to all of us on staff here," she says with a bright smile.  "And he''s quite generous to the average citizens that come to him asking for help.  I''ve seen him be very stern with his ministers and other nobles, though."  She finishes writing down the last number and returns the cloth tape to her pocket.  "Did you eat before you came here, ma''am?  I can fetch you something if you''re hungry."


    Ooh.  I can''t even imagine what decadent fare they eat here.  I didn''t even think to think about it before now.  I''m not hungry, but my mouth starts to water as I picture what I might get the chance to eat tomorrow.


    "Tragically, I did already have dinner," I admit with a sigh.  "Thanks for offering, though."


    "Of course, ma''am."  She curtseys slightly.  "Is there anything else I can get you?  If you would like a bath, I can show you which tincture to use that heats up the water instantly."


    I perk up instantly.  I clean myself regularly with a washcloth.  I''ve bathed in rivers and pools whenever I could.  I''ve soaked in many natural hot springs.  But I''ve hardly ever gotten to take a hot indoor bath alone, and the possibility of doing so regularly is the most exciting thing I''ve heard all day.


    "Please, please show me how to set up the bath!" I practically squeal.


    Vizsla takes me to the en suite bathroom, which features a toilet, a sink, and a sizable claw-footed tub, all with running water.  I had heard that Veilsung boasts some truly impressive waterways in their cities, but this is amazing.  I ask Vizsla how they work, but she says she doesn''t know, so I''ll have to find someone else to grill about how they have running water at the top of a mountain.


    She points to each bottle lining the shelves next to the bathtub and tells me what they do.  Some of them are potions for changing the water, like a liquid that heats it up, a tablet that makes it bubble violently, and a paste that over a short time clears the water of all soap, dirt, and oils.  Most of them are soaps, though, of various kinds and scents.  I''m admittedly unfamiliar with the purposes of some of them, having almost exclusively used bar soap to clean myself before now, and Vizsla is very patient about explaining how to use the different kinds.  I’m surprised when she shows me some that are just for cleaning hair, since Sungians don’t have any.  They must have been brought in just for me.


    "Thank you so much, Vizsla," I gush when I feel ready to hop in.  "I should be good for the rest of the night, so there''s no need to stick around or anything.


    "Of course, Miss Catarina.  If you do need me, there''s a little pull string along the wall near the bed.  Give it a tug, and I''ll come back as soon as I can."


    "Oh wait,” I say, “there is one more thing I have to ask…"  I take a deep breath, then clasp my hands together and give her big pleading eyes.  "Please, could you just call me Cat?  Not ''Miss Catarina''?"


    She hesitates, clearly uncomfortable with the request.


    "I- I don''t think I''m allowed to do that… I would get in trouble for being disrespectful."


    "Please, Vizsla?"  I reach out desperately and take her hands in mine.  "I''m not some noblewoman who expects people to talk up to her all the time.  All this ''Miss Catarina'' stuff is freaking me the hell out.  I need at least one person here to call me Cat, or I''m going to go insane.  You don''t have to do it in front of anyone else, just behind closed doors, when it''s just us.  I''m begging you, please do this for me?"


    She shuffles her feet and makes a series of pained faces while she considers my request.  Eventually, though, she agrees.


    "Okay," she says slowly.  "Cat.  Is there anything else you need, Cat?"


    "Oh thank you, thank you so much!"  I fight the urge to hug her, since she''s already so uncomfortable.  Instead I just give her hands a firm squeeze before letting them go.  "I''m just going to take my bath and then head to bed.  I''ll see you in the morning?"


    She gives me the faintest, most tentative trace of a smile.


    "Yeah.  See you in the morning, Cat," she says, then leaves me to my bath.


    I spend over an hour in the tub, replaying the day''s events and trying out different soaps.  My fingers are wrinkled prunes by the time I get out.  When I finally do, I find an impossibly plush towel hanging up next to me, and also, when I exit the bathroom, a white, flowing nightgown set out on the bed.  It''s not mine, but it fits perfectly and is insanely comfortable.  I guess now it is mine?


    I shudder.  The thought of having my clothing picked out for me is deeply unsettling, for a reason I can''t quite pinpoint.  Something about taking away my agency?  What will I even be allowed to choose for myself in this place?


    Somewhere on the other side of town, the Warblers are finishing tonight''s play without me.  Mine was a bit part, easily covered by someone else.  I wonder who took it?  Even in our concerts from here on out, others will be able to take my parts.  The only thing they can''t replace right away is someone to play the harp.  Luca only ever taught me, and I never had a chance to pass on my knowledge.  I wonder what they''ll do with it?  Hopefully they''ll keep it around for when I return.


    The one thing I don''t think about is what will happen tomorrow.  I don''t even have the first clue about what it will be like, so why bother wondering, right?  Not thinking about it doesn''t necessarily mean I''m not worried about it, though.  My chest is tight with anticipation.


    I lay in the softest bed I''ve ever had the pleasure of occupying and stare into the darkness for a long time before finally being overtaken by a fitful sleep.