~A Guard In Employ~

If not for her maids, Oris would have slept through the dinner.

In Keziah's words, because she had been ogling Mikea Oris had missed that little announcement. A celebratory meal of some sort. Everyone crammed in one room with Hermes at the head.

Oris had a headache just thinking about it. The history she had with dinners did little to help, but she couldn't deny that she was ravenous. I will be surprised if no one gets poisoned, and I'll risk poisoning if it means I get to finally eat something other than dried rations.

With her lips pulled into a smirk, she looked over her shoulder at Keziah. "Isn't that why I have you?"

"Of course, Mistress. We are only here to serve," Andrea answered—ever the peacemaker—while the girl only scowled in response, the most visibly stressed Oris had ever seen her. I should stop teasing the poor girl.

"Look this way, Mistress." Mayree grabbed Oris by the chin and repositioned her head so that she was looking directly at the mirror.

"Why do I need makeup if I'm wearing a veil?"

"Because Keziah is ripping it off," Andrea grumbled. She was the one who had to reengineer the veil so it came apart prettily... so that it didn't smug the makeup and ruin her chances of seducing Hermes with her carefully plucked and darkened eyebrows.

"Ah. Keziah the spy." Oris pursed her lips. "I had forgotten about that."

But she hadn't. Not really. It was hard to forget about an elephant that massive in a room so small, and she could tell that none of the girl were really pleased about, not even Keziah herself and she had been the one to set it in motion.

"I am looking forward to your performance," Oris told the girl, and being Keziah could reply with something snarky, Seline burst into the room with a cloak bundled in her arms.

"It's time."

"Alright, Mayree." Oris slapped the older maid's hands away. "Nothing else you do will save my face. What is, can't change."

Mayree frowned but obediently set down her powders and glitters. "There's nothing wrong with your face, it's just..."

Oris touched the scar on her neck and watched herself in the mirror. It had healed quite nicely, but it was still there and obvious. She hadn't ever wished for it to disappear and now that she had doubts about what her goals truly were, she'd decided to stop covering it up.

Let him see me for what I am. Let them all see. She rose to her feet slowly, examining each moment in the mirror. A queen, even without my crown.

But she had never needed a crown. That, she had left for her sister, placed in the hands of her headless corpse.

"Mistress." Mayree grabbed the cloak and draped it over Oris' shoulders. They had all decided that jewelry was too risky. It could go missing and somehow become evidence that she killed them or something equally sinister.

Oris might not have been raised to struggle in a harem, but she had been taught how to manage one of her own. If I'm to become his woman, if I am to bear his child, I have to be untouchable, starting now.

There was no longer any room for being pushed around. If she started now then it was up to her whether to go on with it or quit, but if she didn't and changed her mind later on then even a million tears wouldn't be able to make it happen.

And I guess this dress is how I do it. Oris ran her fingers over the soft material as Mayree adjusted the pins holding up her freshly curled hair.

It was a scandalous dress that showed off her shoulders and dipped generously in the front and back the circled back to hug her curves. It showed off more skin than any of her previous outfits had all together; a mix of opaque and sheer materials in black and red that made her hair look as vivid as fire by comparison.

Oris was proud to say that it was their masterpiece. After today, the dress would be stripped down to something more practical, but for now she let herself enjoy the way its corseted bodice accentuated her bust and shaped her waist. She turned a little, marveling at the pleated folds of the skirt, starched, stiffened and heated so the cotton held its rigid form.

She buried the urge to compliment the girls and turned so that Andrea could put the veil on for her. It was an ornate piece—stitched with little, fake gems and glittering sequins—consisting of two parts: a headband and a connected part that sat over the bridge of her nose to cover the rest of her face. This too was symbolic. The most she had covered up since deciding to only show the top half of her face.

Once everything was in place, her fingers drifted to the ruby centered on her forehead, just above her brows. It was the only expensive item she had on, only made an exception because it matched the color of her hair. It was stitched to the headband that would be left behind when Keziah tugged off the veil.

All in all, the plan was foolproof, but Oris was still worried. Recently, little had actually gone her way, as though the gods had once again decided to interfere.

Is it written in stone that I must marry Hermes? She could see why the gods would love him, devoted and Sūn-kissed as he was, but why couldn't they love her the same? Wasn't it also noble to do this for her people?

With a quiet sigh, she slipped into her shoes and took Andrea's hand when. Together, they exited the room, Mayree and Seline falling into step behind them, leaving Keziah at back—a constant reminder of just how incomplete their party was.

Maybe I should have brought an extra maid along, just to make things even. Just thinking about unleashing on the Empress Dowager's spies on her own people made her head hurt even more. She tightened her grip on Andrea's hand and focused on walking. It will all be over soon. Once the selection is over, I will be able to rest...

Rest, of course, meant planning to dethrone Wei Wei as smoothly as possible, but in Oris' opinion staging a coup was less stressful than prancing around to amuse an emperor.

She had always known that she'd need to reveal her face eventually, but she hadn't expected it to develop into something so dramatic. Truth was, she needed a spy too and Keziah—with a background, it seemed, that no one knew off—was a perfectly timed gift from the gods.

Oris felt bad singling her out of pack like this but it was necessary to show everyone else how much of an outcast she was so that when the "betrayal" happened, it was more believable. A maid who betrayed her master can do a lot of things. This sentiment would lead others to try and exploit the "gap" in loyalty, which in turn would alert Oris of who her enemies were.

If Keziah faltered or was bribed, the gap would become real and widen to a chasm. Oris struggled with this knowledge, wondering if she should prepare more for that eventuality. Out of all the girls, she trusted Keziah's resolve the most, but she wasn't sure why.

