Surviving As A Maid

Chapter 2

What Happened to My Ramyun?

I needed to calm down. Even if I wanted to get out of here, I had to get myself together if I didn’t want to actually end up dead.

I have to admit it. I am in a fantasy world. I had finally arrived in another world, which was something I’d been wishing for as long as I can remember... But here, I was a mere commoner. I had envisioned my entrance to another world to be mysterious, appearing at a sacred temple pond and receiving divine guidance from a goddess or arriving on the majestic wings of a phoenix. Yet, here I was, undeniably just a maid.

I had also anticipated being transformed into a peerless beauty, but that was not the case. I desperately searched my entire body one last time for any kind of mark or sign but found nothing. I need to accept it. I’m just a commoner. Despite my decade-long dream of going to another world, flirting with all the handsome men, managing a love square, and eventually marrying a young king after a passionate romance, I was here without any special traits whatsoever.

“Ash, get ready. His Majesty is coming,” a voice said, interrupting my thoughts of despair.

The door creaked open, and the maid with emerald-green eyes who had led me to this room appeared. She instructed me to step out into the corridor and wait. This new life had granted so little that it even denied the luxury of indulging in despair.

In swift, organized motions, the maids lined up at the end of the corridor, each one bowing to the floor. I guessed that this world held strict rules about direct eye contact with individuals of higher social status. The maid who had led me out bowed first, and I instinctively mirrored her action. It was at that moment I realized I didn’t even know her name.

People had been referring to me as “Ash,” but beyond that, my understanding of this world was a blank slate. Lacking any otherworldly enhancements or relevant memories, I felt lost. What are my duties as a maid in this world?

The corridor, now filled with around twenty prostrated figures, fell into an eerie silence. The door to the queen’s birthing room must have been exceptionally thick, as no sound escaped through it. After counting to about fifteen in my head, I began to hear the rhythmic sound of footsteps in the distance.

The queen, whom I had glimpsed earlier, was notably young. But a young queen didn’t necessarily imply a young king. As I waited for the one coming to see his wife and newborn child, my curiosity about his looks and age grew. However, the fear of serious repercussions prevented me from daring to raise my head. Only my eyes moved, seeing the rest of the maids remain completely motionless. After a while, the once-distant footsteps grew significantly closer.

The servants must have accompanied the king because the steps grew louder and more chaotic with their approach. While bowing on the ground, the sound seemed to echo through my arms and shoulders, growing so close that I felt shivers down my spine.

Two pairs of feet walked side by side in front of me. Both pairs of shoes were ornate, but one pair was particularly colorful and extravagantly decorated and looked more like collector’s items than practical footwear. The two pairs of feet passed in front of me with similar strides, followed by the feet of servants who were no different than us. The front pair must have been the king because the bowing maids began to rise once the servants passed. Sensing the cue, I, too, stood up and managed a fleeting glimpse at the back of the king’s head.

He appeared tall, and I also saw a blonde person next to him that came up to his shoulders. That explains the pair of feet next to the king’s.

“Oh my goodness,” whispered the maid beside me, her eyes wide. The king and his servants had just entered the queen’s quarters.

The atmosphere seemed less reverent now as she and another blue-eyed maid whispered together.

“How could His Majesty bring him here?”

“He must be out of his mind.”

“I feel bad for the queen, having to see that fox right after giving birth to the prince.”

I exhaled a long breath and looked up at the ceiling.

“Why?” I quietly asked. “What happened?”

The maids looked shocked as they stared at me. One of them seemed to want to shout at me, but she recollected herself and whispered, “Ash, have you lost your mind?”

Great. I just asked a stupid question that’s supposed to be obvious. Stay calm. I can handle this. There’s nothing in this world that can’t be solved through words.

“I didn’t see anything. What happened?”

“You didn’t see?”

“No. Who did His Majesty bring?”

“Yurigel. Who else could it be?” the blue-eyed maid replied, her voice laced with distaste. But she couldn’t elaborate any further as the door that was left slightly open swung wide, and a young man stormed out. From the gasps around me, he seemed to be the king. Everyone quickly knelt on the ground.

Wait, didn’t he just go in? We had fully bowed down earlier, but the protocol for the king’s departure seemed different. Everyone knelt and slightly lowered their heads, and this allowed me to discreetly observe the king’s face.

He had left the queen’s room swiftly as if he had barely interacted with his newborn. Looking as young as the queen, his striking handsomeness was highlighted by his long black hair flowing down to his waist. However, it was the man whose wrist he was holding that captured my attention. Apparently, this was Yurigel.

The slender, blonde young man had the demeanor of someone who would have been a successful K-pop idol. His attire and accessories were extravagantly ornate, far surpassing those worn in any photoshoot I’d ever seen.

