I watched myself fight in a battle, slashing an enemy after our base in the south got attacked. I remember I cursed myself as to why I joined the war and cursed myself again as I remember why. Because the Empire has promised that if we would win, we would be free.

I was lucky, I guess. The Empire needed more people to fight the Kingdom of Erahyrl and their Alliance. Thus the Empire recruited a lot of people from the previous Kingdoms they conquered. This means those who serve in the war won't be... a slave. And might earn the citizenship of the empire if we were deemed worthy. So a lot of people decided to join. Since it would benefit us either way, all we want is to not hungry anymore. Something that our previous greedy King lacked.

Later on that day, my first day in battle, I decided to cut my hair, leaving it short near a campfire but got scolded by my superior. "Idiot! We have someone to cut it! Don't do it by yourself!" He shouts. That left me really scared and I was stunned on my spot. He then left fuming over something else. Then someone lightly tapped on my shoulder.

"You will ruin your hair, you know." A girl with silver hair winked at me. Her blue eyes were like the sky. "Instead, let's have someone more professional do this. See, look at my hair." She tilted her hair, showing her short medium hair with her bangs. I just nodded. The cuts look really clean and it really suits her.

"I see. I'm sorry. I guess I should have done it by someone else." I said. I guess you couldn't just decide everything by yourself here in the army. I should be careful of whatever I'm doing over here.

"Nah, there's nothing wrong with wanting to cut your own hair by yourself but it's a better option and much safer. You don't want to regret it. Since a woman's hair is her pride and glory." She said. "I'm Sylvie by the way, what's yours?" She asks.

"Bianca," I answered and she beamed.

"I think from now on, we will be together. We're on the same platoon after all. Let's get along together, Bianca!" She holds both of my hands and offers me to join with the others. Then I got my hair cut professionally done by someone. Later, I made a lot of friends there. We shared stories and our dreams. We had a really nice conversation.

I remember that day I finally smiled after a really long time...

"Bianca! Over here!" Sylvie shouts. The others were there as well. They waved at me.

"Hey, wait up!" I laughed as I ran to them.

But as I tried to reach them, they all disappeared into ashes... and everything around me turned into a fire that burned everything. My world has crumbled. And I was alone, once again.

I woke up with tears in my eyes. Why suddenly I dreamed about it? Sylvie and the others...

I looked out the window to see the sun was yet rising. It's dawn. I decided to meditate first to kill some time. Maybe my core mana is unstable. 

As I closed my eyes, I breathed. And I could feel my hair lifted up. And I could see the color blue flowing around me, even as I closed my eyes. Just because my eyes are closed, that doesn't mean I can't see.  And there it was my core, inside me, unstable because it's overflowing with mana.

I haven't used my mana for a really long time, no wonder. I let the blue mana flow around until I order them with my will, to become a shape of a weapon. It felt like time stopped around me whenever I did this, because of how fast actually I was moving. And the sounds of shards when I grab it, indicate that I have drawn them in the real world, just from my imagination.

I opened my eyes and looked at the blue-silver sword with red ruby in the middle. This slender sword is the same as the one I used in battle a long time ago. It's been nine months since the last time I used this sword... and could no longer use it if I wanted to. Because it will be considered treason.

Then, I let the sword disappear again in thin air. I stood up, and lightly did a little stretch, pinched my cheeks, and tapped it with my hands. "It's breakfast now or never." I remind myself. I'm gonna miss it if I'm not moving now. 

After having a bath and changing, I went to the kitchen where served the maids for the morning shift. The late-night shift is here too but they all looked burned out somehow.

"What happened to them?" I ask Emily and sit right next to her. She choked her drinks instead and I quickly tapped her back. "Sorry, did I startle you??" I try to hold myself not to laugh. She so easily gets scared.

"We have a guest. Last night, all the night shift maids were called. Even us, the West Palace." Tina who sat across from me answered.

"Oh my, even us?" I ask again. Tina fixes her glasses and nods. That's a lot of people then. Usually, the night shift maids have it easy since they hardly do anything during their shifts. Especially the West Palace. To think they even called us...

"It's East Palace's fault. Their lazy ass started to work when they have a guest but guess who suffered the most? Us!!!" Riley, the night shift maid last night said. Even her pale skin is red holding in anger. I feel bad for her and the others. So the other palace didn't do their job properly huh?? Usually, we keep cleaning it even if it's not dirty. That's our job as a maid here.

"You guys are not the only ones. I clean an entire abandoned greenhouse in the West Palace all alone you know?!" Emily also joined in. Well, I guess we all have it rough. I have to do all the laundry all alone too. I hardly feel my own hands now.

"It's so weird... As if we didn't have enough maids. Where did they all go?" Riley murmurs but loud enough for all of us to hear. We all froze in our spots. Riley just realized her mistakes.

"Well.. erm, the weather today is pretty nice huh? Good for you, Bianca. It won't rain." Emily said.

"Huh? Hm, yeah? I guess so." It's true my laundry duty will be easy I guess. Gotta clean those sheets from the guest room and some curtains too...

Later, the morning breakfast becomes silent and we all decide to keep it that way.

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Our conversation this morning still got me thinking about the shortage of maids and the guests that coming in the middle of the night... I wonder who is it. I didn't ask because the less we know the better. You don't want to end up dying just because you know too much. Sometimes it's better to not know anything after all...

My duty this week is only doing laundry job. On sheets that are unused, actually. From one of the rooms of unused guest rooms. But the headmaid told us to keep cleaning. So it won't be hard for us later. That's how we got the West Palace cleaned. The key is to clean it before It gets dirty~

"Bianca!" Emily comes over to me with a horror look on her face. She was trembling.

"Emily? What are you doing here? What happened?" I ask. She looks so pale.

"I was told to go to the Main Palace by the Head Maid!" She cried. What?!

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"Head Maid, do you really have to send Emily there?" I ask while walking behind her. She finally turns around maybe after feeling irritated for following her everywhere and looks at Emily crying behind me.

"Head Maid, I don't wanna go!!! I don't wanna die!!! Wahh!!!" Emily cries again, but this time harder than before.

"For Goodness sake, stop crying. You're not gonna die. You're just serving in the Main Palace." The Head Maid clicked her tongue.

"It's still the same!! His Majesty is gonna kill me like the other maids!!!" Emily gives a side eye to the headmaid.

"You- you little, I should have give you a lesson-"

"Head Maid please, do consider this. Emily is still a child. She's barely 16 years old," I said. "She has younger siblings to look after too."

The Head Maid sighed. "It's not like I want to send Emily away but the main palace is asking for someone from the West Palace. And I chose Emily. End of story," She said as she started to walk away.

Emily is shaking while holding on to me. I felt the blood run through my veins. I never felt this anger before for a really long time since-

"Then the headmaid doesn't have to worry about it. I myself will go to the main palace. I'll tell them I'm from the West Palace and the maid that they're looking for." I said. The head maid quickly turned and her eyes widened. So does Emily.

"Bianca..?" Emily looked shocked. I only smiled at her.

"Do you know what people called me on the battlefield?" She can only shake her head.

"They called me, The Iron Fairy."