A Talented Maid

Chapter 2

Haze obscured Marie’s vision.

She was in a dream... and once again, she was someone else in this dream. A man's voice spoke to her.

‘What tea have you prepared for me today?’

‘Tieguanyin, master,’ “Marie” replied in a gentle voice.

‘Tieguanyin?’

‘Yes. It's a type of oolong from the south of Fujian in Qing. It's known for its clean taste.’

“Marie” offered him a cup of the tea she made. Her gestures were efficient yet graceful.

The man took a sip and exclaimed, ‘That is very clean indeed. There is no one who does it better than you.’

‘Thank you. The supreme quality of the tea accounts for the clean taste.’

The man shook his head with a smile.

‘Viola, you are my greatest treasure.’

***

At that moment, Marie's eyes snapped open.

It was a dream. Who’s Viola?

She racked her brain but could not remember a Viola. Besides, judging from the architectural style and furniture she saw in the dream, she had to say the mansion in the dream was outside of the empire.

It might have been England, the island to the west. Goodness, that dream felt so real!

The dream had been brief, but it felt as if Marie had really lived for a moment in the life of a maid called Viola.

Just then, someone hollered, “Marie! Are you up? We're going to be late! Hurry!”

It was Jane, her roommate and fellow scullery maid.

Marie checked the clock. The time was five-thirty. She had to hurry. She quickly dressed in her scullery maid's uniform and rushed to the Lily Palace where she worked.

Jane said as they rushed down the path together, “You have to be on your best behavior today, Marie. You know Miss Susan is watching you, right?”

Marie nodded.

“If you mess up again today, you might get more than a scolding.”

“I'll be good today,” Marie said. But she was worried nonetheless. The head housekeeper’s admonishments were becoming harsher every day. Marie was filled with dread to think how she would get through another day under her watch.

I wish I could be perfect like the maid from my dream.

She was a perfect maid. She excelled not just at the basic things like cleaning, washing, and the dishes, but the more complicated tasks like serving, making tea, and organizing files as well. She wasn't just a great maid. She turned chores into an art. She was a true virtuoso in the art of housekeeping. If Marie could do just a quarter of what “Viola” could do, she would be spared the scoldings.

Enough of your foolish thoughts, Marie. Just do your best, Marie told herself.

Marie arrived at the Lily Palace and headed to the place assigned to her. She was to clean the hall by the first floor sitting room in the morning before their imperial highnesses woke up, and head to the kitchen for the dishes after breakfast.

“Good luck, Marie.”

“See you later, Jane.”

Marie took a deep breath after she parted ways with Jane. She was determined to get it right today so she could avoid her usual dressing down. Resolved, she looked around in the hall. Something felt different today.

Huh?

She could not articulate what it was, but a strange discomfort came over her. And in that moment, a new world appeared before her eyes.

G-good lord. What is this? Is it my eyes?

She looked around, mouth hanging open now. The new world that appeared before Marie's eyes was filled with...

It's f-filthy.

Yes. Filth.

Has this section of the palace always been this dirty?

Marie blinked. Everywhere she looked, she saw grime along the molding, thick cakes of dust on the windowsills, gunk stamped into the floor, and so on.

Why have I never noticed this before?

The filth wasn't the kind that could appear overnight. It was an accumulation over a long period of time that Marie just never saw before. But now, it was so obvious to her. It was as if she was looking at the room through a magnifying glass.

I ought to wipe this clean before Miss Susan gets here.

There was so much to clean that Marie wasn't confident she would get it all done before Miss Susan came to check her work. She grabbed the mop and was about to scrub the floor hard when a strange feeling came over her again.

This feels so easy.

Marie blinked again. Either she had suddenly grown much stronger, or the mop had become light as a feather. With little effort, she could wipe off the old grime with every swing of the mop. Now that she could see exactly which parts were dirty, she wasted little energy wiping the wrong parts.

It's as if I've become the maid from my dream! The maid in Marie’s dream had a similar ability, as she recalled. She could catch all the little details that others had missed, and had an excellent handle of cleaning utensils.

No... it can't be.

It was ludicrous to think that dreaming about a talented maid would make Marie a talented maid. It was absurd. But just then, she remembered the voice of the dying prisoner.

“Suppose you were given all the abilities you wanted. What would you do with your talent?”

Marie gasped. N-no way. His prayer couldn't have come true. That's impossible!

While Marie's head struggled to make sense of what was happening, her hands finished cleaning the hall.

She could not believe it was possible to work at this speed. Marie looked back at the hall she had just cleaned and exclaimed in spite of herself.

“Wow!”

It was clean, though the word did not begin to describe the hall that was now so clean that it gently glowed.

Did I really do this? Marie blinked hard. She could not believe it. And she had time to spare...?

What is going on? Befuddled, she looked into the sitting room by the hall.

Oh, it's filthy here, too. The sitting room was cleaned regularly and kept fairly clean, but Marie's eyes caught a few parts that could use a good scrub.

Should I? I do have some time left. The sitting room was not her responsibility. It wouldn't have mattered to her whether it was clean or not. But she found it hard to fight her newfound urge to clean. She yearned to get all the spots out, polish every surface, and see it shine.

"What is happening to me??” Marie cried out loud. She had turned into a different person. But, once again, her hands had already begun to clean as her head continued with its struggle.

I don't have a lot of time, so I'll start with the most noticeable parts.

Marie wiped down the tables and chairs, picked up the dust bunnies in the corners, and got out the little smudge on the window that looked out onto the garden. And with the time still remaining, she put the finishing touches. She dusted the shelves, re-aligned the decorative bowls, and wiped the film of dust off the statue standing in the corner. She did not forget to polish the legs of the chairs where no one looked, of course.

I wish I could wash this carpet, Marie was thinking to herself when an angry voice called her name.

“Marie!” It was the head housekeeper, Miss Susan. “Why aren't you cleaning? Don't you know that Count Lexington is visiting the palace to—!” Susan suddenly stopped yelling, stunned by the hall she was standing in. Susan opened her eyes wide and looked carefully once again around her.

It's so... clean.’

Marie was not meticulous and often missed several spots in every section she cleaned, but not today. The hall was clean. It was not just clean, but almost looked renovated.

And the corners? Susan checked the corners that were hard to see. They were perfectly clean.

That klutz did this? She could not believe it.

“Did someone help you with the cleaning today, Marie?”

“I did it myself, Miss Susan,” Marie replied.

“That's impossible. I won't be cross with you. Just tell me the truth.”

“It really was just me,” Marie said gingerly.

Susan frowned. That can't be right. Susan knew that, while Marie had many shortcomings, the girl was no liar. Still, she could not believe her. She considered pressing her, but then shook her head.

“Okay. Now, head over to the kitchen and help with the cleanup.”

“Yes, Miss Susan!”

Watching the girl scurry to the kitchen like a chipmunk, Susan thought to herself, I'll find out soon enough if that girl really did it herself.

The truth was bound to come out soon.

But little did Susan know just how big of a surprise she was in for.