Given this world’s kings and maids, could he be a priest? Or is he a dragon sworn to protect the kingdom? Struggling to match the king’s unsteady, stormy pace, the man suddenly addressed the king.

“Evans!” he called out.

The room fell into a deadly silence that if humans’ hearing ability were a hundred times more sensitive, one might have heard the sound of a candle being lit. The maid who had been talking to me with a gentle face now shared the fierce expressions of all those kneeling and bowing around us. The king’s initial look of irritation relaxed as he released Yurigel’s wrist and tenderly embraced his shoulder, whispering an apology.

He had almost forcefully entered the queen’s room earlier, but now, he departed with the same rhythmic, deliberate steps with which he had arrived. Their brief pause allowed the servants who were scurrying out of the queen’s quarters to recompose themselves and continue following the king.

A delayed, sob-like sound echoed from within the room.

“I feel terrible for Her Majesty,” whispered the emerald-eyed maid beside me.

“Mina,” a blue-eyed maid softly called out, drawing her attention. Nearby, I saw a person who appeared to be the head maid. The blue-eyed maid seemed to be warning her to watch her words, but no other reprimand followed.

Whatever had transpired inside the room, the sobs I heard were deeply sorrowful. As we maids quietly passed the queen’s quarters, the head maid herself solemnly closed the door. In the brief moment before it shut, I caught a fleeting glimpse inside the room.

The queen had her hair and attire meticulously arranged and was cradling the prince swaddled in blankets. There was still no expression on her face, no hint of the joy or even the fatigue one might expect from a mother who had just given birth. Her appearance was doll-like, devoid of emotion.

“Ah!” I exclaimed suddenly, realizing something.

“What’s wrong?” a nearby maid asked.

“Oh, nothing. I just got shocked by static,” I replied, my mind racing with thoughts.

Uh-oh... I think I understand what’s going on.

***

The maids’ quarters, located in one wing of the queen’s palace, were designed to accommodate two people per room. Having Mina as my roommate seemed to be the only good thing I had been granted in this new life if I could even call it that. Perhaps this was an indication of a newfound humility in humans, or at least the potential for it. After following Mina into our room, I carefully watched and mimicked her actions as we changed into our clothes from the wardrobe. We sat on our respective beds to rest, facing each other.

“Ash, you seem a bit off today. Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No. Why? What seems off?”

“You’re unusually quiet. Did something bad happen?”

What will happen if I tell her I have amnesia? I wanted to ask her who I was and where I was. But even if I were to say this, I knew they wouldn’t call for a doctor, as they would if I were a noble lady. They probably wouldn’t even care to ask about my symptoms and coddle me like a baby.

“I was just really shocked to see childbirth for the first time.”

“Oh! You’ve never seen it before?”

“No. The last time I saw anyone pregnant was when I was very young.”

“It’s okay, Ash. It’s all part of life.”

Sitting on the bed opposite mine, Mina untied her hair and reached out to firmly grasp my hand. She’s kind and gentle. I should be hiding my identity and gathering information about Ash and this place from our daily conversations. But can I truly deceive my roommate?

“I want to go to bed early today. I’m worried about having nightmares about it.”

“You’ll have pleasant dreams. I’ll be in the next room talking with Sev. You should rest.”

“Can I come with you?” I asked.

“It’s just the next room.”

“Sorry,” I murmured, feeling a bit embarrassed.

It was still early, and the palace buzzed with the news of the heir’s birth. Mina, along with the other maids, was brimming with gossip and seemed unlikely to fall asleep early. I doubted I would be able to sleep early either if I were them. I knew I should be joining Mina and the others to gather as much information as possible about this strange place. However, the overwhelming need for solitude held me back.

My roommate stayed with me until I lay down on the bed. Later, she left for the adjacent room to join Sev, kindly reminding me that I could join them if I felt better or couldn’t sleep. So, Mina is my roommate, the maid with blue eyes I spoke with earlier is Ellie, and Sev is in the next room...

I murmured the new names I had learned to myself, determined not to forget them. I also made a mental note to visit that room while Mina was still there. Yet, I needed a moment alone, a wave of dizziness washing over me.

Yurigel and Evans... I’ve heard of those names. They belonged to a young, powerful king, and a young, beautiful man whom he deeply cherished. Their story was one of undying love as they overcame every obstacle and hardship, each sacrificing their most prized possessions for the other. No worldly treasure could rival the value of their love.

The man cherished a simple flower plucked by the king more than the richest treasures, and the king savored a sip of water shared with his beloved more than the finest delicacies. It was a story of true and profound love, an adoration solely for each other. But that was merely a tale from a novel I had once read.