Seline had endured a beating for her, Andrea had used her connections to free her fron the dungeons, and Mayree had keep things together through all the crises. There was no reason to trust on over the other, and yet she did. It only made her existing guilty multiply.

As they turned into a hallway lined with guards, tbe entourage slowed. Past experience made Oris expect to be stopped, but no one blocked their path as they advanced and a weird feeling began to bubble in her gut .

As though she could sense it, Andrea laughed under her breath. "It feels strange."

"The first day of the Selection feels like an eternity ago," Mayree said in agreement. "So much has happened since then. I suppose we really do belong here now."

Seline offered her tight nod in support and Keziah did the same, too far away to quietly offer any words of wisdom.

I hate this, Oris thought sullenly. I didn't think I'd hate this plan so much, but I do... When did I grow so attached to Keziah?

Though she kept track of the girl through the corner of her eye, thinking of how to broach the topic when the opportunity arrived, her attention shifted once the sounds of cheerful laughter echoed from the distance.

"We're almost there, Mistress," Mayree announced, just as one of the guards stepped out of his row to approach them.

Oris recognized him by his auburn curls before he even lowered his head to salute her. "Cassidy."

"My Lady."

She hadn't seen him since he escorted her and Andrea to and from the gardens. "How is your mother?" she asked, for a lack of anything better to say. His presence only served to remind her that they should have been escorted here but no one had been at the door to do so. Again. "And your sister?"

"I did not think you would remember." He looked as severe as he had always been, but the corners of his lips ticked up in what could be loosely interpreted as a smile. "I apologize for my tardiness."

"You are our escort?" Oris resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. His absence hadn't actually mattered. After all they had been through in the capital, the girls had decided that it was best to not have to depend on someone else to show them the way. She was confident that they could navigate these hallways with their eyes closed if they wished.

"I was the only one who volunteered," he said in his defense. "Hardly anyone believes that you are a good person."

The fact that guards are able to turn protecting us must be Wei Wei's doing. "And you think I am?"

"Yes. Of course." He took a step forward then caught himself, glancing at the other statue-esque men guarding the passage. "I have not forgotten your kindness from before. I would like to... escort you from now on."

"You would like to be part of my entourage?" Oris could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Permanently?"

Cassidy lowered his head again, squeezing his hands into fists and whispering, "Yes."

"You don't—"

Oris response died in her throat when Andrea pulled on her sleeve. The girl slowly inched closer and began to whisper

"After that day, he has been quite... active in defending you in front of his fellow guards. Before the trip, he was singled out by his supervisor as being troublesome. He has offended a lot of people so it's likely that he won't be climbing the ranks anytime soon."

"How and why do you know that?"

"It's my job to know, Mistress."

What a smooth answer. Oris couldn't help but wonder who else the girl had secretly been keeping tabs on.

"I won't be able to pay you," she said, louder this time so that Cassidy could hear.

"The crown fills my family's coffers. It would be selfish of me to ask for more."

Oris stared at him, speechless. Ten maids, and now this. When did I become so popular?

She was sure that agreeing now would set off a wave of people wanting to serve her, and not only was that really not how the palace management operated, that many people surrounding her would only pave the path for future betrayals—especially if she didn't need to buy their allegiance with gold. At the same time, she had acquired a reputation for being generous and kind, rejecting Cassidy her would only harm the people's perception of her.

Because, surely he will tell his family how heartless I was to turn him down, and his family will tell others...

Keziah stepped forward and raked his figure with a cold glare, scanning him from head to toe. "My mistress is kind but that does not mean she will allow herself be exploited, m'lord."

"I..." he almost looked offended, "did not wish to do so."

"Then you must understand the precariousness of my mistress' situation and why not just anyone can be around her?"

"I understand. I did not intend to be a bother." He started to turn away, but Keziah was already speaking before he could fully retreat.

"Then you wouldn't mind proving your loyalty," she said. "If that is the only way I can let you stay, would you still choose to serve my mistress regardless of what you are tasked?"

There was no hesitation in his voice when he answered. "I would."

"Glad to have you on board, milord." She held out her hand to him.

"Cassidy." He took her hand and pressed a kiss into her palm. "I am not a lord."

Oris could hardly look away but somehow remained aware of Andrea giggling behind her free hand and Mayree staring at the two with wide eyes. Only Seline showed no reaction, her face blissfully blank.

"Glad to have you on board, milord," Andrea repeated and held her hand out as well.

Keziah slipped her hand out of Cassidy's grip and walked back to the back of her group. The guard hurriedly bowed to Andrea before falling into place beside Keziah.

"Isn't he supposed to be escorting us?" Mayree asked in a whisper.

Oris couldn't help but smile. "I think he already knows that we know the way."

"I didn't know that Keziah could so charming!"

"Neither did I," Andrea said. "Did you see the way she looked at him?

"I don't think she likes him."

They all turned to Seline, but she was already back to looking down at her feet.

"What's wrong with her?" Andrea whispered.

Mayree shook her head.

"Come on," Oris said, to get their attention. "We're going to be late."

~

I have a confession to make and an apology to give. I started writing an interactive story for Scripts in August, and since then I haven't written anything anywhere else. Not on Wattpad, not on Tapas. And I didn't want to post the stuff I had written before because I was afraid that I would be able to write more.

At the beginning of this year, I thought I'd be done with all my books pretty soon, but life is unpredictable really. I had to write things that I didn't want to (for my fam, ugh) and that burnt me out a little too.

Everytime I tried to post on here, I couldn't AND I'M REALLY SORRY FOR LEAVING YOU ALL HANGING.

Writing even feels strange now because for months I've been writing only in 2nd person present tense.

If you're curious about the interactive story and when it'll be out, just stay tuned to the next update. I'll try to start writing again and finish the book before the end of the year like I originally hoped.